OG Anunoby Isn't the Only Injured Knick Who Benefits From ECF Break

With the Knicks' emphatic sweep of the 76ers, and the back-and-forth series between the Pistons and the Cavaliers all tied up at two, New York couldn't have asked for a better time to get some time off.

The Eastern Conference Finals won't start until Sunday at the earliest, and could be delayed until Tuesday, giving the injured OG Anunoby at minimum, 10 days off, and the possibility of getting 12.

For a player whoso hamstring injury was so minor that it didn't even receive a grade, that is very welcome news. But Anunoby isn't the only player that'll benefit from this time off on the health side of things.

Josh Hart leads the list of Knicks who've been injured that will benefit from rest

Josh Hart has been maybe the most banged up player for the Knicks all season long. He entered the campaign with a visibly banged up finger on his shooting hand. He and the medical staff have done a great job of working around that, as is evident by his career-high 41.3% three-point percentage.

Hart also dealt with ankle, and knee pain throughout the second half of the season. The shooting guard was listed on the injury report 11 times since December 2025. Five of those times, it was his ankle, with his latest coming on April 11. And two of them -- both coming in March -- were knee-related.

Against the 76ers, Hart also sprained his left thumb, which is something he recently admitted was giving him some discomfort. As usual though, he made no excuses. "It's something I'll revisit in the offseason," Hart said last week. He used fellow Villanova Wildcat, and current 76er, Kyle Lowry as an example, citing how he was able to win a championship while playing through a similar ailment.

Despite Hart's tough mentality shining through, this week and a half off will be beneficial for the heart of the team. The same can be said of a lot of other players, too, considering the toll playing deep into the spring takes.

Jalen Brunson has dealt with lingering ankle issues for months now. Fans have seen him tweak it multiple times throughout the season, and it got to a point where fans were worried about how he looked physically as the season began to wind down.

He's long put those worries behind him during this postseason run, but it was only a few weeks ago that the way he was cutting, driving, and finishing around the rim had people wondering if he had ever really recovered from the ankle injury he suffered against the Kings on Jan. 14. Any time off to allow him to get some extra treatment on his ankle should only help.

There's also Deuce McBride, who had surgery to repair a sports hernia in February, and didn't look fully like himself until just recently. He had previously admitted to there still being some residual pain, and that he was still learning how to play through it.

How about Landry Shamet, who missed some time with a bone bruise on his right knee, or Karl-Anthony Towns who has dealt with knee, and elbow pain from time to time. Last but not least, Mitchell Robinson, who is among the most injury-prone players on the Knicks, couldn't play in back-to-backs. He also missed a game against Philadelphia with an illness, so he can focus on making sure he's fully recovered now.

A lot has been made about the Knicks' dominance, and how this time off will help Anunoby. But it will be beneficial to others. This rest should help them get a bit healthier, and show up to a highly anticipated Eastern Conference Finals more fresh, and much more primed to impose their physicality than whichever team makes it out of the other side.

With teams who have had five or more days of rest not seeing any big negative effects, either, the Knicks have to love the position they currently sit (literally) in.

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