OG Anunoby Stepping Up For Knicks

The New York Knicks have needed everyone to pitch in a little more with Jalen Brunson sidelined with a sprained ankle.

One of the players that has particularly taken this challenge on is forward OG Anunoby, who earned praise from NBA.com writer John Schuhmann.

"Overall, the Knicks offense has been worse over Jalen Brunson’s 12-game absence (114.6 points scored per 100 possessions) than it was through their first 62 games (118.2 per 100). But their four games last week (121.6 per 100) were their best stretch on that end of the floor since the All-Star break," Schuhmann writes.

"And two of those games came against teams – the Clippers and Bucks – that rank in the top 11 defensively. The Knicks have averaged 332 passes per 24 minutes of possession and recorded assists on 68.2% of their field goals (seventh in the league) over Brunson’s 12-game absence, up from 303 per 24 and 62.2% (20th) through their first 62 games."

"OG Anunoby appears to like the new offense, averaging 28.3 points on 56/41/97 shooting splits over the last six games, with 74% of his field goals having been assisted. That shooting includes 10-for-15 on corner 3-pointers, with Anunoby now fourth in total corner 3s for the season, trailing league-leader Mikal Bridges by 14."

Anunoby and the rest of the Knicks will be happy to have Brunson back when he takes the court at some point between now and the end of the regular season, but having the point guard out has done a lot for the other top contributors on the roster.

Anunoby will be able to take the added responsibilities he has had over the past few weeks and apply it to his play when Brunson returns for the Knicks' playoff run.