Larry O’Brien Legends, 2026 Special: The OG gets his chance
Obviously, there are many reasons why the 2026 Knicks will be remembered forever. They ended the Knicks’ 50+ year championship drought, the best playoff point differential ever, the multiple crazy comebacks, Brunson’s closeout game and many more. But I want to shoutout a guy that finally got his chance to leave his mark on the NBA forever after being robbed of that opportunity not long ago.
In 2019, OG Anunoby was a valuable role player on the Toronto Raptors. On an all-time great defense, he was one of their best defenders. His offensive game was still unrefined, but his versatility made him valuable. So it was a shame when OG was forced to miss the playoffs because of surgery he needed for acute appendicitis.
OG still got a ring (rightfully so), but having to watch the entire run from the sidelines had to sting. The Raptors kept him around after that year in what some called a stubborn attempt to recapture 2019. You can say they held on too long, but recent history tells us they had good reasons to do so.
Infamously, the Raptors finally blew up their 2019 core after ending the Pistons’ 28-game losing streak, but they began to cave in late 2022 when they traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. Although this was obviously a brilliant move for the Knicks in hindsight, at the time, there were many skeptics. They focussed on the package. There was belief the combo of Quickley and RJ alone was better than OG. Although that concern existed, the Knicks actually wanted OG for a while.
Reports at the time suggest the Knicks had honed in on OG in the previous 2 seasons, but couldn’t get a trade sorted out. They firmly believed OG would work well within their lineup. The question would be if New York could convince him to stay and if he could make the deal worth it.
Fast forward to the 2026 playoffs, the Knicks are contenders with some question marks, mainly related to their consistency. OG is a valuable piece with Jalen Brunson as the captain of the ship with KAT appearing to be his 2nd-in-command with OG as the 3rd option and best perimeter defender. Everyone knew he would be important, but I don’t think even Knicks fans grasped how valuable OG was until the Finals.
In round 1, the Knicks faced the Hawks. OG’s best game ironically came in a loss as he led the way with 29 points and clutch 3s that were sadly undone by CJ McCollum’s game winner. Fortunately, OG and the Knicks got their shit together and disposed of the Hawks with ease in the next 3 games while OG averaged 23 points per game (only 2 behind Brunson), including a team-leading 22 in the evisceration that was game 6.
Round 2 presented the 76ers, a team that looked like a Cinderella story in the making only to have their glass slipper stomped on by the Knicks as they were swept. OG missed a couple games with a hamstring strain but played great in the ones before that. He was 2nd in points per game and particularly excellent in game 2, causing 2019 Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to say it was the best he’d ever seen from OG.
Round 3 presented what could’ve been an intriguing matchup between 2 contenders that had some question marks, there was just 1 problem: the Knicks had already answered their questions. New York steamrolled the Cavs in 4. OG ironically had his worst series of the run, only averaging 16 per game, which was 3rd on the Knicks. Luckily, he saved his best for last.
If not for Brunson’s excellence, OG had a real chance at winning Finals MVP. On top of his usual defensive excellence that kept San Antonio’s wings in check, OG was up there with Brunson in scoring until game 5 with super good efficiency. Nobody made more 3s than OG Anunoby and nobody was more efficient.
You definitely remember his greatest performance, game 4. He helped complete the largest comeback in Finals history with the block on Fox and put-back tip-in heard around the world. What you might forget is OG put up 33 in that game. He and Brunson were the only Knicks with 20+. That comeback does not happen without him. OG was quiet in game 5, but Brunson did more than enough to clinch the championship.
As a whole, OG finished the 2026 playoffs with averages of 20 points (2nd best on the Knicks), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block. He is just the 59th player since the NBA-ABA merger to average 20, 1 steal and 1 block in a playoff run with at least 15 games). If we make it 1.5 steals, he becomes 1 of 33.
That may not sound super impressive on the surface, but let’s combine those numbers with OG’s efficiency. Out of the 59 playoff runs with those numbers, OG has the 4th best 2-point %, the best 3-point % and the 8th best free throw %. All that combines to give OG the best true shooting (72.1%), far better than anyone else.
No matter how you look at it, OG had an elite playoff run, one that he never got to have back in 2019. Good things come to those that wait. It took longer than OG likely wanted, but he finally got to become a Larry O’Brien Legend.
