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The New York Knicks heaved a sigh of relief after their All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson dodged a serious knee injury.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau revealed to reporters that Brunson suffered a knee contusion and his X-ray result came out negative, confirming 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 Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks have 21 games left in the regular season.
Jalen Brunson’s Teammates React to His Injury
Josh Hart, who carried the Knicks when Brunson went down in the opening moments of their inspiring 107-98 win over the No. 2 seed Cavaliers, made the situation lighter for their worried fans.
“Jalen decided he didn’t want to play,” Hart said in jest via New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
Hart finished with a triple-double: 13 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists while Donte DiVincenzo had 28 points as they filled the big void left by their Villanova teammate.
“I asked him if he was OK. And he said he’ll be fine. And that’s everything to me,” DiVincenzo told reporters. “Like I said the last time he went down, I don’t worry about Jalen. He’s one of the toughest guys in the league. So whatever it is, I truly can say, I don’t know. Whatever it is, he’s going to bounce back. He’s tough as nails.”
Julius Randle Progresses to Light Contact Drills
Julius Randle, along with OG Anunoby (elbow surgery) and Mitchell Robinson (ankle surgery) all joined the trip and participated in the morning shootaround, according to Newsday’s Steve Popper.
“Just the next step now that they’re doing more on the court,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said via Newsday. “All three of them. [Randle] is working on the court. He’s doing stuff in the weight room. Stuff like that . . . He’s taken some light contact [with pads] but nothing with a player yet. So that’ll be the next step.”
ESPN showed Randle hoisting shots in the pregame of the Knicks’ massive win over the Cavaliers.
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