Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks got a tough break on Wednesday in Sacramento, even before the Kings dealt them a tough loss. Brunson scored four points in the first five minutes but then exited the game with a right ankle injury. By halftime, he was ruled out for the rest of the game. It was another brutal loss for New York, who might be facing another stretch without Brunson.
This latest ankle injury could force the Knicks to accept a harsh truth, even if their Captain doesn't miss much time (or any at all). The 29-year-old superstar might continue to struggle with these ankle injuries, and they might need to keep that in mind and hang onto extra guard depth to compensate for it. A good sign was that Brunson was seen leaving the arena with no boot – or limp – by reporters.
Brunson's early exit could be connected to back-to-back
It would be incorrect to describe December's Eastern Conference Player of the Month as injury prone. Brunson has played 65 games or more in every season of his career thus far, except for 2019-20 when the entire league's year was cut short by COVID-19.
He's an incredibly tough player who often plays through injuries and has running bits with media where, if he is playing through one, he almost has to be tricked into acknowledging that he even has one.
The team may have simply pulled him early out of caution, because they played the Warriors less than 23 hours later on Thursday night. If Brunson did miss any time, it would be the second time this season, having missed two games in November but surprising fans with just how quickly he returned.
When Brunson was injured earlier in the year, he was seen by The Athletic leaving Madison Square Garden in a walking boot and using crutches to walk. That sighting preceded his two-game absence. The fact that, this time, Brunson was seen looking just fine doesn't guarantee that he won't miss any time. But it certainly gives fans much more hope than just about any other result.
Brunson also missed a month near the end of last season, getting back just in time to reach the league's 65-game requirement for regular season awards. It paid off, with the guard being designated the league's Clutch Player of the Year for his repeated takeovers late in close games.
Hopefully for Brunson, the Knicks, and their fans, the guard is ready to go on Thursday night in Golden State. If not, the contending Knicks will need to respond better to that adversity than they did against the 11-30 Kings.