Is Jalen Brunson playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Exploring New York Knicks All-Star's status for preseason game (Oct. 15)

The New York Knicks host the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden. All-Star guard Jalen Brunson is sidelined from home game on Tuesday night. Brunson is healthy but will not suit up for the Knicks for their fourth preseason game.

It has been a strong start to the preseason for the Knicks. Tom Thibodeau's team have won all three of their warmup games so far.

New York defeated the Charlotte Hornets 111-109 on Oct. 6 and followed that up with a dominant 117-94 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. On Sunday, strong performances from Brunson and OG Anunoby helped guide the Knicks to a 115-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jalen Brunson started all three games for the Knicks and has seen significant minutes as he prepares for the upcoming regular season.

The former Villanova star played 15 minutes against the Hornets in North Carolina, finishing with 12 points, three assists and a rebound. He followed that up with an impressive outing against the Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Brunson recorded 23 points, three assists, three rebounds and a steal over 23 minutes.

Perhaps his best game of the preseason came against the Timberwolves on Sunday. The 6-foot-1 point guard finished with a team-high 24 points. He shot 6 for 13 from the field and converted seven of his eight free-throw attempts. Brunson also chipped in with six assists and three rebounds.

The Knicks will close out their preseason on Friday against the Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Jalen Brunson is unfazed by outside noise as Knicks prepare for 2024/25 NBA season

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson shoots the ball after being fouled at Madison Square Garden. Photo Credit: Imagn

There were plenty of positives to take from last season. The New York Knicks finished second in the East with an impressive 50-32 record. Led by All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson, New York went all the way to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second consecutive season before eventually losing out to the Indiana Pacers in seven games.

Coming into the 2024-25 campaign, there are high expectations on both Brunson and the organization. Per an article in the New York Post on Sunday, Brunson is unfazed by the outside noise and is focusing solely on the mission ahead:

"Regardless of what people say, whether it's positive or negative, we have to have mental toughness and just worry about what is going on inside of this building, inside this organization. You can't listen to the positive and not listen to the negative. That’s just not how it works."

Jalen Brunson's development since making his debut in the NBA in 2018 has been exceptional. The Knicks guard has improved year after year and has evolved into one of the league's elite players. With Brunson leading the way, and talented stars such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges supporting him, the Knicks enter the season as one of the favorites for the Eastern Conference.