Inside the mind of Knicks’ OG Anunoby, one of the NBA’s best defenders

Karl-Anthony Towns, a 10-year NBA veteran who has played with great defenders and been guarded by even better ones, was in such awe with OG Anunoby following the New York Knicks’ 128-98 blowout win over the Detroit Pistons that he answered a question about his new teammate before he even knew what was being asked.

“What makes OG a really good defender is his anticipation, and some people might look at him as a gambler, but it always feels like he knows what’s going to happen. Are you guys able to…” I asked.

“I’ve never seen a man swipe at the ball with two hands,” Towns interrupted, referencing a play that came Oct. 25 in Indiana. “I’ve never seen that.”

Anunoby is one of the NBA’s best defenders, no matter the position. His extensive injury history is likely why he’s a one-time NBA All-Defensive team member instead of a four- or five-time selection. In a matter of 10 seconds, the 27-year-old can guard his man, the man to his right and the man to his left. He’s built like an oak dresser but has the reflexes of a cat. In today’s NBA, with 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-10 players up and down nearly every roster, Anunoby is everything you want in a defender.

“The size, quickness, anticipation, thinking ahead, the versatility, where the league has gone, the ability to play size … because of his strength, combined with his speed and athleticism, he’s very disruptive on the back side,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said when describing what makes Anunoby a special defender. “It’s important for every player to understand what their strengths are, and he came into the league with that. Experience has also taught him a lot. Long wings … there’s a premium on that in our league.”

The list is also long in regards to what makes Anunoby such a special defender. His work tells the whole story, but hearing him talk about his approach brings about a greater appreciation for how he goes about his business. For example, one of Anunoby’s greatest traits as a defender, especially given his size, is his screen navigation.

His ability to get skinny, anticipate where a screener like Rudy Gobert is going to set up and still recover fast enough to cut off a drive is something not too many players in this league can accomplish with as much regularity. Anunoby’s body positioning sets him up for success. He always tends to be within reach of his man when a screen is coming, and it’s because he does his work early.

“It’s really getting into the ball before the screen comes,” Anunoby said. “When (my teammates) communicate before the screen is set, I know where it’s coming from. It’s easier to get through. When you’re disconnected (from the ballhandler), it’s a lot harder.”

Anunoby has some of the most active hands in the NBA. He pounces too. It’s a deadly combination. That activity is very present when he’s the closest help defender and a ballhandler tries to hit a driving lane, one that appears much wider until each dribble takes him closer to Anunoby. These offensive players are often forced to take a different route or pick up the ball sooner than they’d like due to Anunoby’s suffocating length, quick hands and reaction time.

His style is aggressive, yet technical. He tends to throw the first punch without fouling. What some people may see as gambling, Anunoby views a bit differently.

“I see it as being aggressive and making the offense (react), not just letting them do whatever they want,” Anunoby said.

If you see Anunoby roaming, somewhat like a free safety, it’s not built into the defense. It’s him taking initiative. It can be risky at times, but the root of his decisions to roam is based on the homework he does.

“Knowing personnel, knowing the plays they’re going to run and then just communication from everyone,” Anunboy said. “If I might not know something, I’m hoping someone says something, and then I’m able to make something happen.”

Playing alongside Towns is different from playing with the other centers New York has had since Anunoby joined the franchise earlier this year. With Towns, the Knicks have deployed a deeper drop coverage, more often than not, when the big man is in the pick-and-roll. Anunoby said his approach differs in these coverages when playing alongside the likes of Mitchell Robinson or Isaiah Hartenstein, both of whom found themselves closer to the level of the ballahandler at times last season.

“I have to make sure to chase over the screens and stay connected,” Anunoby said of defending in a deeper drop coverage. “I have to always get a rearview contest if (KAT) is in a deep drop and always be ready to veer to the big man if he commits.”

Thibodeau has coached many great defenders and many great defenses in his long NBA coaching tenure. This Knicks team has the potential to be one of the better ones with a wing rotation of Anunoy, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, all of whom are considered good-to-great defenders by nearly anyone you ask in the NBA, and Anunoby has every tool to be the best individual defender Thibodeau has had. Teams will stick the man Anunoby is guarding in the corner just to keep him out of the action. His defense is game-planned for. It’s both textbook and off the cuff. It’s both physically imposing and elegant. The game plan doesn’t always work.

A scientist would have a hard time creating a more perfect defender in a laboratory.

“He’s a defense by himself,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said. “He’s one-of-one. He can guard anybody, and when he’s off the ball, it’s crazy. He, like, pounces. When he’s in a gap, he lunges at you. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

(Photo of Anunoby: Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)