Jalen Brunson is going to make his third consecutive (and overall) NBA All-Star appearance this season. For a while, it looked like OG Anunoby might join him, and bag his first-ever All-Star selection.
Not anymore, though.
There remains little to quibble about when looking at Anunoby’s defense. He is New York’s anchor, its most versatile and reliable body, the one person primarily responsible for enabling various lineups to keep their head above water at the less-glamorous end.
At this point, however, Anunoby’s defense is becoming a crutch for his All-Star candidacy.
OG Anunoby is slumping at the offensive end
After averaging 18.2 points on 43.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc through his first nine games, OG’s offensive output has dropped off a cliff. The slide started just before he missed around two weeks with a hamstring injury, and has continued since his return.
In 14 outings following his opening heater, Anunoby is averaging just 13.3 points per game, while connecting on a dismal 27.4 percent of his triples. He has also during this stretch racked up more turnovers (31) than assists (25).
New York continues to win its minutes with Anunoby on the court, because, well, that’s the beauty of OG. He can impact the game even when his jumper isn’t falling. (Related: Please, please, pretty please, with sugar on top, fight all your mid-range impulses, OG.) The defense continues to speak for itself on just about every possession. Plus, Anunoby’s drives, while far from high-volume, are adequately efficient—and feature more passing than last year.
Three-point shooting is, for the most part, his biggest bugaboo right now. It’s not because he’s subsisting on ridiculously difficult attempts, either.
During his first nine games, Anunoby converted 46.3 percent of three-pointers in which a defender was at least four feet away. Over this latest span, he’s at 29.7 percent on these same looks.
The All-Star Game may be out of reach for Anunoby
This development isn’t ideal, but it’s also encouraging. Anunoby will not continue blowing left corner threes (16 percent since his hot start) and above-the-break triples (21.9 percent) until the end of time. Not when so many of them remain wide-open opportunities.
Relative to him getting his first career All-Star nod, though, this latest stretch verges on a nail in the coffin.
Anunoby will already be at a disadvantage against big names who have missed fewer games. He currently ranks outside the top 125 in total minutes played. Quality matters more than quantity, but right now, Anunoby isn’t consistently delivering either on the offensive end.
Bridging the gap between himself and other candidates is, at this stage, highly unlikely. We already know the fans aren’t voting him in as a starter. Coaches will appreciate his grit when selecting reserves, but barely averaging 15 points for the season, on so-so efficiency, doesn’t bode well for his case. If defense alone was enough to get you in, Rudy Gobert would not have more Defensive Player of the Year awards than All-Star selections.
On the bright side, Anunoby has a few weeks left to go on another heater, and contend with other fringe players. Injuries to Josh Giddey and Franz Wagner will help his case. Norman Powell has cooled off. Ditto for Jalen Johnson.
Just don’t be surprised if and when it doesn’t matter.