New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson got through his first game back from a right ankle sprain unscathed, providing a massive sigh of relief for a team that is gearing up for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.
The All-Star, who had missed the previous 15 games, shot just 3-for-9 from the field with 15 points and six assists in 34 minutes of play, though a big three-pointer with 1:44 to go in the game helped stave off hopes of a Phoenix Suns comeback in New York’s 112-99 win.
Brunson scored 10 of his points in the second half, with that dagger of a three coming when the visitors had pulled within seven.
“I didn’t find a rhythm at all, actually,” Brunson admitted (h/t NBA.com). “Hopefully next game I do.”
Rhythm is more of a finer thing to tune to perfect after a considerable injury absence. The most important hurdles to clear are getting back, not reaggravating anything, and measuring where one is from a conditioning standpoint.
That latter aspect was of no issue, though.
“A lot of room for improvement on my end obviously, but I’m surprised by the conditioning part,” Brunson said of his 34 minutes. “I thought that would be a lot worse, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
There was also one of the more unspoken uncertainties to contend with, too: The mental side of recovery. Getting the green light from the doctors is one thing, but completely trusting the impacted area in game action is something entirely different.
“Everyone always talks about the physical part, about how you’re feeling or whatever but mentally, it’s just trusting it,” Brunson said. “Trusting your movements, trusting the way you play and everything, and not second-guessing yourself.”
The Knicks have just four games remaining in the regular season, where two wins will automatically clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The hope is that their talisman will be clicking on all cylinders by then.
