The Knicks will be without OG Anunoby for a decent span. Jalen Brunson’s outlook is more optimistic.
Anunoby suffered a left hamstring strain during the 140-132 win over the Heat at Madison Square Garden on Friday and will be reevaluated in two weeks, per a league source. He will not join the Knicks on their upcoming five-game road trip, which is set to begin Monday with a rematch against the Heat in Miami.
“A lot of what makes us so good, OG is a catalyst for,” Karl-Anthony Towns said Sunday. “Things that y’all see on the stat sheet obviously impresses everybody, he’s one of our key guys in almost every category. But it’s about the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that makes him so valuable to our team. He’s a hell of a player. He’s gonna be missed in the locker room just as much as he is on the court.”
OG Anunoby is pictured during the Knicks’ Nov. 14 win over the Heat. Imagn Images
Brunson, though, will travel with the Knicks on their road trip and is considered day to day, coach Mike Brown said Sunday, though he is ruled out for Monday’s game. He did some on-court work during Sunday’s practice. He suffered a Grade 1 right ankle sprain, per a league source, during the 124-107 loss to the Magic on Wednesday at MSG.
During Friday’s win, Anunoby missed a layup on a fast break and, during a subsequent timeout, was in obvious discomfort on the bench, rubbing his left hamstring. He then went to the locker room and was quickly ruled out.
That two-week time frame is not necessarily his expected recovery outlook, but rather just a date the Knicks will use to provide another update. Often in the past, their player absences extended beyond two weeks.
“Obviously, he’s all over the place,” Josh Hart said Sunday. “Great one-on-one defender, amazing in the gaps, great instinct for the ball and to make plays. Defensively, we’ll miss that. I’m not sure what he’s shooting, but he’s shooting a really good percentage this year in terms of 3s and finishing at the rim and those kinds of things. It’s gonna be tough, but we just have to make sure we have the next man up and find a way.”
What’s concerning is that Anunoby has a history with the injury. During the 2024 playoffs, he injured that left hamstring in the second round against the Pacers and the shorthanded Knicks lost the series.
Last year, Anunoby bucked his injury-prone history, playing at least 70 games for the first time since he was a rookie in 2017-18. Already, though, he’s back on the sidelines.
He plays a central role in so many things the Knicks do well. He is their best defender, largely able to guard all positions on the court. He’s enjoyed a red-hot start to the year from 3-point range, shooting 39.2 percent. He is taking 6.6 3s per game, which would be tied for a career high. He is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, which would be a career best. His 1.9 steals per game also would be tied for a career mark.
His absence will be felt.
“The first one is, he’s an All-Defensive player,” Brown said. “The defensive versatility that he brings to the table, it’s just crazy. You can put him on point guards so that you can switch pick-and-rolls, because he can also not only guard point guards, but he can guard centers, too. And then he can guard anything in between. He’s a guy that is gonna help on the glass, whether it’s the defensive glass or the offensive glass. And then he’s a [roughly] 40 percent 3-point shooter. He’s a 16, 17, 18 points per game scorer. He’s a guy, at that size, that makes us big, makes us long and helps with our athleticism. So to be missing a guy like that makes
