At the time the New York Knicks finally acquired OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors, he was second in the NBA in defensive half-court matchups against All-stars from the previous year, only second to Mikal Bridges. Now the Knicks have both of them.
That was back in 2023 when the Knicks did everything they could to get Anunoby. They acquired him for this moment; getting up 2-0 against the Boston Celtics with two, 20-point comebacks on the road. It ended up being a balanced trade when it was all said and done too. The Knicks had to give up Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to get Annunoby. Barrett averaged just over 21 points this past season and Quickley averaged 17.1.
Anunoby's a defensive maestro that’s equally efficient on offense. The Knicks knew what he could become for them and now with a 2-0 lead over the Celtics, they couldn’t be more thrilled to have him.
The fact that the Knicks managed to get two of the best perimeter defenders on the same team and it’s working is even better. Bridges was a lot more costly than Anunoby was, but whatever the Knicks paid, it got them right where they want to be. The question is, can the Knicks sustain this?
Boston’s been extremely inefficient from beyond the 3-point arc. As much as I want to say they won’t keep that up, they’ve done it for two straight games now, both at home. They were the No. 2 team in the Eastern conference for a reason.
They have five more games to prove why they were the defending champions and why they invested as much as they did in keeping this core together.
The New York Knicks’ two elite perimeter defenders are the reason they’re up 2-0 against the defending champions
Only three players have more contested 3-pointers during the playoffs this season than Anunoby. It’s why the Celtics have struggled this year. While Anunoby hasn’t contested that many 3-pointers in this series, it’s a reason maybe the Celtics aren’t taking more – which is crazy to think about.
He had a defensive rating of 108 this year and in eight playoff games, has a 39.1 defended field goal percentage and allowed just 6.5 field goals made. He’s a problem for offenses. The Celtics can’t hit a 3-pointer right now.
In Game 1, they shattered the NBA record for most 3-pointers missed in a game with 45. On Wednesday, they missed another 30 and shot just 25 percent from beyond the arc. You have to think a lot of that is credited to maybe rushing shots to keep from Josh Hart, Bridges and Anunoby closing out.
The good thing about the Knicks getting Anunoby when they did is his price wasn’t nearly as hefty as it was for Bridges. Sure Bridges is a more consistent offensive player, but when it comes to defense, they struck gold with Anunoby when they did.
The Knicks couldn’t have asked for a better return in Anunoby and that’s showing in this series. New York is two wins away from dethroning the defending champions and reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000.
If they do, they’ll have Anunoby to thank for that. He’s was one of the most elite perimeter defenders in the NBA and he’s making his presence felt in the biggest moment.
Knicks Grade: A
Raptors Grade: B+