If the week wasn’t already rough for the New York Knicks, it became worse when OG Anunoby suffered a hamstring injury during their NBA Cup matchup with the Heat, just days after Jalen Brunson went down with an ankle sprain. With 6:52 left in the first quarter, Anunoby missed a layup, grabbed his left hamstring, and exited the game. Naturally, even with a 140-132 win, the night ended with one curiosity about his status moving forward.

Well, while there was a lot of uncertainty around the extent of the forward’s injury, ESPN’s Shams Charania has dropped a massive update regarding the forward’s health, and it doesn’t look good for the Knicks as they start their road trip for the next two weeks.

“New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby will be re-evaluated in two weeks due to a left hamstring strain, sources tell ESPN,” Shams wrote on X. It goes without saying that this is a massive blow for the Knicks, as it adds to the team’s injury woes.

Even though Brunson injured his ankle in their previous game against Orlando, the ever-consistent Anunoby was expected to ease the load of big man Karl-Anthony Towns for the upcoming games. However, now even he will spend at least a couple of weeks on the sidelines alongside Jalen Brunson. The 28-year-old has been one of the better players for the Knicks this season.

Anunoby is averaging 15.8 points per game, including a 39.2 shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line this season. Not to mention his unmatched defensive contribution, averaging 1.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. Nonetheless, with him and Brunson out of the picture for a few weeks, the question is, how will the Knicks fare without them?

Who will replace OG Anunoby? How will the Knicks fare without two of their starters?

It’s safe to say that the New York Knicks are in a precarious position after suffering back-to-back injury blows within a matter of days. On top of that, their 8-4 record doesn’t give them the comfort to relax for a few games. But now, with the damage already done, there’s nothing else they can do apart from looking for an alternative duo. So, who’ll replace both these stars?

Starting with Brunson, it seems like the first-year head coach, Mike Brown, will be trusting 25-year-old point guard Miles McBride in Brunson’s absence. McBride started last night against the Heat and finished the night scoring 9 points, along with 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Well, those are not quite All-Star-level numbers but still pretty decent.

While Miles McBride is all but assured to start the next few games in Jalen Brunson’s absence, what about Anunoby’s replacement? Josh Hart would be the most obvious option to replace OG Anunoby after his triple-double performance against the Heat last night. Hart finished the game with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in 34 minutes, contributing significantly to their win.

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After having such a great game, it would be hard for head coach Mike Brown to pick anyone else apart from Hart. Also, apart from Saturday’s performance, the 30-year-old has been a great asset to his team. So far this season, Josh Hart has been averaging 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Even though McBride and Hart look like solid replacements, they cannot miss a beat. That is because the Knicks are beginning a five-game road trip starting Monday against Miami, followed by clashes against Dallas, Orlando, Brooklyn, and Charlotte. So, the margin of error for these rotational players will be slim to none, as the Knicks look to further improve upon their 8-4 start to the season.