"Why is this guy still on tv?" - NBA fans roast Stephen A. Smith for picking Jalen Brunson over Luka for first-team All-NBA

Longtime NBA pundit Stephen A. Smith recently landed himself in the crosshairs of NBA fans this week. During a Friday morning segment of First Take, Smith discussed the All-NBA First-Team selections. As he indicated, he believes that Jalen Brunson deserved to make the All-NBA First-Team over Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

Both Doncic and Brunson made the All-Star team this year, averaging career-highs in scoring and leading their respective teams to the postseason. In the case of Brunson, his play came while the Knicks dealt with some serious injuries to key players that threatened to derail their season.

Meanwhile, Doncic, apart from averaging a career-high 33.9 points per game this season, he also shot a career-high 38.2% from 3. While both men have strong cases, Stephen A. Smith indicating that Doncic should have been omitted in favor of Brunson has proven to be controversial.

First Take co-hosts Jay Williams and Kendrick Perkins were seen looking confused by Stephen A. Smith's comments. Meanwhile, fans were quick to weigh in on Twitter/X.

Some fans took harsh stances:

"Why is this guy still on tv? Should be homeless already..." - @99_milt (Twitter/X)

"SAS needs to retire" - @4thQuarterForce (Twitter/X)

"Yet another horrible basketball take in playoff season. NBA media is cooked" - @Kwintarget (Twitter/X)

Of course, other members of the NBA community on social media were quick to point out that Stephen A. Smith is a longtime New York Knicks fan. Given that, it's possible that he may have shown some bias in favor of Brunson after a remarkable year for the first-time All-Star.

"This dude could not be more biased." - @PropsByDom (Twitter/X)

"Because he’s a Knicks fan hope this helps" - @Rise_and_grime (Twitter/X)

Others argued that Jayson Tatum could have been left off the list:

"over luka thats wild. u could make the argument over tatum but imo they got it right" - @KingBlackBored (Twitter/X)

"lol I love Brunson obvi but how is he going to make first team all NBA over a guy who was a finalist for MVP? should've made it over Tatum but it is what it is" - @Eliassss_n (Twitter/X)

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Looking at cases of Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson for All-NBA First-Team after Stephen A. Smith's comments

On the heels of Stephen A. Smith's comments, let's take a look at the cases for both Doncic and Brunson to make the All-NBA First-Team. As previously mentioned, both Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic had impressive seasons that mirrored one another in many ways.

For example, the season saw both players make the All-Star team. Moreover, both Doncic and the Mavs and Brunson and the Knicks ended the regular season with 50-32 records.

The similarities didn't stop there, with both players averaging career-highs in scoring. Doncic averaged 33.9 ppg, up from 32.4 ppg last season, while on the flip side Brunson averaged 28.7 ppg, up from 24.0 ppg last season.

In the case of the New York star, he also averaged a career-high 6.7 assists per game, up from 6.2 apg last year with Doncic averaging a career-high 9.8 apg. This year, Doncic's efficiency also improved, as he went 48.7% from the field and 38.2% from downtown.

Meanwhile, on the flip side, Brunson averaged 47.9% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc. The key areas where Doncic edges out Brunson are rebounding and defense. Doncic averaged a whopping 9.2 rebounds per game, while Brunson averaged just 3.2.

On defense, Doncic averaged 1.4 steals per game, which tied his career-best from last season. Meanwhile, Brunson, too, tied his same career-high of 0.9 steals per game from last season.

Of course, in the case against Stephen A. Smith's point, Doncic finished as an MVP finalist, which likely solidified his spot on the All-NBA First-Team.

While inclusion on the team is based on the regular season, Doncic will have a chance to build on his legacy as he and the Mavs look to defeat the Timberwolves and advance to the 2024 NBA Finals.