Since the New York Knicks acquired OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors, they have been one of the best teams in the NBA. They have gone 11-2 since the deal, steamrolling their opponents along the way.
There have been some impressive victories in the bunch, but Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets was arguably the most impressive. They ran the Nuggets out of Madison Square Garden, winning 122-84.
It was a total team effort as six different players scored in double-figures. The team shot 52.9 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from 3-point range and 85 percent from the foul line. The most encouraging thing to come from the game was the improved performance of the bench unit.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby & New York Knicks Updates
While acquiring Anunoby upgraded the Knicks, a huge flaw was created in the trade. New York’s second unit was hit hard by the loss of Immanuel Quickley. On top of that, RJ Barrett was normally the starter who stayed in the games to help bring a scoring punch to the bench.
For everything positive that he has brought to the table, one area Anunoby has been lacking in, compared to Barrett, is aggressiveness on offense. Anunoby is the perfect glue guy, capable of knocking down spot-up jumpers and okay with being in a supporting role.
But, for New York to find success when Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle aren’t on the court, Anunoby is relied on as a go-to scorer. Against the Nuggets, we finally saw the impact he could have when embracing that role as the rest of his teammates fed off of him.
He scored a team-high 26 points in only 29 minutes. He was aggressive looking for his offense, driving to the basket and taking advantage of mismatches defensively, deftly using his size to score. After the game, he spoke about his mindset change playing with the second unit.
“Just trying to be aggressive. Watching games…I’ve noticed I haven’t been as aggressive as I should’ve been…passing up shots…I think that carries over to everyone when I’m being aggressive, looking for my shot, playing with force,” Anunoby said to reporters in the locker room, via New York Basketball on X.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby & New York Knicks Updates
Anunoby is certainly correct as his teammates fed off of his aggressiveness. Quentin Grimes scored 19 points off the bench along with Miles McBride scoring 13. Josh Hart and Precious Achiuwa are both high-energy players, as that five-man pairing fits well with each other.
If Anunoby can embrace that scoring mentality a little more often, especially when on the court with the second unit, a lot of the issues the Knicks have had since the trade would disappear. Replacing the scoring punch Quickley and Barrett provided was going to be difficult, but it looks to be something Anunoby is aware he needs to now bring to the table.
That switch being flipped, along with a possible NBA trade deadline addition to add insurance in the backcourt, would make the Knicks legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference this season.
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