OG Anunoby is known for his defense. That's usually what happens when you make an All-Defensive team and win a steals title, and he hasn't missed a beat since joining New York Knicks. He leads all perimeter players with 7.4 contested shots per game, ranking sixth among all Players with 3.9 deflections per game. Stop the conversation here and Anunoby is already making more than a living in New York, but he always felt he deserved more recognition.
“I've always prided myself on being a two-way player and not just a defender,” Anunoby said recently James Edwards of the Athletic.
Sure, a small aspect of his offense would be summarized in the description if he was among the NBA's elite 3-and-D players, but it remained extremely reductive. Anunoby has long been capable of more, and reporting throughout the end of his term at the Toronto Raptors indicated that he wanted to prove it.
Monday was an exclamation point on Anunoby's season-long tour of evidence. In a 145-118 decimation of the Denver NuggetsAnunoby scored a career-high 16 of 23 shots. These numbers weren't achieved just through the kind of traditional role-player shooting you'd expect from him. Of his five three-pointers, only two came into the corners. This has more or less affected his overall performance this season.
Coming into this season, 43.4% of his threes came from the corners, the shortest and easiest threes on the court. When he arrived in New York last season, that number increased to 58.7% in his 23 regular season games with the Knicks. His corner kick rate this season is 34.7%. On Monday, he shot 11 of 16 from inside the arc, killing Denver in the paint and as a mid-range shooter. That rim rate has skyrocketed since he became a Knick. In Toronto, only 31.5% of his shots came within three feet of the basket. As a kink it is just a hair below 35%.
That versatility as a shot maker was on display throughout the season. Select an area of the playing field and its heatmap will be bright red. Anunoby makes over 70% of his attempts in the restricted area, almost 42% of his looks in the mid-range, and almost 43% of his 3s over the break. He's on pace to set a new career high in free throw attempts, and he's even recovered as many loose balls on offense as Josh Hartwhich is always one of the league leaders in this respect. The best part? He does all of this without dribbling. On average, he only dribbles 1.07 times per ball contact and is only behind Karl Anthony citiesa center, within the Knicks' core rotation, and he holds the ball for an average of just 1.92 seconds per touch, the lowest in this group.
That's the beauty of this low-maintenance masterpiece of a season, Anunoby playing on offense. The Knicks don't have to call plays for him. According to Synergy Sports, he only took four shots outside of isolation all season. Everything is in the flow of the attack and everything works. Overuse of defenses against cities and Jalen Brunson? Great, Anunoby is averaging 1.68 points per possession with no cuts. That’s in the 90th percentile league-wide. He also ranks in the 90th percentile for post-up efficiency, scoring 1.278 points per possession, as he uses the post-up almost exclusively to punish the inconsistencies caused by his better-known teammates. He controls the court so well that he easily leads the Knicks in fast break points. He doesn't dribble much, but leaning too hard on a closeout behind the arc? He will put the ball on the deck and send your poor, out of position center flying into oblivion.
These are not the characteristics of a player who can be defined solely by his defense, and that's because Anunoby has evolved far beyond that. He's not even a 3-and-D player anymore. It's time to equip him for a new, more sophisticated label: All-Star.
The Knicks already have two of them in Brunson and Towns, but Anunoby has been more consistent than either of them this season. Their defensive deficiencies have been a major problem for the 23rd-ranked Knicks. Anunoby is one of the few players that actually holds them together on that front. Those two may create the bulk of New York's shots, but Anunoby finishes more than his fair share of them, and his ability to do so without demanding touches or play-calling that could otherwise throw the Stars off their rhythm is crucial.
The raw numbers will be enough against Anunoby on the All-Star front. It's rare for 19-point scorers to do it, but it's not an isolated case. This decade alone, 15 All-Stars have been selected who averaged fewer points than Anunoby currently has. Almost all of them, like Anunoby, were defensive stars who found ways to thrive in underused offensive roles. Most of these players have been center forwards, but the East's wing team has been relatively weak so far this season.
Jaylen Brown made his most inefficient shooting start ever. Paul George barely played and Chris Middleton hasn't even debuted yet. Paolo Bancheros The lack of injury could put him out of contention. The only likely locks among Eastern Conference forwards right now are Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo And Evan Mobley. Anunoby has compelling arguments over almost everyone else.
Regardless of whether he receives the call in February or not, Anunoby has at least denied any accusations that he is merely a defense attorney. The Knicks are obviously excited about what he brings to the floor every night, but he's also been just as important to one of the league's best offenses so far this season.
