The signs of Knicks captain Jalen Brunson returning to the starting lineup this weekend are right on track.
The superstar guard practiced on Friday for the first time since spraining his right ankle in early March. While it's unclear if Brunson participated fully without any hitches, Knicks star Josh Hart revealed that his longtime teammate looked "so normal" on the court.
SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley recently projected Brunson to play either Saturday on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, or back home on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. Following this weekend's back-to-back, the Knicks will play four more regular-season games.
The ankle injury to Brunson occurred in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6, after he landed on Austin Reaves' foot during a layup attempt. Since then, the two-time All-Star has missed 14 games, and in order to qualify for league postseason awards, he needs to play four more times.
Brunson expressed optimism in his recovery last week, stating that his realistic goal was to be ready before the first round of the playoffs arrive on April 19. He's now in a prime position to achieve that goal and get back into game shape with intense, physical basketball on the horizon.
It's no secret that the Knicks will only go as far as Brunson takes them. He's the undisputed catalyst, who's averaged a team-high 26.3 points and 7.4 assists in 61 games. Entering the All-Star break, he ranked first in points, assists, and minutes among all 28-year-olds in the NBA this season, and he recently became the fastest player in franchise history to score 5,000 points.
