How Knicks Should Adjust Without Jalen Brunson

The New York Knicks' loss to the Orlando Magic was already frustrating enough as it was; their home-court win streak and run of consecutive wins, each set at five, were halted by the Orlando Magic, who've finally snapped out of their sluggish start to beat the Knicks into a lopsided 124-107 defeat.

Reports following the game were much more troubling, though, threatening the 7-4 Knicks' odds past this one-off flattening. After looking like he'd merely rolled his ankle mid-game, star scorer Jalen Brunson reportedly left Madison Square Garden equipped with a walking boot and crutches.

Losses happen, all we care about is Jalen Brunson being okay pic.twitter.com/CEgAO0mN65
— KNICKS BEAST (@KnicksBeast) November 13, 2025

No official distinction has been made on the specific injury he sustained, or how long it may take until he's served with a timetable for return if necessary, but the Knicks may have to get creative. A star player going down with a potentially-serious injury will never be timely, but this is certainly unfortunate for a team that was just figuring out how to settle into their groove within the new rotation.

They had to deal with a similar matter last season when the captain went down right around the season's midsection, but the Knicks had already settled within the playoff-bound portion of the Eastern Conference standings, as opposed to their current status 11 games into the regular season schedule. It may do them some good, however, to reflect on that time period for reminders as to how to band together and replace his night-to-night scoring impact.

Which Players Will Have to Most Adjust?

It helps that Mike Brown's already empowered Mikal Bridges to take on more decision-making responsibilities on-ball, as he was more of an afterthought across his first year with the organization in 2024-25. He raised his scoring by demanding more reps as a pick-and-roll handler, and he's well-suited to resume such a role.

He's taking fewer shots than usual, but he seems considerably more comfortable in the secondary creator role than looked as last season's corner-shooting play-finisher. His 3-point shooting has jumped from 35.4% to 45% on near-identical volume, and his assists have similarly skyrocketed from 3.7 to 4.5 despite lowering his usage rate from 19.6% to 15.5%. Brown's been perfectly happy to let Bridges penetrate to start possessions as opposed to the forward's aimlessly dribbling while waiting to find his shot, priming him for an opportunity to temporarily fill in as a go-to scoring option.

OG Anunoby can pick up some of the extra slack in the role Bridges felt ill-equipped for last year, as he's perfectly happy to spot up from behind the arc and attack the occasional closeout for a rocking dunk. He, too, has shot well above his weight from distance, but he's also no stranger to having to fill multiple types of niches at a time as the squad's alpha wing defender.

New York Knicks Forward OG Anunoby — Nov 5, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Karl-Anthony Towns could afford to lose some of his infamous tunnel vision as he, too, is likely to get called upon to score for the Knicks when they're in a pinch, but that's never quite as easy of a task as it sounds. He's located enhanced comfort within New York's double-big lineup, but no matter how good things are going for Towns, his career's shown that he'll always turn in a few confusing performances at an inopportune point in the season.

Lastly, the Knicks' second-string guards should expect greater chances to replace Brunson's passing and pull-up scoring. Opposing defenses will enjoy the luxury of sitting on less-proven quantities as the spot-starters at point guard, especially given Jordan Clarkson's erraticism and Miles McBride's lack of comparable creation chops.

If the star's set to miss extensive time, expect Brown to start getting even more creative.

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