It’s been a rough two weeks for the New York Knicks without Jalen Brunson. They are just 3-4 in his absence, and only one of those games came against a team currently holding a top-six playoff seed. On Thursday, things hit a new low when they embarrassingly lost 115-98 to the lowly Charlotte Hornets, their second consecutive loss. Were it not for a miraculous Mikal Bridges buzzer-beater in Portland, the Knicks would be 2-5 without their best player and in danger of losing the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Fortunately, it seems as though Brunson is on track to return during the regular season. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau revealed Thursday that Brunson is out of his walking boot and doing some light shooting, an important step as he works to recover from the sprained ankle he suffered against the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.
NBA Power Rankings: Thunder back in No. 1 spot, scorching Rockets rising, Knicks slide without Jalen Brunson
Colin Ward-Henninger
The initially reported timeline on Brunson’s return was roughly the end of March or early April. The regular season ends on April 13, so if Brunson recovers on schedule, he should be back reasonably soon. Factoring into this, obviously, is New York’s seeding. The Knicks (43-26) currently lead the Indiana Pacers (40-29) by three games for the No. 3 seed. The bigger that lead is, the more cautious the Knicks can be with Brunson’s health.
The goal of course is to have Brunson back at full strength in the playoffs, where he has been sensational with the Knicks. In 24 playoff appearances with the team, Brunson has averaged 30.3 points and 6.6 assists per game while leading New York to the second round in consecutive seasons. This season, Brunson was in the running for a First-Team All-NBA selection as he and Karl-Anthony Towns have formed one of the most dangerous offensive duos in the NBA.
As the past few weeks have shown, New York’s offense isn’t the same without Brunson. Towns needs a pick-and-roll partner. Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are all role players who need a star to orbit around. Getting Brunson back before the playoffs would give him time to warm up before the games start to count.
The Knicks can’t have a limited Brunson if they hope to make any playoff noise. He’ll need to recover to 100% if New York is going to compete for a championship, and returning during the regular season would be a good start.
