Nearly a month has passed since Jalen Brunson sprained his ankle in the New York Knicks' overtime loss to the Lakers. Fans braced for the worst, fearing the star point guard would miss the rest of the season. The update was better than expected -- Brunson would miss at least a couple of weeks.
Tom Thibodeau said last week that the guard was progressing well in his rehab. Before Wednesday's game in Cleveland, the coach gave an even better update, saying Brunson had been cleared for basketball activities.
Brunson watched from the bench as his teammates lost a double-digit lead to the Cavaliers, falling 124-105. He'll travel with the team to their next stop: Atlanta. The Knicks will have two full days off before taking on the Hawks on Saturday afternoon. And guess what? Brunson could play in that game.
As Stefan Bondy of the New York Post wrote, Friday will be a practice day for the Knicks. Brunson is expected to participate in practice after being cleared, which is the final hurdle he needs to clear before playing.
After playing Atlanta on Saturday, New York will return to MSG to host Phoenix on Sunday in the second half of a back-to-back. If Brunson doesn't play against the Hawks, there's a good chance he'll suit up against the Suns.
Jalen Brunson could return to Knicks lineup this weekend
Brunson said on Sunday that he hoped to return before the end of the regular season to get some time on the court before the playoffs start. New York will play six more games before the regular season concludes, including two games against Boston and Cleveland (the Knicks could face one of those teams in the postseason).
The star guard must play four more games to be eligible to make an All-NBA team. On Sunday, he said that individual awards matter to him, but he's more focused on being 100 percent healthy for the playoffs. That perfectly sums up who Brunson is as a leader.
Hopefully, he'll be able to meet the 65-game mark. He deserves to be named All-NBA for the second consecutive season. The individual awards don't hold as much weight as a championship for Brunson, but All-NBA would be a good way to cap off a regular season where he earned his first All-Star starter nod. Returning this weekend will give him time to do just that.