There are a number of eye-popping statistics at the heart of the Knicks' five-game winning streak since acquiring OG Anunoby from the Raptors two days before the 2024 season opener.
But when it comes to Tom Thibodeau, nothing is more important than the team's incredible turnaround in net ratings since Anunoby's arrival. Anunoby was a second-team All-Defensive selection and led the NBA in steals last season.
“For me, the most important statistic, and there's a million stats that we all look at, is net rating,” Thibodeau said before Tuesday's blowout win against the Trail Blazers. “When you're on the floor, what impact do you have on the group? And when you look at it — it's not only bringing out the best in yourself, but it's bringing out the best in the group. – and [Anunoby] It has a big impact on that. He fits in very well with his teammates.”
The metric measures the difference between offense and defense per 100 possessions, and the Knicks are first in the NBA at plus-19.8 over the past five games since Anunoby was acquired from the Raptors in a 3-for-2 deal that included RJ Barrett. It becomes. And Immanuel Quickley will be traveling to Toronto on December 30th.
Anunoby's net rating of 31.7 is second in the league behind teammate Isaiah Hartenstein, and his defensive rating of 92.2 is tops in the NBA, both stats based on players logging at least 20 minutes per game. There is.
Conversely, the Knicks, who were 1-4 in their last five games before Anunoby debuted in New Year's Day's win over the West Division-leading Timberwolves, had a -7.9 net rating, including That included a league-worst defensive rating of 124.9.
Anunoby is also +111 during the streak entering Thursday's road game against the Mavericks, which isn't even the team's best mark in that span.
Hartenstein was plus-125 in five games, and the Knicks held five opponents – the T-Wolves, Bulls, 76ers, Wizards, and Blazers – to 97.4 points per game, so Jalen Brunson is basically Anunoby. This was equivalent to +110 points. Against Portland, he allowed a season-low 84 points.
In December, he averaged 25 more points, a significant improvement.
While that may be the main reason the Knicks (22-15) have remained undefeated since their roster overhaul, there are four other players who contributed to this season's longest winning streak.
rebound
Hartenstein has been a monster on the boards since Mitchell Robinson underwent ankle surgery in December, and his 14 rebounds against Portland improved his average to 13.6 rebounds over the past five games. After a full season, he will be ranked No. 1 in the NBA.
Hartenstein also has 19 offensive rebounds (sixth in the league), 12 steals (tied for second) and 13 blocked shots (third) over the past five games.
In total, the Knicks rank first in rebounding percentage (56.2) and second-chance points (21.6 per game) since Jan. 1.
“We play as a team on both sides of the ball, and I think that’s the biggest thing,” Hartenstein said Tuesday night. “Just having OG on both teams was great for us. We're moving the ball better, and defensively he's doing a great job defending the team. It makes my life a lot easier. Masu.”
ball movement
With Barrett and Quickley gone, there's no question that the offense is running almost exclusively on Brunson and Julius Randle, and the Knicks have been passing the ball efficiently throughout their winning streak.
According to NBA.com's detailed team stats, the Knicks were last in the league with 39.9 assists allowed per 32 games before the trade, but during the streak they increased that number to 50.6 assists per game (fourth-most). It was extended to . A potential assist is defined as a pass that directly leads to a possession event (i.e., a shot, foul, or turnover).
The number of passes per game has also increased from 272 to 297, and he also leads the league in fast break points (21.0 per game) during this period.
Brunson is averaging 8.8 assists in five games, including a career-best 14 assists last week against the Timberwolves. This season, he was averaging 6.0 assists per game before the trade. Randle contributed 80 cents against the Blazers.
“I think finding the open man, getting in the paint, driving and kicking, finding shooters,” Randle said. “That was good.”
3 point shot
The Knicks have had a strong season on beyond 3-point shooting, ranking eighth league-wide at 37.8 percent, but they've been making it even more often in recent years, at 39.1 percent over the past five years. ing. Only the Thunder have more shots allowed this season (39.7).
Brunson made 1-of-7 long-range shots against Portland, but that's just a career-high 42.6 percent this season, behind free agent signing Donte DiVincenzo (43.9 percent). . Anunoby also made 45.5 percent (10 of 22) from 3-point range. And Quentin Grimes (14-for-31, .455) and Miles McBride (10-for-18, .556) discovered their outside strokes during their winning streaks.
free throw shooting
Quickley was the team's best free throw shooter this season (87.2 percent), and Barrett was shooting a career-best 83.2 percent before the trade.
Despite this, the Knicks had an 86.5 percent batting success rate during this span, which would rank first in the league over the full season, led by Brunson's performance in 23 of 24 games.
