New York Knicks Injury Report (31st October): Latest update on Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle's availability
The New York Knicks will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday (October 31) at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in what will be their first back-to-back against the same team this season. And in good news, their superstars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle will both be available for the clash against Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers.
According to ESPN's updated injury report, there are no names listed in the Knicks column, and that suggests that all players on the roster are available to take the court.
This means the duo of Brunson and Randle now have a chance of helping New York bounce back after their loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The second game of the back-to-back will see the action shift to Madison Square Garden.
Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are key for the New York Knicks against the Cleveland Cavaliers
In the three games so far, the Knicks lost against the Boston Celtics and the Pelicans and have just one win coming against the Atlanta Hawks. But with these being early days in the league, they wouldn't be pressing the panic button yet, as the onus will be on developing more chemistry for a grueling 82-game regular season.
Jalen Brunson is averaging 20.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in his three games so far, while Julius Randle is yet to hit his stride on the scoring front as he's dishing out 13.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
Despite his struggles, the forward wasn't perturbed. Speaking to the media after the loss to New Orleans, Randle showed optimism when asked about his shots.
“I’ve just got to continue to get better. I’ve just got to make shots. I’ve got to look at the tape, but I’ve just got to make shots. They’ll fall.”
And the support came in the form of Brunson, who believed in his teammate's abilities.
“He’s being aggressive," Brunson said. "He’s attacking. As a group, we need to be better. But we’ve got to help each other be better. It can’t just be like ‘I have to be better’ or ‘He has to be better.’ How can we collectively help each other? Julius is going to command attention, so we need to help him out a little bit."
Randle's struggles were visible as he shot a below-par 27.7% from the field in the first three games. His three-point shooting took a hit as well, as he nailed only 6 of his 20 attempts from three-point range. Despite his playmaking and assists, the lack of contribution comes as a concern.
And he will need it to fall if the Knicks intend to get the better of the Cavaliers on Tuesday.