On Monday, New York Knicks fans took a tough blow. It was reported that OG Anunoby would miss the Knicks' game in Golden State in what was initially listed as injury management. However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the wing's elbow flared up.
Tom Thibodeau said Anunoby had traveled back to New York to undergo an MRI, which luckily came back clean but showed inflammation. The head coach said Anunoby would "most likely" miss the Knicks' game in Denver on Thursday. It wouldn't be a surprise if he sat out for the next few games, as there hasn't been a timetable for his return.
New York beat Golden State without Anunoby, but not even the big win was enough to keep fans from wondering about the health of their favorite team. Julius Randle has been out since he dislocated his shoulder on Jan. 27. Mitchell Robinson has been out since early December after an injured ankle required surgery.
There hadn't been much reported about Randle and Robinson's status, which had caused fans to panic even more. That changed on Tuesday when SNY's Ian Begley reported that there's still belief Randle will play again this season.
"Three people I spoke to who are familiar with the situation expressed confidence that Randle would ultimately return to the court."
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 20, 2024
- @IanBegley https://t.co/rVwgxdhPO6 pic.twitter.com/t7QEjBq5WO
On Wednesday, fans got another boost after Robinson finished his first full contact practice.
Mitchell Robinson went thru contact practice. Big update.
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) March 20, 2024
Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson still on track for Knicks return
Based on that news, Robinson seems closer to a return than Randle. The center recently commented on Instagram that he wants to come off the bench, which could happen.
Based on conversations at practice today, I’ll say there is a strong probability Mitchell Robinson comes off the bench once he returns.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) March 20, 2024
Don't bank on Mitch playing against the Nuggets on Thursday, but his return could come within the next few games. It's impressive that his first full practice came at high altitude, but the Knicks shouldn't want his first game back to be in Denver, even if he could play.
There's a month left until the playoffs start. The Play-In Tournament will begin in less than a month. In three weeks, New York will play its final regular season game. With time flying by, fans have been wondering if the Knicks would be able to enter the postseason healthy. The latest news increases the chance of that happening!