New York Knicks forward Julius Randle is now a two-time NBA All-Star. Unfortunately, his new point guard Jalen Brunson didn’t make the cut.
Randle was named as one of the seven NBA All-Star reserves for the Eastern Conference Thursday night, joining Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Miami’s Bam Adebayo.
Randle will earn a $1.2 million bonus for this feat, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks.
The Knicks All-Star forward is averaging 24.7 points and 10.9 rebounds, both career highs, and 4.1 assists. He has 32 double-double games, the third-most this season behind fellow All-Stars Domantas Sabonis (39) and Nikola Jokic (34) entering Thursday’s match against the Miami Heat.
Randle’s remarkable comeback from a disappointing season has propelled the Knicks back into the playoff conversation. But a big part of his renaissance is Brunson’s stellar play and calming leadership.
All Inside the NBA on TNT hosts agreed Brunson deserves to be an All-Star.
“I’m kind of shocked Jalen Brunson didn’t make it,” Barkley said.
Kenny Smith reasoned out it’s hard to have two All-Stars when [the Knicks] are the seventh seed.
Brunson is having a career year in his debut season with the Knicks, averaging 22.8 points and 6.2 assists while ranking among the top three clutch players in the league behind DeRozan and Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, the biggest snub in the West.
Aside from Brunson, perennial All-Stars Jimmy Butler and James Harden were also some of the biggest names who didn’t make it.
The All-Star reserves were selected by the coaches.
Randle became the latest Knicks player to become a multiple All-Star since Carmelo Anthony. He also joins a distinguished group of Knicks legends Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Bernard King, Bob McAdoo, Michael Ray Richardson, Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Anthony to be named as an All-Star more than once.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo