Knicks Offense Needs Jalen Brunson Back

Jalen Brunson is sorely missed for the New York Knicks, especially on offense.

Mar 2, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) dribbles the basketball against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have been unable to score at the same level with point guard Jalen Brunson on the sidelines nursing a sprained ankle.

With Brunson out, the Knicks are 4-4, with all of their wins coming against teams that are currently .500 or worse.

Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes questions how effective the Knicks offense can be without Brunson.

"Jalen Brunson is still out with an ankle sprain, and the New York Knicks offense is feeling his absence. The removal of the extremely high-usage ball-handler has the Knicks scrambling," Hughes writes.

"New York’s point-heist attempts haven’t been very successful. Somewhat surprisingly, the numbers didn’t suggest struggles like this were guaranteed without Brunson in the lineup. The Knicks’ three most-used Brunson-less lineups have all scored at rates above the league average this season. Maybe that’s because they’ve largely gone against backups, and good shooting luck can skew samples as small as these pretty easily.

"Mikal Bridges, Towns and OG Anunoby have a lot of slack to pick up until Brunson returns. And the layoff could be a long one. New York should prioritize getting Brunson as close to 100 percent as possible before the postseason, where it’ll be drawing dead if he’s not all the way back."

The Knicks will have to continue to find a way to work without Brunson as their lead on the No. 3 seed has shrunk to just three games behind the Milwaukee Bucks.

If the Knicks can figure things out sans Brunson, they could find themselves rolling into the playoffs as well-rounded as possible with teams having to prepare for all of their weapons with equal attention.

The Knicks are back in action tonight at home against the Dallas Mavericks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside Madison Square Garden.

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