Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Shamet, McBride, Hart, Robinson

Given that even mild hamstring strains often require a recovery period of a week or two, there was some skepticism on Thursday when OG Anunoby was dubbed day-to-day and listed as questionable for Friday’s game after being diagnosed with a strain. However, league sources tell Stefan Bondy and Jared Schwartz of The New York Post (subscription required) that imaging revealed a “very minor” strain and that the Knicks forward is truly considered day-to-day.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) conveyed a similar sentiment in the latest episode of The Putback.

“This is not something that’s going to (take) weeks (to come back from) unless there’s some kind of setback,” Begley said. “If he misses games, it’s going to be a handful of games. He will be back, assuming the Knicks get through Philadelphia. He will be back in this series if the Sixers take a game or two. (There’s) optimism in the locker room — there’s a chance he could be back Friday or Sunday.”

While Anunoby hasn’t been ruled out yet for Game 3 on Friday, it would be surprising if he suited up just two days after suffering the injury, especially with the Knicks holding a 2-0 lead in the series. However, all indications are that he won’t miss as much time as he has when he sustained similar injuries in the past. As Bondy and Schwartz write, two previous hamstring strains cost Anunoby nine games and four games, respectively, but this one is considered milder than either of those.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• In separate stories for the Post, Schwartz breaks down the ripple effect of Anunoby’s injury, noting that Landry Shamet could return to the rotation and the Knicks could deploy more double-big looks, while Bondy says the team should play it safe with Anunoby, arguing that Miles McBride is more than capable of taking his spot in the starting lineup for at least the next game or two.
• Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post breaks down why Josh Hart is the best bet to step up if Anunoby misses time, noting that the versatile swingman saw his production spike when Anunoby was injured early in the regular season.
• Of course, it’s not a lock that Hart will be available for Game 3 — he’s listed as questionable after spraining his left thumb in Game 2. Still, there have been no indications to this point that Hart’s availability is in serious jeopardy. Mitchell Robinson is also on the injury report after missing Game 2 with an illness, but he’s considered probable to return to action.