New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson Putting Finishing Touches on All-NBA Case

Jalen Brunson is making his final case for the All-NBA teams as the New York Knicks look to lock up their playoff positioning.

Apr 4, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The final stages of the NBA regular season have tightened up the playoff races in both the East and West, as well as the individual honor chases. Local eyes have lingered on New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who is chasing his first All-NBA nomination months after earning his debut All-Star Game invite.

With injuries eating away at the Knicks' starting lineup, Brunson has kept the team's playoff case alive, helping it linger in the upper half of the Eastern Conference. Dan Favale of Bleacher Report believes that's enough for the Knicks' first time to get the postseason nod, placing him on the second team in predictions released earlier this week.

"Julius Randle hasn't played since Jan. 27. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett are gone. OG Anunoby's elbow injury has limited him—and the shooting and cutting he brings—to just three appearances since Jan. 27... New York remains afloat anyway, because Brunson is comfortable with discomfort," Favale writes. "The degree to which his production lifts up the Knicks cannot be overstated. Their offensive rating goes from the 93rd percentile when he's on the floor to the 14th percentile without him—a per-100-possession swing matched only by (Nikola) Jokić."

Mar 27, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) follows through on a / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Brunson's still averaging a career-best 28 points and 6.7 rebounds but his workload will officially increase after this week's developments: New York announced on Thusday that Brunson's fellow All-Star Julius Randle will miss the remainder of the season due to shoulder surgery. The point guard Brunson will thus take on an expanded role as New York chases homecourt advantage in the upcoming first-round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Entering Saturday, they're on the wrong end of a fourth-place tiebreaker with the Orando Magic with five games left on each side.

Learning of Randle's loss has done little to deter Brunson, who is fresh off back-to-back double-doubles on Thursday and Friday. Following the loss in Chicago on Friday, Brunson will look to help get New York back on track on Sunday in Milwaukee (7 p.m. ET, MSG).