The impact of the Anunoby signing is bigger than anyone could have imagined.
The New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 121-105 in the 2023-2024 NBA regular season on Sunday night at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., USA.
The win was New York’s fourth straight and moved them into sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Interestingly, the four-game winning streak came after the team acquired 스포츠토토 OG Anunoby.
New York made a big trade with the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 31, acquiring Anunoby, Precious Acyewuah, and Malakai Flynn in exchange for RJ Barrett, Imanuel Quinckley, and a second-round pick. It was a big trade that happened a bit earlier than the mid-February trade deadline.
New York made the bold move of sending away Barrett and Quinckley, two of the team’s first-round draft picks, who are the team’s present and future. Prior to the trade, Barrett was New York’s starting small forward and Quinley was a key sixth man. It was a trade that gave up two starters for what was essentially an Anunoby.
And New York made the right choice. Anunoby is the type of 3-and-D forward that every team in the NBA would love to have. His defense is arguably the best in the NBA, and his offense is good enough to average over 15 points per game.
Anunoby’s biggest strength is his movement without the ball. Anunoby is not a ball-handler, but rather a player who looks for open space. New York has a one-two punch of Julius Randle and Jaylen Brunson. Anunoby is the perfect complement to them.
The effect of Anunoby was even better than we imagined. With Anunoby on the floor, New York’s traffic has been flawless, and Brunson and Randle have been able to run wild. In the four games with Anunoby, Randle is averaging 30.2 points and seven rebounds, while Brunson is averaging 27.2 points and 9.2 assists. That’s an unstoppable duo.
The most anticipated aspect of Anunoby’s game is his defense. In his New York debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anunoby defended Anthony Edwards exclusively and then went on to defend the other team’s ace, proving why he was brought in.
With Anunoby on board, New York has a 103.1 defensive rating through four games. That’s second best in the entire NBA. That alone shows that Anunoby’s impact is huge.
What’s surprising is that Anunoby’s chemistry with New York’s other players isn’t perfect yet. As time goes on, New York and Anunoby are likely to become even scarier. In many ways, Anunoby was the perfect piece of New York’s puzzle.
The scary thing is that this may not be the end of New York’s augmentation. There is no future for New York with Anubi in it. They can only run for the present. The Knicks have been rumored to be linked to superstars like Karl-Anthony Towns, Dejounte Murray, and Zach LaVine. If New York can add another star, they’ll have a roster that can seriously challenge for a championship.
In the early going, New York’s decision to bring in Anunoby paid off. We can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for Anunoby and New York.