The difference between the New York Knicks with and without OG Anunoby isn’t just a statistical anomaly; it is the difference between a playoff team and a championship contender.
After missing nearly three weeks with a nagging hamstring injury, Anunoby returned to the lineup recently and immediately reminded the league why the front office treated him like the missing piece of the puzzle. The 28-year-old forward didn’t just ease his way back in; he kicked the door down, transforming the Knicks’ defense from “solid” to “suffocating” while simultaneously torching teams from deep.
Against a gritty Orlando Magic squad on Sunday afternoon, Anunoby was nothing short of spectacular, stepping up to fill the void left by Karl-Anthony Towns’ strained calf.
In just 28 minutes of action, he poured in key buckets, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and draining 5-of-7 from downtown, finishing with a plus-minus of +20 that led the team. When he is on the floor, the spacing opens up, the rotations tighten, and the Knicks look like the juggernaut we were promised in the preseason.
A Two-Way Wrecking Ball Returns
While the offense was flashy against Orlando, it is the defensive versatility that changes the entire calculus for head coach Mike Brown. Anunoby’s ability to switch 1-through-5 allows the Knicks to switch everything, stifling opposing stars and creating transition opportunities that simply don’t exist when he is in street clothes. We saw flashes of this during his return against the Utah Jazz, where his presence helped spark a historic offensive explosion in a 146–112 rout.
On the season, Anunoby is averaging 15.5 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting a blistering 47.7% from the field and 38.3% from three-point range. Those numbers are elite for a “3-and-D” specialist, but labeling him that feels reductive when you watch him drive closeouts or facilitate ball movement. He is averaging over 30 minutes a night for a reason: the Knicks are simply a significantly better basketball team when he is available to lock down the opponent’s best player.
Steamrolling the Competition
The Knicks are currently riding a wave of momentum that should terrify the rest of the Eastern Conference, having won seven of their last eight games. Their only blemish in that stretch was a loss to the Boston Celtics, a game where Jaylen Brown had to go nuclear with 42 points just to hold them off.
Aside from that outlier, New York has been steamrolling teams with a blend of ball movement and depth that is proving impossible to game plan against.
This recent stretch has come largely without Anunoby, which makes his return to the lineup even more dangerous for the rest of the league. If the Knicks were winning games by double digits with their best defender in sweatpants, imagine what they will do now that he is back to full strength. The depth of this roster is finally being realized, and with players like Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride and Josh Hart thriving in their roles, adding Anunoby back into the mix feels unfair.
Looking Ahead: The League Is on Notice
As the Knicks get healthy, the ceiling for this team continues to rise. Karl-Anthony Towns will be back soon, and the thought of a starting five featuring a healthy Towns, Brunson, Bridges, and Anunoby is the stuff of nightmares for opposing coaches. The chemistry is clicking, the defense is elite, and for the first time in a long time, the Knicks aren’t just hoping to compete—they are expecting to dominate.
Sunday’s win over the Magic wasn’t just another game; it was a statement that the Knicks can beat quality opponents even when they aren’t at full strength. OG Anunoby is the engine that makes this Ferrari go, and now that he is back in the driver’s seat, the road to the Finals runs through Madison Square Garden.