The New York Knicks simply cannot catch a break. They went from being one of the hottest teams in the NBA to being a bit of a hospital, as they’re now down four of their five starters.
C Mitchell Robinson will miss the entire season, and forwards Julius Randle and OG Anunoby are also dealing with injuries of their own. If that wasn’t enough, Jalen Brunson left Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a knee injury as well.
At first sight, it seemed like Brunson had suffered a major injury, and some feared his season could be over. Fortunately, that’s not the case, asX-rays came back negative, and he just suffered a knee contusion.
Jalen Brunson Suffers Knee Contusion
According to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, it’s still too early to determine whether he’s going to be available for their next game or the following, but he was optimistic about the overall status of his star player:
“Anytime someone goes down like that, you have concern,” Thibodeau said, per The Athletic. “But then he felt a little better. He had the X-rays. He was examined by the doctors and so that news is good. It’s a knee contusion and everything was negative, so we’ll see where he is tomorrow.”
Help Could Be On The Way
The Knicks could also get Julius Randle back on the court soon. They desperately need to get some bodies back, as they’re sliding in the Eastern Conference standings:
“He’s making really good progress, so we’re hopeful that it’ll be soon,” Thibodeau said. “You wanna make sure that medically the doctors feel good about it; he feels good about it. And then once that happens — and he’s doing just about everything. He’s taken some light contact but nothing with a player yet. So that’ll be the next step.”
The Knicks have proven to be a very dangerous team when they’re at full strength. And with the playoffs just around the corner, staying healthy should be their No. 1 priority right now.
