As if the New York Knicks weren’t dealing with enough injuries, they suffered a few more in Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers. First, it was their best player, Jalen Brunson, who went down with a right foot injury midway through the first quarter. Then, after Brunson returned to start the second half, OG Anunoby exited the game with a strained hamstring early in the fourth quarter. Still, the Knicks prevailed and went up 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs. But what will these injuries mean for the Knicks playoff run?
Jalen Brunson injury (presumably) avoided
Brunson looked good early in the first quarter of Game 2. It didn’t appear that he suffered a contact injury, and there was no obvious collision or fall to blame. Still, Brunson signaled to Knicks’ coach Tom Thibodeau late in the first quarter to get him out of the game. Brunson did not return to the floor until about four minutes before the start of the second half.But Brunson played every minute in the second half, pouring in 29 points in 32 minutes.
He did open the door to some conjecture regarding his status for Game 3 when he told TNT’s Chris Haynes, “I’m gonna try, to be (ready)” in a post-game interview. But we’ll know more about his status soon enough. And the way he finished Game 2 should inspire confidence amongst Knicks fans.
OG Anunoby injury could be legitimate, though
But it wasn’t just Brunson who suffered an injury. Knicks’ wing OG Anunoby strained his left hamstring in the third quarter, and that one looks like it might actually hinder the Knicks moving forward, especially given how injury-prone Anunoby has been throughout his career. Making matters worse, this injury is in addition to Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanovic remaining out with injuries.
Ironically, it was Anunoby who stepped up with Brunson out for much of Game 2, scoring 28 points in just less than 28 minutes. But it’s obviously about more than just offense with Anunoby. While his recent scoring and aggression have been a welcomed surprise, his real benefit is on the defensive end of the floor.
Specifically on his defense, Anunoby has effectively slowed down Pacers’ forward Pascal Siakam, who he’s held to 16.5 points per game on 44% shooting through two games. For context, Siakam averaged 21 points per game on 55% shooting with Indiana through 41 games this season. Anunoby and Siakam are most definitely familiar with each other after sharing a locker room in Toronto for more than six seasons before both were traded this season.
Knicks outlook given Anunoby’s possible injury
Knicks’ wing Josh Hart spoke about the team’s mentality in dealing with all of their injuries in the locker room after Game 2.
“We’re (not) saying it just because it sounds good. We’re actually saying it because we believe it,” Hart said after Game 2. “There’s a lot of guys on this team that can start (on other teams) in this league, so when we say it, it’s not cliché…. We truly believe it’s next man up.”
That’s an optimistic outlook that Hart must maintain. But realistically, who’s left to be that next man? Precious Achiuwa was already tasked with playing more since the Robinson injury. Alec Burks can contribute a bit, but he’s limited in what he can do, and Burks is still nursing a shoulder injury he suffered in March.
Shake Milton can give New York something in the backcourt, although he’s yet to touch the floor in the 2024 playoffs. Further, Milton is limited in that he is a small guard. Jericho Sims will be called upon, but he’s strictly a center. That leaves only Mamadi Diakite and Daquan Jeffries on the Knicks’ postseason roster, neither of whom instills confidence.
Ultimately, New York could be at the end of the line. Granted they could still advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, as they are a mere two wins from doing so. But that’s probably their ceiling. And if we’re being honest, it already was their ceiling given all the other injuries.
And yet, the Knicks are still up 2-0. So, New York will inevitably continue to work to win games, getting contributions from whomever is available. It’s their culture. But it’s not going to get them what they really want, a championship. Well, there’s always next year.
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