Tom Thibodeau delivers promising injury news to Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby

The New York Knicks went 4-8 in February as they slid down the Eastern Conference standings. Part of the reason why is injuries, most of them long-term or at least more than a few weeks. Some of the Knicks’ numbers are astonishing to see, including the 14 different players they’ve started this season.

Part of that injured crop includes OG Anunoby, who hasn’t played since Jan. 27 due to an elbow injury. All-Star Julius Randle has also been out since Jan. 27, and leading scorer Jalen Brunson essentially missed three of the last four games, completely missing two while playing less than a minute in a third.

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau provided updates on Anunoby and Brunson before the Knicks host the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Thibodeau said that Anunoby hasn’t been cleared to fully play yet but is playing five-on-five in practice, per Fred Katz. Brunson meanwhile practiced in full on Thursday, per Thibodeau, but he does not yet know how the Knicks will report it on their upcoming injury report.

Knicks need to get healthy

The Knicks are clinging to a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference standings with about a month left in the regular season. New York holds only a game advantage over the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers. The top six seeds in each conference avoid the play-in tournament.

The Knicks are 0-3 when both Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby miss the same game. New York is close to making life difficult for itself in the playoffs. Falling into the play-in should not be the goal nor should it be accepted by the Knicks players and staff.

Getting Brunson and Anunoby back for the stretch run should help the Knicks avoid that possibility. New York could be fully healthy and become a problem in the Eastern Conference playoffs.