Getty Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks reacts during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers.
New York Knicks‘ All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson is now safe from a serious knee injury but he is not yet cleared to return.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau shared the MRI result of Brunson’s knee ahead of their Tuesday, March 5, home game against the Atlanta Hawks.
“A contusion, it’s bruised,” Thibodeau told reporters via SNY of Brunson’s knee injury. “It’s a lot better than it was. We just want to make sure that he’s completely ready. He had an MRI and everything came back clean.”
Tom Thibodeau says Jalen Brunson’s knee contusion is “better than it was” and the Knicks are holding him out tonight so that he’s “completely ready”
Brunson also underwent an MRI and it came back clean.
Sports Doctor Breaks Down Jalen Brunson’s Injury
The MRI result confirms Dr. Brian Sutterer‘s initial prognosis.
“It almost looks to me like somebody who’s got a temporary footdrop,” Dr. Sutterer said on his YouTube channel after re-watching Brunson unable to walk in his power exiting the court after his knee collided with Cleveland Cavaliers‘ Isaac Okoro.
Dr. Sutterer, a sports medicine doctor who has a widely popular YouTube channel explaining sports injuries, likened Brunson’s initial reaction to a martial artist “who received low calf kicks that injured or stunned the peroneal nerve that picks your ankle up.”
Brunson’s inability to pick up his ankle as he walked off the court confirmed Dr. Sutterer’s suspicion that Brunson had a contact blow to the outside of his left knee.
“… because that’s where that nerve sits and could certainly have been stunned almost like hitting your funny bone,” Dr. Sutterer said.
He also added: “I don’t see the concerning things that we’ll usually see when a big major non-contact injury like an ACL, a quad patella or tendon rupture occurs.”
Retired NBA player Andre Iguodala suffered the same injury during the Golden State Warriors’ championship run in 2018. He missed six games — the last four of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets and the first two of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers.
Mitchell Robinson Drawing Inspiration from Jackie Robinson
Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson revealed that he’s leaning on Jackie Robinson’s trailblazing story in his ongoing recovery from his left ankle surgery and his mental battles.
“If Jackie Robinson can keep his faith in God and stay true to himself when he had to fight his toughest battles on a day-to-day basis, I don’t see why I can’t,” Robinson posted on his Instagram story on March 2. “I’m currently reading the Jackie Robinson book. The first chapter gave me inspiration and motivation, comfort and strength, wisdom and direction to stay true to myself and not fall short. I’ve been fighting battles for a while and I lost most but this battle I’m fighting now, I’m definitely going to come out on top.
“[A] strong mind, strong faith and keep trusting in God have my feelings unstoppable.”
Jackie Robinson ended racial segregation in professional baseball when he became the first African-American athlete to play in the Major League for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He played in Six World Series and won in 1955. He was also named Rookie of the Year in 1947 and became the first black MVP of the National League in 1949.
Robinson has been out since December 8 but has already made progress and resumed on-court activities after the All-Star break.