Is Jalen Brunson all right? This question would be on the minds of attendees at Madison Square Garden, as the matchup between the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic is underway. Since mid-November, JB has been associated with some form of injury, which has limited his on-court appearances slightly. Amid concerns about right calf tightness, it was a relief to learn that the star would be present today. However, after what just happened, they may have wished that Brown remained sidelined with the earlier ailment!

Earlier today, Jalen Brunson was poked in the eye by Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze. The incident occurred as 7:26 minutes remained in the 3rd quarter. The player’s condition was deemed serious enough to have him be substituted by Cameron Payne, the tertiary point guard with the Knicks. Their secondary pg, Miles McBride, remains ‘OUT’ as he recovers from his hamstring injury.

Jalen Brunson exited the game after having been on the court for 25 minutes. In that period, he scored 16 points along with 3 assists. Fortunately, it didn’t take him too long to return. Unfortunately, his efforts, and Mikal Bridges taking the offensive charge, weren’t enough to put the Knicks on top. Even as JB ended his night with 24 points in 36 minutes, the home team lost by a 9-point margin.

The eye injury comes less than a year after Jalen Brunson was hit in the same area during a New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers matchup. The Knicks point guard was hit in the eye by Andrew Nembhard. Fortunately, the injury did not sideline him but further fuelled his drive. After Indiana’s Jalen Smith made a dunk to give the Pacers a one-point lead, Brunson took his frustration out on the Pacers’ defense. He converted a drive on the ensuing possession for the final go-ahead bucket as 1:46 minutes remained on the clock.

Jalen Brunson ended the night with 40 points and the “MVP” chants began! The NY star would have felt on top of the world! Unfortunately, circumstances are different in the aftermath of today’s game.

Just like before, though, the eye injury was not serious enough to put the player on the bench for long. This is fortunate news for Knicks fans. After all, if there is anyone who has dealt with more than his fair share of injuries this season, it is Jalen Brunson.

What other injuries has Jalen Brunson sustained this season?

In mid-November, the 28-year-old had turned his ankle during the 3rd quarter of a matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. But the ailment wasn’t deemed serious enough to keep him benched. Therefore, Brunson returned shortly after a stint in the locker room. The Knicks soon went on an 11-0 run with him back in the game. Three weeks later, JB missed playing the final minutes against the Hornets. This occurred after he crashed hard to the floor during the 3rd quarter. For the next game against the Detroit Pistons, he was listed as questionable with a lower back contusion. Fortunately, even that injury wasn’t enough to cause the player to avoid the game.

However, the right calf tightness that Jalen Brunson developed in late December caused him to miss a game. He was declared ‘OUT’ from the matchup against the Utah Jazz, the game which also happened to be the Knicks’ first one of the new year.

As of now, there are no further updates on the player’s eye condition. However, if the situation is anything like the last time he sustained an eye injury, then Jalen Brunson will simply shrug the ailment off and continue like nothing ever happened.