Jalen Brunson has been one of the driving forces of the New York Knicks success since his arrival to the team in 2022. The Knicks, All-Star point guard could soon be a welcome sight for the team, as he prepares to return from the ankle injury he suffered during an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 6.
Brunson, who hasn’t appeared in a game since, returned to practice for the first time on Friday. He is now officially being listed as questionable for the Knicks next game. The Knicks are scheduled to take on the Atlanta Hawks, on the road, on Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT.
Ahead of Brunson’s potential return, NBA reporter, Jake Fischer sat down with the Hawks for an exclusive interview with the team. One of the Hawks’ young stars, NBA steals leader, Dyson Daniels, called out Brunson.
“He doesn’t want me guarding him, that’s for sure,” Daniels said.
Daniels, 22, is averaging 3.1 steals per game and has 217 total steals on the season. That’s 90 more steals than second-place (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 127).
During his conversation with Fischer, Daniels revealed his thoughts from his battles with Brunson from their matchups earlier this season.
“I know when I’m out there, he’s trying to foul me out. He’s a really good player, a tough player to guard. So, for me to even have a little rivalry going on with him, it’s a healthy competition,” Daniels said.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) looks to drive past Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The Knicks and Hawks have faced off four times this season. The season-series is tied at two, and it appears the Brunson-Daniels “series” is “tied” at two as well. Daniels did a solid job limiting Brunson’s offensive attack in their first two meetings, limiting Brunson to 21 and 14 points respectively. The Hawks won both games.
In the next two meetings, however, Brunson got the better of the young defensive star. Brunson dropped 34 and 36 points respectively. The Knicks won both games.
While Brunson will likely remain a game-time-decision ahead of Saturday’s game, the Brunson-Daniels battle will be one worth watching if Brunson is in the lineup.
This is the final regular-season matchup between the Knicks and Hawks, but a scenario exists where they meet in a playoff series. The Knicks currently sit in the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Hawks are the No. 8 seed.
