By : Mike Rifkin
In their first game without Julius Randle on Friday night, the Knicks defeated their potential first-round opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 130-116. Randle sprained his ankle in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. With Randle out, Jalen Brunson dropped a career-high 48 points, nine assists, and four rebounds.
Brunson averages 24.0 points per game, with 6.2 assists per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. That is how much he means to the team, and if he plays well without Randle, that would only help his cause. Many people said in the offseason that the Knicks overpaid for Brunson when they signed him to a four-year 104 million dollar contract. Now I can’t speak for the rest of the contract, but if year one is any indication, the Knicks got a great deal with Brunson, who should get some MVP votes. Once again, I am not saying he is the MVP. All I’m saying is he deserves votes. The Knicks’ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is one.
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