Jalen Brunson opens up about recovering from wrist injury

New York Knicks team captain and point guard Jalen Brunson has spent the summer recovering from the minor procedure he needed to repair a tendon issue in his dominant left wrist shortly after he guided the club to an NBA Finals victory over the San Antonio Spurs. 

During the latest edition of the New York Post's "New York Got Game" show, Brunson discussed his ongoing recovery.

Jalen Brunson: Injury setback has reminded him "a lot about patience"

"It’s reminded me a lot about patience, for sure," Brunson admitted, per The Post's Jared Schwartz. "But it’s a steady process, and it’s something that, honestly, it is what it is. It’s something I attack every day. Just find a way to continue to improve."

Brunson is expected to be good for the start of training camp in September. It was previously learned that he first began playing through discomfort during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals series that featured the Knicks sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I just knew that the opportunity rarely presents itself to be in a position like that," Brunson said about not letting the pain derail his pursuit of a championship. "So I just wasn’t going to let something that seemed minor take me out. Just [do] whatever needed to be done, [then] focus on it afterwards."

Despite the injury, Brunson averaged 32.6 points and 4.6 assists per game over New York's five NBA Finals contests. He scored 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting in the series-clincher to cement himself as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. 

Jalen Brunson sends warning to NBA about Knicks' title defense

Brunson previously acknowledged that the Knicks will have "a target" on their backs as the reigning champions. He made those comments before superstar LeBron James officially joined the Philadelphia 76ers to form the NBA's latest so-called "superteam." 

That said, Brunson insisted during the interview that his overall mentality hasn't changed after the Knicks claimed the franchise's first NBA title in 53 years. 

"It will be the same," Brunson explained. "It’s something that I get to walk around with and think about when I’m — when I need to give myself a little confidence, or whatever, just in certain situations. But my approach and everything has to be the same. Just because I’ve reached the mountaintop of winning an NBA championship doesn’t mean that it’s over with. I feel like there’s still a lot more to do and a lot more that I can prove. It’s 100 percent always going to be in the mind. I’m just not going to let it define me."