The New York Knicks pulled out a hard-fought, 108-102 win over the 76ers on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately, this outcome isn't the main takeaway from the outing.
During the late stages of the fourth period, stud forward OG Anunoby subbed himself out of the contest with what appeared to be a nagging hamstring ailment. He would not return.
Now, in the game's aftermath, many are suffering from deja vu, as fans witnessed an eerily similar situation in the 2024 semis, when Anunoby was shelved with a severe hamstring strain.
With reports being he'll be "day to day" as a result of this latest flare-up, the Knicks will need to look for his replacement in the pecking order ahead of Friday's Game 3.
Fortunately, they may already have the perfect pivot option in the likes of Mikal Bridges.
Mikal Bridges capable of stepping up for Knicks after OG Anunoby injury
While some may have forgotten, in large part due to his lackluster second regular season with the Knicks, Bridges has meaningful experience playing the role of a title-hopeful team's primary wing.
Back during the Phoenix Suns' road to the 2021 NBA Finals, the forward ranked fourth on the team in points, second in three-point percentage, and second in box plus-minus, per Basketball-Reference.
In the two seasons leading up to his trade to the Knicks, Bridges managed to take a step forward with his particular role on the floor while serving as the number one option for the Brooklyn Nets, where he went on to drop 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on 37.3 percent shooting from deep.
In fact, during the campaign right before his migration to MSG, he quietly established himself as a highly reliable, go-to offensive weapon.
From his 37.2 percent long-range shooting clip and 870 total drives (11.4 drives per 36 minutes), to the cold-blooded mentality that had him rank sixth in total clutch points scored, Bridges has a track record of coming up big when the stakes are heightened.
Despite regularly being used as the fourth option with the Knicks, he's already displayed his abilities to rise to the occasion, both offensively and defensively, throughout his two-year tenure in orange and blue.
Yes, it goes without saying that Anunoby sustaining yet another hamstring injury is far from ideal, especially considering just how stellar he's been playing as of late.
However, with his offensive stock already on the rise in this year's playoffs (19.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 74.3 percent shooting from the floor over the last three games), coupled with his stupendous defense on top opposing players like Tyrese Maxey (the All-Star is shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor and 11.1 percent from deep while coughing up five turnovers a game with Bridges as his main defender), it seems Mikal should be the ideal player to slide in for OG as New York's number three during his absence.
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