Knicks Injury Updates: OG Anunoby (foot) misses 1st game, Mitchell Robinson progresses to contact

Knicks guardant OG Anunoby was sidelined for Monday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets, marking his archetypal lack since sustaining what the squad is calling a sprained close ft successful Saturday’s nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Head manager Tom Thibodeau described the wounded arsenic a “mild sprain” and said the squad volition show Anunoby’s effect to attraction earlier determining his availability for Tuesday’s 2nd limb of a back-to-back successful Toronto against the Raptors.

“We’ll spot however helium responds to the treatment,” Thibodeau said up of tipoff connected Monday. “It would beryllium premature to say.”

Anunoby went down 90 seconds into the 2nd fractional against the Lakers, his close ft appearing to springiness retired arsenic helium planted successful transition. He gingerly walked to the sideline earlier limping to the locker room, and the Knicks officially ruled him retired for the remainder of the crippled soon after.

Thibodeau confirmed Anunoby underwent an MRI and categorized him arsenic day-to-day.

How bash the Knicks regenerate their antiaircraft anchor?

“It’s portion of it,” Thibodeau said. “Next feline get successful determination and get the occupation done.”

Thibodeau turned to Precious Achiuwa, inserting the reserve guardant into the starting lineup successful spot of Anunoby, who had been averaging 16.4 points per crippled — including 20.8 implicit his past 5 games — earlier the injury.

The Knicks acquired Anunoby successful a blockbuster Dec. 30, 2023 commercialized that sent Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett, and a second-round prime to the Raptors.

They past re-signed him to a five-year, $212.5 cardinal woody — the richest declaration successful franchise past — to physique what they anticipation is an elite perimeter defence fueled by Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart arsenic disruptors.

Anunoby’s absence, however, puts further strain connected a Knicks roster already navigating extent concerns.

Hart, for example, could spot some a minutes summation and a flimsy relation displacement successful Anunoby’s absence.

Last season, Hart led the NBA successful minutes played during Anunoby’s month-and-a-half-long lack owed to an elbow injury, though Randle besides sustained a season-ending enarthrosis wounded connected the aforesaid time Anunoby near the rotation, putting further strain connected the roster.

This season, Hart already ranks 2nd successful full minutes down Bridges, the league person successful clip connected the floor.

“I’m second? I’m disappointed I’m not first,” Hart told The Daily News up of Monday’s tipoff. “So we’ll spot if we tin power that up.”

Hart said thing changes with Anunoby retired owed to injury.

“Not a damn thing,” helium told The News. “I play my crippled however I play my game.”

Still, Hart acknowledged that nary azygous subordinate tin afloat regenerate what Anunoby brings connected defense.

“Nah, I don’t deliberation immoderate 1 idiosyncratic tin capable the void if ‘Kal, OG, KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] oregon JB [Jalen Brunson] are out,” Hart said. “That’s gotta beryllium thing we capable by committee.”

The Knicks volition find retired conscionable however heavy their committee runs arsenic they navigate beingness without their antiaircraft anchor — starting with a pugnacious back-to-back successful Toronto connected Tuesday.

BIG MITCH TAKING CONTACT

Knicks halfway Mitchell Robinson is officially cleared for takeoff.

The team’s aesculapian unit gave Robinson the greenish airy for interaction drills connected Monday, marking a important measurement successful his recovery. The rim-protecting large antheral volition statesman taking interaction successful signifier this week arsenic helium works toward his long-awaited return.

“Obviously there’s a fig of steps for him to spell through,” caput manager Tom Thibodeau said up of tipoff against the Houston Rockets connected Monday. “The adjacent measurement is the interaction portion of practice. So conscionable get going with that.”

Robinson has not played since undergoing country for a accent fracture successful his near ankle, suffered successful Game 1 of the Knicks’ second-round playoff bid against the Indiana Pacers successful aboriginal May.

It was his 2nd accent fracture to the aforesaid ankle — and subsequently, his 2nd process — past play alone. The archetypal wounded occurred during a Dec. 8, 2023 matchup against the Boston Celtics, forcing him to miss much than 3 months earlier returning for the playoffs.

Despite the lengthy layoff, Robinson has remained engaged, maintaining a thin framework passim his rehab process.

He walked done the Knicks’ locker country pregame connected Monday, erstwhile again shirtless — his caller regular — showing disconnected his maintained conditioning.

Asked if helium would play against the Rockets, Robinson cracked a grin.

“Wait for the wounded study to travel out,” helium joked, arsenic teammates adjacent chimed in: “He’s questionable.”

The Knicks person felt Robinson’s absence, peculiarly aft trading Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves successful the blockbuster woody for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns thrived alongside rim-protecting, perennial Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert successful Minnesota, and the Knicks judge Robinson tin supply a akin antiaircraft beingness adjacent to their newest All-Star.

His rebounding is undeniable. Robinson averaged a league-best 4.6 violative rebounds per crippled past season, anchoring the Knicks’ dominance connected the glass.

His instrumentality won’t beryllium contiguous — Thibodeau and the aesculapian unit volition beryllium cautious with his workload — but the countdown is officially on.

And for a Knicks squad poised to marque a playoff push, getting their antiaircraft anchor backmost couldn’t travel astatine a amended time. With 3 days of remainder — and other signifier clip — looming up of Saturday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, past the weeklong All-Star interruption looming from Feb. 13-19, Robinson’s instrumentality could beryllium the summation immoderate were hoping the Knicks would find connected the commercialized market.