Can Knicks SF Make All-Defensive Team?

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby’s biggest struggle throughout his career has been his health. But when he is on the floor, Anunoby has looked like one of the league’s best defenders.

Anunoby made the NBA All-Defensive team in 2022-23, but after only playing in 50 games last season for the Toronto Raptors and Knicks, he missed out on the honor.

However, Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley believes he could make a re-appearance in his first full season with the Knicks.

“Anunoby’s current career-high for games played sits at 74, and it was set back during his rookie season of 2017-18. This most recent campaign marked the third time in four years that he has appeared in 50 or fewer outings,” Buckley writes. “Availability, then, has been Anunoby’s biggest hurdle in terms of earning this distinction, but if he can just get the injury bug off his back, everything else should fall into place. The Knicks are deep enough that they shouldn’t have to run him ragged, and the summer trade for Mikal Bridges means Anunoby won’t automatically assume the opposition’s toughest perimeter assignment. If Anunoby finally stays healthy, he should make his presence felt early and often enough to bag the first All-Defensive first-team selection of his career.”

Taking pressure off of Anunoby should be easier this season with Bridges on board and the Knicks will rely on his defensive prowess more with Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle healthy. That will allow Anunoby to exert more energy on the defensive end and allow him to showcase his best attribute more often.

Anunoby came to the Knicks in the middle of the year when the team was beaten up already by injuries. Now, with the Knicks fresh and ready for the upcoming season, Anunoby can play a more relaxed version of himself, and that will be best for all parties involved.

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