The Knicks are just two games away from their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000.
To be able to say that is quite the achievement for New York. The legendary franchise been one of the league’s most disappointing and snakebitten over the years, failing to capture an NBA title since the Nixon Administration. They also haven’t had much luck with the injury bug over the past season, seeing integral pieces fall like dominoes as the year has worn on.
Perhaps that’s to be expected out of a Tom Thibodeau side. He certainly has developed a reputation for attempting to coax everything he can out of players, even if they don’t have all that much more to give. Nevertheless, New York’s postseason success stands in stark contrast to the chaos that continues to take place within the organization’s infirmary.
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The lineups that coach Tom Thibodeau is throwing out onto the floor this postseason are vastly different from the ones he expected to showcase when the season started.
Here’s what you need to know about New York’s injury woes as it limps through yet another round hoping to be (fairly) unscathed.
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Knicks injury report 2024
Any side would hope to have its best players available for its biggest games. The Knicks are no exception, hoping to parlay Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby’s talent into a deep playoff run.
Unfortunately for New York, that wasn’t quite what was on the basketball gods’ cards this time around.
Julius Randle
The Knicks are firmly in the red when it comes to fielding a fit rotation. Randle was the first prominent player to go, undergoing season-ending right shoulder surgery in April after dislocating his shoulder back in a Jan. 27 win against the Heat. At the time of his surgery, Randle had already missed more than two months of the season due to the ailment. He finished his campaign with averages of 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
Randle could’ve tempted fate and tried to return to the floor without surgery. However, various reports indicated that such a choice could have been detrimental to his future career prospects. As such, he opted to go under the knife.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Have no fear, Knicks fans. That’s only the first major name to miss out. About four weeks after Randle was ruled out for the rest of the season, the same distinction befell sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic. The midseason acquisition saw his season come to a close after colliding with 76ers forward Nicolas Batum when the two sides faced off against one another in the first round of the playoffs. Medical tests confirmed Knicks fans fears shortly thereafter; Bogdanovic was done after having to undergo surgery on both his left foot and left wrist.
Mitchell Robinson
The injury bug soon came for another one of New York’s frontcourt presences: Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks’ lead rim protector is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs after suffering a “stress injury” in New York’s Game 1 win against the Pacers a few ago. He’s expected to miss six-to-eight weeks with the ailment, all but guaranteeing he won’t be able to return until next year.
OG Anunoby
If that wasn’t bad enough, Anunoby — the crown jewel of a trade that saw the former Raptors star sent to the Big Apple for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a Knicks second-round pick to Toronto — went two days before suffering a significant injury of his own. Anunoby was pulled from Tuesday’s win after suffering some sort of a tweak in his hamstring. He was ruled out of Game 3 vs. the Pacers and his status going forward remains murky, to say the least.
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Jalen Brunson
The one saving grace for New York in all this frenzy has been Brunson, who has affirmed his status as one of basketball’s best floor generals during this postseason. But he’s not immune from wounds, either. He was ruled as day-to-day after missing a bit of time on Tuesday with a right foot injury. Brunson soon returned to drop an eye-opening 28 points and lead New York to a win (alongside Josh Hart and Donte DiVicenzo). However, it’s unclear if that injury could cause him additional problems going forward.
Thibodeau’s squad is as banged up as anyone in the league. Yet, it continues to showcase tireless grit, defensive intensity, and offensive flourish within Thibs’ setup. As long as that continues, expect the Knicks to continue to hit above their weight class in the next few years.
