The NBA All-Star break is nearly upon us. All 30 teams are in action on Wednesday night and ten more play on Thursday before players disperse for the long-anticipated time off. Games resume next Wednesday, February 19, when Luka Doncic and the Lakers take on the Hornets. For some teams, they may feel that this break is disrupting a stretch of great basketball. For many others, the week off is needed for veteran players to rest, recuperate, and heal for the season’s home stretch. Perhaps no squad fits the latter description than the Knicks, for whom the All-Star break comes at a perfect time.
All-Star Break Coming At Perfect Time For Knicks
Although the Knicks have played some pretty good basketball over the past two weeks (8-2 in their last 10), they desperately need a week off to reset. They have several injured players, with some sitting out and others playing through maladies. The starters also have had some of the heaviest burdens in the league. Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are still ranked first and second in minutes played in 2024-25, with Jalen Brunson coming in at fifth. All of this has contributed to an uneven season in terms of effort and energy, and the guys have clearly been exhausted at times. The schedule doesn’t do New York any favors post-All-Star break, with the eighth-hardest remaining schedule and seven back-to-backs. They’re going to need all hands on deck to navigate it.
Four Key Knicks Have Injury Woes
Robinson and Anunoby Return Soon
New York has two guys currently sidelined with injuries in Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby. Anunoby suffered an odd non-contact foot injury on February 1 against the Lakers and hasn’t played since. It appears to be a toe problem for Anunoby, which can only be considered good news. There were worries of an Achilles injury or other serious issues, but those have subsided. For a player as injury-prone as he has been, the Knicks certainly escaped disaster. However, they need his presence back in the lineup desperately, but also cannot rush him for fear of re-injury. A week with no games should give New York’s two-way star enough time to heal up.
New York’s elite defensive center, Mitchell Robinson, is the other player waiting to return. He had ankle surgery from an injury sustained in last year’s playoffs and has still yet to touch the floor. Luckily, he has been cleared for practice and is seemingly inching closer to a debut. Tom Thibodeau badly needs his rim-protecting, rebounding big man back in the fold to see this team’s potential. Fans are also yearning to see the longest-tenured Knicks player on the Garden floor once again, with justified belief that he is the answer to many of their flaws.
Hart and Towns are Banged Up
Additionally, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns are nursing a variety of afflictions. Hart’s knee has been banged up for several weeks now, although he’s yet to miss a game and is playing some of the best basketball of his career. Nonetheless, it is a worrying injury for a guy with his intense, physical play style who is second in minutes played around the league. New York knows they cannot win a title without him, so they must make sure he’s healthy into the postseason. The time off should do him well.
Towns has had both a thumb injury that could require off-season surgery and nagging knee soreness that he’s played through. Tuesday’s 40-point outburst notwithstanding, KAT has played poorly since jamming his thumb on the rim on January 13. He’s been unable to shoot like his normal self (31.6% from deep in 10 games), and his mobility has been even more limited than usual. These are issues that often get worse, not better, and a week without games should be a huge help (although he has to play in the All-Star Game).
New York has had a phenomenal season so far, but all of their goals are ahead of them. It’s time to recover from the first 54 games and prepare for the final *hopefully* four months of the season.
Photo credit: © Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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