The Knicks suffered a tough blow on Sunday, when point guard Jalen Brunson suffered a sprained ankle during the team’s victory over the Kings.
Brunson’s injury came as he was attempting to stop Davion Mitchell from driving to the hoop with around 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Mitchell then dropped down onto Brunson’s ankle.
The New York point guard exited the game and would not return.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau did not comment on how much time Brunson might miss as a result of the leg injury.
If he does miss significant time, it will be a tough loss for the Knicks.
After signing with the team this offseason, Brunson has established himself as a focal point of the Knicks offense, and has served as a floor-general role on both sides of the court.
On the season, Brunson has averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
His injury comes as the Knicks are already short-handed, with backup power forward Obi Toppin missing time with his own injury. Toppin will be reevaluated towards the end of the year.
One possible benefit to his absence would be additional playing time for Immanuel Quickley.
The combo-guard has played just 23.2 minutes per contest this season, but has shown flashes of brilliance in his time on the court.
He has averaged 10.1 points, 3 assists and 4.3 rebounds, while establishing himself as one of the better defenders on the roster.
For his part, Quickley did not want to talk about the possibility of starting in Brunson’s absence.
Instead, he said the entire locker room is focused only on helping his teammate get back to health, and carrying the weight as he is out.
“My guy is hurt man, so I’m not really worried about who is starting and who is not. My teammate is down,” he said.
The Knicks are currently on a four-game winning streak, and will head to Chicago for two-straight games against the Bulls.
