Examining how Knicks could be changed in Jalen Brunsons absence

It took just 11 games for the biggest hole on the Knicks’ roster to come to the forefront.Jalen Brunson’s injury — he suffered a Grade 1 right ankle sprain during a 124-107 loss to the Magic on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden — puts the team’s backup point guard weakness under the spotlight.The Knicks had planned on Malcolm Brogdon filling that void, but he suddenly retired before the season started.That left Tyler Kolek as the only true point guard on the bench, and he quickly fell out of coach Mike Brown’s rotation this year before Brunson’s injury.He averaged 12 minutes per game across the first four games, but that decreased to just 3.2 minutes per game the last six games he appeared in.

He did not see any action at all in a win over the Grizzlies on Tuesday.Brunson’s injury opens the door for Kolek to re-enter the rotation, but Brown has a few different options in how to approach this period with Brunson sidelined.Let’s take a look at those options and what this injury also means for the rest of the roster:This can go a few different ways.

It does not seem likely Brown will just thrust Kolek into a starting role.That leaves Miles McBride as the most natural fit.Though more of a combo guard, McBride is capable of taking over the bulk of the ball-handling duties.Brown has wanted to keep Josh Hart with the second unit this year, but when Brunson has been on the bench, Hart, along with McBride — and not Kolek — usually took over most of the ball-handling responsibilities.

Hart is more than capable of bringing the ball up the floor at times and certainly has experience as a starter.Brown already was getting the ball out of Brunson’s hands more and more, resulting in more ball handling for Mikal Bridges.If Brown is comfortable with Bridges taking on that role even more, he could insert Landry Shamet, who already has started three games this year, into the starting lineup at shooting guard.

Shamet is not someone who is a great ball...