The 76ers may not get any early help from the schedule gods when it comes to Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks are lined up to see Philadelphia plenty soon, with the two teams set to have three games on the books before the end of October, including a preseason meeting. That makes Brunson’s status worth watching right away, especially with the Sixers rolling out a new-look roster that includes the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
Brunson’s recovery has moved in the right direction since he had wrist surgery after the NBA Finals. ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill said this week that the Knicks star is about 80 to 85% recovered, and that he isn’t expected to face any limitations when training camp opens.
That’s not exactly the kind of update Philadelphia wanted to hear. While it’s still too early to lock anything in, Brunson looks on track to be available for the Oct. 20 season opener against the Sixers, assuming he avoids any setbacks between now and the preseason.
For Philadelphia, the bigger point is simpler: Brunson is no mystery at this stage. The Sixers have seen plenty of him already, with more than 20 regular-season games and multiple playoff series against him since he first faced them with the Dallas Mavericks in 2019.
And in the Knicks’ second-round sweep of the Sixers, Brunson was flat-out dominant before his injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. He averaged 29 points per game while playing 34.5 minutes a night, shot 51.3% from the field and 44.8% from three, and added 2.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
There were questions heading into the 2025-2026 season about whether Brunson belonged in the championship-guard conversation, the same kind of scrutiny Tyrese Maxey has faced in Philadelphia. Those doubts look a lot quieter now.
The Knicks do have a loaded roster, but Brunson remains the engine. He’s a three-time All-Star, an All-NBA player and the NBA Finals MVP after a 19-game run. And when New York opens the 2026-2027 season, he looks likely to be right there again.
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For Philadelphia, that kind of role shift could matter as much as the name on the back of the jersey. James has spent years balancing scoring with creation, but this setup could give him a chance to manage his workload more carefully while still steering an offense built to get plenty of buckets from elsewhere. The bigger question now is how quickly that adjustment can take hold, and how much it changes the way the 76ers use him. [Read more 🡒]