OG Anunoby was happy to be back on the floor for the New York Knicks. The Knicks may have been even more elated to enjoy his services once again. An elbow injury interrupted Anunoby’s scorching start to his Knicks tenure just ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
After missing 18 games, Anunoby looked strong in two of his three appearances back. His most recent performance against the Sacramento Kings was a letdown, though.
The 26-year-old wing was originally listed as questionable for Saturday night’s matchup. Despite playing through soreness and going a disappointing 1-8 on the affair, Anunoby finds himself back on the pine.
Knicks’ OG Anunoby to miss
According to multiple sources, Anunoby is experiencing a flare-up from his elbow surgery and is expected to miss multiple games. He is inactive tonight against the Golden State Warriors.
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau spoke about monitoring the Knicks’ star small forward and bringing him back following their 98-91 win over the Kings:
“Each game, as he goes through this just coming back in, there’s gonna be soreness involved and just see where it is,” Thibodeau said.
Anunoby also said after the game that he had no clue he was questionable. Soreness may have played more of a role in his inefficient shooting night than he let on. As the most recent injury update proves, the reigning NBA steals leader will need more time to get back to full strength.
How Anunoby’s absence will impact the Knicks’ playoff seeding down the stretch of the 2023-24 season
New York (40-27) is in a tight battle with the Orlando Magic (40-28) for the No. 4 seed in the East. The Knicks are hoping to distance themselves from Orlando and come within striking distance of the Milwaukee Bucks, who sit 3.5 games above them as the No. 2 seed.
Albeit, the Knicks‘ 12-2 stretch with Anunoby in the month of January seems far away. Their chances of stringing together key wins in their last 15 games with him off the court look slim. They went 8-10 in his absence, and fellow starters Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are still out as well.
Fortunately for the Knicks, it does not look like Anunoby’s latest ailment will threaten the rest of his season, though official word from team doctors will paint a clearer picture in the coming days.