The New York Knicks were walking on clouds before the injury bug stung them again.
Despite losing Mitchell Robinson for the season, Tom Thibodeau’s team has been firing at all cylinders on both ends of the court since trading for OG Anunoby.
Then, the former Toronto Raptors star joined Julius Randle on the shelf with an elbow injury, and the team’s hot streak came to an end.
Fortunately for them, the talented forward is ready to return after the All-Star Break, and he’s looking forward to picking up things where he left off (Via Knicks Videos).
“I’m definitely excited to get back. I think the whole team is excited to play together again,” Anunoby said.
OG Anunoby is excited to get back on the court with the Knicks and "go on another run" pic.twitter.com/AtnW2DqUj3
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 21, 2024
Anunoby is one of the best wing defenders in the game by a significant margin, and he’s been a seamless fit in Tom Thibodeau’s system.
It didn’t take long before the former Chicago Bulls coach got him on the floor for well over 40 minutes, as he usually does with his star players.
Needless to say, there will always be injury concerns with that approach, but he’s not going to change his ways at this point in his career.
Anunoby wasn’t going to extend his stay up north with the Raptors, but he could be a pivotal part of the Knicks’ project going forward.
He’s been more involved in the flow of the offense, being their second-best player behind Jalen Brunson and even ahead of Julius Randle.
The latter will still be sidelined for a little longer, but the Knicks still hope to be as good as they were five weeks ago with Anunoby back to full strength.
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