OG Anunoby is widely considered one of the most versatile and impactful defenders in the NBA. Knicks coach Mike Brown and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns had both said in recent weeks that Anunoby deserved a First Team selection. Now, with the playoffs proving their point, Towns is making sure the basketball world knows exactly how he feels.
After the Knicks’ Game 3 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Towns stood up at the post-game press conference and called out the lack of questions about Anunoby’s All-Defensive Second Team nod, saying “he is one of the best defenders in the world, and he got robbed of the first.”
The timing could not be more fitting. Anunoby had just put up 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in Game 3, defending both Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in a dominant performance that underlined exactly what Towns was talking about.
Karl-Anthony Towns Calls Out NBA For Robbing OG Anunoby
The NBA named Anunoby to the All-Defensive Second Team after he finished ninth in total voting, earning 67 points on 11 first-place votes and 45 second-place votes. The First Team spots went to Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Ausar Thompson, Rudy Gobert, and Derrick White.
The numbers back up the frustration. Anunoby averaged 1.6 steals per game and was one of only three players in the league to do so while also averaging more than 0.6 blocks per game. He also ranked sixth in three-point shots contested per game.
His postseason impact has been equally undeniable. Anunoby’s net rating of 21.7 ranks fifth among playoff participants who have appeared in at least five games and averaged at least 20 minutes, with 17 total steals despite missing two games with a hamstring injury.
The Knicks took a 3-0 series lead over the Cavaliers with the Game 3 win, putting New York one win away from the NBA Finals. Game 4 tips off Monday, May 25, in Cleveland.
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