Knicks' OG Anunoby returns to action against Bulls after three-week recovery
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau slaps five with forward OG Anunoby in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
CHICAGO — One day after the Knicks disclosed that they had lost Julius Randle for the remainder of the season, they returned another missing piece to the lineup as OG Anunoby took the court for the first time in nearly three weeks.
Anunoby, who had missed 27 of the last 30 games after undergoing a surgical procedure to remove loose bone fragments from his right elbow, rejoined the team a day after coach Tom Thibodeau announced that he had returned to full-contact practice sessions.
With just six games left in the season entering Friday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, the most important number in Anunoby’s return is the 15-2 record the team boasted with him in the lineup this season.
Asked what Anunoby brings to the team, Thibodeau went through a long list.
“Length, wing defender, versatility offensively,” he said. “Ability to shoot the ball, move without the ball. He can guard multiple positions. He can play multiple positions offensively. Does a little bit of everything and does it all well.”
Anunoby played only 14 games after arriving from Toronto before he was forced to shut down from the pain in his right elbow. He attempted to rest and rehabilitate it for little more than a week before opting for surgery on Feb. 8. He then sat out 18 games before returning to the lineup March 12 and lasting only three games before he again was forced to the sideline as the discomfort resurfaced.
He sat out the last nine games (a three-week absence), was upgraded to questionable Friday morning and again was upgraded just hours before game time. After a warmup session on the court, he was ruled ready to go.
The cautious approach the Knicks have taken with Anunoby has taken on added significance with the loss of Randle to upcoming shoulder surgery. Although he is a far different offensive player, Anunoby has shown that he can be the linchpin of the defense — taking that side of the ball to a far higher level than what the team is without him.
“Yeah, his versatility — and Josh [Hart] for that matter as well,” Thibodeau said. “Josh doesn’t have the size but he can play big. His rebounding is so good. And then OG’s length, you can play him on everybody, from point guards to centers. I like that because whoever the primary scorer is — Donte [DiVincenzo] is a different type of defender, and then Josh can go to him and he plays him differently . . . So the unpredictability of that is really good. It’s a positive for our team.’’
If Anunoby does not suffer any setbacks and can make his way through the remainder of the season, it will give the Knicks time to regain the chemistry that they had with him on the court and provide the first chance for him to play with Mitchell Robinson, who was sidelined because of ankle surgery when the Knicks swung the Dec. 30 trade for Anunoby.
“The one thing is when he came back the first time, we already got a look at what it will look like,” Thibodeau said. “His game is unique because it’s defense, it’s rebounding, it’s moving without the ball, it’s running the floor. Being versatile on offense. But he can fit in seamlessly. The one thing about it being an elbow injury is he can do the conditioning part. So that’s the one positive, probably, out of all of that.”
As long as the return is for good this time, the Knicks believe that they now have the certainty, knowing that Randle is not returning and that Anunoby is.
“Obviously, the potential to come back, you’re still handling business,” Hart said. “But you just have it in the back of your mind like, we might get this guy back . . . But I think we were really progressing where we were not gonna have [Randle] . . . So if he had gotten back, or OG, you’re happy and there’s something that just elevates the team.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
