Getty Images
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson will return to action Sunday, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, after missing the past month with a right ankle sprain. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Brunson had been “cleared for basketball activities” before Wednesday’s 124-105 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then the All-Star practiced Friday at Georgia Tech ahead of a back-to-back set in Atlanta.
The Knicks will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Brunson, who has missed the last 14 games due to a sprained right ankle.
“It’s more of how they feel and what we think is best given all the factors that are involved and just make a good decision.” Thibodeau said after Friday’s practice.
“He looked good,” New York’s Josh Hart added. “Got a lot of buckets, gave up a lot of buckets. So about normal.”
Brunson has appeared in 61 games this season and logged 20-plus minutes in all of them. If he indeed returns against Phoenix and remains healthy enough to play for the next week and a half, he should meet the NBA’s 65-game threshold for end-of-season awards. The Knicks have six games left on the schedule, including two back-to-backs, so Brunson could sit half of each back-to-back without taking himself out of All-NBA contention.
Assuming he reaches the 65-game mark, there should be little doubt that Brunson will make an All-NBA team for a second consecutive season. On the season, he’s averaging 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 35.4 minutes per game, with a 29% usage rate and a 60.6% true shooting percentage.
New York has gone 8-6 in this stretch without Brunson, and it is 48-28 on the season. It is third in the Eastern Conference and has a three-game cushion over the fourth-place Indiana Pacers, even though Indiana has won 10 of its last 13 games.
Brunson is not the only player expected to rejoin the Knicks’ backcourt rotation soon. On Wednesday, Thibodeau told reporters that guards Miles McBride (who hasn’t played since March 20 due to a left groin contusion) and Cam Payne (who hasn’t played since March 26 because of a right ankle sprain) “should be [back] any day.”
After the back-to-back on the weekend, New York will host the Boston Celtics next Tuesday, visit the Detroit Pistons next Thursday and host the Cleveland Cavaliers a day later. The Knicks will “visit” the Brooklyn Nets on April 13, the last day of the regular season. This stretch is unlikely to change their playoff seeding, but for both Brunson and the team, this is the time to tune up for the postseason.
