Jalen Brunson underwent surgery on his left wrist on Tuesday after suffering an injury during the team’s historic playoff run, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported.
Sources told ESPN that Brunson is expected to resume basketball activities later this summer and the process is not expected to affect his playing time next season.
Injuries didn’t stop Brunson from having one of the best postseason performances in franchise history. The left-handed guard averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals in five NBA Finals games as New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs to win its first championship in 53 years.
His defining performance came in Game 5, when Brunson scored a Finals-record 45 points in the Knicks’ 94-90 win. According to ESPN, he contributed 48% of New York’s points in this game, including 15 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Brunson’s impact extends far beyond the Finals. After averaging 26.0 points and 6.8 assists per game in the regular season, he further improved his performance in the playoffs, averaging 28.4 points per game. ESPN noted that since 1984, he became the 13th player in the modern playoff era to average at least 28 points per game for a championship team.
He also thrived in the biggest moments. According to ESPN, Brunson scored 38 points throughout the playoffs, while the rest of the Knicks combined for 35 points.
New York dominated the playoffs from start to finish. With a record of 16 wins and 3 losses, the Knicks tied the 2024 Boston Celtics for the second-highest playoff winning percentage since each round of the playoffs was changed to a best-of-seven game in 2003. Only the 2017 Golden State Warriors went 16-1.
The Knicks also won 13 consecutive playoff games, including nine on the road, and outscored their opponents by 283 points on their way to the championship.
Brunson, who signed a four-year, $104 million contract with New York in 2022, turns 30 on August 31 and is expected to be fully focused on defending the Knicks’ long-awaited NBA title upon his return later in the offseason.
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