Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
2. What does a Jalen Brunson injury mean going forward?
It cannot be overstated how much Jalen Brunson has meant to the Knicks’ offense so far this season. It has really been a sight for sore eyes to see Brunson orchestrate an offense and it has worked wonders for Julius Randle.
Brunson exited Sunday night’s game late with an ankle injury. He also took a hard fall on his side that he pushed through in the first half. Brunson, who has been slumping recently, looked more like himself last night, scoring 18 points with three assists on 50% shooting. The team is calling it a sprained ankle and as of Sunday night, Tom Thibodeau was unsure if Brunson would miss any time with the injury.
Another injury is the last thing New York needs right now. The Knicks are already without Obi Toppin, who will be out for at least several weeks with a leg injury. Losing Brunson for even a few games would be a major blow to the offense. Luckily, the Knicks don’t play until Wednesday which will give him some time to rest up.
If Brunson does end up sidelined, expect to see Immanuel Quickley in the starting lineup and possibly Derrick Rose back in the mix. It would offer Quickley an opportunity to play heavy minutes and show his skills running an offense. Better yet, it might show the front office that Quickley is worth holding onto, as reports have come out that he is possibly on the trading block.
in the rotation</a>, has also been a menace on the defensive end and played a big part in Trae Young’s struggles last week.</p>
<p>If the Knicks can continue asserting themselves defensively, they will find themselves winning a lot more games. With their next two games coming against a struggling Chicago Bulls team, the Knicks have a chance to really make up some ground in the Eastern Conference. Standing just 1.5 games back of the fourth spot in the East, it couldn’t have been a better time for New York to figure things out defensively. You just have to hope it lasts.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Jalen Brunson's status </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137086" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-137086" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2135,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1245343701.jpeg" alt="Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2135" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1245343701.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1245343701-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3>2. What does a Jalen Brunson injury mean going forward?</h3>
<p>It cannot be overstated how much <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/10/25/jalen-brunson-significant-impact-knicks-felt-court/">Jalen Brunson</a> has meant to the Knicks’ offense so far this season. It has really been a sight for sore eyes to see Brunson orchestrate an offense and it has <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/10/25/how-jalen-brunson-can-unlock-randle-renaissance-new-york-knicks/">worked wonders</a> for Julius Randle.</p>
<p>Brunson exited Sunday night’s game late with an ankle injury. He also took a hard fall on his side that he pushed through in the first half. Brunson, who has been slumping recently, looked more like himself last night, scoring 18 points with three assists on 50% shooting. The team is calling it a sprained ankle and as of Sunday night, Tom Thibodeau was unsure if Brunson would miss any time with the injury.</p>
<p>Another injury is the last thing New York needs right now. The Knicks are already without Obi Toppin, who will be out for at least several weeks with a leg injury. Losing Brunson for even a few games would be a major blow to the offense. Luckily, the Knicks don’t play until Wednesday which will give him some time to rest up.</p>
<p>If Brunson does end up sidelined, expect to see Immanuel Quickley in the starting lineup and possibly Derrick Rose back in the mix. It would offer Quickley an opportunity to play heavy minutes and show his skills running an offense. Better yet, it might show the front office that Quickley is worth holding onto, as <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/knicks-active-in-trade-talks-surrounding-immanuel-quickley-cam-reddish-and-evan-fournier-per-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> have come out that he is possibly on the trading block.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Something we've been waiting for </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_137087" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-137087 size-full" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1448421587.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1448421587.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1448421587-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">RJ Barrett, New York Knicks. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
</div>
<h3>3. RJ Barrett may finally be turning a corner</h3>
<p>RJ Barrett played 44 minutes last night and filled the stat sheet with 27 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks. He was aggressive and had some great takes to the hole. The big thing was that he got to the free throw line often. It was honestly one of the best games he’s played this season.</p>
<p>Barrett has not had a great <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/10/27/knicks-latest-belief-rj-barrett-offensive-struggles-absolute-nonsense/">season so far as he has struggled to shoot the ball efficiently. He also wasn’t finishing at the rim like we’ve become used to. He finally looks to be coming out of that and has been resembling the player we saw post All-Star break last year.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot more room for improvement, but at least he’s trending upward. He still forces a lot of contested shots around the rim and he’s yet to find consistency from behind the arc, though he shot 2-of-5 from three last night.</p>
<p>Barrett, now in his fourth year in the NBA, signed a four-year contract extension this past summer worth $120 million. It ended the Donovan Mitchell saga for the Knicks and marked a full commitment to Barrett’s potential. The pressure that comes with that contract has put Barrett in the crosshairs of a lot of scrutiny from fans about his play so far this season.</p>
<p>A lot has quickly become uncertain when it comes to the future direction of the Knicks. Yet, nothing matters more to New York’s future than the development of RJ Barrett. Many, including myself, believe Barrett has All-Star potential and possibly even more than that. But there is still a lot of growth to take place. Last night’s performance was “All-Star like” and is now what is expected of him if the Knicks hope to have any success.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="VA4rzAFD4W"><p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/11/pass-pursue-bleacher-report-5-latest-knicks-trade-ideas/">Pass or Pursue on Bleacher Report’s 5 latest Knicks trade ideas</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/12/3-hot-takeaways-knicks-tough-win-kings/2/"https://dailyknicks.com/2022/12/11/pass-pursue-bleacher-report-5-latest-knicks-trade-ideas/embed/#?secret=VA4rzAFD4W" data-secret="VA4rzAFD4W" width="500" height="282" title="“Pass or Pursue on Bleacher Report’s 5 latest Knicks trade ideas” — Daily Knicks" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div><!—pageview_candidate—>">
