ATLANTA — OG Anunoby doesn’t want to regulate. At the very least not based on Tom Thibodeau.
Jalen Brunson is again. After a month-long absence as a consequence of a proper ankle sprain, the Knicks’ All-Star guard is predicted to return to the beginning lineup on Sunday towards the Phoenix Suns. And together with his return comes a pure query: What occurs to Anunoby’s expanded offensive function?
Over the past 9 video games, Anunoby has averaged 27.1 factors per recreation — essentially the most prolific stretch of scoring in his profession — whereas shouldering an elevated utilization fee that jumped greater than seven share factors throughout Brunson’s absence.
However Thibodeau is adamant: that manufacturing doesn’t have to cease. Anunoby doesn’t want to alter his recreation to suit across the workforce captain upon his returns.
“The notion of all that stuff — it’s white noise,” Thibodeau mentioned after Saturday’s 121-105 win in Atlanta. “The game tells you what to do. Whose shot is it in transition? The open man. And if there’s two on somebody, whose shot is it? The open man. You have the responsibility as a primary scorer to make the right play.”
That, in essence, is Thibodeau’s basketball faith: Selfless basketball rooted in read-and-react execution.
“The team has to come first,” he continued. “What gives the team the best chance to win? That’s all anyone should be thinking about. Not who’s doing what. If you care about winning, that stuff shouldn’t matter.”
Anunoby has thrived within the vacuum of Brunson’s absence. He averaged 23.1 factors in March — a career-best scoring month. His offense has are available waves: chopping backdoor, attacking closeouts, pushing the break, and hitting threes in rhythm.
Thibodeau shot down the notion Anunoby can be resigned to spacing the ground within the corners as soon as Brunson returns to the lineup.
“He’s never been [just a floor spacer], exclusively. That notion is a bunch of garbage,” Thibodeau mentioned. “I’ll tell you another thing: I value the corners a lot more than most people. That’s the most valuable spot on the floor.
“He’s all over the floor. That’s how he’s scoring. That’s how everyone’s scoring,” he mentioned. “If you drive-pass-pass, who’s supposed to be in the corner? And if you’re cutting and moving without the ball — which is what you’re supposed to do — and the guy in front of you cuts, you replace in front. That’s how the game works.
“That’s a bunch of excuse-making, and that’s the way I see it.”
Anunoby’s evolution has helped the Knicks climate the storm. So has the scoring surge from Mikal Bridges, who’s averaging 20.5 factors per recreation in Brunson’s absence.
Collectively, they provide the Knicks choices — and the flexibility to protect their All-Star guard for the moments that matter most.
“‘Kal and OG being in a good rhythm offensively — that’s a good thing,” mentioned Josh Hart. “Sometimes, especially in the first two or three quarters, [Brunson] can defer to them a little bit more, not waste so much energy offensively and give a little bit more defensively.
“And then, obviously, the fourth quarter is when it’s time to win — that’s when he has the ball in his hands.”
