Jalen Brunson had an incredible start to his season. After 11 games, he has led the New York Knicks to second place in the Eastern Conference with a 7-4 record. However, after an unexpected turn of events on Wednesday, that trend might change for the Knicks moving forward.
Jalen Brunson Suffers an Ankle Injury
Brunson has been on fire in the Knicks’ past 11 games. The star guard averaged 28 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. While New York is trying to establish its dominance early in the season, things could look different with Brunson out of the picture.
On Wednesday, when the Knicks took on the Orlando Magic, Brunson suffered an unexpected ankle injury. Nobody saw it coming, especially after 37 minutes of play. Despite Orlando’s 124-107 victory, the Knicks star had a superb performance, putting up 31 points, six assists, and three rebounds.
In the final minutes of Wednesday’s game, Brunson was seen exiting the arena on crutches. NBA insider Shams Charania recently reported that the Knicks star sustained a Grade 1 right ankle sprain. He is expected to miss the Knicks’ NBA Cup game against the Miami Heat on Friday.
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson sustained a Grade 1 right ankle sprain and will miss Friday’s game against the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN. He will be evaluated daily. pic.twitter.com/cqdzfmzxBa
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 13, 2025
Given the current circumstances, Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson could see increased playing time. Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges will also be expected to step up in Brunson’s absence.
Looking at how the other three Knicks stars have performed this season, they should manage without their star guard. Towns has been an all-around force for New York, averaging 20.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. With Brunson out, he could produce even bigger scoring numbers.
Meanwhile, Anunoby is averaging 17.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. He is likely to get more scoring opportunities, assisting Towns with the offensive load. As for Bridges, he has been a solid all-around threat, putting up 15.6 points, 4.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
After Friday’s game against the Heat, the Knicks will embark on a five-game road trip, starting with a rematch against Miami, followed by stops in Dallas, Orlando, Brooklyn, and Charlotte.
The New York Knicks have gone 19-17 in games without Jalen Brunson since the 2022-23 season. Since joining the team, he has put up All-Star caliber stats, averaging 26.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4% on nearly 10 shot attempts per contest.
