The Knicks can survive OG Anunoby’s injury with the imminent return of Jalen Brunson

The The New York Knicks played well at home during the first few weeks of the season. And they played terribly on the road, going 0-4 to open the year. This was evident in their last game, as they lost to the Miami Heat 115-113. Admittedly, the Knicks were without Jalen Brunson and And the Anunobi in Miami, which is certainly a difficult challenge to overcome. And while it is The Knicks won the first game without Brunson at the end of last week, it is becoming increasingly difficult to succeed without two main contributors.

While Brunson traveled with the Knicks on their road trip and is questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Anunoby’s status is less clear. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated in two weeks. So the Knicks not only have to get by without their star forward, but they have to do it on the road for the next four games. Fortunately, New York is better prepared for this than it has been in the recent past.

What’s life like without OG Anunobi?

Monday’s game against the Heat was Anunoby’s first game of the season. He stayed relatively healthy last year as well, missing just eight games in 2024-25. The Knicks were 6-2 without him. But while Anunoby’s absence doesn’t seem to have affected the Knicks, there’s more to it than meets the eye.

Looking through his tenure with the team, New York is a mediocre 31-32 in the regular season and playoffs without Anunoby. That has a lot to do with Anunoby’s two-way effect on the game. This season, he is averaging 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.9 steals and nearly one block in 31.1 minutes per game. And it’s pretty similar to what he did during his 109 games with the Knicks.

New York’s bench appears to be up to the challenge of replacing Anunoby, if only offensively. Knicks reserves score a goal 35.9 points per game this year, according to StatMuse. That’s up from 21.7 last season.

But replacing Anunoby is about more than scoring points. The Knicks also need to replace his defense. The nine-year pro is a defensive threat more than capable of shutting down an opposing team’s best offensive player. And it doesn’t make a big difference if that player is a forward or even a center. Therefore, replacing Anunobi’s output is a unique challenge.

How New York is better prepared to survive Anunoby’s absence

Fortunately, New York is better equipped to handle Anunoby’s absence this season. First, the presence of Mychal Bridges and Josh Hart means there are still two above-average players capable of holding down the wing positions on both sides of the floor. Of course, both players were available last season as well. But Bridges is playing significantly better this season than he did in his first year with the Knicks.

Additionally, head coach Mike Brown is more willing to lean on his bench than Tom Thibodeau. Brown uses a heavy dose of guys like Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, Guerschon Iabusele and Jordan Clarkson. This means that the replacement of Anunobi can be done by the committee.

The quality of the opponent is also important. The Knicks’ next five games come against the Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks. That brings us to November 28th, which will be two weeks since Anunoby suffered the injury.

The Hornets, Mavericks and Nets are a combined 9-33. Things happen, but those games should be wins with or without Anunoby. The Magic and Bucks are dealing with injuries of their own (Paolo Banchero and Giannis Antetokounmpo). And while both teams could get healthy before they play the Knicks, that still means 3-2 should be the worst case scenario.

Injuries are hard to come by in the modern NBA. And while a number of teams are currently struggling with an injury bug, the Knicks are better built than most to endure these stretches. Hopefully Anunoby will only miss two weeks. But if it’s longer, New York is well-engineered to do without it, at least for now.