Can the Knicks survive without Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby? Eastern Conference hopefuls trying to tread water

This is a thorny stretch for the Knicks. That happens when you have designs on winning the Eastern Conference and you're missing two critical components who represent 40% of your starting lineup. 

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby were unavailable for Monday's last-second loss to the Heat in Miami. Anunoby suffered a hamstring strain in the first quarter of last week's win over the Heat and will be reevaluated in roughly two weeks. Brunson, meanwhile, is day-to-day with an ankle injury he suffered late in last week's loss to the Magic. Neither injury is ideal, but it's Brunson's situation that has a certain portion of the Knicks fan base in their feelings about how it went down.

Tom Thibodeau's inflexible insistence on playing his starters heavy minutes without regard for the situation at hand is a big reason why he is no longer the head coach and Mike Brown is -- which is why so many observers were flummoxed that Brunson was still in the game late in the fourth quarter against Orlando. New York was down 16 with under two minutes left when Brunson turned his ankle. He later left the arena with a walking boot and crutches. The Knicks announced he had a Grade 1 sprain and he's being reevaluated daily. After some initial uncertainty, Brunson joined the team for the current five-game road trip and, in an encouraging development, got some pregame work in before Monday's Miami outing.

Maybe he returns sooner than later. Brown certainly seemed optimistic. But even a favorable timetable doesn't erase questions about the underlying process that led them here. When asked why Brunson was still on the floor in a game that looked all but finished, Brown conceded that "you never want anybody hurt, let alone somebody on your team and somebody with the caliber of Jalen." But Brown also said he was "trying to win the game" and mentioned the possibility of "crazy comebacks." That rationale seemed at odds with Brown's comments during preseason media day, which were practically a pledge to handle things differently than his predecessor. 

"The biggest thing," Brown said in late September, "is trying to make sure you watch everybody's minutes instead of trying to chase games. There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early."

So much for throwing in the towel early. Or late, for that matter. Now the question hovering over the Knicks is how quickly they can get Brunson and Anunoby back into the mix -- and whether they can keep the record respectable in the interim. They're 8-5, looking up at the Pistons, Cavaliers, Hawks and Raptors, level with the Sixers, just barely ahead of the Heat, Bulls and Bucks. Probably not where the Knicks thought they'd be. And now there are injuries. 

Part of the worry with Brunson is that he hurt the same ankle late last season. He was initially expected to miss two weeks back then but ended up being unavailable for 15 games before returning for the playoffs. The Knicks went 9-6 while he was out. 

Brunson is 10th in the NBA in scoring this season, averaging 28 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. With him at the controls, the Knicks are third in offensive rating. Not surprisingly, he leads the team in usage rate by a healthy margin at 31.9. Not having Brunson available removes a big chunk of how New York operates its offense. With Brunson on the floor the Knicks have a 123.1 offensive rating; without him, that number dips to 115.

Brown recently said the Knicks "want to play fast" because when that happens "teams don't have a chance to set their defense." That obviously becomes harder without Brunson, who's made All-NBA in each of the last two seasons. It also doesn't help the reliable two-man game that has developed between him and Karl-Anthony Towns. 

Not surprisingly, the Knicks said all the expected things after Brunson and Anunoby went down. There were a lot of "next man up" bromides tossed around following that feel-good win over the Heat at MSG last week. In fairness, the Knicks scored 140 points in that game, including a combined 60 from primary NMU candidates Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet off the bench. The offense was less robust and more uneven in Monday's rematch with the Heat, featuring some nice plays but also looking clunky in spots. (Clarkson and Shamet were shakier in the encore, going a combined 9 for 24.) A lot was made during the offseason about this Knicks team being deeper than it has been for a while. Now we'll see how true that is and how much the supporting cast can consistently contribute until two of the leading men return. 

Accounting for some portion of Brunson's missing offense won't be easy. Figure they'll turn up the usage knobs on KAT and Mikal Bridges, then hope to squeeze additional playmaking and scoring out of Clarkson, Shamet and Deuce McBride (who took Brunson's spot in the starting lineup). That might be a simpler task than replacing Anunoby's defense. With Anunoby on the floor, the Knicks have a stingy 106.4 defensive rating. Without him, that number balloons to 120.7. The man is a disruptive force. 

Hamstrings are tricky and OG's injury history over the course of his career has been worrisome. He played 74 games last season, the most since his rookie year. But in six of his first eight seasons, he never played more than 69 games, and in three of those campaigns he appeared in 50 games or fewer. There are going to be a lot of gritted teeth and crossed fingers in New York while he's on the mend. 

The good news here, to the extent there is any, is that the Brunson and Anunoby situations come at a not-terrible time in the Knicks schedule. There are no easy five-game road trips in the NBA and New York already dropped the first one at Miami. But the next four are at Dallas, Orlando, Brooklyn and Charlotte. Three of those four have struggled mightily to start the season, while the Magic have only lately begun to course correct. 

After that, the Knicks are home against the Bucks and Raptors, away at the unknowable Boston Celtics, followed by two more at home against the Hornets and Jazz. That's a block that mostly keeps them in their own time zone and doesn't require slugging it out with any Western Conference heavyweights. The schedule could be worse. It would be hugely helpful for the Knicks' aspirations if they can navigate this portion of it and stay afloat until Brunson and Anunoby are back on board.