Getty OG Anunoby with Julius Randle and Josh Hart
The New York Knicks take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, January 5, 2024, for a competitive Eastern Conference showdown. This game has the makings of the best of the night, especially after the OG Anunoby trade. Philadelphia was another team that had an interest in acquiring the elite wing defender.
As the teams get prepared, forward Kelly Oubre Jr. talked about what it’s like preparing for a team as physical as the Knicks. Sam DiGiovanni of ClutchPoints reported the following on what Oubre said:
“Go in the weight room, go lift a little bit, some bench presses, some pushups, pullups. But, yeah man, it’s a mindset thing. Go out there and utilize what you do in the weight room on the court.”
The Knicks have long been looked at as a hard, physical, and tough team to play. It’s what makes them one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference as the organization finally has an identity.
The Knicks Got Tougher After Adding OG Anunoby
If the Knicks are going to be the team that they hope to be this season, it’s going to start on the defensive side of the basketball for them. Head coach Tom Thibodeau preaches defense and physical basketball, which certainly played a factor in the team landing Anunoby.
While Anunoby isn’t going to score 25-plus points a night, he’s going to make it tough on the opposing team’s best player. The Knicks didn’t have someone on their roster that could do that. Losing Immanuel Quickley was tough, and RJ Barrett might turn out to be someone who can help a team win a championship, but Anunoby made a ton of sense for this Knicks roster.
The early stages of playing with a new player is never an easy task, but Knicks star Julius Randle says it’s been easy to play with Anunoby to ESPN.
“He just plays basketball the right way, that’s the best way I can put it.”
Jalen Brunson has been impressed with OG, too, pointing out how great of a defender he is. Brunson and Randle understand the level of defender he is as they’ve gone up against Anunoby before. He’s widely regarded as one of the top defenders in basketball around the league.
Brunson said the following after the Knicks win against the Chicago Bulls on January 3, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
“I don’t know. The dude’s just a freak of nature. I’m watching the same thing you guys are watching. Just like, “Oh, wow! Mmm. OK.’”
Knicks Toughness Will Be Put to Test Against 76ers
The 76ers are playing well this season under new head coach Nick Nurse. They sit in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-10 record. This is the perfect challenge for the New York Knicks as they look to improve upon their 19-15 record.
Philadelphia, led by Joel Embiid, isn’t too physical of a team. The matchups have been evenly matched in their last 10 games, with the 76ers winning 6 of them, according to Statmuse.
Anunoby will have plenty of different coverages in this game, making it an exciting matchup to watch.