Jalen Brunson expressed on Sunday that he has improved with his ankle motion following his sprain and he continues to hold out hope to return to the New York Knicks during their playoff run.
The Knicks played against Portland without Brunson who extended his absence into his 12th match in a row without recovery predicted by All-Star point guard.
Brunson has shown signs of recovery toward returning to play during the remainder of the regular season in the two weeks.
“Realistically, I’m hoping to play before the playoffs. I think it’s good for me to get some game reps before we go into that type of stretch run, but most importantly I want to make sure I’m 100% healthy.” Brunson said.
Brunson suffered an injury on March 6 while the Knicks played against the Lakers in Los Angeles.
He addressed reporters in a Sunday interview following his injury for his first media appearance.
Brunson itted his ability to sprint along with official authorisation to resume basketball activities.
Brunson has not received medical clearance to return to basketball games despite healing well.
The New York Knicks maintain eight regular season matches starting from Sunday until the April 13 conclusion.
“Obviously, I want to feel 100% but a lot of this is also mental, just making sure I can trust everything I do. So it’s just a conversation for us to have.” Brunson said.
The Knicks suffered last season in the postseason because of injuries yet Brunson had become one of the affected players as they were eliminated in the East semifinals.
It seemed the team received fortunate news regarding Brunson’s injury because the drive-to-basket fall showed limited damage which could aid his return for essential games.
“Obviously, you fear for the worst, (then) obviously, not being that bad, but I think the worst part is knowing that I’m getting better and better but I’m still not where I want to be,” Brunson said.
