Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Layoff, Brunson, Revenue

The Knicks are optimistic that, barring a setback, forward OG Anunoby will be ready to return from his hamstring strain for the start of the Eastern Conference finals, according to Shams Charania and Vincent Goodwill of ESPN.

The layoff following the Knicks’ second-round sweep has been beneficial for Anunoby, who suffered the hamstring injury in Game 2 of the conference semifinals last Wednesday. Reporting at the time indicated it was a very mild strain, and the veteran wing was listed as questionable for Games 3 and 4 before being downgraded to out for each contest. New York’s next series won’t begin until at least Sunday — it could be pushed back to Tuesday if the Pistons are able to force a Game 7 vs. Cleveland.

Anunoby didn’t do any live, full-speed work during Wednesday’s practice, but he went through portions of that practice and completed an individual workout, as Goodwill details.

“Any time anybody is able to do stuff, you’re encouraged,” head coach Mike Brown said. “But again, that’s what they told me he could do today. I’ll wait until Friday to see what they tell me.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• While the Knicks appreciated not having to jump right into their next series without a real break, they’re getting antsy to return to the court and carry over the momentum from their current seven-game winning streak, Josh Hart admitted on Wednesday. “The first series we had what, four days’ break I think it was? That was good enough,” Hart said, per Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. “This right now, I think at least a week, if not nine days. That’s a long time. So obviously it’s good for recovery, but mentally I’m watching the games, I’m just like just waiting, just waiting to get back out there.”
• While Brown has received plenty of credit for unlocking Karl-Anthony Towns‘ play-making during the playoffs, Jalen Brunson deserves kudos for being willing to play off the ball more frequently, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Responding on Wednesday to the suggestion that some stars wouldn’t have taken that change in stride, Brunson replied, “One, I’m not a star. Two, I want to win.”
• If the Knicks are able to advance to the NBA Finals, they could be looking at somewhere in the range of $140-180MM in gross revenue as a result of their playoff run, writes Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. New York is the only team still alive that ranks among the NBA’s top 10 in gate revenue, according to Badenhausen, who suggests that players on eliminated clubs should be rooting for the Knicks to play as many home games as possible during the next two rounds, since it would increase the league’s basketball-related income for the 2025/26 season.
• Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports takes a closer look at how chemistry and “an absolutely bonkers level of shot-making” have contributed to New York’s historic run through the first two rounds of the postseason, noting that no team has a better point differential through 10 playoff games than this year’s Knicks (+194).