If there was one thing the New York Knicks were able to avoid up until recently in the 2023-24 NBA regular season it was injuries. Outside of starting center Mitchell Robinson, this was a group that hadn’t missed many games through January 27th, when they faced off against the Miami Heat.
That was the day the Knicks’ season took a turn for the worst in the health department. All-Star power forward Julius Randle suffered a separated shoulder in the game, which will keep him sidelined for a few weeks. Unexpectedly, that was also the last time we saw OG Anunoby in the lineup.
Anunoby has been a key piece in the Knicks ascending the NBA standings in 2024. With him in the lineup, New York has gone 12-2 and been near the top of the league in several statistics. He is everything Tom Thibodeau wants in a two-way player as an ace defender and spot-up shooting savant.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Bojan Bogdanovic, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, New York Knicks Updates
Unfortunately, he is dealing with an elbow injury that is a bit concerning. What was originally called elbow inflammation has been upgraded to bone spur irritation. That has some people wondering what his timetable to return to the court could be.
Prior to the Knicks’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, Thibodeau offered very little in the way of an update when it came to Anunoby’s health. He was asked eight questions and we learned very little about the situation.
What was considered a day-to-day injury is turning into a week-to-week injury for Anunoby. Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, which he was ruled out of more than 24 hours in advance, will be his sixth consecutive game missed.
Being ruled out more than a day ahead of time is certainly not a good sign. At this point, unless something drastically changes in the coming days, it would be fair to assume Anunoby will be sidelined through the All-Star break.
That is what Jeff Stotts, owner of In Street Clothes and an injury analyst, believes could happen. The next few days will give the Knicks a chance to evaluate things with their starting small forward and figure out the best course of action moving forward, including surgery down the line.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Bojan Bogdanovic, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, New York Knicks Updates
“It is likely New York uses the next few days and the impending All-Star break to continue their current course of treatment with Anunoby in hopes of controlling his symptoms enough so that he can return to action. Surgery could be an option at some point down the road but it sounds like it is not currently being considered.”
The uncertainty surrounding Anunoby could partly be why the Knicks pulled the trigger ahead of the NBA trade deadline on a deal with the Detroit Pistons. New York acquired veterans Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic in exchange for Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono and two future second-round picks.
Bogdanovic will likely slide into the starting small forward spot in Anunoby’s place for as long as he is out. He is also capable of playing some power forward, compensating for the loss of Randle as well for as long as he is sidelined.
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