Knicks Receive Major New Jalen Brunson Injury Update

“There wasn’t a play I remember it happening,” he said. “I just remember being at the free-throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. My wrist was starting to feel weak. I was like, ‘Where is this coming from?’ From that point on, I was trying to figure out what was going on, and how I can push through, because I wasn’t going to get anything done during that time.”

He still produced. Across the entire postseason, Brunson averaged 28.1 points, 6.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds while the Knicks went 16-3. In the regular season he posted 26.0 points, 6.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds.

Surgery followed soon after the championship parade. The procedure addressed a tendon issue in his left wrist and forearm. Recovery was projected at six to eight weeks.

Brunson described the injury in his own words over the summer.

“My tendon and the structure of my wrist are fine. There was soft tissue that was holding my tendon, and it kept flipping and snapping over the bone every time I shot, every time I flicked my wrist.”

He said he wanted the wrist ready by early September. The new workout photo suggests he is on that timeline. He is no longer protecting the shot. He is letting it go the way he always has.

Brunson has been open about why he refused to sit. Speaking at his charity golf event, he said the moment was too rare to waste.

“I just knew that the opportunity rarely presents itself to be in a position like that,” Brunson said. “So I just wasn’t going to let something that seemed minor take me out. Just whatever needed to be done, then focus on it afterwards.”

He also said the rehab taught him patience.

“It’s reminded me a lot about patience, for sure,” he said. Later he told The New York Post he “feels good” with camp drawing near.

Training camp opens Sept. 24. Three weeks after that, the Knicks host the Philadelphia 76ers on opening night, Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden.

That matchup is no longer a familiar first-round rematch. Philadelphia added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown over the summer and is expected to start them alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Coach Nick Nurse’s group has length on the perimeter that leaves little room for a guard playing through pain.

A healthy Brunson changes the equation. Last spring he found ways to score even while hiding the discomfort. A fully healed shooting wrist gives New York a better chance to hunt mismatches against a rebuilt Sixers roster.

Demand for that opener already shows how much the title changed the market. The cheapest secondary-market ticket for the Oct. 20 game has climbed to $1,346, a 526 percent jump from last season’s home opener.

For Knicks fans, the photo is less about one workout and more about confirmation. Their franchise guard is shooting freely again. Camp is days away. The defending champions are about to find out what that looks like in live practice.

Brunson has never made a habit of talking about pain. He just played through it, won a title, had the surgery, and went back to work. The latest image suggests the work is paying off.