At noon on the 2nd, Beijing time, the Knicks defeated the Pacers 109-105 at home. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson started for 37 minutes, making 15 of 30 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, and 9 of 11 free throws. He scored 40 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. This is the fifth time Brunson has scored 40+ points in a single game this season. He is tied for fourth in the league with Alexander and Booker. The first three are Embiid and Doncic with 9 times each, and Antetokounmpo with 6 times. . On the same day, Brunson also entered the 2024 All-Star Eastern Conference reserve lineup.
There has never been a shortage of small scorers in the NBA, and Brunson is another representative of this type of player. Brunson, who is 1.85 meters tall, has excellent starting speed and good confrontation strength. His mid-to-long-range shooting ability is also excellent. Brunson averaged 27.1 points per game this season and shot 47% from the field. Both numbers are new highs in his six-year career. With such outstanding performance and personal data, it is no wonder that after the results of the previous All-Star Eastern Conference starter voting came out, many people were upset about the fact that Brunson failed to enter the Eastern Conference starter.
Indeed, Brunson's overall performance and condition are better than the Bucks' Lillard. But the All-Star starting voting consists of three parts, namely fans, media and players. In comparison, Lillard's popularity is undoubtedly higher, and he will receive more votes as a result. Although he was not selected as the starter in the Eastern Conference, Brunson was still selected as the Eastern Conference substitute lineup. This is also a recognition of his performance this season. In this regard, Brunson said: "I need to say thank you to many people, including my wife, family and all the coaches who have coached me. Without them, I would not be able to get to where I am today. This moment is great and very worthwhile. Keep it in mind."
Bronson made the All-Star team, and his teammates were happy for him because everyone knew how hard he worked to achieve this goal. "Oh my gosh, I'm really happy and I'm really proud of him," Hart said. "He's put a long time and a lot of hard work into this and hopefully this is the first of many times he'll be selected in the future." For him to now achieve this goal and realize this dream, it's amazing."
Brunson's outstanding performance this season is directly related to his selection for the United States Men's Basketball Team last summer. Last year, the U.S. men's basketball team competed in the World Cup. When most superstars were unwilling to play, they recruited some very capable but not particularly famous players, including Brunson.
However, Brunson originally decided to hold the wedding last summer, but he also cherished the opportunity to play for the country, so he finally decided to postpone the wedding after discussing with his wife. After Brunson entered the US men's basketball team, his aggressiveness and level of commitment were extraordinary in many aspects, which also won the appreciation and trust of coach Cole. Although the U.S. men's basketball team failed to reach the top spot in last year's World Cup, Brunson's performance still won widespread recognition from the outside world, which further improved his self-confidence. Brunson said: "I just keep my feet on the ground, cherish every opportunity, and then show myself."
text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Song Xiang
editor/Wang Haozhou
