Knicks' Jalen Brunson could be out until April with ankle injury: report

While the initial reports on Jalen Brunson’s sprained right ankle projected a recovery period of roughly two weeks, it appears that the Knicks might be playing without their superstar captain for a much longer stretch of time.

Prior to the Knicks’ hard-fought loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night, ESPN’s Shams Charania provided a televsion update on Brunson’s injury, revealing that the two-time All-Star could be sidelined through March or early April. Charania placed the timeline in the three-to-four week range, at a minimum, during the pregame broadcast.

Brunson injured his ankle in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6, after landing on Austin Reaves’ foot during a layup attempt. At that time, SNY’s Ian Begley reported that the specific sprain grade was unknown and the diagnosis was much better than what the Knicks feared.

But the latest information from Charania is far more discouraging. Brunson has missed the Knicks’ last four games, and the team still has nine games remaining this month. Once the calendar turns, they’ll play eight more regular-season contests before the playoffs arrive on April 19.

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.

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