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Under coach Mike Brown, defensive coordinator Brendan O’Connor and this new staff, the Knicks began the season with a system that emphasized forcing the ball into the middle — into the length they have in Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and OG Anunoby. That type of system is rare and a departure from what most of them have done throughout their careers, including last year under Tom Thibodeau. There were frequent miscommunications, and their defense was constantly getting broken down — forcing it to collapse and leaving shooters open on the perimeter for kickout threes, often the result of missed rotations.
NBA Communications: Other nominees… West: Luka Dončić (LAL), Kevin Durant (HOU), Anthony Edwards (MIN), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) and Kawhi Leonard (LAC) East: Jarrett Allen (CLE), OG Anunoby and Josh Hart (NYK), Cade Cunningham (DET), Joel Embiid (PHI) and Aaron Nesmith (IND)
Ian Begley: Mike Brown mentioned that Knicks recently simplified some aspects of perimeter defense, particularly in on-ball defender knowing exactly where help is coming from. OG Anunoby credited defensive coordinator Brendan O’Connor & assistant Darren Erman, in particular, for the tactical adjustments. Knicks also forcing to the side instead of funneling to the middle. Jalen Brunson also noted that Knicks haven’t been finger-pointing when things go wrong on that end and are communicating at a high level. Knick defense has been strong during six-game winning streak
Ian Begley: Landry Shamet, OG Anunoby & Josh Hart combined for 68 pts on 25-for-39 shooting in NYK's win over Lakers. Knicks have won 6 in a row following 2-9 stretch. NYK defense held LAL to 44 pts in 2nd half. Jalen Brunson had off shooting night but handed out 13 assists & had 0 turnovers
Per league sources, the Knicks will be one of several teams that have and will continue to inquire heavily about Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are looking for a premier young player(s) and multiple, good draft picks in exchange for one of the three best players in the NBA. The Knicks have neither of those, and to get close to what the Bucks are asking for, New York would need to trade two or three players in its starting lineup, most likely OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and/or Karl-Anthony Towns. The latter two, per multiple league sources, aren’t believed to have the same value today as when the Knicks traded for them, so that could be a hurdle in itself. It’s unclear if the Knicks and Dolan are willing to give up their hopes of making the finals this season in order to acquire Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later. New York hasn’t been as good as many projected coming into the season, but it’s still a good team and the Eastern Conference’s only dominant squad is the young Pistons.
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The Knicks played one of their best quarters of the season, but the 76ers fought back in the fourth quarter, as New York held on to a 112-109 win in Philadelphia. Coming off a big win against the Nets, questions regarding the Knicks (coming into the game 3-9 in their last 12 games) still prevailed. And although New York was behind at halftime, a 30-13 third quarter gave the Knicks enough cushion to weather the Philadelphia comeback. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 31 points while OG Anunoby added 23 points and was clutch down the stretch. Joel Embiid, coming off his first triple-double this season, had a game-high 38 points to go along with 11 rebounds, five assists and one block.
Ian Begley: Hard to overstate how bad this loss was for Knicks. They'd lost 8 of 10 coming into DAL game. They had Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart back from injuries. And they were playing a shorthanded Dallas team. They trailed by as many as 30 in 2nd half. Starters had 13 turnovers. Brunson missed 15 of 24 shots. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges combined for 16 points in 64 minutes. NYK defense was abysmal. Worst loss of the season and arguably worse loss of the Brunson era.
In that loss to the Pistons, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns took just four shots apiece and finished with five and six points, respectively. Mikal Bridges had just 10 points. Brunson, meanwhile, took 21 shots — more than double any of his teammates — and recorded 25 points. “I was watching the game [Monday] night and I’m, like ‘Where’s KAT? Where’s OG? We can’t rely on [Tyler] Kolek like that,” Anthony said. “What he gives us is a plus. He can get down, he can play off pick-and-roll, but on a night-to-night basis, who’s gonna be the Knicks’ second option? And the second option cannot be indecisive. … KAT can’t have six [points] and one [rebound] and OG gotta step up.”
If Brunson is Captain Clutch, it has become clear that Anunoby is his partner in crime. “Our defensive player of the game, just put his footprint on both ends, another All-Star is OG Anunoby,” Brown said. “I don’t know who can guard OG on a close out. If you’re closing out on him, it’s a wrap if he wants it to be a wrap. You can be big, you can be small. You’ve got to get all the way to his body because he’ll knock down the three. If you don’t get back to his body, he’s so quick and so strong he’s going right through your inner thigh. Offensively he was huge for us. He was huge offensively, huge on the glass. But just as importantly he was our defensive player of the game.”
Last year, Anunoby said he reached out to Dirk Nowitzki to pick his brain on shooting. The two discussed several tips and tricks. When asked if he’s ever called a defensive legend to pick their brain in the same way, Anunoby smiled. “I don’t need to,” he said. He’s right.
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The Knicks have ruled out Jalen Brunson (right ankle injury management) for Tuesday’s game against Minnesota. OG Anunoby (left ankle soreness) and Guerschon Yabusele (illness) have also been downgraded to out.
While Knicks head coach Mike Brown acknowledged that his team didn't play their crispest in Friday night's 116-107 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in which they turned the ball over 18 times, he wasn't exactly pleased with the officiating either. Raising some questions regarding non-calls involving OG Anunoby when he drives to the rim, Brown made it clear that he thinks the 6-foot-7, 240-pounder gets officiated differently than other, smaller players around the league.
"It’s one of those, it’s a weird game and the officials they got a tough job, but I don’t know if I’ll ever understand what’s a foul and what’s not a foul because guys, especially quick guys they’ll put their head down and they'll drive the ball from point A to point B," Brown said. "And if you lead with your chest and they're able to flop or fall off you good enough it's a foul. "OG's a big, strong guy, when he drives, he doesn't do that. He's trying to attack the rim and he’s getting rerouted on his drive, but he can’t seem to get a call."