6:04 pm: Brunson has been diagnosed with a sprained right ankle and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the Knicks announced today (via Twitter). X-rays on the ankle were negative, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
8:18 am: Knicks star Jalen Brunson badly rolled his right ankle when he landed on Austin Reaves‘ foot with 1:24 remaining in overtime during Thursday’s road loss to the Lakers (YouTube link).
While Brunson was able to stay in to shoot (and make) two free throws after being fouled on the drive, he left the game immediately afterward, slowly and carefully limping off the court.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), there’s optimism that Brunson sustained a sprained ankle and not something more serious.
Still, it’s worth noting that the severity of ankle sprains can vary drastically — a mild sprain might cause a player to only miss a game or two, while a major sprain can see a player sidelined for months. Brandon Ingram has missed four months and counting with a “significant” sprain, with no timetable for a return.
Former teammate Luka Doncic checked in on Brunson after the game, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). While Doncic said Brunson told him he’d be OK, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team’s point guard was still being evaluated.
“He’s being examined,” Thibodeau said. “I haven’t spoken with him. He was back with the medical people. … His mental toughness is through the roof. It doesn’t surprise me (that he stayed in to shoot free throws). The way he played the whole game, they were loaded up on him the whole game.”
Close friend Josh Hart expects Brunson to miss some time due to the injury, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
“Obviously it’s a bummer of an injury. We’ve got to expect him to be out for a little bit,” Hart said. “We’ve got guys. Now we have to step up. Other guys’ roles are going to be bigger. There’s more opportunity. Keep it afloat until he comes back, be aggressive, go out there and compete.”
Brunson, who finished with 39 points and 10 assists, is New York’s team captain. He has made All-Star appearances each of the past two seasons, leads the team in points and assists per game, and is the Knicks’ go-to option in crunch time.
As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes, any type of extended absence for Brunson would clearly be detrimental to the club, especially on offense, even if it has all but secured a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The team has looked a little shaky over the past few months, according to Edwards, who points out that Brunson has frequently bailed out the offense late in games.
In a subscriber-only story for The Post, Bondy argues that Miles McBride and Karl-Anthony Towns will need to step up while Brunson is out. Cameron Payne is among the other candidates for an increased role.
Right at the start of a tough road trip as well. Don’t look now, but the Knicks are only 3.5 games ahead of Milwaukee and only 3 up in the loss column.
You know what though? It might not be the worst thing to fall 1 spot and avoid the Celtics
Knicks Jalen Brunson is the best closer — Luka second — in the NBA so this is going to hurt but hopefully he will back soon.
Brunson and Luka best closers? LMAO!
Steph Curry clears both by a large margin, you are smoking PCP.
What team do you support? Has Curry not put them to sleep yet? Haha
Brunson is kind of known for being a closer.
Yeah he’s great, but to say he’s better than Steph (the current and reigning Clutch POY who relentlessly closes out every team ever) is absurd.
He doesn’t read facts or stats. Unless it supports his take. Marty is not interested in a conversation. Can’t handle an argument. Unless he’s sedated lol.
I have facts and stats on my side, did Curry not win Clutch POY last year?
Why do you keep calling me “marty mcfly?” Has Curry made your mind explode to where you think you are in the movie, Back to the Fututre? Weirdo. If we are making up names for each other now, then I’m gunna call you Mike now, Al.
Knicks picked Knox over SGA, that’s a fact no matter what your weirdo mind thinks, Mike. Stay weird. Mike. Keep coping, GSW will win another title before the Knicks win one.
That GSW title sure looks nice when you are wearing aristotle’s rose colored glasses. Keep being delulu Babey J
@Al: Wait, Davey J is Marty? I think you just blew my mind.
Pretty clear lol. Just diss the warriors or curry.
That looked like a rolled ankle. Knicks need to be careful with him and not rush him back for a few wins. Even a slight ankle sprain will be 2 weeks out.
This could be the much needed rest he needs for the playoffs. Allows McBride to step up as well. Sometimes a step back to go two steps forward is needed.
Yeah, I’m sure the Knicks are thrilled.
I kind of feel it’s needed. He plays hard. The team loses itself when he’s not on the court. It’s a good opportunity for the team to discover itself without him if they want to move on to the next step/level in the playoffs.
@Occams: He’s just stating that something positive in all of this is that he will be more rested come playoff time. It’s obvious that the injury is a net negative, no reason to jump on padam as he didn’t suggest otherwise. Just finding a silver lining.
I’m not sure “I’m sure the Knicks are thrilled” is jumping on someone.
I think it’s pretty clear now that the Knicks didn’t aim high enough when building this roster. The Bridges trade in particular is looking like a massive overpay. They’ll have to get very creative moving forward.
And I know it gets beaten to death but these 2nd half injuries are piling up and it’s hard not to look at Thibs. He’s been a huge part in changing the Knicks from a joke to a contender. But he also gives off Buck Showalter vibes. Someone who gets a team on the right track but too flawed to get to a finals or win a championship
To me biggest issues are. Perimeter D, bench, Bridges. This is where they consistently get hurt. Thibs mins usage is part of bench issues.
Last night in an OT game. They led all game. And couldn’t close it out. Showed who they are.
Knicks had 5 players play, 44, 45, 43, 43, 41 mins.
Their bench played a total of 50.12 mins
Bench had 14 pts
Lakers had 3 players play 44, 43, 40, 33, 32 mins
Their bench played a total of 74.42 mins
Bench had 32 pts.
Bridges played 43 mins, 6 pts on 3/6 shooting
Now this late in the season. You hope Mitch and TJ (when he’s signed) make a difference to the bench.
But for Bridges its getting old. Knicks don’t get consistency from Bridges (20 a gm). Then the bench don’t matter. This is the end of the season. Its now or never for Bridges.
I’ve been saying all year to start Precious. Cause it helps Towns and team D. Hart can still play more mins. Doesnt matter who starts. Its who finishes that matter. Precious starting gives Bridges a reason to be aggressive. Find his mojo. Knicks need him to level up. This is how you force him to do it. Plus moving Hart to bench. Gives Knicks a sixth man of the year player. I don’t get why there is no urgency on part of Knicks to remedy this. I get in public you maintain team camaraderie. But they have to know this about Bridges. We got freakin 20 gms left. I have always supported Thibs. But this should have been handled already. Bridges is soft on offense. And Knicks are not addressing it.
Yup, the Knicks still stink Mike. Hey Mike, you know the Knicks are the most overrated USA franchise, right?
Mike, are you gunna cry extra hard when Curry wins his 5th ring?
Only way he gets another ring. Is if goes up your are and pulls out the one you drew with crayons lol
Glad to hear it’s not more serious. I saw that twist, it was NFL replay gross. I was really worried he tore/broke something. It looked a little bit like that Gordon Hayward unnatural bend to the foot. Love Brunson, he’s yet another reminder of how laughably bad the Mavs front office is.
Might be time to bring bridges off the bench or start n quickly sit him to start the second qtr with miles. I see McBride stepping up with Jalen hurt. Knicks need to trust the bench or more injuries will pop up late. Hart is the only guy I’d be playing 40 mins a game
Miles hasn’t been consistent either. Bridges has to man up. 20 gms left.
Remember NYK traded 5 1’s for Mikal Bridges folks, thinking he’s Kobe or KD.
Thats more than Warriors would of got for Curry lol
On paper, it is a lot of picks but realistically, all of them will likely fall in the 20s range. It was an overpay but it’s not a ton of value.
Two of the picks are this coming year: the Knicks own pick and Milwaukee’s. Those are currently the 22 and 25 pick.
The last three picks are the Knicks ’27, ’29, and ’31 picks. They should still have Brunson, KAT, and OG for at least the ’27 pick and maybe the ’29. So those might be in the 20s as well.
Again: it was an overpay. But it’s not like they gave the Nets lottery picks or anything.
Its only 4. One is a switch. Like you said all late.
Doesn’t matter cause we gotDonte for nothing. Brunson for nothing Randle for nothing. And Bridges cause of his age and friendship with Brunson, Hart. We paid for. Knicks still ahead. Got Towns for guys we signed …….. if Bridges would wake his asr up. Nobody talks about it. Disappointed for sure. Not giving up in just one yr. He was 24 a night in Bklyn. We just need 20 lol.
Anything that doesn’t contain the words “season-ending” is a blessing for the Knicks. Ankles don’t typically bend that way; it looked really bad.
Gotta love Brunson’s game. Am I rite he went undrafted?
33rd pick , Early second round
No way to sugarcoat it. But, assuming he’s back healthy in a couple of weeks, the damage can be contained. I’m not really concerned about playoff seeding, as long as they’re top 6 (which is virtually a lock). Teams seeded 3-6 will all have 1 winnable series and then have to face the 2 best teams in the league in succession. I am concerned that the group will now come down the stretch without its offensive center piece, which is likely to wear away some of the offensive chemistry they’ve built. The flip side, if there is one, might be that it gives the group a chance to double down on improving defensively. This might make going bigger even more difficult, but I’d do it anyway.
Assuming JB comes back like April 1 in full health I can actually see a silver lining for the offence here as well
JB was amazing last night, best player on the court tip to finish but the others need to find their footing, particularly Bridges and Kat.
Far too complacent, far too many Hart touches (not his fault) as he seems to be the only one to hunt the ball when JB is hard doubled, which will happen all playoffs .
Perhaps some extra volume can increase confidence levels in the intermediate for some of these guys
It could, especially with Bridges, where almost any change in the dynamic has to help. Problem though is that (despite what’s read on this board) the NYK offense has generally been quite good this year, and when KAT has been engaged, its been great. The closest thing they have to an offensive problem is Brunson and KAT being too good together too often, getting 25+ each, and squeezing the roles of the 3rd and subsequent options down to their fighting weight. Bridges and OG kind of both expected that role, in full, so sharing an often watered down version of it has caused a lack of consistent footing. Particularly for Bridges, who’s trade price has set expectations for his production.
Either way, back by April 1st might be the sweet spot where nothing’s lost and something’s gain.
Knicks have one of the best offenses in the NBA. The Knicks are scary
I have to say though, I have to say all the Knicks fans painting this as a potential positive is folly. He could potentially be out a long time.
“Braced, sport specific activities can usually be incorporated in weeks 3-4 depending on the severity of the initial injury. Full rehabilitation for moderate to severe sprains is usually accomplished by 6-8 weeks, at which time the athlete can safely return to competition.” link to pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Obviously he could be back in 3-4 weeks. But if he isn’t.
They did have one of the best, I think the best, until a few weeks ago. They’re still rated high overall, but they’ve been wrong footed since the All Star break, KAT’s gone from unstoppable to uneven. They’re playing just well enough offensively since the All Star break to mask their subpar defense, and beat most of their opponents.
Nobody (rational) is talking about Brunson being out as a positive. But every negative like this creates opportunities for others, and those are discussion points. How other players react and step up or not could well determine what things look like in a month or so, as well as next season. Truth is the NYK were unlikely to go past the 2nd round this year in any event because of the teams in front of them. The team mostly needs, for the longer term, is to continue the team building process through the end of their season, and this doesn’t have to be a major interruption to that.
Latest on Brunson. Out tonight. Yeah ….. we know that. Problem here is he can’t be rushed back. I don’t trust Thibs man. Cause they start losing. Then who knows ….. get me. He needs to rest and take extra time. You want him 100% for playoffs. Problem is Bucks could catch Knicks.
To be honest. I know we are third best team. But I believe we match up better with Cavs than Celtics. So I really don’t care who we get. I just rather finish third. Brunson could be out 2 wks. Bad sprain is minimum 2 plus wks. Worst case is three wks. If this doesn’t wake up Bridges. Nothing will.
Need Miles to play like a Real PG. And KAT to avg 30. Thibs better play his bench. Not burn out his starters for when Brunson comes back.
Thank god only a sprain ……….
I blame this on FankeSteins Curry doll ……..
If he’s being evaluated in two weeks, a realistic expectation would be him being out 3-4 weeks, which would be close to the end of the season.
Tough road for NY. As a Celtics fan I don’t wish it on him. He balls out every game.
That was a nasty sprain. I had to starting looking away after the first replay.
Two wks means three for game shape. Don’t want to rush him back …. Pllllllllleeaaaaaaaase.
Get well player ……. God speed.
Bucks are 8-1 in their last 8 games. Next 8 gms thru March 20. Are tough games all playoff teams.
Knicks have much easier schedule. Thank you
Knicks should be ok. Time for Bridges and McBride to shine. Time for team to step up for their captain. Like he does for them every night. NYK
“Captain Clutch” will be back.
Well no offense against Clippers …..
McBride 33 mins 2 pts. Sac, Port, GS before coming home for Heat.