Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks’ standout guard, has been sidelined since March 6 due to a severe ankle sprain sustained in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The injury happened on a wobbly landing in the closing minutes of the contest. Brunson has missed five games in a row since then, including the matchup just this past Sunday. Though homebound, Brunson still sounds hopeful that he might make it back onto the court before the end of the regular season, although things are much less certain.
The Knicks’ medical staff has collaborated with Brunson every step of his recovery. Central to this development process is the on-court work, alongside handling what level of pain he’s willing to tolerate. Still, Brunson’s main priority is making sure he is 100% healthy before returning to rejoin his team for the stretch run of the playoffs. His return has been, as the saying goes, huge. Playing through overt pain, he has proved over and again during his Knicks days his capacity to play through injury.
Brunson’s performance this season has been impressive, with significant contributions to the team’s success. During that time he’s consistently been in the mix for MVP votes and an additional All-NBA selection. Significantly, he dropped 39 points with 10 assists against the Dallas Mavericks right before his injury. His return is expected to provide a massive boost with the Knicks heavily favored against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.
In his place, others have picked up the slack to carry a heavier burden. Knicks’ head coach Tom Thibodeau emphasized the importance of collective effort in Brunson’s absence.
“We’ve said this all along from the standpoint of, you’re not going to replace Jalen individually.” – Tom Thibodeau
“You have to do it collectively, and I think we’ve done that.” – Tom Thibodeau
Brunson has raved about his teammates’ response over the course of his recovery thus far. He has been and continues to be very proactive in his rehabilitation. He is still a few games away from hitting the 65-game threshold required for consideration for some awards.
“Realistically, I’m hoping to play before the playoffs,” – Jalen Brunson
The Knicks have reason to be excited about Brunson’s return as they look to continue to cement their playoff positioning. His presence on the court is expected to boost the team’s performance and morale as they enter a critical phase of the season.
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