The New York Knicks made a major change to their defensive philosophy midway through the regular season. That shift, and the dozens of small tweaks that followed, helped create a rough set of circumstances for the team's players – particularly those tasked with covering up for teammates' defensive errors.
Despite this all, OG Anunoby turned in an excellent season's worth of film as a defender. The wing recently earned national praise for his coverage of Victor Wembanyama, the league's best since the generational center was drafted, and was honored as part of the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team.
The NBA world is getting closer to understanding Anunoby's impact. His versatility helped the Knicks put one of the league's five-best defenses out on the court. Snubbing him from the All-Defensive First Team proves that there's still plenty of room to grow.
Anunoby deserved First Team honors after a career-best Knicks season
After the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns via trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2024, it was clear that they viewed him as superstar point guard Jalen Brunson's right-hand man.
It was impossible, however, to discuss their roster without legitimately wondering how they would mitigate the defensive issues posed by playing both Towns and Brunson, at the same time, during the biggest moments of every game.
Luckily for the Knicks, their front office had already ensured that their answer to those questions was in the building. They had acquired Anunoby midway through the prior season, with his simple and efficient offensive game allowing him to impact winning immediately after he was traded.
The wing's ability to guard opponents of any position enables the Knicks to play Towns and Brunson together, reaping as many of the benefits of their offensive abilities as possible. Brown has openly explained that New York's defense couldn't work so well without Anunoby, even going as far as to acknowledge the consensus that the team's star guard and center can't co-exist defensively.
Anunoby isn't walking away entirely empty-handed, with the wing still receiving recognition as one of the NBA's 10 best defenders from this season. But the Knicks' defense, as a team, isn't just ranked among the 10 best in the league.
New York's defense, despite playing Brunson and Towns heavy minutes, ranked within the top five. And while Mitchell Robinson is the team's longest-tenured player for a reason, Anunoby is simply on another level. His teammates, and coach, are unafraid to acknowledge it.
Even Towns himself wouldn't let reporters get away without asking about the snub, closing a press conference by bringing it up (and describing it as oversight from the voters). The Knicks, however, will have to take any energy regarding award snubs and apply it towards their chase of the next trophy in front of them.
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