The Knicks signed OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million in the offseason, investing heavily in a player who arrived via trade the season before and helped New York to a 15-2 surge that saw the team looking like one of the best in basketball.
But injuries interrupted Anunoby’s regular season, and a hamstring injury in game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals all but ended his season, as an attempt to return in game seven was short lived.
The contract was criticized by many given Anunoby’s injury history and his lack of offense at times, but so far this postseason, and especially in Monday’s game one win over the Celtics, Anunoby showed why he was worth every penny.
After locking up Cade Cunningham in round one, Anunoby kept Jayson Tatum at bay in Monday’s series opener, and when Boston sought out screens to switch Anunoby off of their star, the Knicks forward made sure to help out Jalen Brunson or whoever was switched onto Tatum. His defense was superb, holding Tatum to a miserable 16.7 percent from the field when Anunoby was the primary defender. Oh, and he matched Brunson on the offensive end with 29 points, including a clutch and-one dunk in overtime to help seal the win.
Anunoby shot 50 percent from the field and 6-of-11 from downtown, logging 46 minutes in the Herculean effort to help the Knicks steal game one and change the feel of the series with a 20-point comeback. Anunoby’s fingerprints were all over the second-half surge, forcing key turnovers like a steal of Tatum in the fourth quarter that led to a fast break and a dunk on the other end, as Anunoby did it all on his own to tie the game.
Moments earlier, he faked a drive on Luke Kornet and stepped back to drill a straightaway triple to pull New York within one.
Anunoby is known for his defense, but in game one, he outscored Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined in the second half. He has emerged as a real second scoring option behind Brunson, and pair that with his ability to contain, or flat-out suffocate, the opponent’s best scoring option, and that is a valuable commodity that is worth every bit of his $212 million contract.
Not just worth it. Anunoby is showing that contract to be a real bargain in these playoffs.