The Knicks are facing another alarming injury issue regarding Jalen Brunson, as the star point guard went down with a right ankle injury with two minutes to go during Wednesday night’s 124-107 loss to the Orlando Magic.
While head coach Mike Brown stated that Brunson had turned his ankle, with no further update, Brunson was seen leaving Madison Square Garden on crutches, wearing a walking boot.
This is the same ankle that Brunson sprained last year, which sidelined him for 15 games — considerably longer than the initial two-week timeline that was given to him. While he made it back for the playoffs, he encountered multiple issues during their first-round series against the Detroit Pistons, but played through it during the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Losing Brunson for any extended stretch hits the pause button on the Knicks’ title hopes. The 29-year-old is averaging 28 points and 6.5 assists per game as the engine of New York’s 7-4 start to 2025-26. Their loss to the Magic snapped a five-game win streak and was their first defeat at Madison Square Garden this season.
Should he miss any time, Miles McBride becomes the favorite to start. The veteran backup is averaging 8.4 points in 22 minutes per game this season while shooting nearly 41% from three-point range.
Brown has deployed some creative lineups, though, in his start to life as Knicks head coach. Veteran guard Landry Shamet was the first man off the bench on Wednesday night and played 27 minutes, and McBride was called upon toward the end of the game to play the 2 in place of Mikal Bridges.
