This December will mark the two-year anniversary of the New York Knicks trading for OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors in 2023.
Though at the time the move was one lauded by fans and pundits alike, these first few weeks of action in the 2025-26 campaign are making it feel as though the Knicks have won the blockbuster all over again.
Throughout his eight seasons in the NBA prior to this one, Anunoby had clearly established himself as an elite two-way contributor and, in some people's eyes, a budding star talent.
Now in year nine, it appears that he's on the verge of shedding this "budding" label and replacing it with "bona fide," as he's been playing lights-out ball for the second-seeded Knicks.
Knicks coach believes OG Anunoby deserves to be an All-Star and DPOY
After posting 16 points, four boards, three assists, and two steals in a commanding 133-120 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, Knicks coach Mike Brown discussed the leap that Anunoby has clearly taken in his game and hyped him up as being deserving of numerous individual accolades for his efforts so far.
"OG's an All-Star. In my opinion, not only is he an All-Star, he's an All-Defensive performer and, in my opinion, he should have an opportunity amongst others in our group to fight for Defensive Player of the Year in the league," Brown said.
On the surface, these remarks may come across as a typical coach hyping up one of his players. However, based on both the eye test and the per-game metrics, it's evident that Anunoby's play backs up these lofty comments.
In 33.4 minutes a night, the 28-year-old finds himself dropping career-best numbers on both ends of the floor, averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 steals a night while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and 39.2 percent from deep.
On top of this, he finds himself ranking first on the team in defensive rating (104.6), third in offensive rating (123.3), and first in net rating (18.7) among those who have seen over 100 minutes played so far this year.
With him serving as a key cog in this Knicks rotation, the team has registered a 7-3 record and is on a five-game win streak, all of which have been won by double-digit margins.
Frankly, this title-hungry ball club would not be as ferocious as it currently is if not for the sensational production of the forward.
Considering all it took to attain him in the first place was RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley -- two players who, though are having solid campaigns themselves, trump in comparison as far as impact, potential accolades, and overall skill is concerned -- and a second-round pick, two years later, it has become all the more obvious that New York robbed the Raptors blind with the Anunoby trade.