Getty Bojan Bogdanovic celebrates a made three-pointer in Game Two against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 22.
The injuries just keep on coming for the New York Knicks, who’ve lost a second player to a season-ending injury in Bojan Bogdanovic.
According to Bruno Feliks of Basketball Sphere, the veteran forward is to undergo season-ending surgeries on May 1.
“Bogdanovic suffered a serious ankle injury during the Game 4 of the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers series in Philadelphia, in a duel with Nicolas Batum,” Feliks wrote on April 30. “…Upon returning to New York, after undergoing an MRI, it was determined that Bogdanovic’s ankle was seriously injured and that he would need surgery, which is already scheduled for Wednesday.”
Julius Randle is also out for the season, and Mitchell Robinson is sidelined.
Feliks reports that in addition to ankle surgery, Bogdanovic will also have surgery to address a wrist injury.
“Having previously struggled with issues in his left hand, barely playing in the last few games and enduring significant pain, Bogdanovic knew that after the season he would require surgery on his hand” Feliks continued. “Now, it’s quite certain that the Knicks small forward will have to undergo not just one, but two surgeries: first on his ankle, and then, in a couple of weeks, on his hand.”
Shams Charania of The Athletic released a similar report.
“New York Knicks forward Bojan Bogdanovic will undergo season-ending surgeries to repair foot and wrist injuries, sources tell
@TheAthletic,” Charania tweeted on April 30.
Bogdanovic was acquired in a trade deadline deal between the Knicks and Detroit Pistons, which sent a package centered on Quentin Grimes, second-round picks and salary filler.
After averaging 20.2 points per game on 41.5-percent shooting from three with the Pistons, he averaged just 10.4 points on 37-percent with New York in 29 regular-season games.
Will Thibs Promote Alec Burks?
With another player down in an already-limited rotation, will head coach Tom Thibodeau promote someone off the bench to keep his rotation at eight players?
Veteran guard Alec Burks would be the next in line. He was a part of the deadline deal that brought Bogdanovic to the Knicks, his second-stint with the team.
But similar to his trade package counterpart, Burks has disappointed in a smaller role than he had with the Pistons.
After averaging 12.6 points on 40-percent shooting from three, he’s averaged 6.5 points on 30-percent shooting in New York.
Burks’ role with the team has lessened and lessened as time went on, with his minutes per game average going from 16.6 in his first 10 games to 11.2 in his final 13 games.
That doesn’t include the seven games he watched on from the bench in that same span.
Fortunately, Thibodeau and his coaching staff will have time to figure out the right fix, as they’re up 3-1 over the Philadelphia 76ers in the first-round playoff series.
Odds Are in Knicks’ Favor
According to Land of Basketball, of the 281 teams to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA playoffs, only 13 have given it up and lost the series.
Land of Basketball says 168 of those series finished in 5 games, 78 finished in 6 games, and just 22 finished went to 7.
Game 5 will take place on New York’s home floor at Madison Square Garden, where they boasted a 27-14 record in the regular season, according to Basketball Reference, and a 2-0 record in the series against the 76ers.
Even with the Bojan Bogdanovic news, you’d be hard pressed to find a 76ers fan that’s cautiously optimistic on the series outlook.