Right now, the New York Knicks are likely going through one of their most challenging stretches of the season. Injuries have played a large part in the Knicks’ recent struggles, and adding captain Jalen Brunson to the injury report can only make matters worse.
Just five minutes into a game against the Sacramento Kings, Brunson went down with an ankle injury and then headed for the locker room. He hurt his right ankle, the same ankle that kept him out of two games in November. However, the good news was that Brunson was not in a walking boot after the game.
Despite that, Brunson is still going to be out against the Golden State Warriors. The Knicks are finishing up a four-game West Coast road trip, which is closing with a back-to-back against the Kings and Warriors. Without Brunson for most of the game against the Kings, the Knicks looked lost, ultimately losing 112-101 to an 11-30 team.
Without Brunson, the Knicks could be in for a long night against the Warriors. The Warriors are 5-3 over their last eight games. During that stretch, Stephen Curry is averaging 25.7 points, and Jimmy Butler is putting up 20 per night, while they are combining for 12 assists per game.
Knicks Troubles With and Without Jalen Brunson
GettyJosh Hart (#3) on the left, talking to Jalen Brunson, on the right.
It is not hard to find the moment where the Knicks’ struggles began. On Christmas Day, Josh Hart sprained his right ankle, forcing him to miss the next eight games. While he was out, the Knicks lost four straight, for the only time this season. Even though Hart has played in the last two games, the Knicks have not fully recovered, and now Brunson will miss at least a game.
However, the injury to Hart was not the only reason for the Knicks’ recent struggles. While Brunson has been fantastic this season, his lack of playmaking has also led to some of the team’s issues. This season, Brunson averages 6.1 assists. But over the last eight games, he is averaging 4.6 assists per game.
13 points 4 rebounds 0-1 three 3 turnovers 5 steals
On top of that, Karl-Anthony Towns has been little to no help some nights. Over the last eight games, Towns has averaged 16.7 points, compared to 21 this season. In the loss to the Kings, where Towns should have asserted himself, especially with Brunson exiting early, he finished with only 13 points.
To wrap up the Knicks’ troubles, they have been one of the worst defenses over this eight-game stretch. They have the second-highest defensive rating over those games, at 120.2.
Knicks Injury Report Outside of Brunson
GettyLandry Shamet (#44) is on the left of Jalen Brunson (#11), and both are celebrating.
Brunson is far from being the only Knick with an injury update before the game against the Warriors. The first injury news, while expected, is that Mitchell Robinson will miss the game. Given that the Knicks have kept Robinson out of one game in each back-to-back this season to keep him healthy, his absence makes sense. However, the Knicks will miss his 4.8 offensive rebounds per game.
On the positive side, the Knicks received some good news as Landry Shamet is questionable. Shamet has been out with a shoulder injury since November, while he was starting to carve out a role.
In the game where he got injured, Shamet made his third consecutive start, scoring 36 points off the bench right before that. Shamet is not going to flip the Knicks’ poor play around immediately, but is a role player who can certainly help put the team back on track.
Knicks Without Jalen Brunson Ahead Of Important Matchup Plus Injury Updates