OG Anunoby’s elbow injury ultimately required surgery.
The Knicks announced on Thursday that Anunoby underwent a procedure to remove a loose bone fragment in his right, shooting elbow.
It is a minor procedure, and Anunoby is expected to resume basketball activities in three weeks.
Anunoby tried resting his elbow as a method of recovery, but surgery was viewed as the quickest and most effective way for him to return to action at 100 percent health. The team is optimistic Anunoby will be for the latter stretch of the regular season and the postseason, where his presence will be felt for a team hoping to build on last season’s appearance in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
“Like all players coming back from an injury, there will be a ramp up and then, that’s — we’re hopeful for [Anunoby’s return at 100 percent for the end of the season]. But he’s gonna miss some time,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said ahead of tipoff against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. “But he’s in great shape. I said this about Julius [Randle] the other day: The fact that they’re in great shape makes that easier to transition back to. It’s not like they’re not in good shape and then they get in worse shape, and then it’s a longer road back. I think the road back will be quick for both guys.”
The Knicks initially listed Anunoby as day-to-day with right elbow inflammation, but on Wednesday, they adjusted the injury report to reflect Anunoby as out with bone spur irritation.
Thibodeau said he was uncertain what day Anunoby underwent the procedure but noted the surgery occurred this week.
Anunoby last played on Jan. 27 against the Miami Heat. Thursday’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks marked the sixth straight game he missed due to his elbow injury.
Thibodeau said he was unsure if Anunoby’s elbow injury predated the trade.
“It’s hard to say when it exactly happened because it was the inflammation first, and these things are not uncommon,” he said. “When you play in 50 games, most players are nicked up with something at this time of the year. So it was inflammation and we thought we could get through it, and unfortunately that didn’t happen.
“Then you gather the information, you consult the experts and you make a decision. So the process of what we did I think was really good, and obviously OG’s a big part of it, his agent is a big part of it, and then our medical team. So this is the best course of action for us.”
The provided injury timeline means Anunoby will miss — at minimum — the Knicks’ next nine games. The 2024 NBA All-Star break falls in the middle of his recovery period, which softens the blow for a Knicks team in need of its star forward back on the floor.
The Knicks have been dominant since the trade that sent R.J. Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons to the Toronto Raptors in the deal that landed Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn — who was dealt to the Pistons ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline in the move that sent Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic to New York.
The Knicks went 12-2 in Anunoby’s first 14 games in New York and entered Thursday’s matchup against the Mavericks with a 16-3 record since Jan. 1.
Only the Cleveland Cavaliers boast a better record during that stretch with a 15-2 record since the turn of the calendar year.
Anunoby averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game since his arrival in New York, shooting 51.6% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. The Knicks outscored their opponents by 252 points across the 14 games he played before his injury.
Anunoby’s shoulder surgery compounds a mounting injury problem for the Knicks, who are now down three starters: Julius Randle is also out an extended period of time after dislocating his right shoulder in the same Jan. 27 matchup against the Heat, and Mitchell Robinson has been out since Dec. 8 after a stress fracture in his left ankle required surgery.
Robinson is set to resume on-court activity after the All-Star break.
Softening the blow dealt by Anunoby’s injury, however, are the moves made by an active front office that addressed its weaknesses ahead of the trade deadline.
The Knicks traded Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono and Malachi Flynn to the Pistons for Burks and Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic has averaged 20 points per game in a season-and-a-half in Detroit, and Burks is a reliable three-point shooter with playmaking instincts and positional size to guard the wing.
The Knicks may be without Anunoby — and both Randle and Robinson — for some time, but they have positioned themselves to have a deep roster when they return to full health.
In getting elbow surgery now, the Knicks are hopeful Anunoby returns to full health for the latter stretch of the season.
