Jalen Brunson Out Of Boot, Knicks Hopeful Of April Return

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is out of a boot, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Brunson sprained his right ankle in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6. Having missed two weeks now, Thibodeau expressed optimism Brunson could return for the team’s final few regular season games.

That would mark around a four-week absence in total.

“Whenever he’s ready, he’s ready,” Thibodeau said. “He’s putting a lot into his rehab. That’s what he can control right now. So, that’s where we want his focus to be. Hopefully, he’ll get some games where he can work himself back into it.”

The 28-year-old is averaging 26.3 points and 7.4 assists per game this season. He has played in 61 games, so he would need to play at least the final four regular season games to be eligible for end-of-season awards.

Brunson The Real MVP?

The Knicks have looked messy without Brunson, going 3-4 thus far, including back-to-back blowout losses to the injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs and tanking Charlotte Hornets.

If not for a Mikal Bridges buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the win in overtime against the Portland Trail Blazers, they’d be 2-5.

Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Bridges have all had their moments in the sun during Brunson’s absence, but it hasn’t translated to winning basketball.

There’s obviously a big difference between having Brunson at point guard compared to Miles McBride. Not only is there a talent disparity but a significant difference in their functionality as well. McBride is more of an off-ball shooter while Brunson has proven himself a great game manager who can score plenty.

Knicks’ Upcoming Schedule Not Too Daunting

To finish the month of March, the Knicks will go up against the Blazers, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. They will also play the Philadelphia 76ers to open April.

New York should be favored to win at least three of those games. It’s after that stretch when the Knicks will really be hoping Brunson can return.

The six following games are against the Cleveland Cavaliers (x2), Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. All of those games are losable without Brunson.

Perhaps the biggest thing to keep in mind here is it’s pretty unlikely the Knicks move too much in the standings. With 13 games remaining, New York is seven games behind Boston for second and three games ahead of the Indiana Pacers in fourth.

The Pacers don’t have an easy schedule to finish either, so it would take a serious collapse by the Knicks for any movement between those teams.