A major blow for the Knicks’ bench

It’s just been reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic that Bojan Bogdanović will unfortunately miss the remainder of the 2024 playoffs. Having already sat out Game 4 on Sunday, Bogdanović is slated for multiple surgeries to address his left wrist and left foot injuries.

Bogdanović, acquired alongside Alex Burks in the trade that saw Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier move to the Detroit Pistons, had been playing a pivotal role off the bench for the Knicks. Since the trade, he appeared in 29 games, averaging 20 minutes and scoring 10.4 points per game.

The Knicks face a significant blow with this loss, particularly in their depth at the backup forward positions. With Julius Randle already sidelined for the season and Mitchell Robinson once again grappling with the same injury that sidelined him for much of the season, the team could not afford another season-ending injury. This setback comes at a critical juncture as the Knicks aim to close out their first-round matchup tonight against Philadelphia.

Bogdanović experienced the season-ending injury less than one minute into the Knicks’ Game 4 win over Philly after diving for a loose ball that got caught under Nicolas Batum as the two collided.

With Bogdanović sidelined due to injury, the Knicks may now turn to Burks to step up and fill the void. Despite not seeing any action in the Knicks’ first four playoff games, Burks could find himself thrust into the backup role that Bogdanović previously occupied. Bogdanović had been a reliable shooter for the Knicks, boasting a .400 shooting percentage from beyond the arc in the first three games of the series.

The already shorthanded Knicks saw just eight players in total take the court during Sunday’s 97-92 victory which included the 1 minute of service time that Bogdanović provided the team.

Expect Burks to see Bogdanović’s minutes off the bench tonight with the slight chance that we get a DaQuan Jeffries sighting.