This season will be remembered as the first year that the NBA imposed a new rule that establishes a 65-game minimum that athletes must compete in order to be eligible for certain awards like MVP and All-NBA selection. There are many superstars who’ve already fallen out of the race for these accolades, having missed many contests mostly due to injuries and load management.
The player that has taken New York back to historic heights this year is Jalen Brunson, who recently played his 66th match of the campaign, and has cleared the minimum to be taken into consideration for end-of-the-year acknowledgements. The point guard contributed to Wednesday night’s blowout win over the Raptors, which meant his team’s 72nd game of the season.
“Definitely, when you’re available you should be able to play. It’s always been my mindset. I haven’t really thought any other way,” Brunson said before hitting 26 points and handing out 7 assists vs. Toronto.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson hits game threshold for MVP, All-NBA consideration https://t.co/T2P12zjpbQ pic.twitter.com/h34gNZukah
— New York Post (@nypost) March 28, 2024
“Obviously we’ve been banged up a lot so our availability has been limited. I think most guys on this team, if not all, have the mindset that if they’re good to go, they’re going to go as hard as they can and play,” he said about the Knicks’ attitude, as they’ve suffered many injuries this competition.
When asked if he’s been working hard to earn his first All-NBA consideration, Jalen was rather shy about his objectives. “My list of goals is private. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” said the first-time All-Star, who ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring at 27.4 and 14th in assists with 6.4 per game.
The list of players who have already missed out on more than 17 games is long, which means they will be absent for award selections. The biggest names who are out of the race are Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell and even Knicks’ teammate Julius Randle, who has earned these All-NBA accolades in the past three years.
“Obviously that’s a thing that you want, to obviously have security,” Brunson shared. “But I’m just focusing on finishing the season, doing the best we can to make sure everyone’s back healthy and just doing my part. That’s at the forefront of my mind and I’ll worry about that stuff later.”
Mitchell Robinson returned to action, but OG Anunoby and Julius Randle are expected to recover before the playoffs
Mitchell Robinson hadn’t played a single NBA match since December and finally returned to the floor this week in New York. However, the Knicks are still missing out on two star players who’ve been out through much of the second half of regular season.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters on Monday that OG Anunoby did some shooting during the team’s morning workout, but he still needs to let the irritation in his elbow “calm down” before he’s able to return to the court.
As for Julius Randle’s situation, it’s is still a mystery when he’ll make his way back to the NBA courts. “He’s feeling better, so that’s a good sign,” Thibodeau shared. “He’s ramped it up some. We’ll see where it goes.”
“It’s both ways,” the tactician then explained. “It’s what helps the team, and you don’t want to put a player in harm’s way, either. So it’s like, ‘OK, let’s just take it day by day.’ You guys know I don’t do hypotheticals. So we’re hopeful.”
