Jan 2, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) gestures prior to the start of the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Star Predicted to Make First Team All-NBA

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Jan 7, 2026 7:00 AM ET

Injuries have been raving the NBA for months on end, having already played pivotal roles in numerous inner-circle individual award contenders' flailing campaigns.

Top-of-the-ballot MVP candidates in Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama are all on track for elimination from receiving end-of-season mentions due to the league's 65-game rule. Players are allowed to miss as many as 17 games before they're deemed ineligible to be nominated for any shoutouts by the end of the regular season, leaving the second tier of superstars to fill in the gaps for the absent faces of the league.

That's where Jalen Brunson comes in. The New York Knicks star is widely viewed as one of the 10 best players in the game, having accrued several Second Team All-NBA mentions, but that's where the acclaim has stopped. The superior talent around the league that's held him back from raising his ceiling is vanishing, and that opens the door for a new best end-of-season finish for the lead guard.

ESPN ran their predictions for All-NBA teams entering 2026, and Brunson benefitted from a combination of a shallower talent pool and his own statistical brilliance to earn the exclusive nod.

"The good news is [Luka] Doncic is back in the mix after injuries ended his All-NBA first team streak last season," Kevin Pelton wrote. "He and [Shai] Gilgeous-Alexander are the easiest picks if eligible. I've gone with Brunson and [Cade] Cunningham on the assumption voters will reward winning, but Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell have strong cases in their own right. It's doubtful that voters will reward so many guards, which gave [Jaylen] Brown the edge for my last spot.

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson and Detroit Pistons Guard Cade Cunningham Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

New Peaks for the Point Guard

Brunson, alongside Cunningham and Brown, has never been honored with such a high-ranking distinction, but here they are, each averaging just a few points below 30 a game on the three best teams in the Eastern Conference.

Even as the Knicks continue slipping, with Cunningham's Detroit Pistons personally extending New York's losing streak to a season-high four games, Brunson's case remains alive. He's notching 29.2 points per game on the reigning NBA Cup winners and the favorites to escape the conference's rat race, still doing his part in attempting to keep the Knicks afloat.

It helps that he's missed just three games all season, giving him plenty cushion to work off of should he need time to rest or recover from an injury later in the spring. Someone has to fill the hole left by the perennial candidates, and he's as well-fit to rise to the occasion as anyone.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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