Jalen Brunson injury updates: Knicks avoid disaster with star evaluated on a day-to-day basis, per report

New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson is expected to miss Friday night’s matchup against the Miami Heat with a Grade 1 right ankle sprain, per ESPN. The injury isn’t serious, as he’ll be evaluated on a day-to-day basis, which is a huge sigh of relief for the Knicks.

Brunson sustained the injury in the closing minutes of New York’s 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night. With 1:54 left in the fourth quarter Brunson was attacking the rim, and as he attempted to plant his foot to elevate off the floor he landed on the foot of Orlando big man Wendell Carter Jr. Brunson popped up quickly and shot both of his free throws, though he had a considerable limp. After converting one of the two shots from the line, Brunson intentionally fouled Jalen Suggs to get out of the game, and immediately walked to the Knicks’ locker room without going to the bench.

Here’s where the injury occurred:

After the game, Knicks coach Mike Brown said he didn’t know anything other than Brunson turned his right ankle on the play. The All-Star guard was seen exiting Madison Square Garden in a walking boot with crutches following the loss. It’s the same ankle Brunson injured last season that forced him to miss 15 games, but it sounds as though this situation is nowhere near that severe.

Brunson’s status is a positive outcome after an embarrassing loss to the Magic. Brunson was still in the game despite the game decidedly out of reach, which may raise questions about why he was still out there in the first place. If this injury was more severe that would certainly be a bigger plot point, but the good thing is that becomes a moot point with him not expected to miss much time.

A rejuvenated offense

Knowing Brunson isn’t going to miss a ton of time also ensures the Knicks can keep building on the momentum they’ve built over the last six games. Before that stinker against the Magic, the Knicks were on a five-game winning streak. They have the second-best offense in the league, implementing Brown’s new system that has the Knicks taking the third-most 3s in the league. That’s a massive change from New York ranking 27th in that same category a season ago, but it’s contributed to the Knicks’ success so far.

It took some time for everyone to adjust, which contributed to the 2-3 record New York started the season with, but over the last batch of games things have been clicking offensively. They’re not just taking more 3s, this new system has also taken the ball out of Brunson’s hands slightly. 

In the past, the Knicks ran a ton of isolation plays for their lead guard to great success. Brunson dominated the ball, and while that’s still the case, we’ve seen a slight decrease so far this season.

The Knicks have been humming along with this new system, and can continue to do so knowing that Brunson won’t be sidelined for too long. If there’s one adjustment the Knicks need to make, though, it’s getting more production out of their second unit.

The Knicks’ bench unit has been a weakness in what’s been an otherwise strong start. That second unit ranks 25th in scoring, and as the grind of the season picks up, they’ll need guys like Josh Hart and Jordan Clarkson to produce more.

Hart’s production has taken a step back this season, and while he’s never been a high volume 3-point shooter he’s certainly been more efficient inside the arc. After averaging 13.6 points a season ago, he’s managing just 8.4 points on 44.4% from the floor. Clarkson was brought in this summer to give the Knicks more scoring depth off the bench, but so far he’s been streaky. He’s a former Sixth Man of the Year, and is certainly capable of putting up 20 points on some nights. Both guys may just be adjusting — and Hart did enter the regular season banged up — but come April and May the Knicks are going to need those guys to give more than what they’ve been showing so far.

But we haven’t even reached the one-month mark on the season, so these are minor issues. The positive is that the Knicks don’t have to figure out how to carry on without Brunson for an extended period of time, and this top-tier offense they’ve been operating with can continue to build chemistry as New York tries to establish itself as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.