For the second time in his professional career, former IU basketball star OG Anunoby made an NBA All Defense team.
Anunoby was named to the Second Team All-Defense after finishing ninth in total voting.
The nine-year pro was also named to the second team in the 2022-23 season as a member of the Raptors.
Anunoby averaged 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks and had a 3.2 Defensive Win Share (DWS), which estimates the number of wins contributed due to defense. The latter figure was his highest mark since a 3.7 DWS in 2021-22.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown is a strong advocate for Anunoby’s defense.
“He’s a great defender and he does a lot of different things that people don’t see on that end of the floor for us and for other teams he played for,” Brown said in April. “But more importantly, his versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him.”
Anunoby has been a strong defender throughout his time at the professional level. He finished the 2022-23 NBA season with the most steals per game, 1.9, and the most total steals, 128, in the league.
With impressive length and athleticism, Anunoby flashed the potential to be an elite defender at the next level during his two seasons at IU. His impressive length combined with uncanny instincts allowed him to regularly get into passing lanes and effectively close out on shooters.
While he was still a relative unknown nationally towards the end of his freshman year, Anunoby was introduced to the basketball world in a Sweet 16 contest against Kentucky when he made several eye-catching plays, including a crucial late-game block on a 3-pointer by Jamal Murray. The NBA discussions intensified immediately.
Anunoby’s 2025-26 season is still going. The Knicks are currently playing in the Eastern Conference Finals and hold a 2-0 lead over Cleveland.
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