OG Anunoby injury update gives Knicks hope with a giant catch
As the New York Knicks continue to battle the Indiana Pacers for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals, the franchise has been given hope regarding the injury status of one of their top starters.
Chris Haynes of TNT Sports reported that the Knicks have a "target" return date for OG Anunoby in the Eastern Conference Finals. That's if they can get there.
Chris Haynes on OG Anunoby: "…Target of a areturn…possibly the ECF. He's doing everything he can to try to get back ASAP but from what I was told it's looking more likely a return for the ECF should the Knicks get there…look like that's gonna be a realistic target date" pic.twitter.com/b2YHvUuYMV
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 14, 2024
Obviously, this means that Anunoby will probably not be able to return for the rest of New York's second-round series against Indiana.
The Knicks are already extremely short on depth and missing other possible starters like Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanović for what will likely be the rest of the postseason. Their exceedingly short rotation has been taken advantage of by Indiana's fast pace of play.
While it's good news that Anunoby will be able to come back for a possible Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks are extremely likely to be Anunoby-less for the rest of this series. With a Knicks team that is already fatigued, it's worth wondering if NY can get by a young upstart Pacers franchise that was able to win two games at home.
Do the Knicks have any shot at getting past Indiana without OG Anunoby?
After Tuesday night's blowout over the Pacers in Game 5, it's clear that Miles McBride will probably have to continue to step up in the absence of Anunoby if the Knicks are going to have a chance.
The franchise will also need to turn the Pacers into a half-court offense which will help with the possible lack of energy that the Knicks may show. Much of the lineup has played heavy minutes this series and all season.
New York will also need Alec Burks to play fairly decent as he did in game 4. Having a good game from their seventh man in Burks would be the one of the best ways to help make up for the fact that Anunoby is probably done for the series.
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