Only two NBA players have been named Player of the Week in the Eastern Conference twice this season.
One is 76ers center Joel Embiid, the reigning league MVP, and the other is Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who further bolstered his case for the first All-Star designation of his career while copping the honor for a second time after averaging 27.3 points and 9.3 assists during the Knicks’ four-game winning streak entering Tuesday’s 112-84 win over the Trail Blazers, their fifth victory in a row..
“I think anytime there’s an individual award, it’s usually a by-product of the team’s success. So that’s probably the most important thing,” Tom Thibodeau said about Brunson, who previously had won the award for the week ending Nov, 20. “So his teammates share in it. But he’s played at a very high level all year. The best thing about him is what he cares about is winning. So I think that permeates the team.”
Brunson, who finished with 12 points and seven assists, was overlooked one year ago — with Julius Randle representing the Knicks at All-Star weekend — but the $104 million point guard has posted career highs in scoring (26.0 points per game), assists (6.4) and 3-point percentage (43.6 percent) through the team’s first 35 games.
The Knicks began play Tuesday in a five-way logjam at 21-15 for the fourth through eighth playoff positions in the East, and Thibodeau believes the stacking of more wins should help Brunson’s case.
“In my eyes, he is [deserving], yeah, but I think it’s a by-product of winning,” Thibodeau added. “Usually, it’s a fan vote to start with, and I know it’s changed a little bit, but then the coaches end up voting on the rest of the team.
“I always say there’s so many great players in the league, and many are deserving. I know from when I vote, and obviously I don’t have a vote for my own players, but it comes down to the end, and it’s a tough job. Because you don’t want to leave anyone out that deserves it. But there’s guys that are real close, and usually the thing that sways the close votes, is the amount of winning that player does. So hopefully we can continue to build and win and our players get recognized. But in my eyes, he’s certainly deserving.”
Brunson, who entered Tuesday ranked sixth among backcourt players in the All-Star fan voting, also received a pregame endorsement from former Knick and current Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a five-time All-Star guard and a one-time NBA champion with the Pistons.
“I’m a huge fan of Jalen. I think he’s a winner more than anything,” Billups said. “You can talk about how crafty he is and how he can score and how he’s just a winner. He makes big plays. He makes winning plays. He’s leading the league in taking charges and he’s just a winner.”
“For somebody like me who just believes in that, he’s big-time. I think he inspires his team and has the ability to bring you with him with how he plays. He knows how to get other people shots and the ball. I think at the end of the day, they just believe in him. I’m happy to see his success.”
Against the rebuilding Blazers, Brunson and the Knicks also had a chance to further improve their 14-1 mark this season against teams that had posted a losing record through Monday’s league action.
Their lone loss against such teams came against the Jazz on Dec. 18.
“You play those games, and when the year ends, you are looking at seeding and all that different type of stuff, and you don’t want to look at the schedule and say these are the games that got away,” said Randle, who also is an All-Star candidate again with 24.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. “You want to make sure you are taking care of your business.”
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