The last thing the New York Knicks need is an injury to yet another rotation player. But in the aftermath of their 124-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, New York may be forced to deal with yet another injury blow after Bojan Bogdanovic appeared to pick up a knock after playing in just 18 minutes.
However, there is no clarity quite yet on the Bogdanovic injury front. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau even dropped a cryptic update on the nature of the injury the veteran sharpshooter picked up, with Thibodeau being intentionally vague with his responses.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, “Tom Thibodeau said Bojan Bogdanovic got ‘nicked up' tonight. Asked what happened, Thibodeau said Bogdanovic had ‘soreness.' And asked where Bogdanovic was sore, Thibodeau said ‘soreness.'”
At the very least, Knicks fans could take comfort in knowing that Bogdanovic didn't sustain any major injury. Given where we are in the regular season, some sort of “soreness” is to be expected from every player who has logged meaningful minutes. Nonetheless, the Knicks would still want to monitor the situation closely, as New York would prefer to go into the playoffs at full strength.
Bojan Bogdanovic, a Big Apple disappointment
Many believed that the Knicks got the steal of the trade deadline when they acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and old friend Alec Burks in exchange for Quentin Grimes, two second-round picks, and salary filler. The Pistons were demanding a first-round pick for Bogdanovic not too long ago, so for the Knicks to get him, as well as a player familiar with Tom Thibodeau's system, for this price is a major win.
However, Bogdanovic hasn't quite been as impactful as expected; he hasn't jelled as well with Thibodeau and the Knicks' system, and as a result, he hasn't earned the trust of the coaching staff. The Croatian marksman has averaged just 20.8 minutes since his move to New York (18 games) while shooting career-lows of 39.2 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.
With a few of the Knicks' key guys injured, Bojan Bogdanovic could have earned himself a bigger role in the rotation had he performed up to par. It's not too late for Bogdanovic to earn his keep in the Big Apple, of course, but his bout with general soreness won't help matters at all in that regard.
Just how injury-ravaged are the Knicks?
The Knicks have been hit hard by injuries this season, and as it stands, they are missing three key rotation guys in Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson. Randle doesn't appear to be close to a return, as he hasn't progressed beyond light contact work yet, and with just over 20 or so days to go before the playoffs begin, there is a chance that the Knicks hold him out of action until then in preparation for a deep postseason run.
Meanwhile, OG Anunoby remains day-to-day with an elbow injury that clearly hampered his shooting performance in his last game out. Anunoby has turned the Knicks into a two-way juggernaut, so his health will be of utmost importance moving forward. The 26-year old wing has missed 21 games so far since his trade to New York, and he might be on track to miss a few more games.
At the very least, Mitchell Robinson is nearing a return now that he has taken part in full practice.
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