New York Knicks to 'Play It Safe' with OG Anunoby Injury

The New York Knicks are once again biding their time for OG Anunoby to recover from an elbow injury.

March 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) dribbles the | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

There's no denying that the New York Knicks are a different team with OG Anunoby in their lineup:

Since trading for Anunoby in late December, the Knicks are 15-2 when he plays and just 12-13 when he sits. He played three games in mid-March upon return from an elbow injury that held him out for a little more than a month. However, the injury flared up and he hasn't played since March 16.

March 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) shoots the | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With eight games left in the regular season and no official timetable for Anunoby's return, there's understandable anxiety about his status for the ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski spoke about Anunoby's injury on the Monday edition of "NBA Today" and how the Knicks plan to proceed with it.

“OG Anunoby, I’m told that the Knicks…that elbow…they don’t want him in and out of the lineup," Wojnarowski said. "They want that injury, the inflammation, irritation, to go away—that when they bring him back, he can stay back… big picture of having him healthy ready hopefully for the postseason— that doesn’t mean he won’t come back during the regular season…This is an organization right now that wants to play it safe with Anunoby…”

Though the Knicks (44-30) are fighting for primary playoff seeding, they'd certainly prefer to be as close to full strength as possible for the playoffs. New York is already missing Julius Randle indefinitely while Mitchell Robinson sat out of Sunday's loss to Oklahoma City due to complications with the ankle injury that previously kept him out for over three months.

With Anunoby still sidelined, the Knicks are set to face the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in South Beach (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).