The Knicks are currently walking on thin ice. There’s no doubt that the NY side has some of the best players in the NBA. But the team lacks depth. An injury to someone in the starting lineup will put them in deep trouble. Amid this situation, the team’s cornerstone Jalen Brunson checked out and headed to the locker room in the latter part of the third quarter, putting the Big Apple side in an uncertain spot. JB’s father, Rick Brunson, rushed behind him.

With less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Brunson could be seen leaving. Reportedly, the star guard took a blow to his lower back earlier in the game. Importantly, the situation gathered even more eyeballs when Rick, the associate head coach, also headed to the locker room. Moreover, the guard didn’t return to the floor soon.

Fortunately, as per the latest update via Kristian Winfield, “Jalen Brunson is back on the bench, wearing a wrap around his lower back, and is available to return tonight against the Hornets.”

However, Jalen Brunson didn’t return to play. But then again, the Knicks didn’t necessarily need the star guard to close the game, as they produced a blowout 125-101 win over Brandin Miller & Co. Moreover, JB also contributed to the win, dropping 24 points and 5 assists during his shortened stint. Ironically, the team didn’t get any support from the bench to compensate for JB’s absence.

Apart from Miles McBride’s 10-point outing, the Knicks bench only contributed 2 points to the total! So, it’s safe to say the LaMelo Ball-less side wasn’t prepared to contain the lethal NY starters in the first place.

How long will the Knicks survive with thin depth amid Jalen Brunson’s new role?

It took some time for Brunson to get the spotlight on him. The talented guard came off the bench during his stint with the Mavericks. However, after he moved to the Knicks, Coach Thibodeau had him playing in the starting lineup. While he helped the team reach the playoffs in his first season, he had a different role in the second season. With the number of injuries increasing every passing game, Thibs wanted the star guard to lead the team’s offense.

Speaking of which, he said, “Then he had to score a lot more. And he adapted to that very well also.” However, now, times have changed after the inclusion of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges; and Coach Thibs has a new role for the guard.

The HC added, “We have scorers so he’s reading the game really well… He gets double-teamed a lot and he doesn’t fight it. He hits the open man, he allows us to play fast. Guys are starting to get comfortable.”

At the same time, the Knicks can’t entirely rely on its starters to do the job without much support from the bench. Until Mitchell Robinson joins the team, the NY side will be walking on thin ice. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.