Jalen Brunson does not talk about pain much. He played through a wrist injury for two full playoff rounds for the New York Knicks and never let it show, not once, not even during a run to a title.
Surgery came right after the parade, and quiet has followed ever since. Camp is close now, and the Knicks are about to find out exactly what shape their star point guard is really in.
Jalen Brunson Wrist Update: New Workout Photo Surfaces
New York Basketball posted a photo Saturday of Brunson working out at a gym in New Jersey, shot by @richfitmedia. He’s mid-shot, arm fully extended, no brace or wrap in sight.
That wrist gave him trouble the entire Eastern Conference Finals against Cleveland, and he just played through it. He still averaged 32.6 points a game in the championship series and took home Finals MVP. The surgery came right after the parade.
Brunson explained the injury himself over the summer. His words: “My tendon and the structure of my wrist are fine. There was soft tissue that was holding my tendon, and it kept flipping and snapping over the bone every time I shot, every time I flicked my wrist.”
He’d said he wanted the wrist ready by early September, and this photo lines up with that. He’s not babying the shot anymore. He’s letting it fly the way he always has, and that’s the part fans have been waiting to see.
Why the Timing Matters: Sixers Loom on Opening Night
That timing matters more than usual this year. Camp opens on the 24th, and three weeks after that, Philadelphia walks into the Garden for opening night.
This is not the same Sixers team the Knicks swept out of the playoffs last spring. Philadelphia signed LeBron James and traded for Jaylen Brown over the summer, slotting them in next to Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Coach Nick Nurse has all five penciled in as starters, a group with almost no defensive soft spot for Brunson to hunt.
A banged-up shooting hand against a lineup like that would have been a real problem. Brunson spent the whole championship run finding ways to score even while hiding the pain, but Philadelphia’s length on the perimeter leaves much less room for anyone playing less than fully healthy.
That’s what makes this photo worth paying attention to now, weeks before camp even opens.
Knicks Receive Major Jalen Brunson Injury Breakthrough Before New Season