There's no doubt that O.G. Anunoby has been a key part of the New York Knicks' playoff rotation, but the problem is that the former Toronto Raptors star may no longer be able to help the team eliminate the Indiana Pacers. Prior to Anunoby's time for the Knicks this season, the former NBA champion played 27 games with the Toronto Raptors, during which time the 2.01-meter-tall forward averaged 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 37 percent from three-point range, but Raptors management decided to trade him to speed up the team's rebuild.
Anunoby was traded to the New York Knicks along with Presers Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in exchange for R.J. Barrett, Emmanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick from the Detroit Pistons. From the start, the forward has been excellent on the defensive end while also having a solid three-point shooting on the offensive end, and he is a great fit for All-Star guard Jalen Brunson.
Unfortunately, Anunoby has been plagued by injuries since then, missing a number of games before the end of the regular season, and that hasn't changed much in the playoffs, with the Knicks forward soon missing Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pacers.
In Game 2 of the Knicks' 130-121 win over the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Anunoby pulled a hamstring that hasn't been recovered from until now. According to the latest report from New York Post reporter Stefan Bundy, the Knicks star has been confirmed to miss Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said in an interview with Bundy this week: "Anunoby hasn't started running training right now, he's currently suffering from a hamstring strain. ”
The news will undoubtedly worry Knicks fans, as the Pacers recently won two straight games on the road in the Eastern Conference semifinals to tie the overall score at 2-2, and without Anunoby, the team would not only lose his perimeter defense, but would also have to rely more on Brunson on the offensive end. It remains to be seen if Anunoby will be able to return for this series, and if he doesn't recover well, then Knicks players may soon find themselves having to watch the playoffs at home.