Knicks provide big OG Anunoby update amid lengthy break before conference finals

The New York Knicks sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup is giving Knicks forward OG Anunoby some extra time to recover from the right hamstring strain he suffered back on May 6. 

Knicks fans received some good news about Anunoby's status as New York waits to learn its opponent for the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals.

OG Anunoby returned to practice, but...

As shared by SNY, Anunoby made somewhat of a return to practice on Wednesday. 

"He practiced today in some aspects of it," Knicks head coach Mike Brown said about Anunoby. "Some parts of practice. When we went live, he didn't go live."

Brown wouldn't say if Anunoby has resumed sprinting. As of the time Brown offered his update, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons were tied at 2-2 in their second-round series. Depending on when that series wraps up, the conference finals could get underway this coming Sunday (May 17) or next Tuesday (May 19). 

A report from last week revealed that Anunoby would be considered day-to-day until further notice. Thus, it's unclear if he'll be able to go the next time the Knicks play. 

What an OG Anunoby return will mean for Miles McBride, Landry Shamet

Anunoby is the Knicks' second-leading scorer during postseason play with an average of 21.4 points per game. As much as New York fans will rejoice over his return to the lineup, it will relegate Miles McBride and Landry Shamet back to their previous roles. 

Shamet was averaging 9.1 minutes and 1.8 points per game during the playoffs until he scored 15 points in New York's 108-94 Game 3 win over Philadelphia. Meanwhile, McBride served as a temporary starter over the Knicks' past two games, and he scored a team-high 25 points in the 144-114 laugher this past Sunday that bounced the 76ers from the playoffs. 

As Jared Schwartz of the New York Post noted, McBride will go back to being a primary bench piece, while Shamet likely will struggle to see the court as long as Anunoby is healthy. 

"It is unlikely that Brown will expand to a 10-man rotation to include Shamet," Schwartz explained.