> As Jalen Brunson took the court Monday afternoon, his newest teammate approached with a message.
> “I don’t really know what I’m doing,” OG Anunoby told him. “So I’m going to keep cutting.”
> Anunoby followed through with his promise during his initial game with the New York Knicks — the second part of it, not the first. He ran, cut and sliced. He attacked closeouts and dished to others who scampered into space the same way he did.
> This was a new look. And because of the way Anunoby performed, in a state of constant movement, the first part of his comment to Brunson didn’t appear true at all.
> The principal reason the Knicks acquired Anunoby — bringing him, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in from the Toronto Raptors for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick — was his defensive presence. New York wanted a long, physical stopper, and few people in the NBA fit that description better than this specific 6-foot-7 linebacker.
> Meanwhile, the Knicks could already score. They have treaded around the top 10 in points per possession all season. But on Monday, their style changed.
> These Knicks moved differently. They are without two offensive constants, Barrett and Quickley, whose shot creation became a staple inside the group’s attack. Now, New York must find other ways to score. Against the Wolves, who own the NBA’s stingiest defense, it started with all that cutting.
> “(I was) just reading my teammates,” Anunoby said. “Seeing if they pick the ball up or seeing where the help defense is coming from. Reading my man as well. Seeing if he turns his head.”
> Midway into the period, he badgered All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who could not get to the rim and clanked a panicked jumper well short, received an outlet pass from Josh Hart and raced the other way, noticing only the smaller Mike Conley in front of him.
> But instead of trying a layup he could have justified, a move that would have been familiar in New York, Anunoby kicked to an open Quentin Grimes who flipped the ball to Brunson who flung it back to Hart who nailed an open 3.
> Thibodeau made Brunson and Anunoby the first two substitutions of each half, an honor that formerly went to Barrett, sitting them early so they could return to run with the second unit. Anunoby becomes the de facto backup power forward, a role that formerly belonged to Hart. Meanwhile, Brunson can now catch fire against backups.
> The strategy separates Randle and Brunson so that the Knicks have one of their two best shot-makers in the game at all times. Quickley isn’t around to provide a jolt off the bench anymore. And Barrett isn’t there to slash to the basket.
> The Knicks have more shooting in their starting lineup now. Anunoby drained three of his four 3-point attempts from the corners Monday. Defenses worry about his long balls more than they concerned themselves with Barrett’s. They are looking for other ways to create shots. For example, Thibodeau says he wants to involve Isaiah Hartenstein more as a cutter and creator. We saw some of that against the Timberwolves with Hartenstein passing from the high post, bouncing dishes to cutters and slicing from the corners to the hoop.
> A new-look offense is not just about ping-ponging the basketball around the court more. The player movement vows to match the ball movement — especially once every player knows what he’s doing.
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> As Jalen Brunson took the court Monday afternoon, his newest teammate approached with a message.
> “I don’t really know what I’m doing,” OG Anunoby told him. “So I’m going to keep cutting.”
> Anunoby followed through with his promise during his initial game with the New York Knicks — the second part of it, not the first. He ran, cut and sliced. He attacked closeouts and dished to others who scampered into space the same way he did.
> This was a new look. And because of the way Anunoby performed, in a state of constant movement, the first part of his comment to Brunson didn’t appear true at all.
> The principal reason the Knicks acquired Anunoby — bringing him, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn in from the Toronto Raptors for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick — was his defensive presence. New York wanted a long, physical stopper, and few people in the NBA fit that description better than this specific 6-foot-7 linebacker.
> Meanwhile, the Knicks could already score. They have treaded around the top 10 in points per possession all season. But on Monday, their style changed.
> These Knicks moved differently. They are without two offensive constants, Barrett and Quickley, whose shot creation became a staple inside the group’s attack. Now, New York must find other ways to score. Against the Wolves, who own the NBA’s stingiest defense, it started with all that cutting.
> “(I was) just reading my teammates,” Anunoby said. “Seeing if they pick the ball up or seeing where the help defense is coming from. Reading my man as well. Seeing if he turns his head.”
> Midway into the period, he badgered All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who could not get to the rim and clanked a panicked jumper well short, received an outlet pass from Josh Hart and raced the other way, noticing only the smaller Mike Conley in front of him.
> But instead of trying a layup he could have justified, a move that would have been familiar in New York, Anunoby kicked to an open Quentin Grimes who flipped the ball to Brunson who flung it back to Hart who nailed an open 3.
> Thibodeau made Brunson and Anunoby the first two substitutions of each half, an honor that formerly went to Barrett, sitting them early so they could return to run with the second unit. Anunoby becomes the de facto backup power forward, a role that formerly belonged to Hart. Meanwhile, Brunson can now catch fire against backups.
> The strategy separates Randle and Brunson so that the Knicks have one of their two best shot-makers in the game at all times. Quickley isn’t around to provide a jolt off the bench anymore. And Barrett isn’t there to slash to the basket.
> The Knicks have more shooting in their starting lineup now. Anunoby drained three of his four 3-point attempts from the corners Monday. Defenses worry about his long balls more than they concerned themselves with Barrett’s. They are looking for other ways to create shots. For example, Thibodeau says he wants to involve Isaiah Hartenstein more as a cutter and creator. We saw some of that against the Timberwolves with Hartenstein passing from the high post, bouncing dishes to cutters and slicing from the corners to the hoop.
> A new-look offense is not just about ping-ponging the basketball around the court more. The player movement vows to match the ball movement — especially once every player knows what he’s doing.
Looked the same to me.