Gavin Schall here, the host of the daily Locked On Knicks podcast, with your daily Locked On Knicks newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Knicks and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
50 Years Later The New York Knicks Have Two All-Stars
Dec 5, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) react during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones/John Jones-Imagn Images
50 years ago in the twilight of the greatest stretch of professional basketball in New York history (with apologies to the two rounds and out KD Nets) the Knicks had two All-Star Starters in Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe.
In those 50 years, the world has changed dramatically. We’ve perfected the internet, the cell phone, and even the Soulja Boy Dance.
And yet in all that time, the Knicks haven’t had two of the top five players in the Eastern Conference. Well, that run has ended.
Jalen Brunson by the skin of his teeth and Karl-Anthony Towns with some margin for error (and benefiting from an extra frontcourt spot) were both voted in as All-Star Starters making the Knicks the only team in the NBA with two.
Though almost foiled by LaMelo Ball’s sheer popularity this honor has felt inevitable for Brunson since he lost a tiebreaker to Dame Lillard a year ago and went on to finish top five in MVP.
Still it feels like outside of New York there’s a perception gap between Brunson and the league’s shiniest stars. Without the history of LeBron, Steph, or KD and lacking the flash of Ball, Lillard, or Trae Young it sometimes feels like JB is left out of conversations he should be near the forefront of.
Ruthlessly efficient, consistently clutch, and boasting arguably the most diverse scoring bag (with shoutouts to SGA and Kyrie Irving) of any guard in the league Brunson deserves this moment to be recognized as the force he is.
And yet this honor for Towns might even mean more.
In the past, he’s been perceived as a titanic talent who lacked the toughness and focus to harness it in the most crucial moments and in the avenues most conducive to winning.
So productive offensively that All-Star bids were undeniable, but a lack of team success that made a starting spot was elusive.
Now after two years in Minnesota where he contributed to winning but had to concede some of the most dominant aspects of his game to do so playing next to Rudy Gobert, he’s gotten to shine for his childhood team showcasing every part of the skill set that once made him the league’s GM’s most desired player to build around.
He’s having one of the most efficient high-volume scoring in the history of basketball while leading the Eastern Conference in rebounds per game.
He has been a game-changer.
There’s nothing he could do this fall and winter to dissuade skeptics (myself included) of the notion that he’s not fit to win big in the spring, but he’s done just about everything short of mastering drop defense to turn New Yorkers into believers. And starting his first All-Star game is a sign the league at large recognizes one of the best people in the NBA fulfilling his enormous promise.
Time will tell whether this Knicks team is great or merely very good.
The good news is this is a league built around star power. And for the first time in a long time, they have two of them.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Knicks Podcast:
• Analysis of other Eastern Conference All-Star selections
• Discussion on whether Brunson and Towns are top 15 NBA players
• Breakdown of the Knicks’ recent performances and upcoming games
Jan 23, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) reacts following the win over Sacramento Kings at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy/Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
If you watch NBA basketball then you know 3-pointers are up. You know because you’re seeing it, night after night, no matter the team you follow. Matter of fact, if you look at this season’s 3-point attempts there is going to be a deep-court shooter on your team. It doesn’t mean they are making those shots, but boy, are they chucking them.
You likely also know because we can’t stop talking about it. The royal “we” in this case of NBA media, and then onto fans, then back to media in a never-ending cycle. You may be sick of hearing about threes at this, the halfway point of the 2024-2025 season but I’m sorry say — tough luck.
At least half tough luck. Threes aren’t going away — we can pretty plainly see this to be true night after night — but the good news is their volume and habituality will make it so sooner or later our approach to them is less wide-eyed and speculative than accepting. They’ll become the new normal.
No other athlete embodies this normalization better than the greatest NBA player in the world at present: Nikola Jokic.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Analysis Victor Wembanyama is reshaping the NBA as we know it. (The Ringer)
Must Read The chosen one: Scottie Barnes as hope and saviour for the Raptors franchise. (Toronto Life)
Honor Knicks legend Walt Frazier discussed his enduring impact and the mystique that surrounds his legacy. Frazier’s contributions to the franchise continue to be celebrated by fans and the basketball community. (Posting and Toasting)
Prediction As the All-Star Game approaches, predictions for the 2025 NBA All-Star roster are heating up. Potential Knicks selections are being analyzed for their standout performances this season. (Posting and Toasting)
Ranking With the NBA trade deadline just two weeks away, power rankings highlight where the Knicks currently stand and what moves could impact their position. (Bleacher Report)
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Crucial Streaming Decisions in a Topsy-Turvy Week
Jan 15, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) in action against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher/Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
As we approach Friday’s NBA action, we’re faced with an unusual schedule that demands careful consideration for fantasy managers. With only three games on the slate, it’s a critical day for streaming, especially given the peculiar schedule ahead.
The coming week presents a unique challenge: over the next six days of NBA action, several teams have zero quality game days. This means that adding a streamer without careful planning could result in zero games played, effectively wasting a roster spot. Teams like the Nets, Celtics, Bulls, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Pistons all have three games over the next six days, but none on streamable days.
Portland stands out as the best team for streaming, with three quality games over the next six days. Philadelphia is the only other team with more than one, boasting two quality games. This schedule advantage makes players from these teams particularly valuable for the short term.
Friday’s games feature the Blazers vs. Hornets, Cavaliers vs. 76ers, and Pelicans vs. Grizzlies. All teams playing on Friday are part of a back-to-back, with Portland coming off a Thursday game and the others playing again on Saturday.
Mikal Bridges And The New York Knicks ANNIHILATE The Memphis Grizzlies
The New York Knicks decimated the Memphis Grizzlies with a commanding 143-106 victory, showcasing their ridiculously high two-way ceiling. Mikal Bridges delivered an exceptional performance, locking down Ja Morant on one end and showing the full breadth of his offensive game on the other. OG Anunoby’s defensive prowess and Karl-Anthony Towns’ strong second-half performance were pivotal, while the Knicks’ bench players, including Precious Achiuwa and Deuce McBride, contributed significantly to the win in their best collective performance of the season. Gavin Schall and Alex Wolfe break down the Knicks’ most complete game of the season highlighting key moments and player contributions that could redefine their year.
The Knicks DEMOLISH the Kings In One Of Their Best Offensive Games This Season
Alex goes solo to break down the Knicks 143-120 win over the Kings, one where the Knicks’ offense reached some of its highest highs of this season. Josh Hart notched yet another triple-double, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges both cooked on the same night, and Jalen Brunson showed his floor general chops with another brilliant passing night.
Jalen Brunson And Karl-Anthony Towns Are All-Star Starters! Are They Top 15 Players In The League?
Gavin Schall and Alex Wolfe celebrate the Knicks having two All-Star starters for the first time in 50 years! They breakdown the vote and some surprising finishes for the other Knicks before asking a very important question. Are Brunson and KAT both Top 15 players in the league?
