The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors pulled off the second big trade of the 2023-24 NBA season last weekend. They swapped key players with OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn heading to New York in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and a 2024 second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.
It is a deal that has drawn quite a bit of attention as people debated who won the deal. It is quite possible that both teams won as each respective roster is in a better place after some of the pieces are shifted.
There is still work to be done with the rosters, especially on the Knicks. They need a second ball handler to replace what Quickley was doing off the bench and could use a little more depth in their frontcourt. But, there is no denying the immediate impact Anunoby is having on this lineup.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: OG Anunoby & New York Knicks Updates
In his debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anunoby scored 17 points with six rebounds, one assist and two steals. But, his biggest impact was defensively, where he stifled Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves’ two leading scorers.
When Anunoby was on the court, good things were happening for the Knicks. He finished that game with a plus/minus ratio of +19, which was the game-high. On Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls, it was more of the same for Anunoby.
He scored 11 points to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. His impact is being felt on both ends as the Knicks’ ball movement has been better with him in the lineup, leading to easier looks for everyone.
Defensively, again, is where he is making his greatest impact. DeMar DeRozan was cooking the Knicks all evening, scoring a team-high 28 points. But, as the great Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier would say, Anunoby put a chilling on DeRozan’s thrilling.
When matchup up against each other, DeRozan scored only two points, going 1-of-3 from the field with zero assists. Against anyone else, DeRozan was 9-of-10 for 26 points with four assists, as shared by Tommy Beer on X.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: OG Anunoby & New York Knicks Updates
Similar to the Timberwolves game, when Anunoby was on the court against the Bulls, good things happened for the Knicks. He finished the game with an eye-popping plus/minus ratio of +35.
He was one of three Knicks players to finish with a ratio above 30, as Jalen Brunson finished +31 and Isaiah Hartenstein finished +32. That puts Anunoby at an impressive +54 through two games this season. For context, the No. 1 player this season in plus/minus is Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers with +319.
Anyone skeptical of this trade for the Knicks originally has quickly changed their mind. Anunby is a game-changing two-way player that has immediately improved the team on both sides of the court.
There is still some work to do when it comes to filling out the rotation for president Leon Rose, but acquiring Anunoby was an excellent move. It is the first step in the team climbing the ladder to contention in the Eastern Conference.
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