OG Anunoby inspires Knicks with two-way brilliance: ‘Freak of nature’

The fans at the Garden weren’t the only ones in attendance marveling at OG Anunoby’s unique defensive exploits in Thursday’s win over the Hornets.

Anunoby’s teammates on the Knicks essentially were chanting “OG, OG,” too, after a game in which he registered four steals and a highlight sequence in which he rejected two shots on the perimeter on the same Charlotte possession.

“It’s crazy. He’s just a freak of nature, getting those blocks,” Mikal Bridges said after the Knicks’ fourth straight win entering Saturday’s home game against the Pistons. “He’s been OG since he’s been in the league. I’ve been watching him. Really dope.”

The mild-mannered Anunoby even flashed a broad smile after his successive blocks into the stands from either corner of the defensive half-court on KJ Simpson and Cody Martin.

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Tom Thibodeau joked after the game that Anunoby, who also scored 25 points in the win, was “getting checked right now” by doctors for the rare show of emotion.

“The plays that he was [making], he’s the only one that can make them. He’s everywhere,” Thibodeau said. “He’s flying around. He’s into the bodies, and when he’s like that, he just covers so much ground. His timing, you can’t throw the ball over him. He challenges shots great. He’s a guy with great, great instincts. He played a terrific game.

“I think plays like that unite and inspire the team. You can feel it. When a guy makes a great multiple effort, it’s inspiring to everyone. That gets you going. The energy that you get from that is huge. The blocked shots, diving on the floor, coming up with a steal, and actually that’s really what got us going. He blew up a couple of dribble hand-offs, we got a couple of easy baskets, and then we got going.”

The two blocks represented the kind of memorable sequence that should stand out — and voters should not forget — when the time comes to select the league’s All-Defensive teams at the end of the regular season.

Karl-Anthony Towns was incredulous when told the 6-foot-7 forward only has been selected once for that honor — a second-team designation in 2022-23 with the Raptors — over his previous seven seasons in the NBA.

“He has All-Defensive teams in his future. So we’ll make it up,” Towns said. “I think we all know in this locker room the talent OG possesses.

“I think he’s one of the best two-way players in the NBA. Defensively, offensively, he affects the game. I’m just glad that he’s getting this moment here in the Mecca in New York to show the world the talent that we all see.”

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At the other end of the floor, the 27-year-old Anunoby is averaging career highs in points (17.7 per game) and minutes (36.4) while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range.

Thibodeau also usually pits Anunoby defensively against the opposing team’s top player, a role he clearly relishes.

“I just find out the matchup, watch the film, and then also my memory from playing them before, just from watching games, seeing what they like to do, just trying to make them uncomfortable,” Anunoby said. “[They are] all great players.”

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“It’s fun to watch them before, watching their film. I enjoy watching every player. It’s fun to see them grow and get better each year, and then whoever the player is, see how good they are. And then also it’s fun to try to stop them, make it as difficult as possible.”

Anunoby added that he would “never” before recorded multiple blocks on one possession in the manner he did it Thursday night against the Hornets. The reason for the on-court smile, he said, was because he “was excited.”

Still, when asked if he has any statistical goals or hopes of garnering individual accolades, Anunoby shifted the conversation back to the team.

“I definitely have individual goals, but I know that all comes from winning,” he said. “So winning is the main goal.”