Knicks Giving Jalen Brunson Time to Recover

Jalen Brunson has been out for two weeks for the New York Knicks with an ankle sprain.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 20, 2025

Mar 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In this story:

New York Knicks

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has spent two weeks on the bench as he recovers from an ankle sprain he suffered against the Los Angeles Lakers.

With Brunson on the sidelines, the Knicks have had mixed results, and they have dropped games that they otherwise might not have if he had been in the lineup.

However, with less than a month to go in the regular season, Brunson has time to heal before the playoffs due to New York's weaker schedule strength.

"Between Jalen Brunson turning his ankle badly in a loss to the Lakers, Mikal Bridges' buzzer-beating 3 for a win in Portland and a deflating loss to the streaking Warriors, the Knicks' West Coast trip (2-3) had plenty of drama," ESPN insider Chris Herring writes.

"They'll have a calmer stretch, with one of the softer portions of their schedule ahead. With matchups against the Spurs, Hornets, Wizards and the short-handed Mavs over the next week, it puts less pressure on Brunson — who's expected to miss at least another week, per ESPN's Shams Charania — to rush back."

The Knicks are also comfortably seated in the No. 3 spot for the Eastern Conference playoff picture, so even if they lose some of these games that they should win, they have some insurance knowing they won't drop in the standings.

The goal for Brunson should be to lock in at 100 percent for the playoffs. This doesn't mean he shouldn't play until the postseason, because he would likely need a few games to get ramped up, but the focus should be on Brunson's health rather than the team's need to win these, otherwise meaningless, contests down the stretch in fear that he could tweak his ankle before it is fully healed.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!

Published Mar 20, 2025

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.