Over a span of five games from December 23 through December 30 in which the Knicks went 1-4, they allowed an average of 127.6 points, including an alarming 140 in a road loss (140-126) to the Indiana Pacers to close the unfortunate stretch Saturday, Dec 30.
Earlier on that Saturday, however, the Knicks executed a trade with the Toronto Raptors to acquire OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second round pick.
Since Anunoby made his Knicks debut versus the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Day, the team is 5-0 heading into tonight’s game versus the Dallas Mavericks in Texas. Anunoby’s all-around skill set has no doubt steadied and bolstered the Knicks, especially on defense.
They have been near the top of the NBA in defensive rating. Going into Tuesday’s game at Madison Square Garden versus the Portland Trailblazers, who scorched the Nets for 132 points in an overtime win (132-127) at the Barclays Center on Sunday, in Anunoby’s prior four games with the Knicks, the team led the league in defensive rating over those 16 quarters, giving up just 103.1 points per 100 possessions.
They improved on that mark by holding Portland, which ranks 29th out of the league’s 30 teams in scoring at 108.3 points per game, to 84 while scoring 112 in the win. Anunoby also led the Knicks in scoring with 23, shooting 9-12, and 4-6 on 3-point attempts. The Knicks have surged to 22-15 and No. 4 in the Eastern Conference at the start of last night’s NBA schedule.
“Obviously, he allows a lot of space, but we need him to be aggressive and we still need him to be OG,” said Julius Randle, “shooting the shots when he’s open and attacking when he feels like he needs to be aggressive, and we’ll figure everything else out around it. To see him aggressive and confident tonight was good.”
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau also weighed in following the victory. “We started off the season playing great defense and sometimes it’s what you’re walking into,” he said. “If you’re walking into high-scoring teams, your goal is to obviously play great defense, but hold them to below their average and that’s what I measure. You can have a stretch, you can take a snippet out of a season and make it say whatever you’d like it to say, but the challenge is to do it consistently from the start to the end and keep the focus on improving.
“That’s where we are… I think the spirit of the team is really strong right now and the togetherness and the commitment to each other is very strong and we’ve got to keep it there.”
It indeed has been a collective effort. Center Isaiah Hartenstein has been notable since being inserted into the starting lineup to replace Mitchell Robinson, who had season ending ankle surgery last month. Quentin Grimes and Deuce McBride have also maximized their opportunities in increased roles.
Jalen Brunson, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, and Randle, continue their campaigns as likely All-Star selections, averaging 25.6 points and 6.4 assists, and 24.2 points and 9.3 rebounds respectively.
After the Mavericks, the Knicks will play the Grizzlies in Memphis on Saturday and the Orlando Magic at the Garden on MLK Day Monday afternoon.
