Knicks avoid disaster with Jalen Brunson injury update

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.

Jalen Brunson required help to leave the court during the New York Knicks’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

He sustained the injury just one minute into the game. However, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, Brunson has avoided serious injury.

He will be listed as questionable for Tuesday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks.

Knicks fans will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief. The team is dealing with a string of injury issues. Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson are all currently sidelined.

Yet, losing Brunson would have been the biggest blow of all. He’s the team’s most impactful player, both as a scorer and as a playmaker.

Brunson has played in 57 games this season. He’s averaging 27.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists. He’s shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range.

His ability to score off the dribble, off the catch or when driving to the rim is hard to replace. Head coach Tom Thibodeau would likely turn to Alec Burks to help steady the ship in Brunson’s absence.

Losing Brunson for a prolonged period would have been disastrous for the Knicks. With the postseason rapidly approaching, New York needs its roster-building continuity and rhythm. Losing the most important player could have derailed the progress Tom Thibodeau’s team has been making.

Instead, the Knicks will likely have Brunson back in the rotation soon. The hope is that he will be joined by Anunoby and Randle sooner rather than later.

We’ve yet to see how a healthy version of this Knicks roster looks. The hope is that the new additions can gel with the established core so the team can make some noise in the postseason.

For now, though, New York will be focused on getting Brunson back in the rotation and ensuring he’s healthy.

Brunson has been lucky to avoid serious injury. The Knicks will need to ensure he’s integrated back into the rotation carefully to ensure he’s healthy once the games begin to matter.

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