LOS ANGELES — Love and nervousness stared down at Jalen Brunson as he lay there in agony.
With a little over two minutes left in the New York Knicks’ overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau and Brunson’s father/assistant coach Rick walked from one end of the court to the other when the star guard didn’t quickly get up after being fouled on a layup. Brunson rarely shows pain, not like that, at least. He’s as tough as spider silk.
On the landing, Brunson turned his right ankle badly. He rocked side to side with his back lying on the Crypto.com Arena court, with the ankle turned in a way ankles aren’t supposed to turn. Brunson, though, eventually got up. He was always going to. He couldn’t put much pressure on the ankle. He stopped every few steps, if you want to call them that. After a short while, Brunson hobbled to the free-throw line to complete the play. He made them both, of course, then hobbled off the floor and into the locker room with the Knicks down only two. The man known as “Captain Clutch” wouldn’t just not show up when he’s needed most.
Brunson hits 2 CLUTCH FTs to tie the game in OT after rolling his ankle on the drive 🙏 pic.twitter.com/NAzcUEMCWR
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 7, 2025
But this injury appears to be more than something Brunson can sleep off.
The severity of Brunson’s ankle injury was not disclosed after the game, as Thibodeau said in his postgame news conference that his All-Star was being examined. Brunson wasn’t in the locker room afterward. The Knicks will face the LA Clippers on Friday night, so more clarity on the situation should come over the next day.
Anyone with eyes knows what it would mean for New York if Brunson were to miss significant time. That it would be like trying to drive a car without the keys. He’s been that important to the team’s success. More specifically, Brunson has been critical to New York’s ability to avoid complete disaster as of late.
The turn of the calendar year hasn’t been great to the Knicks. After the loss to the Lakers, the Knicks are 17-12 since Jan. 1. And they’re about 10 total possessions away from being 12-17 instead. However, Brunson has bailed New York out time and time again over the last few weeks with go-ahead baskets, game-tying baskets and so on. Losing that safety valve in itself is a hole too big to fill.
Beyond that, the Knicks’ roster lacks another elite shot-creator. Brunson, who should make another All-NBA team this season, is the one player on the roster who consistently draws multiple defenders, can break a defender down off the dribble and create points for himself or a teammate. Even with Brunson’s skill set, though, New York’s offense has taken a step back in recent months. The Knicks still have a top-5 offense on the season and carry a 4.2 net rating, per NBA.com. However, in the 29 games since Jan. 1, New York has the 12th-ranked offense in the NBA and a minus-0.2 net rating. Part of that is because of the lack of a consistent secondary or tertiary playmaker who draws multiple eyes with the ball in their hands.
What makes the Knicks offense tick is the pick-and-roll combination of Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. The gravity and attention they draw make life easier for those around them. Towns’ life gets more challenging without Brunson. And while the pick-and-roll numbers with Cameron Payne and Towns, as well as Josh Hart and Towns, are encouraging, the sample sizes for both are big enough to suggest that those numbers would stay the same over an extended period and against stiffer competition more regularly.
Then there’s the 3-point shooting issues. New York, since Jan. 1, ranks 29th in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game (31.4). Furthermore, the Knicks are ranked 25th in 3-point efficiency (34.7 percent). Brunson is the best bet to help New York produce more 3-point attempts because of his ability to create advantages. He’s also only one of three players on the roster shooting above 35 percent from 3 since the start of 2025.
Assuming Brunson misses a decent amount of time, surely opponents will defend straight up against the Knicks and force the likes of Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Hart, Towns and Miles McBride — all of whom are good players but don’t consistently draw extra bodies on perimeter — to put the ball on the ground and create off the dribble. With that, New York will have to get creative in its offense without Brunson to generate consistent good looks while minimizing player weaknesses. The Knicks’ best bet is to turn defense into easier offense more frequently. This is an opportunity to pick up the pace, which ranks 21st in basketball over the last 29 games.
The impact on the postseason picture if Brunson’s absence is lengthy could get interesting. It feels very unlikely that the Knicks could have caught Boston for the No. 2 seed with Brunson, let alone without him, as the Celtics have a 4.5-game lead with 20 remaining. But New York has a 3.5-game lead on the Milwaukee Bucks, winners of four straight, with a late March matchup scheduled between the two teams in Milwaukee. That race could get interesting if Brunson is out for a while.
New York, obviously, is hoping that Brunson’s injury isn’t as serious as it appeared. If it is, it came at the absolute worst time. The postseason is approaching, and the Knicks offense has taken a step back.
Thibodeau often says that the team’s goal is to be playing their best basketball come the playoffs. Well, New York isn’t doing that as of now. And the best version of the Knicks isn’t possible without a healthy Brunson.
(Photo: Mark J. Terrill / AP)
