How Knicks can survive mysterious OG Anunoby injury

Anunoby left Game 2 late in the fourth quarter. He did so quietly without garnering much attention, and there was no word as to why. However, mid-day on Thursday, the Knicks released news that Anunoby suffered a right hamstring strain, and he is listed as day-to-day.

Hamstring strains are not great, especially for someone like Anunoby who has a history of hamstring injuries. However, there are two positives: first, the fact that a grade wasn’t assigned could be interpreted positively; and more importantly, the fact that he’s listed as day-do-day should be encouraging news to the team.

This injury could certainly provoke trauma among fans as Anunoby suffered a hamstring injury early in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Pacers. New York went up 2-0 in that series as well—and they ultimately lost in Game 7 after Anunoby attempted a return, but was clearly too limited to contribute meaningfully.

Rest is obviously important for Anunoby. With the goal being a championship this season, the question now becomes how do the Knicks get to the Eastern Conference Finals without putting Anunoby in harm’s way.

Knicks reserves become significantly more important without Anunoby

It goes without saying that Knicks starters not names Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns must step up. That means more from Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, and that’s reasonable. Unfortunately, Hart appeared to injure his left hand late in the fourth quarter, as well. And he has landed on the injury report, too.

Still, Bridges did his part offensively, scoring 18 points on 9-for-13 shooting, in Game 2. And more can be expected from him in Anunoby—and possibly Hart—miss time. Hart scored just five points in Game 2, though three of those points came on a monumentally big three for the team. However, if anyone can play through discomfort on the Knicks, it’s Hart.

However, there will still be a good deal left to replace, regardless if Anunoby is out for one game or the rest of the series. New York can reasonably expect to replace Anunoby by committee. Jordan Clarkson and Miles McBride can be relied on to add more from a scoring standpoint. For what it’s worth, they combined to score only 10 points in Game 2. They must contribute more when you subtract the 24 points that Anunoby produced. Landry Shamet can help in that regard, as well. Shamet was scoreless in eight minutes of action.

There’s also Mohamed Diawara to consider. Diawara is a versatile, two-way player who can replace a lot of what Anunoby does, albeit less effectively and/or consistently.

Ultimately, the Knicks’ depth is a tremendous benefit to the team and its 2025-26 aspirations, especially when injuries strike. New York must turn to their depth and produce more by committee on both sides of the floor. Hopefully the reserves are up to the challenge.