Jalen Brunson Injury Update: Coach Thibs With the Latest Report on All-Star Guard’s Return

The New York Knicks’ season is in serious jeopardy. It looks like they cannot get rid of the injury bug. An extremely shorthanded Knicks squad suffered another massive blow during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their superstar guard, Jalen Brunson, suffered a horrific knee injury within the first minute of the Cavs game. He was carried off the floor immediately and sat out for the rest of the game.

While the Knicks fans feared a long-term injury, head coach Tim Thibodeau gave a positive update regarding Brunson’s return. Coach Thibs revealed that Brunson’s MRI came back clean, ruling out serious injury. That means Brunson could return to action sooner than expected.

However, Brunson was diagnosed with a left knee contusion and has been ruled out of tonight’s game. So, the Knicks will have to face the Atlanta Hawks without their All-Star guard.

Brunson injured his knee during the first offensive play of Sunday’s game. As Brunson tried to open the scoring for the Knicks with a jump shot, his knee seemingly collided with Cavs forward Isaac Okoro. Brunson immediately fell to the floor after the impact. He tried to get back up as the play continued. Unfortunately, Brunson could not put any pressure on his injured foot due to the pain and fell to the floor again. The official stopped the play, and Brunson limped off the floor. The Knicks hope for Brunson’s quick return because he has been their best player throughout the season. The All-Star guard is averaging 27.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds.

Injuries could end the Knicks’ season early

Jalen Brunson is not the first Knicks player to suffer a scary injury this season. The Knicks have played extremely shorthanded for the majority of the season due to several stars being injured. Julius Randle has been out since late January after he dislocated his shoulder during the Knicks vs. Heat game. Their new signing, OG Anunoby, has also been out since January 27 due to an elbow injury. The Knicks were in top form since they signed Anunoby in December, winning 12 of their 14 games with him. However, his injury slowed down the Knicks’ momentum significantly.

Read More: Knicks Steal Suns’ Target to Ease Injury-Riddled Jalen Brunson’s Burden

Center Mitchell Robinson is also out of action due to an ankle injury. The Knicks are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 36-25 record. However, if Jalen Brunson also misses significant time due to his injury, the Knicks could fall even further in the standings. A healthy Knicks squad has the potential to make a deep run in the playoffs this season. But their season might end early because of the unfortunate injuries.