HOUSTON – Andrew Nembhard blew past Jalen Brunson and was greeted by a bear charge.
OG Anunoby, as he often does at the edge, abandoned his assignment and charged at Nembhard with a quick two-handed swipe generated from a wrestler’s crouch.
“He’s jumping on,” Josh Hart said. ‘He’s in a hole. He anticipates. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Nembhard, a Pacers guard, wanted no part of Anunoby in the second quarter last week’s Knicks victory.
He pulled back on his dribble and took a few steps behind the three-point line before abandoning any plans to test that side of the defense.
OG Anunoby was a tenacious defender for the Knicks. Brad Penner-Imagn images
Nembhard switched to a pick-and-roll with Karl-Anthony Towns’ man, Myles Turner, and the sequence ended with an Indiana turnover.
“Nembhard was like, ‘Woah,’” Hart recalled Friday. “He was surprised.”
It’s easy to follow Nembhard’s thought process.
He fell into the bear trap in the first quarter.
OG Anunoby signed a major deal with the Knicks this offseason. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
That time, Nembhard got a small step on Mikal Bridges and drove into left center, committing a turnover as Anunoby lurked and lunged at the ball with that trademark low center of gravity.
“I don’t see it as gambling. I see it as aggressive,” said Anunoby, whose wingspan is quite large at 7-foot-2 on his 6-foot-4 frame, but looks even longer when he lunges to sweep a dribbler’s legs. “And making the offense uncomfortable. Don’t just let them do what they want. I just try to get them to come back or pick up their dribble.
Aggressiveness, calculated risk, whatever you want to call it, Anunoby has earned the benefit of the doubt.
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges (25) and forward OG Anunoby (8) defend Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the second half at Madison Square Garden, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Through five games, and especially in the three wins, he has once again demonstrated the defensive versatility and instincts that compelled the Knicks to give him the win. richest contract in franchise history at $212.5 million.
Even more so than Bridges — who has also been a solid defender since that ugly opening night in Boston — Anunoby is both strong and fast enough to take down 90 percent of NBA players, give or take. For example, he defended Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier in Wednesday’s victory over Miami.
“(OG) is doing some wild things on that side of the ball,” Brunson noted.
Two nights later, coach Tom Thibodeau was absolutely gushing after Anunoby forced the Pistons into 22 turnovers.
“We know how valuable he is to us,” Thibodeau said. “For me he is invaluable.”
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives past New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Lon Horwedel-Imagn images
Anunoby’s natural comparison is Luol Deng, an easy jump due to the Thibodeau connection.
Deng was Thibodeau’s “invaluable” fullback in Chicago more than a decade before Anunoby took the position.
But Thibodeau doesn’t often make comparisons, and he avoided it with Anunoby.
“Every man is unique, and there are things about him that are so unique and different: his size, his strength, his speed, his anticipation, his ability to read and see ahead,” the coach said. “If you look ahead, you become faster. And that leads to a lot of disruption. And he can read plays. When someone is loose with the ball, he is very active with his hands. Disruptive on the ball, but also very good on the ball, and he is super long. So he can fly past you and get back into the game and still have an impact on the shot.
“His pick-and-roll defense is unique. And then the fact that he can switch to anyone. That makes him very unique. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s great for our team.”
Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (12) shoots the ball over New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
In a lineup with two offensive stars in Brunson and Towns – both of whom have defensive deficiencies – Anunoby’s presence covers up warts.
That was the idea of combining Bridges and Anunoby on the wings, a duo brilliantly labeled ‘Wingstop’ by Hart on Friday night, a play on the chicken wing chain.
Anunoby’s major concern throughout his career was his health.
He has missed at least 30 games in three of the past four seasons.
Just five games into this campaign – with two rest days before Monday’s match at Houston – it’s so good so far. Anunoby is third in minutes with 35 per game and leads the Knicks in steals.
“I’ve never seen a guy swipe at the ball with two hands,” Towns said. “I’ve never seen that before. His athleticism, his expectation. But also just technology. The way he implements that in one game is not something a lot of NBA players can do.”