It seems the New York Knicks’ naysayers didn’t learn their lesson after Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Co. steamrolled their way to this year’s NBA title.
Shortly after the Knicks won the championship, they were bizarrely given the fourth-shortest odds to win the title behind the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics. After an eventful offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers replaced the Celtics in the list of favorites, but the Knicks remain fourth on the list.
The disrespect continues.
Anunoby — who established himself as the NBA’s best 3-and-D player during the playoffs — has been ranked as the 12th-best power forward entering the new season by HoopsHype. The Knicks’ second-best player in the Finals has been rated behind players like Julius Randle (Lol), Lauri Markkanen (who has a career 189-303 win-loss record), Zion Williamson (Lol) and the perennially injured Anthony Davis.
The laughable list got the top three spots right with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Johnson and Scottie Barnes, but the rest of it seems extremely tone-deaf.
OG Anunoby Rated Very Low
The HoopsHype team also seemed to undersell Anunoby as a glue-guy type of player in their description. Granted the British-Nigerian doesn’t have play runs for him like Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but his statistical impact is that of a near-All-Star. During five Finals games, he averaged 21.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks while draining 16 threes on 50% shooting. That’s not an energy player statline.
“Anunoby is far from a star, but he’s a downright superstar role player, a slashing small-ball power forward with a ridiculous wingspan at nearly 7-foot-2, who can defend guards, wings or bigs at a high level, while creating steals by poking away loose ball-handles or jumping passing lanes, as well as protecting the rim,” wrote Frank Urbina.
CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn had the perfect response to HoopsHype’s list.
“OG Anunoby might genuinely be closer to being the 12th best PLAYER in the NBA than the 12th best power forward if you’re actually trying to win anything,” he wrote.
Knicks Disrespect Palpable
Several other fans expressed strong reactions.
“How is Julius Randle above OG? How is OG not even in the top 10? There needs to start being consequences for stuff like this.”
“OG @ 12 after that postseason????”
“Respectfully what has Zion done to be above Siakam, AD, and OG????”
Such disrespect will only further fuel the Knicks to repeat as champions.
It’s easy to forget that most experts predicted them to lose to the Atlanta Hawks or the Boston Celtics within the first two rounds, giving them the eighth-shortest odds (+2200) to win the title before the start of the postseason. And even after they dismantled the East (12-2), they were heavily doubted against the Spurs in the Finals, with oddsmakers giving +180 odds to end their 53-year NBA title drought.
Predictably, ESPN’s BPI is once again doubting the Knicks, and so are all the analytical geeks who thought the Cleveland Cavaliers were a better team entering the playoffs.
Knicks’ OG Anunoby Gets Disrespectful News Before Title Defense