If there’s one player that deserves to be an Eastern Conference All-Star that hasn’t been listed on the first two fan returns, it’s New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson. New York’s front office (aka his godfather Leon Rose) deserves a ton of praise for luring Brunson away from the Mavericks to sign a four-year, $104 million deal in free agency with the Knicks.
Brunson is in his fifth year in the league since being drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2018 and he could receive his first All-Star honor in his first season in New York. However, Knicks fans have less than a week to vote for Brunson to go to Salt Lake City. After voting ends on Jan. 21, it’ll be up to players and a media panel to account for the remaining 50 percent of the vote (25 percent each) with fans making up the other 50 percent.
There isn’t anyone out there that can make a valid argument as to why Brunson shouldn’t be an All-Star, but you know that there are Knicks haters out there that are still claiming that Brunson was “overpaid.” How long are they going to try to keep that one going?
As fan voting wraps up, let’s take a look at three Eastern Conference backcourt players that are in the top 10 over Jalen Brunson when they shouldn’t be.
3 Eastern Conference All-Star favorites that Knicks’ Jalen Brunson has outperformed
3: Derrick Rose
Really? Derrick Rose, who isn’t even in New York’s rotation, has received more fan votes than Jalen Brunson? The same Derrick Rose that’s averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 assists and has played in only 26 games? Come on, Knicks fans, this is one that you should be ashamed of even though Rose is Brunson’s teammate.
What makes this even worse is that Rose hasn’t received 298,100 votes from Knicks fans. Instead, D-Rose’s own fan base has propelled the veteran guard’s name into the top 10. Those same fans are likely hoping that Rose will end up getting traded so that he can receive playing time elsewhere. There’s a big chance that by the time All-Star Weekend rolls around in mid-February, Rose will no longer be on New York’s roster.
Brunson and Rose’s relationship dates back to D-Rose’s time in Chicago when Brunson attended Stevenson High School. Similar to how things currently are in New York, Brunson’s father was an assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls staff, so little Brunson was a regular face at Chicago’s practice facility. Surely Rose would prefer for Brunson, a player that undoubtedly deserves it, to be in the top 10 All-Star votes over himself.
four-year, $104 million deal</a> in free agency with the Knicks.</p>
<p>Brunson is in his fifth year in the league since being drafted in the second round by Dallas in 2018 and he could receive his first All-Star honor in his first season in New York. However, Knicks fans have less than a week to vote for Brunson to go to Salt Lake City. After voting ends on Jan. 21, it’ll be up to players and a media panel to account for the remaining 50 percent of the vote (25 percent each) with fans making up the other 50 percent.</p>
<p>There isn’t anyone out there that can make a valid argument as to why Brunson shouldn’t be an All-Star, but you know that there are Knicks haters out there that are still claiming that Brunson was “overpaid.” How long are they going to try to keep that one going?</p>
<p>As fan voting wraps up, let’s take a look at three Eastern Conference backcourt players that are in the top 10 over Jalen Brunson when they shouldn’t be.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">LeBron James and Kevin Durant lead their respective conferences in the second fan returns of <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAAllStar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#NBAAllStar</a> Voting presented by AT&T. </p>
<p>Fans account for 50% of the vote to decide All-Star starters. NBA players and a media panel account for 25% each. </p>
<p>The next fan update is Jan. 19. <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://t.co/SEwhsuNWcE">pic.twitter.com/SEwhsuNWcE
<p>— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1613596677189033985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 12, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>3 Eastern Conference All-Star favorites that Knicks’ Jalen Brunson has outperformed</h2>
<h3>3: Derrick Rose</h3>
<p>Really? Derrick Rose, who isn’t even in New York’s rotation, has received more fan votes than Jalen Brunson? The same Derrick Rose that’s averaging 5.8 points and 1.8 assists and has played in only 26 games? Come on, Knicks fans, this is one that you should be ashamed of even though Rose is Brunson’s teammate.</p>
<p>What makes this even worse is that Rose hasn’t received 298,100 votes from Knicks fans. Instead, D-Rose’s own fan base has propelled the veteran guard’s name into the top 10. Those same fans are likely hoping that Rose will end up<a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/08/kemba-walker-news-knicks-mavericks-trade-rose/"> getting traded</a> so that he can receive playing time elsewhere. There’s a big chance that by the time All-Star Weekend rolls around in mid-February, Rose will no longer be on New York’s roster.</p>
<p>Brunson and Rose’s relationship dates back to D-Rose’s time in Chicago when Brunson attended Stevenson High School. Similar to how things currently are in New York, Brunson’s father was an assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls staff, so little Brunson was a regular face at Chicago’s practice facility. Surely Rose would prefer for Brunson, a player that undoubtedly deserves it, to be in the top 10 All-Star votes over himself.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year </a>
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<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-138187" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F01%2F1246192503.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo Ball" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/01/1246192503.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/01/1246192503-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>2: LaMelo Ball</h3>
<p>LaMelo Ball is in the top 10 with a reported 445,696 votes. He’s behind DeMar DeRozan, who has 835,117 votes, so he won’t catch up to DeRozan before voting ends next weekend.</p>
<p>This isn’t a knock against Ball because he’s one of the best young players in the NBA, although he’s also on one of <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/10/15/eastern-conference-foe-threat-knicks/">the worst teams</a> in the NBA. He’s averaging 24 points, 8.6 assists, and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 41.9% from the field and 37.2% from three, but he’s played in only 20 games.</p>
<p>Ball sprained his ankle during the preseason and didn’t make his regular season debut until Nov. 11 but he played in only three games before he injured his left ankle again and sat out for another month. In games played without Ball this season, the Hornets are 6-18 but in games with him, Charlotte is 5-15. The Hornets’ roster construction isn’t a reflection of Ball, but it’s hard to say that a player that has spent more time on the sidelines than in the game so far this season deserves to be an All-Star over Brunson.</p>
<p>LaMelo has a strong young following though, so much so that the younger generation <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1613893304915210240" target="_blank" rel="noopener">associates him</a> with the nickname Melo, not Carmelo Anthony. That should tell you all that you need to know.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Wally's favorite player </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-138185" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1083,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2023%2F01%2F1455890877.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton" width="1600" height="1083" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/01/1455890877.jpeg 1600w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2023/01/1455890877-768x520.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p>
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<h3>1: Tyrese Haliburton</h3>
<p>While MSG Network analyst Wally Szczerbiak calling Tyrese Haliburton a “wannabe All-Star” might’ve actually helped the guard’s <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/11/tyrese-haliburton-reveals-aftermath-knicks-analyst-wally-szczerbiak-rant-woj/">All-Star campaign</a>, it can be argued that Jalen Brunson deserves to be an All-Star over him. The Pacers guard has 428,113 reported fan votes and is less than 20,000 votes away from reaching LaMelo Ball.</p>
<p>Leading up to last Wednesday’s matchup between New York and Indiana at the Garden, there was a lot of Haliburton vs. Brunson chatter. After scoring only 15 points against the Knicks back in December, Haliburton finished with 15 points again in 27 minutes (thanks to Quentin Grimes) before he unfortunately had to leave the game with what has now <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/01/15/knicks-3-east-star-favorites-jalen-brunson-outplaying-rose-ball-haliburton/"https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/tyrese-haliburton-injury-update-pacers-guard-out-at-least-two-weeks-with-bone-contusion-in-knee-elbow-sprain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">been diagnosed</a> as a left elbow sprain and a mild left knee bone contusion.</p>
<p>Brunson was a key part of the Knicks’ 119-113 win as he scored a game-high 34 points (11-of-20) to go with four assists and three rebounds. His clutch gene came in handy once again.</p>
<p>Haliburton keeping the Pacers in playoff range through the first half of the season has been a fun story to watch unfold but at this point, Brunson has a case to be an All-Star over Haliburton. The latter averages a league-high 10.2 assists in comparison to Brunson’s 6.4, but Brunson is the better scorer. It could go either way, but Brunson should have the advantage. After all, he’s shown up in the two games this season against Haliburton.</p>
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