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ATLANTA – The captain and his guards were officially back.
With only about two weeks until the playoffs start, Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride and Cam Payne all returned to practice Friday for the first time since sustaining their respective injuries.
The headline is Brunson, who has been out for roughly a month with an ankle sprain and, barring a setback, is expected to return either Saturday against the Hawks or Sunday against the Suns.
Tom Thibodeau acknowledged that the back-to-back schedule is a factor in determining which game to choose – Brunson wouldn’t play both – but the coach also wanted to see how bodies responded to Friday’s session at Georgia Tech.
“It’s more of how they feel and what we think is best given all the factors that are involved,” Thibodeau said, “and just make a good decision.”
It would also make sense to stagger the returns so the Knicks, who are trying to lock up the third seed, have enough guards in each game.
During Brunson’s absence, the Knicks (48-28) have gone 8-6 while losing against the good teams (Warriors, Cavs, and the Clippers twice) and playing better defense overall. Although some of the defensive uptick is subtracting Brunson’s deficiencies in that area, Thibodeau said the reincorporation of Mitchell Robinson was a greater factor.
“Mitch (who missed the first four months of the season while recovering from ankle surgery) still isn’t where he will be,” Thibodeau said. “Each week he’s gotten better, so it’s had a greater impact. So I think as his time increases, the defense will get better, too, and there’s different looks that we can give, because when you have (Karl-Anthony Towns) and him and OG (Anunoby) across the front line, it’s hard to get the ball in the paint.”
Josh Hart, who enjoys ribbing his buddy’s defense, said the point guard played typically in practice.
“He looked good,” Hart said. “Got a lot of buckets, gave up a lot of buckets. So about normal.”
On a more serious note, Hart laid out the blueprint for combining what the Knicks did well in Brunson’s absence – defense plus greater offensive contributions from Anunoby and Mikal Bridges – and the advantages of returning the frontrunner for Clutch Player of the Year.
“He has to raise his level (on defense). I feel like he was doing that better before he went out with injury. So we’ve got to continue to do that, pick it up defensively,” Hart said. “And that’s a good thing of having (Mikal Bridges) and OG being in a good rhythm offensively.
“Sometimes, especially at the beginning of the game, first two or three quarters, Jalen can defer to them a little bit more, not waste so much energy offensively and give a little bit more defensively. And then obviously, the fourth quarter is the time to win the game and when he has the ball in his hands.”
McBride has missed seven straight games with a groin strain/contusion. Payne hasn’t appeared for five consecutive games after spraining his ankle on March 26.
Without their top-3 point guards, the Knicks started the defensive-minded Delon Wright with rookie Tyler Kolek.
Brunson, a top candidate for All-NBA, needs four more appearances to qualify for postseason awards. With six remaining, he’ll hit the threshold even if he doesn’t play both games of the two back-to-back sets remaining.
And if the Knicks want to give him an easier return game, Sunday against the Suns makes sense because the Hawks have All-Defense candidate Dyson Daniels to pester Brunson.
As always, the case with long absences – particularly when the injury is to the lower body and prevents running – conditioning is a concern for Brunson’s return.
Thibodeau said the captain did the best he could in that department.
“From the first day out, he’s put a lot of time into that,” Thibodeau said. “I think that’s part of his awareness and obviously it was an ankle so it was a bit more challenging. But he spent a lot more time in the pool, on the bike, he’s been on it from the beginning.
“He was working out 2-3 times a day, but there’s nothing you can do that can replicate the intensity of a game.”
