Finally. After 27 long years, the New York Knicks are set to return to the biggest stage in NBA basketball.
The Knicks will travel to San Antonio to play the Spurs in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
And, for the Knicks, it may feel like all people want to talk about is that 7-foot-6 Alien. Or so that’s what Victor Wembanyama has become affectionately known as.
But the Knicks have shown this season they possess the ability to pull out their Wemby-stopping card. No, they didn’t “shut” him down. Nor will they in the Finals. But a major stat shows they have what it takes to really slow him down.
How? Using their rangey 6-foot-7 forward.
According to Caitlin Cooper, author of the “Basketball, She Wrote” newsletter, OG Anunoby has stifled Wembanyama as the primary defender per 100 matchups more than any other player in the league.
“Since Wemby was drafted [in 2023], there are 20 players who have defended him for at least 100 half-court matchups. The player who he has tallied the fewest player points per 100 matchups against as his primary assignment is … O.G. Anunoby.”
The Knicks Have the Formula to Contain Victor Wembanyama
GettyNew York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) talks with teammates during the Knicks’ playoff run. Robinson recently suffered a fractured pinky finger, but the veteran center could be ready for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
It’s cliche. It’s boring. It’s painfully overused, but it’s true.
Numbers don’t lie. Especially in sports.
Anunoby, 28, is revered around the NBA for his impeccable on-ball defensive ability. He has all the tools that allow him to be elite on that side of the ball. He has the height, wingspan, mobility and athleticism to bother the league’s top ball handlers.
So what is it about Anunoby that particularly bothers Wembanyama?
For one, as Bleacher Report’s Mo Dakhil notes, the Knicks have long and strong bodies manning the paint, which helps to discourage even players like Wembanyama from recklessly crashing into the paint to score at the rim.
“Robinson’s length and size can make it difficult for Wemby in the paint, but it also opens up looks from three, as Robinson will not want to venture out there too much. The last true matchup for the Knicks, and it might be their ace in the hole, is OG Anunoby,” Dakhil wrote. “In their previous game, he defended Wemby for 1:51 and held him to 2-of-5 shooting for four points. Anunoby is listed at 6’7″, 240 pounds with a 7′ 2″ wingspan. He is fully capable of banging with Wemby in the paint and defending him on the perimeter.”
Dakhil also noted the Knicks have forced Wembanyama to roughly five turnovers per game in the three matchups they’ve had this season.
Long-story-short: If you can noticeably slow down the opposing team’s best player in the NBA Finals, your chances of winning the championship skyrocket.
A Potential Defensive Set Up the Knicks Could Deploy in the Finals
GettyNew York Knicks Head coach Mike Brown
Game 1 is set for Wednesday night. The opening game of the series will likely prove enormously telling in how the Knicks will approach their defensive gameplan against Wembanyama.
Here’s a set up that could work. It’s not innovative or genius, it’s simple:
- Knicks coach Mike Brown should always have one of either Karl-Anthony Towns or Robinson on the floor with Anunoby when Wembanyama on the floor.
This formula ensures the Knicks are always equipped with rim protection and their best on-ball defender on Wembanyama.
While the goal should be to maintain this set up, the Knicks consider keeping both big men on the floor with Anunoby in at least 80% of Wembanyama’s minutes, if not more.
That means Anunoby would have to match Wembanyama minutes, which shouldn’t be overly challenging to achieve because Anunoby is a starter used to playing heavy minutes.
For many best players on championship-quality teams, Game 1s are categorized as “feel-out” games.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will get an overarching look at the Knicks’ defensive gameplan and will come more prepared in Game 2.
But there’s no denying the Knicks have what it takes to not only stop Wembanyama in his tracks but to win the whole shebang.
Knicks’ Victor Wembanyama Kryptonite Revealed Before NBA Finals