The New York Knicks have two players that could realistically take home the 2025 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, but one may have a greater chance when next season is all said and done.
Knicks’ OG Anunoby will be positioned to win Defensive Player of the Year over the field
Anunoby, a former All-Defensive Second Team honoree and NBA steals leader, is primed to take on the best perimeter scorers on opposing teams for the Knicks next season. Bridges may have an amplified role on offense, which would naturally allow him to hand over such duties to Anunoby, though the former will be deployed as a 94-foot ball-stopper as Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau hinted at recently.
Thus, Anunoby could outpace a field of likely contenders including reigning DPOY Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves, as well as Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., New Orleans Pelicans small forward Herb Jones, and Los Angeles Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis, to name a few. That being said, what would set the British star apart from the rest next season?
Anunoby’s history of defensive excellence & impacting Knicks wins adds to his projection
From a statistical standpoint, contending for the league lead in steals again would strengthen his case. Anunoby could make the Knicks the most disruptive team in the passing lanes in 2024-25. Last time out, the former 2019 NBA champion took away 1.7 steals per contest, comparable to the 1.9 he pick-pocketed when he led the league in 2022-23. In the latter year, he finished No. 7 in DPOY voting.
When looking at his defensive rating metrics, Anunoby ranked No. 11 (107.2) among all players who suited up for at least 41 games in 2023-24. His defensive rating in 2022-23 was 111.4. Case in point? He reduced his peripheral by nearly seven points, while upping his blocks per game by 0.3 rejections from 0.7 BPG to 1.0 BPG a night, and most pronouncedly, made his presence felt once he joined the Knicks last year, setting the record for highest plus/minus by a player with a new team in his first 12 games in the Big Apple.
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3 Things Anunoby can do to win DPOY in 2025
Anunoby will need to do three things to garner serious consideration for the league’s top defensive honor. First, he’ll need to show from the eye test that his tenacious defense is directly leading to Knicks wins. Secondly, the Indiana product would add to his case by producing a defensive rating closer to last season than the year prior, while wowing with his steals and blocks numbers. Lastly, if he can lead by example and enhance the Knicks’ strong defensive fabric and culture as other award winners have in the past, he’ll earn votes and potentially hoist the trophy come season’s end.
