Getty OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks
The New York Knicks continued their most dominant stretch in a long time with a 122-84 victory over the lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, January 9, for their fifth straight win.
And it all began with the acquisition of OG Anunoby, whose historic impact has propelled the Knicks (22-15) to solo fourth in the East behind pre-season favorites Boston Celtics (28-8), Milwaukee Bucks (25-12) and the Philadelphia 76ers (23-12).
It doesn’t get any better than this, right?
“He’s made great contributions not just on with defense, but moving without the ball, getting the ball up the floor fast, shotmaking,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said of Anunoby before sending a warning to the rest of the league, “it’s only gonna get better as we go.”
Anunoby scored 23 points, his most in a Knicks uniform, but it was not the most impressive part of his game.
Anunoby made history, which underscored his true value to his new team, as he became the first and only NBA player in history to post a cumulative plus-minus above 100 in his first five games with a franchise, according to stats guru and Substacker Tommy Beer.
“There are a million stats. To me though, the most important stat is net rating and the impact that he’s had there and when you look at his net rating per 48, it’s off the charts,” Thibodeau said. “And that’s playing well because it’s not only you. It’s what you’re doing with the group that you’re on the floor with, and that’s the most important thing there is.”
The 6-foot-7 forward is a plus-111 through his first five games with the Knicks since they acquired him for Sixth Man of the Year finalist Immanuel Quickley and former no. 3 pick RJ Barrett and a second-round pick.
Tom Thibodeau MSG chanting OG Anunoby’s name: “You know how I feel about our arena, it’s the best”
On OG: “He’s made great contributions, not just with defense. Moving without the ball, getting the ball up the floor fast, his shot making, it’s only going to get better as we go”
New Year, New Knicks Team
The Knicks are the hottest team in the NBA since New Year. But their dominance is on another level since the addition of Anunoby.
Since January 1, the Knicks have the best defensive (100.2) and net rating (19.8), per NBA advanced stats.
Anunoby’s fingerprints are all over this Knicks’ dominant stretch which included big wins over West’s top team Minnesota Timberwolves and the 76ers.
The Perfect Fit
The Knicks stars’ first impression of Anunoby had a recurring theme: “He’s a perfect fit.”
Anunoby’s cutting, movement off the ball and efficiency from corner 3 made the Knicks offense flow better and accentuated the strengths of the rest of the starters.
Julius Randle is enjoying the most space he’s ever had since arriving in New York. The Knicks’ two-time All-Star is averaging 28.2 points on nearly 50% shooting since Anunoby arrived.
Jalen Brunson’s assist numbers went up to 8.8 over his last five games, often finding a cutting Anunoby to the basket for an easy slam or layup.
Donte DiVincenzo is averaging 12.6 points on 40% 3-point shooting during this torrid Knicks stretch, getting more open shots with the addition of Anunoby’s gravity on top of Randle and Brunson’s.
Isaiah Hartenstein suddenly became one of the premier big men in the league, putting up ridiculous numbers: 13.6 rebounds, 9.4 points, 2.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.6 blocks since Anunoby joined the starting five.
Over their last five wins, Brunson is a plus-110, Randle is a plus-84, Hartenstein is a plus-125 and DiVincenzo is a plus-43.
“If it continued at that level, I would obviously be very pleased,” Thibodeau said. “When you come in and you’re in the middle of the season, you’re adjusting on the fly. It’s how quickly can you adapt.
“And I told him that I feel like he’s playing great, just because of the impact that he’s having when he’s on the floor.”