Knicks injury update reveals target return date for Jalen Brunson

The New York Knicks find themselves just one game back of the Boston Celtics for the No.2 seed in the Eastern Conference and now they get some much needed good new about all-star point guard Jalen Brunson. Despite dealing with both a neck and ankle injury, Knicks head coach Mike Brown believes that Brunson should be ready to go sooner than anticipated. “I imagine [he’ll play in Brooklyn]. … There’s two days off before the next game,” Brown told the New York Post. “There’s plenty of time to get himself right.” Brunson returns after only missing two games with the latest being the Knicks 136-110 victory Tuesday night over the Indiana Pacers. Even without Brunson, they have found ways to win behind the forward duo of Josh Hart who scored 33 points in the win over the Pacers and OG Anunoby. But that result doesn't change the bigger picture. The Knicks are 2-4 on the season without Brunson. Not a large sample size, but still a clear indicator their reliance on him offensively. New York is currently on a four-game winning streak, second longest active streak in the Eastern Conference behind only the Atlanta Hawks who have won their last ten games. Now they get their top playmaker back ahead of a favorable three-game stretch against below .500 teams in the Nets, Washington Wizards and the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite a few bumps and bruises throughout the season, Brunson continues to be the offensive engine that drives New York, making them legit title contenders. On the season he is averaging 26.3 points per game along with 6.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 46.4% from the field and 37.6% from three. He ranks ninth in the NBA in scoring and continues to be one of the most reliable scorers in the clutch with 84 total points in crunch time. The Knicks are firmly in the playoff picture with high expectations to make a deep run mainly due to the play of Brunson. As we quickly get closer to the end of the regular season, the name of the game centers around postseason position. With one of the best home courts in sports in Madison Square Garden, New York looks to remain amongst the top-four seeds and have home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The severity of Brunson's injury or lack thereof comes as great news as they look to run the table with less than 20 games less.