Jalen Brunson's Injury Timeline: Could It Impact Pistons?

The New York Knicks have an initial timeline on Jalen Brunson.

Nov 1, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives past Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) for a layup in the third quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are in a tough spot down the stretch. Considering the Knicks could find themselves in a first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, JB Bickerstaff’s squad will have to keep an eye on the championship hopefuls as the 2024-2025 season winds down.

On night one of a back-to-back set, the Knicks engaged in a tough overtime matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. Late in the game, Knicks star Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle injury.

After the game, Knicks fans were worried, but the team expressed optimism. Initial reporting suggested that Brunson wasn’t feared to have suffered a significant setback. Still, he’s expected to miss some time.

Jalen Brunson headed to the locker room after suffering a leg injury on this play

He stayed in to shoot his FT's pic.twitter.com/bw4jrE3Uhj

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 7, 2025

@ShamsCharania: New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is expected to miss at least two weeks with a right ankle sprain.

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is expected to miss at least two weeks with a right ankle sprain.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 8, 2025

In their first outing without Brunson, the Knicks came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers. A 105-95 loss dropped New York’s record down to 40-23. Fortunately for the Knicks, they still have a comfortable lead for the Eastern Conference’s third seed.

As of Friday night, the Milwaukee Bucks trail by 3.5 games. The Knicks stacked up their roster with big moves this year, hoping to have enough to get through a Brunson-less storm. The big test comes up over the next couple of weeks as Brunson has missed just two games this year, giving the Knicks a micro-sample size.

Dec 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket as Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart (28) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

If Brunson’s temporary absence doesn’t cause the Knicks to lose control of the third seed and the Pistons remain where they are, the two teams will meet for a postseason series next month.

The Pistons will host the Knicks on April 10 for the fourth and final meeting against New York before the season ends, but the Pistons can feel confident against the Eastern Conference contenders based on the first three meetings.

With Brunson healthy and available, the Pistons found success in two out of three matchups against New York. Both of the Pistons wins occurred on the road at Madison Square Garden.

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