Knicks' nagging injuries make them look vulnerable and bring back memories of last postseason
OG Anunoby of the Knicks dunks the ball late during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MEMPHIS, Tenn.
It was around this time last season when it seemed as if the Knicks suddenly were on a path to a long-awaited title, having inserted OG Anunoby into the rotation and, for a brief moment, seeing all of the pieces click into place as they posted one overwhelming win after another over some of the NBA’s best teams.
It’s worth remembering because few Knicks fans will forget how it all fell apart. Anunoby underwent elbow surgery. Julius Randle dislocated a shoulder. And in the postseason, the injuries to key pieces kept coming until there was almost no one left for Tom Thibodeau to send out on the floor in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when the season came to a crashing end.
The hope is there again this season, although probably accompanied by a little skepticism among all but the most die-hard fans. And some of the troubling signs are arriving again.
Anunoby returned last week after missing three weeks with a sprained foot. Josh Hart’s knee sidelined him for two games after the All-Star break. Karl-Anthony Towns sat out Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia with left knee patellar tendinopathy, which gave rookie Ariel Hukporti his first NBA starting assignment. Then Hukporti suffered a torn meniscus in the third quarter after a credible performance, tried to return to play in the fourth quarter and now likely is sidelined for four to six weeks.
What’s next?
We haven’t even mentioned Mitchell Robinson, who is expected to make his season debut soon after enduring a long rehab process following his second ankle surgery last May. He is listed as questionable for the first time all season for Friday night’s game against the Grizzlies.
Towns also is listed as questionable. As long as they get through the workouts before the game, you’d expect at least one of Towns and Robinson will be available.
That leaves 6-8 Precious Achiuwa, who would insist he is a forward, as the only sure thing at center for the Knicks.
So who will take on the Grizzlies and 7-4, 305-pound Zach Edey?
“I mean, it’s just going out there and playing because every day I’m a winner,” Achiuwa said when asked about playing center. “I really take pride in playing winning basketball and trying to do whatever it takes to win. My versatility, obviously, has been able to play multiple positions and both sides of the ball. I continued to show that today.
“Just an opportunity came up and I understood that. Had to step in after [Towns] went down. Rim protection, rebounding and just making reads offensively and defensively. Just whatever it took for us to win the game today.”
The story of this season won’t be told until the postseason, when the Knicks show that the offseason makeover of the roster either worked or it didn’t. But while Thibodeau talks about the daily improvement and the team being at its best in the end, getting there intact remains the speed bump the Knicks have not been able to get past.
Before worrying about the postseason — right now they would match up with the suddenly red-hot Pistons in the opening round, with the Celtics almost certainly awaiting them in the second round if they get past Detroit — the Knicks have to worry about today, as Thibodeau would tell you. And for the Knicks, today has its own questions.
Today it’s who is in the middle? Will Anunoby stay healthy? Is Robinson really going to be the player he was before the two surgeries?
Every team has to cross fingers and hope that its best players are on the floor when it matters most. The Knicks are no different — and maybe even more driven by that with a very top-heavy roster.
“Every time you step on the court, you have a chance to see where you are regardless of who you play,” Jalen Brunson said on “The Roommates Show” podcast. That just shows where we are. We’re not ready, but we have a long way to go to get ready.”
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.
