The NBA won't waste any time squeezing out Philadelphia 76ers battles against the New York Knicks. Clearly, the league wants to see Jalen Brunson and the Knicks take on the new-look 76ers, which includes the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
Before the end of October, the Sixers and the Knicks will have three games in the bag, including a preseason matchup.
The status of the superstar champion Jalen Brunson came into focus the moment he underwent surgery on his wrist after the NBA Finals.
Jalen Brunson gets delivered good news
ESPN's Vincent Goodwill offered an update on Brunson this week, noting that he's about 80 to 85% recovered. When the Knicks meet for training camp, Brunson is not expected to have any limitations.
It's still way too early for the Sixers to start game-planning for facing a Brunson-led Knicks team, but it's easy to assume that barring any setbacks from now through the preseason, Brunson should be able to get the nod to play against the Sixers on October 20 for the season opener.
No surprises for the Sixers
There are just some players that can no longer surprise a team. The 76ers are going to know what they are getting facing Brunson, since they have played him in over 20 regular-season games and multiple playoff series since he debuted against them with the Dallas Mavericks in 2019.
Before Brunson went down with an injury during the Knicks' Eastern Conference Finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he dominated against the Sixers in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
Over the four-game sweep, Brunson saw the court for 34.5 minutes per game. He shot 51.3% from the field and hit 44.8% of his threes, averaging 29 points per game.0 points per game. Along with his scoring, Brunson came down with 2.8 rebounds per game and dished out 6.0 assists per matchup.
Heading into the 2025-2026 NBA season, there were plenty of questions about Brunson's status as a championship-level guard. He faced a lot of questions that Tyrese Maxey faces on the Sixers. At this point, Brunson has silenced his critics.
Of course, the Knicks have a stacked roster with plenty of talent, but that shouldn't take away from Brunson's contributions. At the end of the day, he's still a three-time All-Star, All-NBA player who just won the NBA Finals MVP award with the Sixers after a spectacular 19-game run.
When the Knicks open up the 2026-2027 season, Brunson seems to have a strong shot at being a part of the action.
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