The Knicks change of coach triggers speculation Anunobi may become the most critical tactical factor under Brown

Translator's note: The original text was published in TheAthletic, and the data in the text were as of the time of publication (September 12, local time). The dates and times involved are all local time. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

About two years ago, OG Anunobi returned to his most accustomed to playing ball shortly after arriving at the Knicks.

Knicks had just completed a deal and got this all-round swingman. His first test was: against the Timberwolves, the No. 1 in the West on New Year. Anunobi knew nothing about the Knicks' tactics and was only familiar with his playing style for more than six years with the Raptors. He hasn't learned the team's tactical terms yet. He must respond on the spot in the game. Before jumping the ball, he found point guard Jaylen Brunson with a clear goal.

"I don't really know what I should do," he told Brunson, "so, I'll keep cutting." That's what Anunobi does. Shortly after the first quarter, he scored from an empty cut from the bottom corner, and then quickly broke through the Timberwolves' top defense and completed another end at the basket. The Knicks' offense adds more off-ball movements, which is a stylistic adjustment compared to the days before Anunobi's arrival. For the rest of that month, they messed up their opponents’ defenses-until injuries ruined the Knicks’ vibrant romantic chapter in January in the 2023-24 season.

In a new environment and not having enough time to prepare, Anunobi chose the way he was familiar with. When you have doubts, run.

His third season with the Knicks will face another change.

Anunobi welcomes a new coach for the first time since that game against the Timberwolves. The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau in June, and just a few days ago they had just finished an exciting division final, the team's most successful playoff journey in 25 years. Mike Brown will take over Thibodeau's position.

What followed was a discussion about how the Knicks might be different under the new leadership.

Who will become the starter? What changes will happen to everyone’s favorite topic in the past five years - players’ playing time? Will the team change its defensive strategy under Brown? Will joint defense be adopted more? Or change defense more? What does this mean for Brunson, who has been supporting Thibodeau since childhood? What does this mean for Mikal Bridges, who looked uncomfortable in his first year with the Knicks?

However, in these discussions, the Knicks' most stable wing player was ignored. The 6-foot-7-inch (about 2.01 meters), energetic and selected for the best defensive team, played a more important role in the month when Brunson was absent last season, and he was able to restrain his edge when the team needed it. How will the arrival of Brown change Anunobi's situation?

The answer will not be revealed until the Knicks start playing. But these problems emerged before the game began.

The biggest sign of whether the Knicks' offense was smooth last season was Anunobi's dunk. Defenders will pay too much attention to Brunson or another major scoring point of the team, Carl Anthony Towns, which creates a breakthrough route for Anunobi, one of the wingers. In the team's half-court offense alone, Anunobi completed 135 layups or dunks through an empty cut, almost twice his previous career record.

In the early season victory over the 76ers, the Knicks' offense was running smoothly, and Anunobi made seven dunks. In the end, the Knicks won a big victory. For a variety of reasons—from tactical levels, such as how the team deals with the different defensive strategies of the defense against Towns, to the data level, such as the team’s struggles to get free throws or three-point shooting—as the team’s scoring declines, as the season progresses, and those dunks of Anunobi have decreased.

Will Brown try to use other ways to exploit Anunobi's empty-cut ability? Can he make more roll cuts around Towns to get a hand-passing chance, like he did around Domantas Sabonis while coaching the Kings? Can those opportunities at the basket appear more in the conversion offense?

At the press conference in office, Brown said he hoped to play faster. One of the weaknesses of the Knicks last season was that despite their talent and system, they were unable to quickly enter the offensive state. This does not refer to fast attack. Especially at the end of the game, the Knicks often have to wait until the offensive clock consumes 10 seconds before starting to organize tactics.

If the Knicks were able to speed up successfully (remember, almost every team in NBA history has claimed to play faster at the start of training camp), would that benefit Anuno than the fierce player in the transition offense? Will this lead to more three-point shots overall and thus create more opportunities for Anunobi?

Anunobi knows how to create opportunities for himself in fast attack. In fact, in the first season of the Knicks, Thibodeau paired Anunobi with the substitute, partly because the team's substitutes like to run and play. Anunobi can charge with them. Not surprisingly, he had a dunk about every six shots during his 2023-24 season, and if he could keep that ratio for the entire season, it would be the highest record in his career.

Last season, Anunobi was present with the starter for a very long time. Especially Brunson and Towns, their style of play last season is more suitable for half-court offense. Of course, a new coach who brings a new offensive system may seek to change that. Can

Pairing Anunoby with faster paced players create more opportunities for his explosion in the fast break? Can starting an attack early before the defensive player takes over, create more misalignment opportunities for him in the half-court offense?

According to SecondSpectrum, Anunobi's frequency of rushing to the basket was roughly doubled when Brunson was injured last season. In that month, he averaged nearly 25 points per game. And his success was not based on Kyrie Irving's fancy dribble. Anunobi is a diligent player. He would rush to break free from any obstacles that dared to block his path. Will

play faster, thus forcing the defender into a bad match create more such opportunities for Anunobi? Will he face defenders smaller than himself more in the 2025-26 season than last season? If this is the case, how would he deal with it?

If he can successfully use these opportunities, the Knicks can increase the possibility of creating misalignment.

Brown has a tool that Thibodeau didn't use most of last season: Mitchell Robinson, who rose back in the playoffs to become a top center. If the Knicks had Robinson and Towns start together like they did in the Eastern Conference Finals, it would have pushed Anunobi to the third position. The change in position won’t force him to defend different types of players, but those teams with three small squads – nowadays, there are many like this – may struggle to cope with Anunobi’s physical confrontation.

Especially if Robinson starts, giving the Knicks' starting lineup a top-notch rim protector, the new coaching staff can make a fuss about Anunobi's defensive role.

For most of last season, the Knicks were defending the opponent's ball-holding core by Bridges. Anunobi will be responsible for the opponent's best wing or forward player. In the first round of the playoffs, Thibodeau changed the roles of the two, allowing Anunobi to go to the All-Star point guard Cad Cningham, who was the main defender of the Pistons. This change has achieved miraculous results.

In the first two rounds of series against the Pistons and the Celtics, the Knicks' defense looked better when Anunobi was primarily responsible for defending the ball-holding core, and the team also replaced more defenses than at any time last season.

The team had a healthy Robinson at the time, which changed the situation of the game, and it will be the case at the beginning of the season.

It is too early to give the answer. But these questions are worth asking: What impact does swap Thibodeau with Brown have on Anunobi? Can he take on a greater offensive responsibility like he did when Brunson was injured last season? How will he adapt to the change again?