Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY SPORTS
Knicks' Julius Randle Named to All-NBA 3rd Team, Jalen Brunson Denied
What Julius Randle has lacked in postseason success he has more than made up for in hauling in regular season hardware.
Randle's resurgent season with the New York Knicks gained further recognition in Wednesday's reveal of the All-NBA Teams. The two-time All-Star earned Third Team honors alongside Sacramento Kings teammates De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis as well as LeBron James (LA Lakers) and Damian Lillard (Portland).
While Randle has struggled in the postseason, thanks in part to an ankle injury, there's no denying that his efforts moved the Knicks into the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and afforded them a chance to pick up their first NBA Playoff series victory since 2013. He put up a career-best in scoring at 25.1 points a game and paired with 10 rebounds to create a double-double. Randle was also invited back to the All-Star Game, where he repped a team chosen by James and also partook in the weekend's 3-Point Contest in Salt Lake City.
This season was a return to form for Randle, who struggled in the year after a breakout campaign with the Knicks in 2020-21 (which yielded Second Team All-NBA honors). Upon his inclusion in the prior group, Randle became the first Knick to earn a call from the All-NBA team since Carmelo Anthony in 2012-13. No New Yorker has reached the First Team since Patrick Ewing after the 1989-90 season.
Joining the Third Team unit wasn't the only honor bestowed to Randle before the Knicks faced off with Miami in a crucial fifth game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Madison Square Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT): earlier on Wednesday, he was one of 10 nominees for the Bob Lanier Community Assist Award in recognition of charitable accomplishments off the floor. Knicks fans can vote for Randle at NBA.com.
At the top, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned his first All-NBA appearance, breaking his virginity there with first-team honors. He was joined by recent regulars Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee), Luka Dončić (Dallas), and Joel Embiid (Philadelphia), and Jayson Tatum (Boston). The Second Team was headlined by the Knicks' ongoing playoff foe in Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, who was joined by Jaylen Brown (Boston), Stephen Curry (Golden State), Nikola Jokić (Denver), and Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland).
Notably absent from the proceedings was Jalen Brunson, whom many believed was worthy of bigger recognition after helping Randle flip the Knicks' fortunes this season. Brunson was previously denied entry to the All-Star Game, finished third in Most Improved Player, and received only a single MVP vote.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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