Knicks’ Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle face tough battle to make NBA All-Star Game

DETROIT — Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle continue to strongly build their respective cases for inclusion in the NBA All-Star Game next month, even if the Knicks almost certainly won’t get more than one representative due to the sheer volume of deserving candidates in the Eastern Conference.

With just 12 spots available for each squad, there are at least seven and perhaps eight locks already in the East, and the Knicks’ duo likely will be competing with nearly a dozen others for the final four or five available spots.

The current leaders in fan voting — Kyrie Irving of the Nets and Donovan Mitchell of the Cavaliers in the backcourt; and Kevin Durant of the Nets, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics up front — all are automatics whether or not they earn spots via the voting process, although Durant’s current knee injury means he might need to be replaced if he’s not back on the court with the Nets before the All-Star Game on Feb. 19 in Utah.

Sixers center Joel Embiid and Celtics guard Jaylen Brown also clearly are going to be on the team — making seven locks. And it’s hard to imagine Pacers breakout point guard Tyrese Haliburton — a 20-point scorer and the league leader in assists with 10.2 per game for a winning team — being left out, despite MSG analyst Wally Szczerbiak’s odd recent categorization of him as “a wannabe, fake All-Star.”

So who will Randle and Brunson legitimately be competing with when the final spots are revealed on Feb. 2? Here is a breakdown of the remaining candidates.

Julius Randle

The 2021 All-Star has regained the form that earned him the league’s Most Improved Player award and second-team All-NBA honors that season. He has posted 27.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 38.2 minutes per game over his last 19 appearances since Dec. 7. Just two other players in the league were averaging at least 24 points and 10 boards overall this season through Friday, two-time league MVP winners Antetokounmpo and Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.

Jalen Brunson

The $104 million signing has been so impactful in his first season in New York, both for Randle and for the Knicks’ current rise to the No. 6 playoff position in the East. Since returning from a three-game absence due to a hip injury, Brunson has shouldered more of the scoring load with 33.3 points per game, including four performances with at least 30 in six appearances to raise his overall numbers to 22.2 points and 6.5 dimes over 40 games.

Guards

Four-time All-Defensive team honoree Jrue Holiday only has been tabbed for one All-Star appearance in an excellent career (2013 with the Sixers), but the 32-year-old point guard is averaging 18.5 points and 7.2 assists for a Bucks team without three-time All-Star Khris Middleton for all but seven games this season. James Harden only had appeared in 26 games for the Sixers through Friday, but the 10-time All-Star’s 11.2 assists per game would be leading the league if he’d played enough games to qualify. And that doesn’t even count past All-Stars with strong numbers such as Trae Young (Hawks), Zach LaVine (Bulls) and Darius Garland (Cavaliers).

Forwards

Durant’s potential absence could create an extra opening for Randle or another forward such as Pascal Siakam (Raptors), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls), Bam Adebayo (Heat), Jimmy Butler (Heat) and even former Knicks All-Star Kristaps Porzingis (Wizards). The Knicks are ahead of all of those teams in the standings, however, which could work in Randle’s favor. They are 24-19 and winners of 14 of their past 20 entering Sunday’s game against the Pistons.