OG Anunoby has officially been ruled out for the New York Knicks' preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. According to the New York Post's Stefan Bondy, Anunoby is reportedly suffering from a sprained hand.
Unfortunately, Anunoby is no stranger to injuries. Fans of the Toronto Raptors watched it for years: OG would always be a high impact two-way wing when healthy, but seasons would often be marred by missed time on the court. Now, Knicks fans are now facing the same question: Are they going to be able to rely on him to stay healthy?
New York has obviously invested big in OG Anunoby for his defensive identity and two-way impact. He was healthy last season, but it was the first year where he played 70 or more games since his rookie season. If he continues to face injury troubles for an extended period of time, the Knicks' return on investment concerning Anunoby is going to be under pressure.
Mitchell Robinson is starting at center in the preseason opener, Mike Brown says.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) October 2, 2025
OG Anunoby is out with a sprained hand.
Pacome Dadiet is starting in his place
OG Anunoby has had continued injury troubles in his career
OG's absence is going to force other players into roles where they're playing bigger minutes and taking on tougher assignments. Him not being in the lineup is going to cause plenty of shifts within Mike Brown's wing hierarchy. New York's defensive identity is partly built around Anunoby, and if he can't consistently be on the floor, it's reasonable to think the scheme may suffer from an overall standpoint.
Knicks fans of course love Anunoby for his defensive grit, and his healthy year last season made many feel like his injury troubles could potentially be a thing of the past at this point. Now, it's reasonable to think fans may start to worry that OG is reverting back to being a guy that can't stay healthy.
Of course, it's still early. We don't know much of the details with this particular injury, and it could end up being a totally minor thing that only set him back for one preseason game in the grand scheme of things. However, with a guy like OG Anunoby who has consistently dealt with these things in the past, it does beg the question.
And at the end of the day, the worst case scenario is really a pretty ugly one. Should Anunoby's availability begin to go up and down once again, that would be a major deterrent to the New York Knicks' championship hopes.