Getty OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks dribbles during the first half against the Denver Nuggets.
New York Knicks starting wing OG Anunoby will miss his fourth straight game on Monday against the Detroit Pistons after re-aggravating his elbow injury.
Dr. Kirk A. Campbell, a sports orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Orthopedics, is optimistic about Anunoby’s return to help the Knicks in their playoff run.
“OG is extremely important you know to the Knicks,” Dr. Campbell told New York Post Sports anchor Brandon London on March 22. “Unfortunately, he did have a setback. The good news for Knicks fans out there is that he had an MRI and the reports are the MRI did not show any new damage. There was some inflammation in his elbow and I think the Knicks staff were doing a really fantastic job of making sure that they’re appropriately rehabbing him to get him back on the court in a safe time frame.”
The key to Anunoby’s return is to really rest his elbow and calm down the inflammation, according to Dr. Campbell.
OG Anunoby’s Setback
Anunoby experienced soreness in his surgically repaired elbow on March 14 against the Portland Trail Blazers in his second game back from his surgery. He played through the discomfort and finished the game playing 36 minutes.
Anunoby still played one more game but his 1 of 8 shooting from the field was a clear indication something was not right. He was shut down immediately after the game and flew back to New York to have an MRI, which came out clean, according to Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
“We want to make sure that he’s completely healthy,” Thibodeau told reporters, per The Athletic. “We knew this was a possibility when you bring a guy back from surgery. If there’s discomfort and stuff and he can’t function the way that we feel he needs to function on the court we’re just going to give him the time that he needs to let it calm down and we’ll go from there.”
Can OG Anunoby Return to 100% for Knicks’ Playoff Run?
While Dr. Campbell is optimistic about Anunoby’s return, he is tempering expectations that he would return 100% healthy with only three weeks left before the playoffs.
“He will be able to continue with his conditioning program to make sure that when he does get back to the court, he’ll be ready to go,” Dr. Campbell told London. “He likely will not get to 100% but I think he’ll be very very close to being normal prior to the playoffs.
Let’s be honest at this stage of the season everybody’s playing with some type of injury. Nobody’s at 100%. So hopefully prior to getting back, he’ll be pain-free. He may have some discomfort but the [Knicks medical] staff, they’re really fantastic. They’ll make sure he’s very comfortable and if he’s not, I’m sure they will not risk further long-term injury.”
Anunoby has been a difference-maker for the Knick. They were 15-2 with Anunoby in the lineup, boasting the league-best 103.9 defensive rating during that stretch. They are 10-11 without him since they acquired the former All-Defensive wing from the Toronto Raptors on a December 31 trade last year.