One thing is clear — the Knicks need Jalen Brunson
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson writhes in pain after getting injured during the second half of an NBA game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in Los Angeles. Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill
LOS ANGELES
The Knicks had spent the hours since Jalen Brunson went down with a sprained ankle Thursday night saying all the right things about how they could survive without their captain.
After Thursday’s loss to the Lakers, when Brunson’s fate was uncertain — other than the sight of him barely able to walk as he limped to the locker room — they spoke hopefully.
Before Friday’s game at Intuit Dome against the Clippers, the words were bold. Everyone step up. Do it as a team. Do the little things.
Then the game began and the Knicks started much the same way as they had left off after Brunson’s injury Thursday, misfiring on their first five shots and committing two turnovers as they fell behind 9-0.
Professionals don’t doubt themselves, not the way the critics in the media or the fan base might. But who would have blamed them if they began to do the math, looking at the calendar and counting the games that they might have to live without Brunson, then looking at the standings and eying their place in the Eastern Conference playoff race?
But on this first night without Brunson, they weren’t shut out — finally breaking the seal and running off 10 straight points before they settled in with a nice-try, good-effort performance that wasn’t enough. It took the Knicks until the final minute to top their lowest scoring output of the season as they fell, 105-95.
There is little clarity of just how severe the injury is, other than the Knicks confirming that it is a sprained ankle and that he will be reevaluated in two weeks. Coach Tom Thibodeau would not even venture to say Brunson definitely will return before the end of the regular season five weeks away.
While the Knicks (40-23) are well aware that Brunson will push for a return as soon as possible, what they don’t know — and he can’t answer for them — is how they will survive without him.
"For sure it’s going to be a process," Josh Hart said. "Jalen’s our guy. He took a lot of the burden offensively on his shoulders. So I’m not sure — has he missed a game this season? One? — off a back-to-back, I don’t think we played bad. We played hard. Now we’ve got to get more of a rhythm and flow to the offense without him."
There were no easy possessions, although perhaps that’s the wrong measure, given that Brunson’s shots often come with an astounding degree of difficulty. But stepping up at times resembled desperation, hero ball shots such as Karl-Anthony Towns' three-pointer from nearly the logo with 20 seconds left on the shot clock and an air ball from three-point range on the next possession in the fourth quarter as the Clippers stretched the lead.
Deuce McBride got the starting assignment in place of Brunson and struggled badly, shooting 2-for-13 for seven points. But it was going to take much more than a reserve stepping into Brunson’s spot.
As evidenced before the injury, Brunson is the one player who can carry the Knicks against any defense, matching up point for point against the brightest stars in the NBA. He had 39 points Thursday and had scored the Knicks' last 13 points, hitting two free throws moments after suffering the injury, unable to even hobble to the Knicks' bench as the Lakers unsuccessfully challenged the foul call.
The Knicks' offseason makeover wasn’t made with this situation in mind, but it did bring in offensive forces around Brunson in Towns and Mikal Bridges who had put up numbers in other stops. Towns had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Bridges finished with 22 points and Hart added 14 points and 20 rebounds on Friday.
Without Brunson, there were just too many moments when he would have bailed out the Knicks, able to overcome any defensive scheme with remarkable skill and a fearless nature. On Friday, in the spots in which you could imagine Brunson dominating, too often there were turnovers or forced shots, an uncertain approach for a team that had yet to even conduct a practice without him.
When Thibodeau preaches next man up, he means everyone. That meant replacements for Mitchell Robinson, who sat out Friday on the second night of a back-to-back set, and the team getting rookie point guard Tyler Kolek on a plane from New York to join the team in time for Monday’s game in Sacramento.
“Everyone has to step up,” Thibodeau said. “The thing is you’re not replacing Jalen individually. You’re doing that collectively . . . The margin of error is smaller. We have to play with great intensity on every possession.”
It didn’t come in this first try, and Brunson won’t be bailing them out anytime soon. For now, the Knicks must prove they can make do without their captain and rise to the occasion with their position in the Eastern Conference standings suddenly having become tenuous. Words of get well soon from Brunson’s teammates won’t do. Playing the way the Knicks need is what's necessary.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
