Knicks Must Band Together Without Star Wing

The back from injury finally looked to be grabbing hold of the wide-open Eastern Conference following their first few rocky weeks. Jalen Brunson, back from injury, was finally looking like old efficient self, their newly-empowered wing tandem of Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby were each off to some of the better starts of their careers and the rotation seemed as functionally deep as ever.

They were chugging right along until they started sustaining more injuries, something that every team has to learn to counteract over the course of the NBA's long season. They've since been robbed of Anunoby's presence most recent loss, a 133-121 loss they sustained at the hands of the Orlando Magic for their second such loss to the same team in five games.

Missing Anunoby's Two-Way Impact

Hamstring strains are no joke, so expect the Knicks to play it cautious without one of their most important defensive players. But his burly figure was sorely missed against a team like the Magic who win with constant paint touches and brute force drives from their jumbo wings in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, with that one game leaving the Knicks with a lot of questions to answer on top of their already-climbing pile of issues.

"It'll be another week before Anunoby is evaluated for his hamstring injury, and given Anunoby's injury history (playing 70-plus games only twice in eight seasons), it seems being cautious will be the smart play here," ESPN's Vincent Goodwill wrote. "In the meantime, head coach Mike Brown has to find a way to unlock Karl-Anthony Towns. He doesn't seem to fit in the offense so far, and the numbers bear it out. He's shooting 10 percentage points below his career average and a career-low 31.7% from 3-point range."

back from injury Center Karl-Anthony Towns and Forward OG Anunoby — Apr 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; back from injury center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and forward OG Anunoby (8) celebrates in the second half against the Detroit Pistons during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"It's such a small sample size that perhaps it's too early to panic, but it's noticeable — especially with how the Knicks struggle defensively without Anunoby. On Saturday, Orlando feasted all over the floor, and the Knicks didn't look good on defense when playing Towns and Mitchell Robinson together."

Goodwill goes on to call the Knicks a "middle-of-the-pack team" on defense, but advanced metrics hate how they look as soon as Anunoby leaves the floor. They're posting a -7.4 net rating without him as opposed to 15.6 during his minutes, and that's reflected on both ends. The scoring slips a bit thanks largely to his release-valve of a jumper, but the defense skyrockets from 109.82 to 123.37 points allowed per 100 possessions whenever head coach Mike Brown More From SI.

Figuring out how to get Towns more comfortable as more of a full-time four will be key to surviving life without Anunoby, but even if the big scorer figures out how to be more impactful, Brown still has his work cut out for him in replacing a player who once looked poised to make his first-ever All-Star appearance.

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