Breaking news: Knicks Superstar Left Off of the First Team of the All-NBA
Breaking news: Knicks Superstar Left Off of the First Team of the All-NBA
The majority of NBA clubs are rather simple to understand. Though there are generally a player or two that the fans feel were “misplaced,” everyone is aware of the players who succeed. Jayson Tatum was selected for the All-NBA First Team, replacing Jalen Brunson despite Brunson’s outstanding season-long play.
It is impossible to exaggerate Brunson’s significance to the Knicks. He led and coordinated the offense as the team’s point guard, helping the Knicks to one of their greatest seasons in recent memory. In addition to his scoring prowess, his ability to manage the game’s tempo made him essential to the team’s success. Having placed sixth in the MVP voting, Brunson demonstrated his superiority over other players in the league. His average career highs in points, assists, and rebounds speak for itself. He proved his clutch performance night after night, never faltering when the team needed him most. Brunson’s influence was evident whether he was making a critical defensive play or shooting the game-winning shot.
Knicks All-Star Not included in the All-NBA First Team
The choice to start Taum over Brunson in the starting lineup is perplexing. Voters tell fans that for All-NBA teams, individual stats are significantly more important than team performance. The MVP award is far more dependent on team success. The MVP is chosen based on how valuable a player is to his team. Only a player’s impact on the team and, thus, the number of games they won, may define their value.
How then does one rank Tatum higher than Brunson?
Jalen Brunson versus Jayson Tatum
Compared to Tatum, Brunson averaged more points and assists. In terms of rebounding and all defensive metrics, Tatum outperformed Brunson. Tatum’s effective field goal percentage was 55.3%, compared to 54.3% for Brunson. When they were on the court, they both had the same offensive rating, but Tatum’s superior defensive ability gave him a greater net rating. Tatum was inferior than Brunson in terms of PER, an all-around measure that is highly regarded in the NBA.
With one of the league’s highest usage rates, Brunson accomplished all of this. As opposed to Tatum’s 29.6 usage rate for the season, his was 31.1. That doesn’t appear to make much of a distinction. Nonetheless, situations vary. Brunson had a league-high usage rate of 35.6 compared to Tatum’s 29.9 after the Knicks lost OG Anunoby and Julius Randle to injuries. Their attacking engine was him. Tatum only had possession of the ball for 5.0 minutes each night, whereas he had it for 9.2 minutes. Brunson’s weekly ability to hang thirty on every team in the league was the main factor in this season’s high level of productivity.
The Knicks had an incredible offensive rating of 121.2 when Brunson was playing. However, their offensive rating fell to a horrifying 104.2 after he sat. When Brunson rested, the Knicks as a unit were unable to produce offensively.
Even though Brunson isn’t a great defender, he regularly put his body in danger to ensure that his defense did not hurt the Knicks, ranking among the NBA’s top five in charges drawn. When he played, the Knicks’ defensive rating did not drastically decline, and Brunson made sure to exert a great deal of effort on the defensive end of the court.
The Variation in Situations
The star player on the team with the best record is the main topic of conversation. Compared to the NY Knicks, the Boston Celtics won 14 more games. However, they were able to do so because their roster was among the greatest in the NBA. All five members of the Celtics starting lineup averaged more than 68 games played and each had ten or more points. The Knicks, in contrast, only possessed two players who were able to meet those two criteria. DiVincenzo Donte and Brunson. Around Tatum, the Celtics have two members of the All-Defensive second team, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, and an All-Star in Jaylen Brown. Brunson, though, had nothing.
Prior to this year, DiVincenzo was a backup in his career. One of their best supporting actors, Josh Hart, has never ever approached 20 points per game or been selected to the All-Defensive team.
This sounds like theft on the highway. Brunson was passed over despite running a stronger campaign, finishing fifth in the MVP voting, and leading the Knicks. In 2023–24, Brunson had a fantastic season. Tatum may be a superior player, but Brunson was deserving of the first-team All-NBA selection.
