Dallas Mavericks: Jalen Brunson snubbed for All-Rookie team

Dallas Mavericks point guard Jalen Brunson was not named part of the NBA All-Rookie second team. Here is why that was a mistake.

Dallas Mavericks fans are still raving about their 2018 draft. They acquired unanimous All-Rookie first team member Luka Doncic via trade. The Mavs also drafted the steal of the year by selecting Jalen Brunson in the second round. That evening moved the Mavericks away from rebuilding mode.

Brunson had a strong rookie campaign. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 0.9 3-pointers made per game in 21.8 minutes a night. Brunson shot 46.7 percent from the field, 34.8 percent on his 3-pointers, and 72.5 percent from the foul line.

That did not earn him a place on the NBA’s All-Rookie second team, though. Let us take a look at why that was a mistake.

Better stats than Shamet

Brunson received just ten second team votes total. That tied him for fourth among players left off the teams. Landry Shamet earned three first team votes and 82 overall. He was traded mid-season. Shamet played for both the Clippers and the 76ers two playoff teams, but the stats do not justify that voting discrepancy.

For the season, Shamet averaged 9.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 3-pointers made per game. Only the 3-point shooting is better than Brunson’s. The two averaged identical steals and blocks numbers. Brunson was much more efficient from the field (46.7 percent versus 43.1 percent) too.

Shamet did shoot an incredible 42.2 percent from downtown, but have we fallen in love with threes that much that is the most important category?

Strong close

The voters ignored Brunson’s strong second half of the season. From Jan. 31 on, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 3-pointers made on 48.8 percent from the field and 35.2 percent on his 3-pointers.

During Shamet’s time with the Clippers, he again only produced better in threes and 3-point percentage.

Hawks wing Kevin Huerter also made the second team. From Jan. 31 on, he averaged 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 3-pointers made per on 43.5 percent and 39.7 percent from 3-point range. Huerter did average almost one steal per game. He outperformed Brunson in threes and 3-point percentage with a slight edge in rebounds.

Jalen Brunson deserved to make the All-Rookie second team this year. The second round pick proved he is a force going forward and should be a rotation piece for the Dallas Mavericks for the next decade.

Final thoughts

Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson was snubbed for the NBA’s All-Rookie team. He played well enough to earn the honor, but the voters went in another direction. Expect the snub to only motivate Brunson to improve his game this offseason.

The Mavericks are one of the teams in the Western Conference expected to take a massive leap in the standings next season. Brunson will be a significant part of that. Please stay tuned for all the latest on his development plus free agency rumors galore at The Smoking Cuban.