What Is Extent of Jalen Brunson's Ankle Injury? Latest Rumors on Knicks Guard's Status
The New York Knicks will be without their star point guard for at least one game.
Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Jalen Brunson suffered a Grade 1 right ankle sprain in Wednesday's loss to the Orlando Magic and will miss Friday's contest against the Miami Heat.
Brunson suffered the injury in the final two minutes of Wednesday's contest as the Knicks trailed big. Head coach Mike Brown said after the game that he had rolled his ankle.
Brunson had 31 points and six assists in 37 minutes on Wednesday.
Friday's game against the Heat will be the first time the Knicks have been without Brunson. He has once again been the driving force of New York's offense, putting up 28 points and 6.5 assists per game through the first 11 contests. The Knicks are 7-4 to start the year.
Brunson hasn't had to miss any time so far this season, but his latest injury marks the second ankle issue he's dealt with in the past year. He sprained his right ankle in March last year and had to miss 15 games.
Luckily, Brunson's injury is just a Grade 1 sprain, meaning he shouldn't have to miss too much time.
In his absence, the Knicks will look to Karl-Anthony Towns to step up on offense. Towns is the team's second-leading scorer, putting up 20.2 points and 12.6 boards per game.
Miles McBride will likely take over point guard duties with Brunson out. McBride is averaging 8.4 points per game, playing 22 minutes per contest off the bench.
