Knicks Rumors: OG Anunoby Has ‘Unclear’ Timeline amid Elbow Injury; Out vs. Warriors

Erin WalshMarch 18, 2024

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

It appears New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby will miss an unspecified period of time amid concerns over his lingering elbow injury.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau provided an update on the injury Monday, including positive results about the MRI:

Stefan Bondy @SbondyNBAOG Anunoby “flared up,” according to Thibodeau.

Anunoby flew home. MRI came back clean. Unlike the plays in Denver.

This is all from Thibs.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday on NBA Countdown that Anunoby’s elbow has “flared up again” and that it’s unclear how long he will be sidelined. He has already been ruled out for Monday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.

“I’m told that OG Anunoby is going to be out more than just tonight, that that right elbow has flared up again. They need it to calm down,” Wojnarowski said. “How long he is out is unclear, but it’s certainly a concern for this Knicks team.”

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnThe latest on the Knicks’ OG Anunoby for NBA Countdown pic.twitter.com/kbNBTcilvI

Anunoby was ruled out for Monday’s game due to “injury management.”

The 26-year-old underwent surgery to remove a loose bone in his right elbow in February and missed 18 games before returning for a March 12 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Anunoby appeared in just three games since returning from surgery. He admitted after a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday that he was dealing with soreness in the elbow, though he still went on to play the team’s next game on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.

“It’s just sore. Nothing really happened,” Anunoby told reporters. “Just went for a ball. And it hurt randomly, but it’s fine.”

Injury management for Anunoby’s elbow will likely be the new reality for the Knicks throughout the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs. If they want to make a deep run, the franchise will need to make sure any soreness is limited.

In 17 games with the Knicks since coming over in a trade from the Toronto Raptors, Anunoby is averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from deep.

The Knicks enter Monday’s game fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 40-27 record, two games behind the third-place Cleveland Cavaliers and 13 games back of the first-place Boston Celtics.

In addition to Anunoby, the Knicks are still hoping for the return of Julius Randle, who has been sidelined since late January with a shoulder injury.