Written By: Jose Rohdin
As of Mar. 1, both the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks are two of only four Eastern Conference teams with a winning record. The Nets are in second place with a record of 22-13 and the Knicks are in fourth place at 18-17. For the first time since the 2012-2013 season, both teams in New York could make it to the playoffs, and the NBA All-Star game will be evidence of that.
First up, the Knicks have one All-Star, and he is one of the most deserving All-Stars in the entire league this season in Julius Randle. This will be Rundle’s first All-Star appearance, and it is validated by his career-setting numbers. Randle is putting up 23.4 points per game, along with 10.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, all of which are career highs. He has also expanded his range, making 1.9 threes a game on 42 percent shooting, also both career highs.
Randle struggled last season in his first season as a Knick and seemed to continually make poor decisions, like dribbling into triple teams and then shooting the ball. A lot of that could be because Randle was asked to be the team’s best player last season. He was asked to create offense for others and play as the focal point of a putrid offense, and Randle just wasn’t ready.
This season it looks like Randle worked a lot on his game, specifically expanding his range and creation abilities. He runs the offense, and that is shown in his assist numbers.
As Randle’s offensive capabilities and workload have expanded, somehow, he has also become a much better defender. Some of the credit can go to Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, a defensive-minded coach who has improved the Knicks defense all the way to the second-best defensive rating in the league. Randle has played a massive role in the team’s defense, ranking third behind only Rudy Gobert and LeBron James in defensive win shares.
Randle has been able to be the offensive driving force of his team while also being the defensive anchor, while playing the most minutes in the NBA at 1,285 minutes total. When Randle is on the court, the Knicks net rating is 2.6, and while Randle is not on the court, the Knicks rating is -2.8.
Randle is very deserving of his first All-Star game, and honestly might need to be mentioned in the MVP conversation if the Knicks stay on this pace.
Now, the Nets were supposed to be sending three players to the NBA All-Star game. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden were all slated to go, but Durant will be sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Durant has missed several games this season, from two COVID-19 contact tracing scares, rest games for his achilles, and now this recent hamstring issue, all adding up to a total of 16 games missed in just 35 games. The Nets record has not suffered with the two other All-Stars on the team, but Durant was still voted into his 11th All-Star Game, the best in the Eastern Conference, and as the Eastern team captain.
Even though Durant has struggled to stay on the court, he has still put up incredible numbers. He has put up 29 points a game along with 7.3 rebounds, along with 5.3 assists, and only needs to raise his free throw percentage by three to once again be in the 50-40-90 club.
These are MVP-type numbers, but they are just a little over his career average. Durant is doing this after missing an entire season recovering from tearing his achilles, and it looks as if he has not missed a step. Unsurprisingly then, he received the most votes in the Eastern Conference. After all, most would agree he is the best player there.
Irving is the other Net who was voted into the starting lineup by the NBA, fans, players, and the media. Irving is having a career year averaging 27.4 points a game, with 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
What has been so great about Irving’s play has been how efficient he has been. Irving’s effective field goal percentage is the highest it has ever been at 59 percent. He has also transitioned into being more of an off-ball player, which has allowed his scoring efficiency to go up. Irving is making his 7th All-Star appearance, and it isn’t a surprise that he is making the team once again.
James Harden will make his 9th All-Star appearance, which will be his first in the Eastern Conference, after being traded to the Nets just eight games into the season.
Harden is not putting up career numbers in every major category for him, but is still scoring 25.1 points a game, along with 10.9 assists, and 7.5 rebounds. Harden has only expanded his role as a shot-creator from his time with the Houston Rockets, now almost becoming a pass-first point guard.
Harden’s primary goal is to run the offense and create for others, and he has only taken on a larger scoring role because of Durant and Irving missing games. Harden has been an All-Star for the past ten seasons, so it is no surprise he is an All-Star again, even in a new conference.
With the NBA All-Star game on its way, New York basketball fans will have four players to root for, as winning basketball is coming back to the greatest city for basketball in the world.