Knicks forward OG Anunoby may have a realistic path to returning by Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, according to a prominent sports medicine doctor.
The diagnosis that emerged after Anunoby exited his second-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers was a Grade 1 right hamstring strain, the mildest classification of the injury. But that assessment now looks like the best-case scenario for the New York Knicks. Sports medicine specialist Dr. Jesse Morse weighed in on Sunday. Morse said the projected timeline would give Anunoby “almost 2 weeks to heal” after suffering the hamstring strain in Game 1, a recovery window that could boost the Knicks’ hopes of advancing to the NBA Finals.
The Knicks have not appeared in the NBA Finals since 1999, when they lost 4-1 to the San Antonio Spurs, a franchise that they could potentially face in the 2026 Finals as well.
But New York has not won an NBA championship since 1973, when they won their second in four years. But those are the only two titles the Knicks have won in their 81-year history.
Anunoby’s Return Timeline Before Eastern Conference Finals
“There’s a good chance” Anunoby can safely return for Game 1 of the ECF, Morse wrote on his social media account Sunday. The NBA has the series scheduled to tip off Tuesday, May 19, with an expedited start of Sunday, May 17, also possible if the Detroit Pistons-Cleveland Cavaliers second-round matchup concludes ahead of schedule, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Isaiah De Los Santos.
SNY insider Ian Begley had separately offered an optimistic read, projecting that Anunoby would be ready for the series opener and would face no minute restrictions once cleared.
“This is not something that’s going to take weeks to come back from unless there’s some kind of setback,” Begley said on an SNY broadcast.
Prediction markets reflect some lingering uncertainty. The Kalshi contract on Anunoby suiting up before May 18 had dropped 19 points from its opening price to sit at 45%, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Parker Loverich. That’s pretty much a coin flip. A longer-dated contract covering any return before June 20 stood at 95%, signaling that prognosticators view this as a short-term setback rather than a season-ending concern.
Knicks Need Anunoby in Eastern Conference Finals
New York swept the 76ers without Anunoby in the final two games, winning Game 3 by 14 points and Game 4 by 30. But the Eastern Conference Finals will present a considerably tougher test. The Detroit Pistons, the East’s No. 1 seed, went 31-9 at home in the regular season, and the Knicks went 0-3 against them, with the narrowest defeat a 15-point margin. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the Knicks’ other potential ECF opponent, would also be a difficult opponent. The Knicks took two of three from Cleveland in the regular season, but won those two games by a total of 10 points before losing by 15 on Feb. 24.
In other words, the Cavaliers outscored the Knicks by five in the regular season.
Before the injury, Anunoby was in the middle of the most efficient two-way stretch of his career. He was averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals while shooting 61.9% from the field across the first two games of the Philadelphia series, figures well above his regular-season averages of 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds over 67 games.
The 28-year-old London, England, native has served as the Knicks’ primary defensive anchor for two straight seasons, finishing in the Defensive Player of the Year top 10 this season. Without Anunoby available, New York loses its most reliable weapon for neutralizing stars like Detroit’s Cade Cunningham or Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, whichever the threat turns out to be.
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