Difficult choices for Thibodeau in rotations tonight
Tom Thibodeau never has been averse to employing a tightened rotation, and that approach could be tested even further with OG Anunoby unable to play Friday in Game 3 against the Pacers.
With Anunoby ruled out for Game 3 — and unlikely to play in Game 4, according to ESPN — after suffering a hamstring injury in the third quarter of Wednesday’s win at the Garden, Thibodeau will be without four regulars — with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic also out for the playoffs.
Jalen Brunson also has been listed as questionable with a sore right foot, but he played the entire second half in Game 2. Here are a few of the options for Thibodeau with Anunoby unable to play:
Start Precious Achiuwa: This appears to be the most likely solution, as the 6-foot-8 Achiuwa made 18 starts among 49 appearances for the Knicks while the trio of starting frontline players were out during the second half of the regular season. The Bronx native was used for a playoff-high 28 minutes in Game 2.
More minutes for Miles: Miles McBride has scored just seven points and totaled 40 minutes over the past three games (13.3 mpg) after averaging nearly double that figure (26.2) over five appearances to open the playoffs. The thirdyear guard has proven capable of thriving with a heavy workload with a 48-minute complete game against the Nets on March 23 and 47-minute effort with Brunson suffering an opening-minute injury March 3 in Cleveland.
Dust off Burks or Sims: Veteran guard Alec Burks made a brief 44-second cameo in the second quarter of Game 2, his first action of the postseason after shooting 30.7 percent from the floor after he was acquired from the Pistons in February. Jericho Sims has not gotten off the bench in the playoffs at all, but it’s conceivable he could see time as a switchable defensive big man for a few minutes in each half, especially if foul trouble arises.
The joy of six: Would you really put it past Thibodeau to trim down to a six-man rotation featuring five starters — Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein and Achiuwa — with McBride off the bench? But that would leave the Knicks awfully small when either of the latter two big men are off the floor, with DiVincenzo having to shift to small forward.