The New York Knicks are only two victories away from the NBA Finals, and the credit for their great work is beginning to come with individual recognition. One of the Knicks’ top contributors recently received an accolade that has been overdue.
The NBA revealed its 2025-26 Kia All-Defensive Teams on May 22, including a Knicks player among the selections.
OG Anunoby Named to NBA All-Defensive Second Team for Second Time in Career
GettyOG Anunoby Earns Major NBA Honor as Knicks Move Closer to Finals
Anunoby landed on the All-Defensive Second Team alongside Bam Adebayo, Scottie Barnes, Cason Wallace, and Dyson Daniels. The First Team went to Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Ausar Thompson, Rudy Gobert, and Derrick White.
This is only the second time Anunoby has earned a spot on an All-Defensive team the whole of his career. First time being in 2022-23 as a Toronto Raptor, moreover, that is when he led the entire NBA in steals.
After all, it is three years later that he reappears on the list and doing it in New York.
This regular season, he averaged 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. 100-member media panel gave him 67 total points in voting, edging out Daniels who finished with 50.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown commented on Anunoby multiple times during the season, indicating among other things that he views him as the defensive guy who gives New York the liberty to execute basically any defensive scheme. In fact, Brown said he was confident that Anunoby was worthy enough to be on the First Team.
Did OG Anunoby Deserve a Spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team?
GettyNBA Reveals Big OG Anunoby Decision Amid Knicks’ Conference Finals Run
A lot of Knicks fans and analysts would say yes, and the regular season numbers give them plenty to work with. Anunoby averaged 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game, doing damage at multiple levels on defense. Not many wings in the league can say the same.
What makes him even harder to replace is the versatility. He can guard a quick point guard one possession and a physical power forward the next, and he does not lose much in either matchup. That kind of flexibility is what coaches build defensive schemes around.
Derrick White, the fifth place holder in first-team, had a legitimately strong year in Boston, posting career highs in both blocks and steals, and his First Team selection makes sense on the numbers alone. But Anunoby’s impact is spread across things that do not always show up cleanly in a box score, which may have cost him votes.
The second team is still a meaningful honor. And with the Knicks now two wins from the Finals, Anunoby is making sure nobody forgets what he brings to this team.
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