Knicks Banking on Healthy of Star Forward

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby has been bitten by the injury bug many times throughout his career, but the team has a lot of hope that he can be a key piece in the upcoming season.

Anunoby, 27, missed 32 games last season while playing for the Toronto Raptors and Knicks. He also missed four games during the playoffs, not including Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers, where he only was on the floor for less than five minutes.

Anunoby’s health could be the deciding factor in whether the Knicks make it deeper in the playoffs this season.

“Anunoby does historically have poor injury luck, which is another reason why the Bridges pickup may prove important for New York in case Anunoby does go down again. Bridges hasn’t missed a game since 2019-20, even playing in 83 games two seasons ago between his time in Phoenix and Brooklyn. Anunoby, on the other hand, has only played in 63.4 percent of his potential games over the last four seasons combined, which will be something to keep an eye on with him,” HoopsHype writes. “Regardless, with some good injury luck, New York should have the best defensive forward tandem in the league and it might not be all that close. And the fact that both Bridges and Anunoby are tidy scorers, too, who can play well off of the likes of Brunson and Julius Randle, could make the Knicks a top contender in the East in 2024-25.”

Having Bridges, a player who hasn’t missed a game in his first six NBA seasons, will help soften the blow when Anunoby isn’t on the court. That being said, the Knicks are at their best when both of them are playing.

If the Knicks can get both Bridges and Anunoby healthy and playing their best basketball, New York’s chances of becoming a championship contender increase tenfold.

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