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New York Knicks‘ two-time All-Star Julius Randle earned his second All-NBA nod, making the third team, while his co-star Jalen Brunson fell short.
Randle received 30 second-team and 35 third-team votes for 125 points, 45 points shy of Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, the last forward to make it to the second team.
Randle has outvoted Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who garnered 81 points (16 second-team and 33 third-team votes. Joining Randle and James in the All-NBA third team are Portland Trail Blazers go-to-guy Damian Lillard (137 points) and the Sacramento Kings’ 1-2 punch Domantas Sabonis (147 points) and De’Aaron Fox (144 points).
Brunson, also snubbed in the All-Star selection, was the third-highest vote-getter among guards who did not make any of the All-NBA teams. The Knicks starting point guard received five second-team and eight third-team votes for 23 points behind Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (39 points) and Memphis Grizzlies’ star Ja Morant (44 points).
Comprising the All-NBA First Team were Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo (500 points), Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (484 points), this season’s MVP Joel Embiid (474 points) of the Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (407 points) and Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic (403 points).
Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (364 points), Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (349 points), Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (188 points), Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler (182 points), and Brown made the All-NBA Second Team.
Stephen A. Smith Proposes Julius Randle-Karl-Anthony Towns Swap
Randle’s inconsistency in his second playoff appearance has led Stephen A. Smith to ask the Knicks to explore trading him in the offseason.
“I’m gonna say this. I think they should trade him,” Smith said on the May 9 episode of ESPN’s First Take. “If you could get your hands on somebody like Karl-Anthony Towns — Don’t get me wrong. I’m talking about basketball ability, not durability. I don’t think anybody could compete with Julius Randle. He’s been Mr. Reliable. He played the first 77 games of this season before he got injured. So reliability, dependability in that regard, I can’t sniff at that. But I’m talking about from a talent perspective, particularly come playoff time — I’d rather have Karl-Anthony Towns than Julius Randle.”
Derrick Rose Loves Jalen Brunson’s Play
Brunson has a big fan from his childhood idol and now his teammate Derrick Rose.
“I looked at him like a kid or playing against a little boy, but now being teammates with him, it’s a fun position to be in,” Rose told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Because this whole time, you want to be playing behind somebody that’s a dog. And I feel like JB is a dog. The way that he plays, it’s a Chicago way of playing. The Grittiness. The way that he manipulates the game. I’m in awe almost every night that he plays, even the games he feels he didn’t play his very best. I still love the way he plays.”
Rose was the youngest MVP in the league a decade ago when Brunson was a rising high school star in Chicago.
Brunson has been the Knicks’ most consistent performer in the postseason, leading the Knicks in scoring (25.2), assists (5.8), steals (1.7) and minutes (38.9) in their postseason run entering Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Heat.
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