Knicks PG Jalen Brunson Sees First Snub in Offseason Prediction

Getty Jalen Brunson.

Making the leap from the Dallas Mavericks to the New York Knicks is a big change for Jalen Brunson.

This shift means he’ll no longer be Luka Doncic’s running mate, but will instead be the leading man in New York. For the Knicks, they get to plug a hole that has been vacant for years. There’s no telling how this upcoming season will go, but it has to be a boost from Alec Burks.

Brunson had a very strong playoff run with the Mavericks, and if he can keep that up with the Knicks, being named to an All-Star team is something that’s within the realm of possibilities.

That’s what makes Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley’s prediction of five first-time All-Stars next season list surprising because it leaves off Brunson. The Eastern Conference is quite guard-heavy with Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Darius Garland, Zach LaVine, and the list goes on, but he has Tyrese Haliburton on his list of predictions.

Brunson Sees His First Snub

Although Brunson has never been named to an All-Star team, his talent has never been in question.

His numbers last year sat around 16/5/4, so his stats are solid playing next to Doncic, and if he makes another leap, he’s definitely in the All-Star conversation.

To be fair to Buckley, the only Eastern Conference guard projected to be named an All-Star is Haliburton, but that would mean he has to leapfrog Brunson. Haliburton’s role is very defined for the Pacers, but there’s a chance his teammates Buddy Hield and Myles Turner could see themselves traded by the team the season wraps up, and that could hurt his production.

For Brunson, he’s surrounded by RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, making his supporting cast a tad better, and that goes up exponentially if the Pacers make a trade. Many people are high on Haliburton, but the same can be said of Brunson.

Not a Big Concern

Being named to an All-Star team isn’t the goal for many players around the league as the ultimate goal would be winning a championship. For Brunson, the Knicks brought him in to help the team make some noise in the playoffs and not to be named an All-Star.

Of course, the two of those things arguably go together because you don’t see a good team with no All-Stars all that often. The Pacers aren’t likely to be a good team this season, so even if Haliburton does make that coveted All-Star team, it won’t mean a whole lot for them as a whole outside of an individual accolade.

While Buckley doesn’t have a ton of faith in Brunson being named to an All-Star team, there are still other people out there who think he has a chance.

CBS Sports writer Michael Kaskey-Blomain predicts Brunson could make the All-Star team for the first time this season, so it really comes down to who you ask.

From what we’ve seen in the preseason, Brunson does seem like he’ll be solid for the Knicks, so fans will have to hope it’s enough to get them into the playoffs.