Knicks injury updates, including OG Anunoby's possible return date
The Knicks have dropped seven of their last 10. At 35-24, they’re in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, just two games ahead of the seventh-place Magic.
No one should be surprised that they lost by 23 to New Orleans at home Tuesday night.
The Knicks were missing four starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
But it doesn’t get any easier for Tom Thibodeau & Co. They have Golden State on Thursday night and play at Cleveland on Sunday to close out the week.
Per tankathon.com, the Knicks have the 16th toughest remaining schedule. So they can still climb into third place in the East and avoid a second-round matchup with Boston. But they’ll need to string together wins to get there. And they’ll need some healthy players in order to string those wins together.
When can they expect some of the injured group back? That’s unclear. Here is an update on where things stand with some of the injured players:
OG Anunoby
The Knicks announced on Feb. 8 that Anunoby would be re-evaluated in three weeks following surgery on his right elbow. The three-week date is on Thursday, Feb. 29. As of Wednesday, Anunoby hadn’t started shooting. But he hadn’t had any setbacks.
It’s too early to offer a definitive timeline. But at the start of this week, the idea of Anunoby returning in mid-March was viewed by the Knicks as a logical outcome if his rehab continued to go well. Still, he has several hurdles to clear before he can get back on the floor.
One of the major hurdles is being cleared to shoot. The Athletic noted earlier that the Knicks hoped to have Anunoby back in two to three weeks, and ESPN noted that Anunoby was on schedule to return to the court.
Jalen Brunson
Brunson missed Tuesday’s game against New Orleans due to neck spasms. Thibodeau said that Brunson woke up on Tuesday morning with spasms after he took some hits the night before during New York’s win over Detroit.
Two things to know here: Brunson would only sit out if it was absolutely necessary. I don’t think he would take the night off on Tuesday because it was an opportunity to rest. So that tells you something about the severity of the injury. Surely, Brunson and the Knicks medical staff will work towards getting him ready for Thursday against Golden State. We should find out more about his status for the Warriors game later on Wednesday.
Julius Randle
As of Tuesday, Randle hadn’t been cleared to practice. But there was no reason to believe that he’d suffered any kind of setback in his rehab. As Randle said earlier this week, no one has ruled out the possibility of surgery during the season or after the season to repair his dislocated shoulder. But all along, Randle has made the kind of progress that has led to optimism among Knicks people that he will return to the court during the season.
One concern? The possibility of re-injury. If Randle plays and hurts his shoulder again, he could be left with a chronic condition that would limit him well beyond this season. So I think that’s a factor in any decisions made going forward. Randle, obviously, wants to play. He’s been working out twice a day to get back on the court. So all of those signs point to an eventual return. If I had to guess, Anunoby returns before Randle. But both players need to clear more hurdles before they can get back on the floor.
Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein missed Tuesday’s game with Achilles soreness. In all, he’s missed six games in the past three weeks due to the Achilles ailment. Hartenstein was able to play through Achilles soreness last season. This year, it has caused him to miss games. Logic says that his increased workload has caused him to miss time. So the Knicks obviously need to be cautious with the injury.
But late Tuesday night, Thibodeau seemed optimistic about Hartenstein coming back this week. It seemed like Tuesday was seen as a good opportunity to rest Hartenstein and have him available for Golden State on Thursday or Cleveland on Sunday. Like Brunson, we should find out more about Hartenstein’s status for the Warriors game later on Wednesday.
