Getty OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks dunks the ball during the first half against the Chicago Bulls.
New York Knicks’ defensive ace OG Anunoby is just waiting for the doctor’s clearance to play.
This was Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s latest update before they hammered the Orlando Magic 98-74 on Friday, March 8, at Madison Square Garden.
“He’s already [practiced],” Thibodeau said, per Newsday. “So it’s just how he responds the next day, the doctor clears him and then he can go. When the doctor clears him, he’s ready to go. That’s the final step.”
There is a chance Anunoby could return next week. The Knicks will host the Philadelphia 76ers in a back-to-back homestand on Sunday (March 10) and Tuesday (March 12) before embarking on a four-game road trip on the West Coast.
Thibodeau, however, remains non-committal, pending doctors’ clearance.
“I’m not going to speak for the doctor,” Thibodeau said, per Newsday. “He’s just got to keep doing [his recovery]. He’s doing everything now, so he’s good.”
But all signs point to Anunoby’s imminent return for the Knicks who had just won six games since their smashing 14-2 run in January.
Anunoby was at the heart of the Knicks’ promising showing with his impact on both ends of the floor. His plus-252 was the most for any NBA player in his first 14 games with a new team since play-by-play was first tracked in 1996-1997, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Jalen Brunson’s Explosive Return
It took only one game for Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson to return from a knee contusion.
Brunson came back like nothing happened as he torched the Magic with 26 points on 11 of 19 shooting in just 29 minutes.
“I thought of a thousand different situations of what it could have been and I’m just glad it wasn’t,” Brunson told reporters via SNY of his knee injury.
Thibodeau revealed Brunson pushed himself as the Knicks star faithfully did two-a-day workouts on top of their practice and his nightly knee treatment over the past few days.
His dedication paid off.
Ex-Knicks GM Doubts Julius Randle’s Quick Return to Form
Former Knicks general manager Scott Perry raised a level of concern about Julius Randle getting back his rhythm in time for the playoffs if he returns from a dislocated shoulder injury.
“Randle had missed all of the offseason with ankle surgery and we saw how long it took him to get back acclimated to start the season,” Perry said on the “NBA Today” on March 5. “There were calls for him to be traded because he started so slowly. The same thing happened in my last year in New York. He got injured in the last five games of the regular season after having a fantastic regular season and struggled in the playoffs because he never could get his rhythm back exactly. So that is going to be key here for the Knicks that he gets back to get that.”
Randle played through his ankle sprain and it affected his play in the playoffs. But the Knicks still reached the second round, pushing eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat to six games despite Randle shooting just 41.1% from the field and a horrendous 28.1% from deep.