Former Coach Explains How Knicks Star Got Better

Former Indiana University head coach Tom Crean is impressed with the way OG Anunoby has become the fateful 8 for the New York Knicks.

Crean, who oversaw Anunoby’s collegiate days as a Hoosier, has taken in Anunoby’s recent work with the Knicks and lauded his evolving two-way game when speaking to Adam Zagoria of NJ Advance Media.

“I think he’s playing with confidence, I think he looks really good,” Crean said. “I think he’s moving well. He never gets out of shape. Ever since the injuries that he’s had in the past, he never wastes an offseason. He’s non-stop, whether he’s in Atlanta, whether he’s here [in New York], whether he’s in L.A., wherever he’s at, he’s training. And a lot of times, it’s twice a day. I think, with him, he never stops working on improving and I think it shows.”

Knicks fans need no education in the bittersweet Anunoby experience: his early winter arrival no doubt flipped the Knicks’ fortunes and set them up for the leap from leaderboard purgatory to second place in the conference. Injuries, however, ate away at Anunoby’s brief metropolitan sojourn though he did re-up with the team on a long-term extension over the offseason. Anunoby had previously missed the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 title run after he was forced to undergo an emergency appendectomy.

Back for the long haul, Anunoby finally experienced consecutive losses in a Knick uniform but has continued to showcase a well-rounded two-way game. Of note, he’s averaging 22 points on over 57 percent shooting in the last four games, including a season-best-tying 25 points in New York’s narrow win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night.

Crean believes that Anunoby’s charge will allow the Knicks (6-6) to overcome a relatively slow start.

“I think when he plays like that, it makes everybody better,” Crean, now a college basketball analyst for ESPN, told Zagoria. “He’s shooting it at a high level, he could always defend at a high level, I think he’s getting better with his driving and decision-making.”

“When he’s on the attack and driving long close-outs, because of what they have, he can make even more plays for guys,” Crean continued. “I think when the game gets moving, it gives them another guy that’s a legit decision-maker off the dribble.”

Anunoby and the Knicks return to action on Sunday for a rematch against the Nets (7 p.m. ET, MSG).

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