When the New York Knicks needed OG Anunoby the most, he delivered his finest performance. And for those who know him best, that's no surprise at all.
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse has a unique perspective on the Knicks' star wing. He coached Anunoby during their championship run with the Toronto Raptors, where Kawhi Leonard led the charge. Since then, both Anunoby and Leonard have been consistently mentioned among the NBA's elite two-way players. But Nurse sees distinct differences.
"They're not two completely different players because they're both lock-down defenders," Nurse explained ahead of Game 2 between the Knicks and Sixers. "When they make up their mind to start guarding people, it gets pretty tough out there. OG's a better shooter. I know Kawhi's a good shooter, but OG's better, and Kawhi's probably a better one-on-one player at this point."
What makes Anunoby so valuable to the Knicks right now is his ability to elevate the entire team. He's become what coaches call a "force multiplier" — when he's impacting both ends of the floor, the Knicks follow his lead. This is exactly the kind of player every championship contender needs: someone who makes everyone around him better without demanding the spotlight.
Nurse has watched Anunoby evolve year after year. "OG's just continually, year after year, just keeps getting better and better," he said. "He was amazing in our last series. He was really, really great, and I thought he was really, really great in Game 1, too. He's kind of always been really great at defense, and then the shooting came, and now he'll rebound heavily when they need him. His cutting game's gotten a lot better. I think his starting and ending on drives have gotten better as well. He just kind of keeps getting better year after year, and he's just a hardworking guy."
The most noticeable improvement? His shooting. Nurse recalls Anunoby's early fascination with the mechanics of shooting. "When I had him, he was really fascinated with the art of shooting, and that was really cool to see him dig into that and just take his own journey on it to improve," Nurse said. "He's a guy you cannot leave open, so he's really done a great job at just working. That's what happens when you do that year after year, and you keep playing heavy minutes. You're going to get better."
For the Knicks, having a player who embodies "the ultimate definition of sacrifice" — willing to do whatever it takes, whenever it's needed — is exactly what separates good teams from great ones. And right now, with the playoffs heating up, Anunoby is showing why he's the kind of player who can help define a championship run.