The New York Knicks are getting healthier and healthier by the day.
OG Anunoby expected to return for New York and other injury news, plus project Knicks rotation full-length
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, OG Anunoby is close to returning and could play against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. Anunoby is listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
Knicks forward OG Anunoby – out since Jan. 27 with an elbow injury – is expected to return as early as Tuesday against the 76ers, sources say @TheAthletic @Stadium. He should be upgraded based on the injury report. pic.twitter.com/AcsECtLgkN
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 11, 2024
New York has been in trouble since Anunoby injured his elbow on January 27.
New York is 8-10, while Anunoby is out. The Knicks haven’t been very good on both ends of the floor during this stretch, but they’ve struggled more offensively, averaging 104.1 points per game, which is 28th in the league.
The Knicks were held to an NBA season-low 73 points on Sunday by the 76ers, as they shot 32.6 percent from the floor, 22.5 percent from the 3-point line and committed 19 turnovers.
Certainly, the Knicks have seen other players miss time during this stretch. Of course, Julius Randle And Mitchell Robinson were absent all the time. Jalen Brunson missed three games, and Isaiah Hartenstein missed four games during that stretch, while Alex Burks And Bojan Bogdanovic entered the scene at the trade deadline.
Despite these difficulties, New York is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-27. However, the Knicks are only a game and a half ahead of the seventh-place Indiana Pacers.
Since arriving from Toronto, Anunoby has been fantastic, especially on the defensive end. The Knicks won 12 of 14 games Anunoby played and were +18.0 when he was on the court.
During that 14-game stretch, Anunoby averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 steals per game. The Knicks also averaged 115.4 points and held their opponents to 100.4 points per game.
While Anunoby is expected to return soon, Charania said it will still be a little more time before Randle returns.
Shams: “OG Anunoby is close… It’s just when you’d expect him to be back on the field. So look next week or so, OG will be back on the field. Julius Randle continues to train and his shoulder injury is one where he needs to make sure he goes… pic.twitter.com/Q2nSMNmE6G
– New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 11, 2024
“These Shoulder injuries are ones where you want to make sure that when you’re back on the field, you don’t just do it again, you don’t have another issue that then leads to that surgery. end of season.
Randle plans to return to the lineup on March 21. Meanwhile, Robinson could return a few days later on March 23.
What will the Knicks rotation look like when everyone is healthy?
New York has made significant changes to its roster this season. And the Knicks have yet to have their current roster healthy at the same time. In total, the Knicks used 25 players and 16 starting lineups.
The Knicks’ most used starting lineup is 9-5 this season. Meanwhile, their top unit, Precious Achiuwa, Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Jason Hart and Hartenstein, is 8-4.
However, their best starting five (9-1) consists of Anunoby, Brunson, Divincenzo, Hartenstein, and Randle.
So what might the Knicks rotation look like when everyone returns?
News from the New York Daily Steve Popper thinks Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will go with Brunson, DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Randle and Robinson as starters, even though those five have yet to play together. If this is true, Popper believes that Hart, Hartenstein and Miles McBride will be the first three to come off the bench.
Popper’s starting five is likely the route Thibodeau will take, although he could decide to trade Hartenstein for Robinson. Hart and Hartenstein/Robinson will be one of the top three reserves. But I’m not sure about McBride.
McBride has shown the ability to play a background role in the rotation this season and is having a career year. He was also terrific offensively as a starter and shot the ball well from distance overall. However, when the Knicks are fully healthy, not sure if he will actually provide what the Knicks and others need.
With everyone healthy, the Knicks have others to run the offense for 10-15 minutes while Brunson is on the bench. DiVincenzo, Hart and Anunoby are among them. Additionally, Burks and Bogdanovic are capable of this as well.
Burks and Bogdanovic still have to acclimate very well to New York. But both players are experienced and can provide instant offense, a complement to consistent 3-point shooting.
Achiuwa also played well enough to get some minutes. However, if Thibodeau reduces his rotation to eight or nine players, the 24-year-old will only see the field in the event of an injury.
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