Comparing Jalen Brunson's All-Star case to other top Eastern Conference guards

On Dec. 21, Becky Hammon went on ESPN's NBA Today and made it clear that New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is too small to be a "1A" star. The idea that an undersized guard can't find success in winning was a heavy topic of conversation, with the exception being Stephen Curry.

Boy, is JB proving her wrong.

So far in the 2023-24 season, Brunson is averaging 26.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists on 47-42-83 shooting splits for a Knicks team currently sitting at fifth in the East. The fact of the matter is that Brunson is an NBA All-Star, period. He has the numbers to back it up and stacks up well against other guards.

The All-Star race for Eastern Conference guards is very tough because it's fair to say Brunson is not the best. However, you can certainly make the case for the 6'2" bucket from New Brunswick, NJ. How does JB stack up against the competition?

DISCLAIMER: this does not take fan voting into account. The criteria accumulated to determine how good a player is this season are basic averages, shooting splits, advanced stats, and the team's current place in the standings.

Tyrese Haliburton vs. Jalen Brunson

There is no doubt that Haliburton is the best point guard in the East this season, averaging 23.6 points to go along with an absurd 12.6 assists (league leader). He is solely responsible for the Pacers' 121 offensive rating, good for first in the league.

There isn't much debate here. Haliburton beats out Brunson in a landslide to be the East's starting point guard based on his numbers and impact on his team's success. Before the Pacers traded for the former Sacramento King, they were a lottery team, but now they have the potential to make the postseason at 24-20.

No doubt, Hali has a case for All-NBA First Team this year, and he has been the best point guard in the East this season.

Donovan Mitchell vs. Jalen Brunson

Donovan Mitchell's recent scoring tear, with the Cavaliers going on a hot streak, may have thrust him ahead of Brunson to be the starting shooting guard for the East's All-Stars. It's pretty damn close, with Spida averaging 27.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 46-35-88 shooting splits. Not to mention, Mitchell is second in the league in steals per game at 2.0, proving his defensive critics wrong.

Knicks fans should honestly feel good that Mitchell is performing at this level consistently because there's a good chance he could go to New York if his stint in Cleveland falls flat.

With the Cavs sitting above the Knicks in the standings, Mitchell seems more deserving of an All-Star starter. Has Cleveland had help from other players? Sure, Jarrett Allen is averaging 17.5 points and 13.1 rebounds in his last ten games, but Mitchell has been at the helm of this offense and should be rewarded for bringing this team back to a top-four seed after a slow start.

Damian Lillard vs. Jalen Brunson

This is another tough one because Lillard plays for a team with a 30-13 record, which is currently good for second place in the conference. When you compare stats, Lillard is putting up 25.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.9 assists on 43-35-92 shooting splits. The numbers beat out Brunson, unfortunately, as his 124.5 rating beats Brunson's.

If you look at his stats and his team's record, on the surface, it seems like he should get the nod over a lot of the guards on this list. However, it doesn't look like Lillard will even get the chance to make the All-Star game, barring the rest of media and player voting, let alone be a starter.

It seems like his teammate being Giannis Antetokounmpo has hurt his case. There's just so much competition with East guards that Lillard falls behind because he's simply doing what he normally does. We've gotten used to this from Dame.

I want to say Brunson deserves to make the All-Star game over Lillard; however, I honestly think they give it to the Bucks guard. You could argue that Lillard joined a Bucks team that won 58 games last season, but I'm not going to nitpick from the past.

Tyrese Maxey vs. Jalen Brunson

This is so controversial because at the start of the season, Maxey looked like the best guard, perhaps even in the NBA, up to a certain point. Since Joel Embiid's emergence as the MVP frontrunner, however, Maxey's numbers have dipped to 25.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on 45-38-86 shooting splits.

His numbers are almost identical to Brunson's, with the deciding factor being his team's performance and how impactful he is to that success. Right now, the 76ers are three games ahead of the Knicks in the standings, and Maxey is a big part of that, even with Embiid having a historic season.

It's baffling how similar these two are in statistics because when you take a peak at the league's leaders in offensive rating, Maxey beats Brunson by... 0.2. It's so hard to determine who the better player is, but when you take a look at the numbers, Brunson averages more points, rebounds, and has better shooting splits.

Having the MVP on your team helps you win, but when the media talks about your competition, having that sort of help doesn't exactly aid your case individually. Embiid just scored 70 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, yet they won by just 10 points. The Knicks aren't far behind Philadelphia despite not having an MVP.

It's also worth noting that in their single matchup so far in 2024, New York smoked Philadelphia, with Brunson outscoring Maxey on better efficiency. Not that that says much because he hit two more shots than Maxey and had two more points, but Brunson looked pretty "1A" in that contest.

My pick has to go to Brunson, but it could go either way because Maxey deserves to be an All-Star just as much as Brunson does. Yes, I know the Sixers have a better record, but Maxey's hot start to the season fizzled a bit, and don't take this as a knock on Maxey because he is incredible. The evidence points to the guard from Villanova.

If you simply stack the chips against each other, Brunson should get in over Maxey because of his averages, shooting splits, and overall team impact. Maxey has the MVP, but Brunson doesn't. However, it looks like they will both get in anyway, so it's a matter of who the second starting guard will be between Mitchell, Brunson, and Maxey.

Trae Young vs. Jalen Brunson

Oh boy, if Maxey versus Brunson wasn't controversial enough, this one will get NBA fans fired up. We can go through this step by step. First, the numbers: Young is averaging 26.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and an impressive 10.8 assists. The assists definitely push Young's averages ahead, obviously.

Next, the shooting splits: Young is scoring on 42-36-86 shooting splits. If we're comparing his shooting to Brunson's, it's safe to say JB has been a better shooter this season, beating Trae in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage. To add on, Young's offensive rating is 118.3 this season, 5.5 below Brunson's. Young's defensive rating (122.1) is also worse (Brunson: 116.2).

The thing that kills Young's argument over Brunson's is that the Hawks have not had any success in winning this season. At 18-25, they are struggling with Young being their floor general and only standout player. Dejounte Murray has been good for Atlanta, but he isn't winning them games because he's at the shooting guard, and right now he's on the trade block.

You can't overlook the difference between the Knicks and the Hawks' records. It's 8.5 games, and that's pretty significant -- playoffs versus the Play-In Tournament.

If you swapped the names and marketability of those two point guards, I don't think the NBA world would be crying for Brunson to be an All-Star on a team under .500. To be honest with you, I don't know if too many people are doing that right now for Young anyway. Brunson deserves it more because of what he's done for his team. Young's stats haven't translated to a playoff position thus far. Brunson's have.

Jalen Brunson deserves to be an All-Star

If we're being completely realistic, Brunson isn't an All-Star starter, and I think the NBA will give the spots to Haliburton and Maxey (because of his hot start to season), leaving Brunson to compete with Mitchell, Lillard, and Young for one of the two reserve spots.

Make no mistake, every single one of these players deserves to be an All-Star. They're all having tremendous seasons and even though four guards are chosen, all six of these players have a strong case, and two guards deserve to fill in the wild card spots. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world, and there will likely be a snub.

However, Jalen Brunson HAS to be an All-Star. He's been putting up career numbers, good to make him one of the best point guards in the NBA, and he's doing it for one of the league's most popular franchises. Haliburton, Mitchell, and Lillard deserve to be there with him at All-Star Weekend, but the evidence shows that he beats out Maxey and Young. The argument stands, and the criteria speaks for itself. Case closed.