NBA Rumors: New York Knicks expect OG Anunoby to miss remainder of the season?

Could the New York Knicks be without OG Anunoby for the remainder of the season?

New York Knicks v Portland Trail Blazers
New York Knicks v Portland Trail Blazers | Soobum Im/GettyImages

NBA Rumors: Is there a sudden feeling that the New York Knicks could be without OG Anunoby for the remainder of the season?

During the month of January, it looked very much as if the New York Knicks had made the biggest splash of the NBA Trade Deadline season. The addition of OG Anunoby proved to be a complete game-changer for the Knicks through 14 games. Then, something unforeseen happened. Anunoby suffered an elbow injury that would go on to keep him out for the next month and a half.

The injury to Anunoby completely changed the trajectory of the Knicks and put a damper on what had become one of the bigger storylines in the league. Anunoby would return on March 12 but would only play in three games before he would once again be sidelined with a reaggregation of that same elbow injury. He's missed the team's last seven games and there's currently no timetable on when he could return.

With the end of the regular season on the horizon and the start of the NBA Playoffs a couple of weeks away, you can't help but wonder when - or if - Anunoby is going to return to the lineup.

Could OG Anunoby end up missing the rest of the season?

All of a sudden, there seems to be this sense around the team that Anunoby could end up missing the remainder of the season. After the Knicks' most recent loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, when pressed on the issue of the team's lack of health, Josh Hart had an interesting comment:

""I'm looking at it like this is the team we're going to have. I think that's how we have to approach it, that those guys aren't coming back and obviously we'll be pleasantly surprised if they come back.""
Josh Hart

In fairness, Hart would also say he doesn't know exactly what's going on behind closed doors when it comes to the Knicks' injured players on the mend, but his comments might echo the mindset that perhaps the team has at the moment when it comes to the potential returns of Anunoby and Julius Randle.

Adding to that concerning comment from Hart was what Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said as well, in which he essentially sidestepped the question of when Anunoby could come back from injury.

Even though there's still time for Anunoby to make his return, the signs don't look all that encouraging for the Knicks. If Anunoby isn't able to return this season, it would be quite unfortunate. With how good the Knicks looked when they were healthy, it's going to be quite a shame if he isn't able to return before the start of the NBA Playoffs.