The Knicks have already taken a few hits and a few gifts in the early stretch, and that mix has helped soften an ugly start. New York opened 0-3 before beating the Pistons 111-97 on Tuesday to move to 1-3, but the schedule ahead is shaping up with more favorable injury luck than the Knicks probably expected.
Detroit was missing Jalen Duren because of a strained hamstring, and that mattered. When he’s healthy, he changes the game. Without him, Karl-Anthony Towns went off for 27 points and 20 rebounds, while Andre Drummond came close to a double-double of his own.
The same sort of absence advantage could show up again Wednesday, when the Knicks face a Chicago team that will be without Nic Claxton. New York knows Claxton well from his Brooklyn days, and since Chicago dealt for him in a popular offseason trade, a hamstring injury has kept him out of both preseason and the regular season. That leaves rookie Caleb Wilson as the Bulls’ biggest player, which could open the door for more work inside for Towns and Drummond.
The injury situation gets even more complicated Friday in Philadelphia. The Sixers already lost Ariel Hukporti for the season at center, and now they’re also without backup big Dominick Barlow as he deals with back problems. Joel Embiid is listed as day-to-day with a heel issue, while VJ Edgecombe is also day-to-day.
And that’s just the start of it. Between Nov.
15-19, New York will play three games in five days in Toronto and Minnesota, and both stops may come with major breaks of their own. Toronto is expected to be without Kawhi Leonard for weeks because of swelling in his left knee.
ESPN reported that an MRI showed no structural damage, and the plan is to ramp him back up after offseason stoppages.
Minnesota’s situation is even more severe. Anthony Edwards is headed for knee surgery and is expected to miss at least two months. Former Knick Donte DiVincenzo said he expects to return sometime this season as he works back from an April Achilles injury, but the Knicks’ season series with Minnesota ends in January, so they won’t see him in 2027 unless the teams meet in the Finals.
Utah is dealing with another major absence after announcing Jaren Jackson Jr. tore the MCL in his right knee and will miss the next six weeks. That could put him out for one or both of the Jazz games against New York in late December.
The larger league picture has been just as chaotic. Oklahoma City has gone from being praised for its depth to dealing with a wave of injuries of its own. The Thunder lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace to injuries that could be season-ending, and Alex Caruso had to be helped to the locker room after spraining his ankle in Monday’s win and did not return.
For the Knicks, the message is simple: take the help while it’s there. The breaks have been landing their way so far, but one swing in the other direction can change the whole picture fast.
In Other News...
Knicks May Have Pulled Off Another Quiet Draft-Night Win
The Knicks used the 30th pick on Sergio de Larrea, then quickly turned that selection into a different kind of asset by sending his rights to the Mavericks for two future second-round picks. It was the sort of maneuver that fits neatly with how New York has tried to work around its salary cap limitations, squeezing value wherever it can find it instead of simply standing pat on draft night.
De Larrea was already playing professionally in Spain, and soon after the draft he helped Valencia win the Liga ACB title, adding another layer to a player the Knicks never intended to keep. New York also knew Dallas had been linked to him and had the front office ties to make the deal work, which is why this looked less like a pass on a prospect and more like a calculated bet on information and timing. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Got Pulled Into A Wild Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Idea
The Knicks have been pulled into an early-season trade idea that already feels bigger than the standings around it. Miami opened with a 0-4 start after reshaping its roster in a blockbuster deal with Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, and the rough beginning has only fueled chatter about how the new pieces fit with Bam Adebayo still anchoring the frontcourt.
What makes the speculation more interesting from New Yorks side is the path some are floating to get there: a swap centered on Adebayo and Tim Hardaway Jr. for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nothing has been confirmed by Miami, and the Heat could easily give the group more time to settle in, but the mere fact the Knicks are part of this kind of conversation says a lot about how quickly the league starts chasing the next big idea when a new roster stumbles out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Already Have A Real Andre Drummond Debate On Their Hands
Andre Drummonds first few weeks as the Knicks backup center have already turned into a small but real rotation conversation. He opened the 2026-27 season with a double-double, then saw his minutes dip in the next games as Mike Brown adjusted the lineup, a familiar kind of early-season sorting-out process for a team still figuring out how it wants to use its depth. Even so, Brown has made clear Drummond remains in the backup mix, which matters for a bench frontcourt that needs a dependable presence when the starters sit.
Drummond gave the Knicks a reminder of why that role is worth monitoring in the win over Detroit, when he scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 14 minutes. It was a cleaner, more productive showing than some of his earlier outings, and it gave New York a useful glimpse of what he can offer when the minutes are there. The larger question now is whether that performance is the start of a steadier climb back into a bigger share of the center rotation. [Read more 🡒]