Knicks star Jalen Brunson said Sunday that his goal is to return before the end of the regular season but that his top priority is to be fully healthy before the Knicks begin what he and the team hope will be a long playoff run.

The Knicks have just eight games remaining after Sunday and, notably, Brunson is four short of qualifying for postseason awards. As a top candidate for both All-NBA and Clutch Player of the Year, Brunson acknowledged that it’s important “individually” to reach the 65-game threshold but health is the overriding motivation.

Injured Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said he’s making steady progress from a sprained right ankle and has resumed basketball activities, though he stopped short of confirming whether

They currently sit as the No. 3 seed and should remain in the spot barring collapse over the final games of the regular season. They have accomplished that feat despite a late-season sprained ankle suffered by their star player, Jalen Brunson, in a March 5 showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.

It seems like the episode was filmed toward the end of last week. A few days later, head coach Tom Thibodeau said Brunson was making "really good progress" in his recovery. After the press conference, I’d heard that the rehab process was going faster than initially anticipated. Let’s assume that there haven’t been any setbacks this week.

Point guard Jalen Brunson remains sidelined due to a right ankle sprain, which he sustained a couple of weeks ago.