Knicks will need to adjust when Jalen Brunson returns
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) sits on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Credit: Brad Penner
ATLANTA
Jalen Brunson was seated on the bench Wednesday night in Cleveland, inching closer to a return to action. And while the medical team may have the final say on whether that it is Saturday against the Hawks, Sunday at home against the Suns or delayed for another day, the Knicks have bigger questions than when they will pencil their captain into the lineup again.
The good news is that he is with the team on the road and expected to practice with the team Friday for the first time. There is no downside to getting your best player in the lineup. But that doesn’t mean the Knicks won't face a hurdle, a familiar one if you think back to last season, when they were trying to work players into the lineup as injuries piled up.
Brunson got a close-up view on Wednesday as the Knicks again fell short — far short — of the elite teams in the NBA, dropping to 0-8 against the Cavaliers, Celtics and Thunder this season. And now, with six games left in the regular season — and Brunson expected to play in four at most, with the two sets of back-to-back games likely meaning days off — the Knicks have little time to prove the failures of the regular season don’t mean a disappointing ending to the postseason.
The Knicks have chosen to take the optimistic view of Brunson’s absence, pointing to the opportunities afforded to other players with him out of action. Look at the improved offensive output from OG Anunoby. Marvel at the nights when Mikal Bridges silences the talk of the cost it took to land him.
But the issue for the Knicks all season has been focused on two main worries. There has been a lack of depth, which becomes less important in the postseason when there are no back-to-back games and the rotation is tightened. But what doesn’t get better in the postseason is the stability and synchronicity that has appeared only in rare moments as the Knicks acclimate to a lineup pieced together on the eve of training camp.
Even with Brunson’s extended absence, the Knicks have put their starting lineup on the floor more than any other five-man unit in the NBA this season. But as they creep closer to the postseason, the Knicks warn that integrating Brunson back into the lineup will take an adjustment period.
So four more games will qualify Brunson for postseason awards. But the question for the Knicks is, will four games be enough to ready for the grind of the playoffs?
“For sure. It’s going to be different,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “You’re getting Cap back, one of the best players in the NBA back. So obviously for anybody, it doesn’t matter how good you are, there’s an adjustment period. There’s a reason there is a preseason. So we just got to do our best to give him a great foundation and something to build off of.”
The Knicks certainly need Brunson on the floor. Their struggles have been evident without their best player, their captain. The Knicks are 8-6 since Brunson was sidelined but only 1-4 against teams with a .500 record or better — last Friday’s victory in Milwaukee over an equally shorthanded Bucks squad.
The effects of his absence have shown up in varying numbers among the other starters. Anunoby has flourished, scoring 23.1 points and taking 16.8 field-goal attempts per game in the 14 games (and 28.7 points per game over the last six) after averaging 16.5 points per game and 13 field-goal attempts before Brunson’s injury. Bridges has jumped his numbers to 20.6 points and 4.9 assists per game from 17.2 points and 3.4 assists. Towns' numbers have been mostly flat — 24.5 points and 17.8 shots since the injury and 24.2 points and 16.8 attempts before it.
Josh Hart has taken on a more prominent playmaking role as the Knicks have rolled through point guards, missing not only Brunson but also Deuce McBride and Cam Payne. Hart’s scoring has dropped from 14.5 per game before the injury to 11.2 since, while his assists have jumped from 5.6 to 6.8.
“I think it’ll be a little bit of an adjustment period,” Hart said. “For me, it’ll be easy because I played with him for 2 1/2 years. The blessing of having him out that long is OG’s been playing unbelievably. [Bridges] has been playing great. KAT’s been playing great. So now there might be a little adjustment in terms of him reintegrating and getting his shots, and playmaking, but also getting those guys involved."
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.
