MILWAUKEE — Without Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have needed their secondary scorers to elevate. OG Anunoby certainly has answered the call.
And he’s beginning to showcase a new offensive element that could unlock an important part of his game.
In the 11 games since Brunson went down with an ankle injury, in which the Knicks have gone 6-5 to stay afloat at the No. 3 seed in the East, Anunoby has averaged 22.4 points per game — up from his season average of 17.5 points.
He poured in a game-high 31 points in the 116-107 win over the Bucks Friday night at Fiserv Forum.
A whopping 20 of them came in the fourth quarter, helping the Knicks stave off a late Bucks run.
“Super aggressive,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Anunoby. “And I think he’s doing it a lot of different ways, which I like. I think just the overall aggressiveness — 10 free throws, 10 3s, attacking the rim but not hesitating on his open 3s. People are flying at him, he’s reading closeouts well. He’s doing a lot of great things. And then defensively, he’s everywhere, he guards everybody. He’s unique, he’s special. I think when you have Mitch [Robinson] playing back there, he’s even more aggressive.”
That aggressiveness represents a new wrinkle the Knicks hadn’t seen much of previously.
With Brunson, Anunoby operated more in a catch-and-shoot role from 3-point range or as a cutter off the ball when defenses focused on Brunson. But without Brunson, Anunoby has become much more aggressive driving to the rim as a slasher.
In those 11 games without Brunson, 51.1 percent of Anunoby’s shots came within 10 feet of the basket. That’s a significant increase from his season-long 44.8 percent mark.
And only 30.1 percent of his field goal attempts have been catch-and-shoot attempts, down from his 38.4 percent mark for the season.
“OG’s just taking his game to another level and being aggressive and confident in what he does,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “When he’s playing like this he’s a different OG Anunoby. We already know what he can do defensively. Just because of the circumstances, OG, we asked him to do more for our team, he’s been able to showcase more of his talent and he has.”
Naturally, attacking the rim more has allowed Anunoby to get to the free-throw line more. He attempted 10 free throws in Friday’s win and made all of them.
And in the 11 games without Brunson, he is averaging 5.1 free-throw attempts per game — way up from his 2.9 season-long mark.
“I try to play the right way and read the game,” Anunoby said. “And also just trying to get fouled, get the team in the bonus, create fouls, being aggressive at all times.”
Part of what has helped him get to the line, as he is slashing to the rim more, has been a move that he learned from DeMar DeRozan when the two were teammates on the Raptors.
Anunoby has been utilizing a low dribble as he drives, keeping the ball away from defenders while also searching for their outstretched arms in order to create contact and draw fouls.
What’s the key to that move?
“Just watching film, watching other great players,” Anunoby said. “I played with a guy, DeMar, who does it a lot. Great players do it and get fouled.
“Just being aggressive. Go with force, not being soft with it.”
Brunson’s return will naturally mean fewer opportunities for Anunoby as a driver. But that doesn’t mean it has to disappear, and perhaps can lead to the Knicks offense becoming a bit more balanced.
“Just attacking, aggressive downhill. I think he’s gotta continue to do that,” Thibodeau said. “When we’re active defensively, we can get into the open floor, that’s usually where he excels.”