OG Anunoby may not be the loudest part of the Knicks’ identity, but he might be one of the most important if they’re going to make another deep run.
He’s the kind of player who doesn’t always announce himself. There’s no easy highlight package that explains everything he does.
But once a playoff series turns into a grind, his value shows up fast. A wing starts attacking a mismatch, a guard gets loose in the open floor, or an opponent tries to drag a big into space and test every defender on the floor.
That’s when Anunoby’s role gets real.
The Knicks can hang points on anybody when their main scorers are rolling. The tougher question is defense, and that’s where Anunoby matters most. He gives them someone who can take on the messiest assignment without the whole unit wobbling around it.
That doesn’t mean New York needs a scoring explosion from him to stay dangerous. What they need first is for him to make the other team’s top offensive option miserable. That’s the job.
In the Finals, that even meant handling size. His work against Victor Wembanyama around the rim wasn’t the kind of assignment that shows up neatly in a box score, because it wasn’t about that. It was about contact, timing, help defense and doing enough to give the Knicks a shot at the rebound.
That kind of versatility gives the coach real flexibility. New York can switch more comfortably.
It can hide a smaller teammate in a better matchup. It can survive a bad possession without scrapping the entire defensive plan.
And the title defense is going to get physical quickly. Every opponent will bring its best punch, because that’s what happens when you’re the defending champion. Not every big moment will be about Jalen Brunson dropping 30 or another star catching fire late.
Some of the key plays will be the quieter ones: a wing forcing a sloppy pass, a defender fighting back over a screen, a rebound that finally ends a possession when everyone is spent. Anunoby sits right in the middle of those moments.
If he has his best games next season, there’s a good chance the stat line won’t look especially dramatic. That’s kind of the point.
When he’s doing his job, the other team’s favorite option starts looking a lot less comfortable. And that’s a pretty strong foundation for a repeat run.
In Other News...
Mike Breen Identified What Defined The Knicks Under Finals Pressure
Mike Breen stepped into the SNY broadcast booth during a Mets game and used the moment to reflect on the Knicks championship path, zeroing in on the mental side of their 2026 NBA Finals run. What stood out to him was how the group handled pressure as a unit, with playoff-tested veterans and willing role players helping the Knicks absorb the stress of an NBA Finals stage that can rattle even the most talented teams.
Across the first two games against the San Antonio Spurs, New York had to play from behind and still found a way to settle in and make winning plays late. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart each had their turns carrying the load, but Breens point was broader than any one performance: the Knicks title push was built on collective sacrifice, and that showed up every time the game started tilting the wrong way. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Veteran Big Search Just Got More Interesting In Portland
Portlands backcourt depth took a serious hit with Shaedon Sharpe expected to miss six months because of a torn meniscus, and that kind of injury ripple can alter more than just the rotation. For a Blazers team already juggling its roster, the pressure now falls on the front office to make sure every spot is doing real work, especially after claiming center Micah Potter off waivers.
Potters situation is the one worth watching from a Knicks perspective. Portland is over capacity and already has two centers ahead of him, which could make him the odd man out if the Blazers need to clear room elsewhere. If he becomes available, New York has reason to look closely, because the Knicks still have a need for a veteran big man. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Look Like A Real Landing Spot For Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk is still on the market, and the pool of obvious landing spots has narrowed after Golden State used its final roster openings elsewhere. That leaves the veteran big man weighing a familiar kind of late-summer uncertainty, with a handful of teams still in the mix and the chance of a standard contract looking slimmer by the day.
The Knicks, though, suddenly stand out as a place where Olynyk could actually compete for a spot rather than simply wait for one to open up. A training-camp invite or another non-guaranteed arrangement would give New York a low-risk look at a player who could fit into its center depth, and for Olynyk it would create a real path to stick around if he can make the case on the floor. [Read more 🡒]