Thibodeau said Brunson will be checked again on Friday, about two weeks after he sprained his right ankle in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“He’s doing light shooting and he’s out of the boot,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks’ game at the Charlotte Hornets. “So there’s steady progress and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Thibodeau said he expected Brunson to play before the Knicks’ April 13 regular-season finale.
“Whenever he’s ready, he’s ready,” Thibodeau said. “He’s putting a lot into his rehab. That’s what he can control right now. So that’s where we want his focus to be. Hopefully, he’ll get some games where he can work himself back into it.”
The Knicks announced Brunson would be out at least two weeks after suffering the injury during overtime in the Knicks’ 113-109 loss to the Lakers on March 6.
Brunson, who is seventh in the league in scoring (26.3 points per game) and eighth in assists (7.4 per game), rolled his right ankle with 1:24 remaining in overtime after landing on the foot of Lakers guard Austin Reaves after being fouled on a drive to the basket.
New York Knicks Announce Roster Decision Before Hornets Game
On Thursday night, the New York Knicks will be in Charlotte to play the Hornets.
Before the game, the team announced that they had signed P.J. Tucker to a second 10-day contract.
So far, Tucker has only appeared in one game for the Knicks.
Tucker was the 35th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft out of Texas.
He has spent 14 seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks (and Knicks).
The 2021 NBA Champion has career averages of 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 42.5% from the field and 36.6% from the three-point range in 884 games.
As for the Knicks, they are the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a 43-25 record in 68 games.
They have gone 5-5 over their last ten.
Most recently, the Knicks lost by a score of 120-105 to the San Antonio Spurs (in Texas).
Following their showdown with the Hornets, the Knicks will play their next game on Saturday night when they host Jordan Poole and the Washington Wizards.
The Knicks are coming off a season where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs (in seven games).
If they can have a healthy postseason, there is no question that they will be seen as a contender to reach the 2025 NBA Finals.
Leave a Reply