According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Jalen Brunson left the Dallas Mavericks for the New York Knicks in 2022 to become an All-Star.
Brunson didn’t make the All-Star team last season, but he made it this season.
“When Jalen Brunson left Dallas for New York in free agency in the summer of 2022, league sources indicated that one of his motivations was becoming an All-Star — something that figured to be easier not only in the East but as the unquestioned face of his own team,” Stein wrote.
Brunson signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks in July 2022. The lefty averaged 24.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks last season and helped New York win its first playoff series since 2013.
The 27-year-old Brunson has taken his game to another level this season. He’s averaging a career-high 27.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks while shooting 48.1% from the field, 41.3% from beyond the arc and 83.5% from the free-throw line.
Brunson is fourth in the NBA in total points and 11th in points per game. He’s well on his way to making his first All-NBA team.
The Knicks are 32-18. They are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Brunson leads the team in points per game and assists per game.
The Mavericks acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets last season, so they got Luka Doncic a co-star after losing Brunson. Dallas is 26-23 this season, good for eighth place in the West.
A Villanova product, Brunson is averaging 25.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks as a member of the Knicks. He’s the biggest star in New York right now.
More must-reads: