The NBA season is just over the halfway mark, yet the offseason is already on several minds. This summer will spawn several marquee free agents, both restricted and unrestricted, that will generate attention from franchises around the league, and New York Knicks small forward OG Anunoby is one of them.
Is Knicks’ OG Anunoby the fifth-best FA target this Summer?
With names like Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Golden State Warriors four-time champion Klay Thompson set to hit the open market, Anunoby was identified as one of the five most attractive talents that will be valuable to chase.
Fan Nation’s Jonah Morgan reminded us of a list compiled by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey of the 30 best options this summer, which placed Anunoby at No. 5 with this justification:
“Anunoby will ably space the floor and hit catch-and-shoot threes, while occasionally making a well-timed cut to the basket. And his willingness to do those less glamorous things on offense can make life an awful lot easier for ball-handlers,” Bailey rationalized when making the case for Anunoby.
There were several players that the reigning NBA steals leader came in ahead of, including Thompson, former 2019 champion and three-time All-Star Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers), six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls), and four-time All-Defensive honoree Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics).
Anunoby’s body of work is hard to dispute
Anunoby has 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 nightly steals while connecting on a career-high 51.5% of his looks from the field. He’s changed the look and feel of the Knicks as a primary agent of their 12-2 stretch that just recently came to a halt due to his elbow injury and the host of other infirmities that have plagued the Knicks’ roster. After the attention-grabbing performance that he’s put forth since joining the Knicks, Morgan reiterated his
With his ridiculous plus/minus in New York, Anunoby will indeed be one of the best two-way options available but may need to show more growth as a scorer before being in the same breath as James or the other former MVP candidates and winners also in the top five. Add that to the excess of $20 million he’ll be seeking annually and you have a championship difference maker that may be a season or two away from being a championship No. 2 option if given the opportunity to blossom in such a role.