OG Anunoby is one of the best defensive wings in the business. In the 2023-24 NBA season, Only five players in the league had a higher defensive plus-minus than Anunoby’s mark of +3.1, despite Anunoby playing nearly half his games with the lottery-bound Toronto Raptors. His defensive numbers are consistently among the league’s best when he steps onto the court. The problem is, he hasn’t stepped onto the court enough these last few years.
Knicks’ Focal Focus: Maximizing OG Anunoby’s Impact
Post the 2019-20 COVID season, Anunoby has just played in 208 out of 318 games. That equates to 65.4% of the games, or ~54 games each full season. The talent is undeniable, but the health concerns are just as frightening. With this the Knicks’ first legitimate shot at a title in over 20 years, how do the Knicks maximize Anunoby’s impact and minimize the health risks?
Limiting Anunoby’s Total Minutes
OG’s healthiest seasons came as a youngster in the league. He averaged 70 games a year for the first three years of his career, and there seems to be a clear reason. In those three years, Anunoby averaged 23 minutes a night. For the Knicks to have a healthy Anunoby in the playoffs, Thibs must restrict OG to under 30 minutes a night. Now, obviously, Knicks fans will not be happy to hear this news. The sentiment will be “We gave a guy a five-year $212 million deal so that he plays under 30 minutes a night?” But that seems to be the case.
There’s a threshold that Anunoby has to stay under, and Thibs must keep this in mind if the Knicks want to win their first ring in over 50 years. To implement something like this, Anunoby often has to be the first man pulled out if the game is ending in a blowout. The Knicks are a deep team that should be able to hang on to leads in big wins. Thibs can shift Mikal Bridges to the small forward spot and Donte DiVincenzo to the shooting guard spot in those situations.
Bringing OG Anunoby off the Bench
I know, I know. There is a notion (rightfully) that because he’s paid like a star, he has to be played like a star. There are certain cases where that doesn’t work. Many have said that the 76ers should limit Joel Embiid‘s regular season load because of the depth in the squad. While Anunoby and Embiid are not nearly similar in impact, the Knicks are a much better team than the Sixers.
Bringing Anunoby off the bench will make him an instant impact player with specialized roles/assignments. Anunoby’s workload/minutes will depend on the opponent, the following games, and the timings. Will he agree to this? Unlikely, because of his contract, OG Anunoby believes that he is a star (or star-adjacent) player. As such, he will expect the treatment and the responsibility that stars take on. But the Knicks need him healthy in the postseason. The Knicks were ranked second on CBSSports’ ranking of best defensive units in the 2024-25 NBA season. The Knicks’ wing duo-Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby-is a big part of the reason.
The Last Word on OG Anunoby’s Impact
The coaching staff, the analytics departments, and the front office need to sit down with OG Anunoby and talk this out. His health in the postseason would have helped the Knicks beat the Pacers and make their first conference finals appearance since 2000. The Knicks cannot have his absence derail another season, particularly because of that contract, and they must be willing to do everything possible to make sure he’s 100% ready to take the floor when the lights are the brightest.
