The New York Knicks have been without Jalen Brunson for eight games and counting. The All-Star guard suffered an ankle sprain during the Knicks overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6.
According to a March 24 report from SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks intend to remain patient with Brunson. The coaching staff won’t be rushing him back into the rotation. Instead, they’re going to ensure he’s fully healthy before ramping him back up ahead of the postseason.
“Some big news coming out of the Knicks practice here at the facility in Westchester,” Begley said. “Tom Thibodeau saying Jalen Brunson is doing better, doing more and more in his rehab from his sprained ankle. We should get more of an official update on Brunson, maybe over this week, maybe over the weekend. But, to date, everything has been positive on Brunson…Thibodeau said that practice is probably the next step for Brunson.”
Begley continued.
“Right now, he’s doing shooting, working on the bike and working in the pool. And, Thibodeau noted that Brunson’s conditioning is very good despite that injury. So, it seems like he’s continuing to make steady progress back to the floor. One thing I do know is that the Knicks aren’t going to rush him back. Everybody involved wants Brunson at 100% health before he comes back to the court…Nobody wants Brunson at 90 or 95%. They want him all the way back on that ankle. Ideally, you get him several games under his belt before the playoffs start in mid-April.”
Brunson, 28, has been enormous for the Knicks this season. He’s averaging 26.3 points, 3 rebounds and 7.4 assists in his 61 outings for the franchise, shooting 49% from the field.
Knicks Tom Thibodeau Gives Brunson Update
When speaking to the media on March 24, Thibodeau provided an update on what Brunson is doing behind the scenes.
“He’s doing more and more each day, feeling a lot better, so really good progress,” Thibodeau said. “He’s not doing anything in practice yet. So, that will be the next step for him. But, he’s doing a lot of shooting. Work in the pool and work on the body. Stuff like that. His conditioning is pretty good, actually.”
The Knicks are almost guaranteed to finish the season as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. As such, there’s less pressure to have Brunson return to the rotation while there are still multiple weeks until the end of the regular season. Therefore, the Knicks’ plan to bring him back once at 100% is smart. New York needs Brunson at his best to stand any chance of making a push toward the conference finals.
Knicks Could Struggle in The Playoffs
According to former Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem, the Knicks could struggle to get out of the opening round. As things currently stand, New York would face the Detroit Pistons in the first round of playoffs. The Pistons are a vastly improved team to the one that stuttered through the 2023-24 campaign.
“I’m looking at the matchup and (the Pistons) are sharpening their swords and they are ready for this matchup,” Haslem said. “Cade Cunningham, Malik Beasley, those guys are ready for this matchup. Jalen Brunson coming in or not, that ankle’s not going to be ready until the summertime. We all know that, so he is not going to be healthy. I’m looking at Detroit and saying this could be a first-round exit for New York.”
While the Pistons are undoubtedly a talented team, they will likely struggle to beat the Knicks in a seven-game series. Detroit is still a year or two away from being a genuine contender. Furthermore, the likelihood that Brunson is back in the rotation and cooking on all cylinders should ensure the Knicks progress to the conference semi-finals at a minimum.
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