Jalen Brunson Reportedly Could Return to Knicks 'Within Next Few Games' amid Injury

The New York Knicks may be getting star point guard Jalen Brunson back from the  ankle sprain that has kept him sidelined since March 6.

"I'm told that Jalen Brunson is progressing close to a return to action," ESPN's Shams Charania reported during Wednesday's NBA Countdown. "There is optimism for Brunson that he will be able to make it back to the floor sometime within the next few games for the Knicks. They have a back-to-back Saturday in Atlanta and then Sunday at home against the Phoenix Suns. That is within the realm of when he could be back in action for the Knicks. It's been about a month since he's been out. He has resumed full basketball activities."

Brunson said himself on Sunday that he's hoping to see the court before the regular season ends.

"Realistically, I'm hoping to play before the playoffs," he told reporters. "It's good for me to get some game reps before we go into that type of stretch run, but the most important thing is trying to be 100 percent healthy."

The Knicks don't have much incentive to rush him back. At 48-27, the team is virtually locked into the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, eight games behind the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics and four games clear of the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers with seven games left. Barring a fairly epic collapse, New York's seed is locked.

Still, returning to an on-court rhythm before the playoffs would be ideal. Either way, Brunson has said that the timeline to return will be a joint decision between himself and the medical staff.

The Knicks have held down the fort without him, going 8-5 in his absence, which has given a number of players the opportunity to prove they can handle a larger role.

"We've said this all along from the standpoint of, you're not going to replace Jalen individually," head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters. "You have to do it collectively, and I think we've done that. And it's been good for our group from the standpoint of any time someone goes out, it's an opportunity for someone else to go in. But I think our defense and our rebounding, we know that everyone is capable of doing that. And if we lock into that and keep our turnovers down, we know we'll be in position to win. That's what we're striving for. Continue to improve. And when Jalen comes back, obviously that adds a lot to our team."

For the Knicks, it's championship-or-bust this postseason. That begins and ends with the play of Brunson.