New york knicks has suspended they coach because of…
There was no question about who would be taking on the task of guarding Anthony Edwards when the New York Knicks took the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday afternoon.
One of the league’s most promising young players, Edwards is exactly the kind of powerful and physical scoring wing that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s teams have found it difficult to manage during his tenure.
But Thibodeau’s Knicks had not had a player like OG Anunoby before Monday. And Anunoby was the one fixed on Edwards when the game began. (Anunoby allowed just four shot attempts while defending Edwards in a team-high 34 half-court battles.)
The ball ended up in Anunoby’s hands in the corner with just over two minutes remaining in the game and New York on the attack. He unleashed a shot that nestled in the bottom of the net, earning Madison Square Garden supporters a standing ovation. He is currently among the league’s top five players in made corner threes.
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Similar to his successful Knicks debut, Anunoby’s 3-and-D game isn’t very impressive. Anunoby has never even approached the average of 20 points per game, in contrast to most players that fill NBA trade machines during this time of year. His 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in his first two games with the New York Knicks isn’t very impressive. It’s still hard to put a number on his defense, which is his greatest asset.
When questioned about the process of learning to play with Anunoby—who finished with a game-high plus-19 in his New York debut—Knicks star Julius Randle responded, “It’s extremely easy.”
“He just plays basketball the right way — that’s the best way I can put it.”
For their first road game together, Anunoby and the Knicks will travel down I-95 on Friday night to play the Philadelphia 76ers and the league’s MVP, Joel Embiid, at the Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). The game, which takes place just over a month before the trade deadline, will provide insight into the Knicks’ viability as Eastern Conference competitors.
