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It’s no secret that the New York Knicks have been depleted by injuries lately. In some recent games, they have even been forced to play without four of their five starters as Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby have all been sidelined due to various issues. Now, it seems, the cavalry is starting to arrive. Brunson returned to the lineup on Friday against the Orlando Magic, and now, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Anunoby is expected to return as soon as Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Anunoby was essential to New York’s mid-season hot streak after he was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Raptors. New York is 12-2 in the 14 games he has played in blue and orange. In the 500 minutes he has played, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by a preposterous 252 points. The rest of the season? They’ve been outscored by 69.
But in a Jan. 27 win over the Miami Heat, Anunoby suffered an elbow injury that has kept him out ever since. The Knicks have suffered significantly without his defense and 3-point shooting. They are just 8-10 in that window, and despite holding the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, they lead No. 7 Indiana by just one game in the loss column. As a result, the Play-In Tournament is a very real threat to New York thanks to all of those injuries.
But getting Anunoby back is a step in the right direction. Now all eyes turn to Randle, who has been progressing in his recovery from a dislocated shoulder, but hasn’t ruled out season-ending surgery. If he can rehab his way back on the floor this season, the Knicks will be a serious threat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. And if he can’t, getting Anunoby back will at least ease the burden on several of the other Knicks that have kept the team afloat in his absence. Josh Hart has now played 40 or more minutes in nine consecutive games, but hopefully, with Anunoby in the fold, he can at least catch an occasional breather.
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