Brunson Towns? The neglected new ace of New York!

Two years ago, the Knicks ushered in a key deal, and the team gave out multiple chips in exchange for an offensive and defensive wing: OG Anunobi.

For New York at that time, the team had just stepped back to the playoff threshold and urgently needed a fresh force to push the team forward. Anunobi's arrival changed the team's offensive and defensive outline and invisibly determined the Knicks' future direction.

Now three seasons later, with head coach Thibodeau accidentally dismissed after last season's Eastern Conference Finals, Mike Brown officially took over the coach position. The Knicks stood at a turning point again. So the question arises. Under the new system, can Anunobi become the most important card in Mike Brown's hands?

Time goes back to New Year's Day in 2024, Anunobi's debut in the Knicks, and the opponent on the game was the Timberwolves, who had the highest record in the Western Conference at the time. At that time, Anunobi had just put on the Knicks jersey and knew almost nothing about Thibodeau's tactical system. Most of the time, Ta could only deal with it based on intuition and past experience.

Anunobi smiled and replied to the reporter:

"I actually don't know how to play, so I plan to keep a breakthrough in the whole game."

Anunobi did what he said. At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, he broke through from the bottom corner and scored, and then made a one-on-one move to the strongest defense in the league. This direct and tough style of play has injected unprecedented new energy into the Knicks. In just one month, New York's weak offense was completely activated.

But such a good situation didn't last long, and an accidental injury interrupted the sweet period of this stage. But it is undeniable that Anunobi's debut is enough to prove his value, and the potential of this forward is far more than the defensive level.

Time comes in 2025. The Knicks tried their best in the Eastern Conference Finals and played the most successful playoff journey in nearly 25 years. But just a few days after the team was eliminated, the management decided to fire coach Thibodeau, and Mike Brown took over Shuai Yin.

The most important question for the new coach Brown takes office is two questions: Will he adjust the Knicks' defensive strategy in the new season?

Can he help the Knicks get rid of the flaws of being too slow in the past offense?

, and even more directly and specifically, what does Thibodeau's dismissal mean for Brunson, who has always supported him? Will Bridges' new team positioning change? How should the combination of Towns and Miro be adjusted?

And behind this series of questions, there is an underrated name: OG Anunobi.

Anunobi's presence in the game has increased significantly during the past two seasons when Brunson was absent due to injury. During that time without Brunson, he almost took on the role of the team's core offensive and defensive pillar. Especially in the 2024-25 season, one of the most representative indicators of the Knicks' offense is Anunobi's empty-cut offense.

He completed 135 empty cuts and layups in the half-court offense that season, even twice his career record. Unsurprisingly, at the peak of Knicks' offensive fluency, Anunobi was the key gear in this engine.

But as the season progresses, the opponent's defense against Towns and Brunson gradually takes shape, the Knicks' overall game pace slows down again, and Anunobi's chances naturally decrease. Many people only pay attention to Thibodeau's high-load rotation, but instead ignore other lineup issues behind it:

Knicks have too many ball-holding points, which more or less dilutes Anunobi's value.

At the press conference for the new coach to take office, head coach Mike Brown made it clear:

"I hope this team will play faster in the new season."

And it is this sentence that it may very likely mean that a new stage belonging to Anunobi is about to come.

Looking back at the time when Thibodeau coached the team, he chose to arrange Anunobi to the bench most of the time because the bench prefers fast-paced attacks, and Anunobi can hit the basket with these physically fit young people. Referring to the 2023-24 season, Anunobi's dunk ends every six shots, which is also the highest dunk ratio in his career.

Once the overall speed up of the team, Anunobi will not only play her physical advantage in the conversion, but also gain more opportunities for conversion. The best case sample is that during the period when Brunson was absent, Anunobi's breakthroughs doubled significantly, and his average score soared to 25 points.

Compared with other teams' core holding the ball, Anunobi's offensive model does not rely on a large-scale ball-holding offense, but relies more on unball running and defensive misalignment to accumulate output. And Mike Brown's fast-paced offensive system may be the stage he needs most.

Apart from Anunobi, another potential change in the Knicks comes from Mitchell Robinson.

If Mike Brown can learn the rotation mode of Thibodeau's playoffs and let Towns and Miro start at the same time, then Anunobi will have a great chance to return to the starting small forward role.

In this arrangement, Anunobi can not only lock the opponent's forward line, but also guard the core point guard when needed. Referring to the first round of last season's playoffs, Thibodeau briefly allowed him to defend Cunningham and also achieved a surprising victory.

Referring to the coaching habits of Kings during the period of Mike Brown, it can be predicted that if the Knicks can frequently use unlimited switches, and the healthy Miro can provide stable restricted area protection, this will inevitably further amplify Anunobi's defensive value..

But the question now is:

In Brown's tactical system, will Anunobi continue to be the role of the defensive gate?

or will it be given more offensive responsibility?

And when Brunson and Towns dominate the ball, can he maintain efficiency?

If the team speeds up across the board, can he perform again in the explosive period? The answer to this question has not been revealed, but one thing is almost certain: of all the variables in the Knicks in the new season, Anunobi is probably the one with the most overlooked but the greatest potential.

Come to New York from Toronto, and experience strangeness, fusion, injuries and outbreaks in the past three years. The attention he received often came after Brunson, Towns and even Bridges, and never even fully reflected the value in the book data. And now, with Thibodeau leaving and Mike Brown taking office, the Knicks have a chance to usher in another reconstruction adjustment.

Mike Brown has to solve not only the rhythm problem, but also needs to reactivate this potential star with good offense and defense.

Maybe next season, we will see a brand new Anunobi. As for whether he will be a beneficiary of Mike Brown's new system, or will he be marginalized again?

2025-26 season, this question will be answered in the final answer.