Jalen Brunson has a return date on the horizon. His status for Saturday, Apr. 5th’s game against the Atlanta Hawks has been upgraded to questionable.
The New York Knicks All-Star is going to be back at practice and is cleared for basketball activities according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Brunson sprained his right ankle against the Los Angeles Lakers in an overtime loss on March 6th.
Now a two-time All-Star, Brunson needs to play in four of New York’s six remaining games in order to be eligible for end-of-season awards. He has played in 61 games thus far and the minimum required is 65. Brunson made the All-NBA Second Team last season.
So far this season, Brunson has averaged 26.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. He has shot 49 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from three-point range.
The Knicks have gone 8-6 in Brunson’s absence thus far.
Knicks Playoff Outlook
New York is firmly seated as the third seed in the East, eight games behind the Boston Celtics and three games ahead of the Indiana Pacers.
As things stand, they would face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. The Detroit Pistons, though, are only a half-game ahead of the Bucks in fifth.
Even with Damian Lillard potentially missing the first round, the Pistons would present the more favorable matchup. Led by a Cade Cunningham, this is a franchise returning to the postseason for the first time since 2019. Dennis Schroder, Tobias Harris, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are the only ones with noteworthy playoff experience.
In a matchup with Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo would still be the best player in the series and that always presents a Herculean task in the postseason. In addition to that, there is the championship experience of Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma to lean on as well.
Then, there is also the possibility that Lillard returns as well which would shift the entire dynamic of that potential matchup. On the Knicks’ side of things, the return of a healthy Brunson will have them confident for any series.
Finishing as the third seed would also likely mean a second round clash with the defending champion Boston Celtics, if the Knicks were to advance.
