It has been nearly a month since Jalen Brunson went down with a sprained ankle during a matchup with the Lakers. The star Knicks guard has missed the previous 14 games recovering from the ankle issue and looks to finally be turning a corner. Brunson has been upgraded to questionable for the first time since sustaining the injury and looks to be on track for making his return to the floor tomorrow for the Knicks against the Atlanta Hawks.
During Brunson’s absence, the Knicks have done a decent job treading water and went 8-6 across the 14 games that he missed. Even still, New York will not reach their peak as a team without the star guard, and it is important to get back on the same page with the rest of the team with just six games remaining in the regular season.
The Knicks sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 48-28 overall record. They have clinched a playoff spot already but seedings are still up for grabs and their matchup remains undecided.
Brunson had a slight statistical regression this year but still has a likely place on one of the All-NBA teams if he can suit up for four of the final six remaining games to reach the 65-game threshold. The Villanova product is averaging 26.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 38.4% from beyond the three-point arc.
Looking ahead to the postseason, the Knicks hold +750 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook of winning the Eastern Conference, the third-best odds, and +2500 odds of winning the NBA Championship. Getting Brunson back on the floor and fully healthy is a huge step toward reaching any of their postseason goals.
