One win away from returning from elbow surgery, OG Anunoby is happy with his decision to undergo surgery rather than play through the injury.
Anunoby suffered elbow soreness in January despite the Knicks going 12-2 in their first 14 games following his trade from the Raptors and now 13-2 in their 15 games. He said he was suffering.
“We’re a lot better than we were in January,” Anunoby said after Tuesday’s 106-79 win over the 76ers. “I’m happy. It’s only going to get better and better.”
Anunoby has not played since Jan. 27, and the Knicks announced on Feb. 8 that he underwent surgery to remove a bone fragment in his right elbow.
The defensive stalwart played 29 minutes in Tuesday’s win, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds and two 3-pointers on five attempts.
Anunoby also hit plus-28, pushing his total plus-minus in 15 games as a Knick to plus-280, or 18.7 per game.
“I thought I could come in and make an impact. I didn’t really think about it,” Anunoby said. “Everything will start to get better as the game progresses.”
“I definitely don’t feel the same way I did before I joined.” [injured]conditioning-wise, but I’m sure he’ll be right back for the next game.”
The prized Achiuwa started all 18 games in Anunoby’s absence before being moved to the second unit.
Achiuwa, who joined the Raptors in the same trade, averaged 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots in 36.5 minutes per game as a starter.
He came off the bench Tuesday night and had an effective game with 13 points, eight boards, and two blocks in 24 minutes.
Jericho Sims was removed from the main rotation but played the final 5 minutes and 55 seconds of the Knicks’ blowout victory.
The Knicks depart Wednesday for a key four-game road trip out West starting Thursday night to face the Trail Blazers, who have lost 13 of their past 16 games.
The Knicks, who will play 11 of their final 17 games on the road, will also face the Kings, Warriors and Nuggets on this trip.
