CHICAGO — This is the OG Anunoby the Knicks knew they were getting when they parted ways with Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and one of the top second-round picks of the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft.
The player who helped the Knicks to a 14-2 record before elbow inflammation attempted to derail his season.
Anunoby has triumphantly returned, stamping his comeback with a 24-point performance in a victory over the Bulls on Tuesday.
And while his defensive instincts and impact have long preceded him, it’s the offense that’s capable of swinging a game, a series, maybe even a season for a Knicks team trying to play its best basketball down the stretch of the regular season as they ramp up for the playoffs.
“He played really well. He got in rhythm really early,” said Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson. “And I think that was very important for us. When he’s going like that, players are making plays from all over the court, it helps everything.”
The offense was on full display on a 10-of-18 shooting night in the Windy City on Tuesday, when Anunoby connected on four of his six attempts from downtown and made himself available as a pressure release cutting baseline when the Bulls attempted to trap Brunson on the pick and roll.
Not to mention Anunoby picked up his fourth foul with just over a minute left in the second quarter — then proceeded to play flawless defensive basketball in the second half, guarding the crafty DeMar DeRozan without picking up an additional foul on the night.
Again, the defense is expected. It’s Anunoby’s calling card, the facet of his game that makes him invaluable to a Knicks team with high expectations as it trucks forward into the playoffs without Julius Randle.
Randle’s season is over, courtesy of a dislocated right shoulder suffered in late January, and the Knicks can’t replace him with a single player.
But they can try as a group, and if Anunoby can be as aggressive offensively in the playoffs as he was against the Bulls on Tuesday, maybe the shorthanded Knicks have a chance after all.
“I loved the way he played,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “And he’s still coming back after a long layoff [following elbow surgery]. But his instincts are great. He still doesn’t quite have his timing, and when that comes, look out, because he’s everywhere.”
Anunoby’s offensive aggression wasn’t by happenstance. This is what happens when an elite player spends time refining his craft.
The Knicks forward spent time watching film ahead of tipoff against the Bulls.
“Realizing where I could have been more aggressive, where I could find shots, where I could look for my shot,” he said, noting his teammates intentionally tried to find him as he got into a scoring groove. “We ran some plays and as the game went on, they were able to find me and I was able to be aggressive.”
Thibodeau said the Knicks are trending back towards the way they played before Anunoby left the rotation to undergo a procedure on his right elbow in early February.
“He’s a multiple-effort guy. There’s not anything he doesn’t do well. He runs the floor great, knows how to move without the ball, can shoot, can post, can drive, can cut. I thought when they were doubling Jalen, he found Isaiah [Hartenstein], [and OG] had the corner cut — those are great instincts,” Thibodeau said. “And so, those guys are gonna get better and better the more they play together. And I thought right at the end of January, we were in a pretty good rhythm with them, so we gotta get back to that.”
Anunoby had a loose bone fragment surgically removed from his right elbow and returned to the rotation in mid-March, only to leave three games in after aggravating the injury.
“It’s getting better and better every game,” he said of his elbow. “I don’t even think about it anymore. I try not to.”
If the elbow issues are a thing of the past, the Knicks can exhale a sigh of relief. New York now boasts a 16-3 record in games Anunoby has played since arriving via trade.
His impact has largely come on defense and from spacing the floor. If he’s aggressive in seeking his shot, as Thibodeau said, look out.
“I thought OG’s aggressiveness to start the game was great, got us off to a good start.,” said Thibodeau. “We had the lead, but we didn’t play tough with the lead. I liked the way we shared the ball. I thought that was good. But we got some things we’ve got to clean up.”
