Knicks Forward Drawing Kawhi Leonard Comparison

The New York Knicks are slicing through the Eastern Conference with so much fluid precision that it's getting hard to keep track of everyone who's deserved a mention over the last few weeks.

They've won eight of their last nine in working all the way to the NBA Cup semifinals behind a team-wide effort that's greatly benefitted from Jalen Brunson's automatic scoring, Mikal Bridges' do-it-all versatility along the wing and the developing assortment of bench contributors.

Even against that stiff competition, though, it's been hard to ignore how much juice OG Anunoby's added since returning from the weeks he spent returning to full health.

The two-way stud's presence was sorely missed in the Knicks' rare losses, as no other rostered New Yorker offers anything close to his combination of burly defense and floor-spacing potential. He was nailing a shade under 40% of his 3-pointers on over a half-dozen attempts per game while lining up against guards and forwards alike, enough to earn him some early All-Star consideration upon his reemergence in his team's lineup.

New York Knicks Forward OG Anunoby — Nov 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) brings the ball up court against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Shades of an All-Time Deterrent

Approval from the already-defensively-inclined New Yorkers weren't all that's been thrown Anunoby's way as of recently, though. Gary Payton, one of the great defenders that the NBA's ever platformed, threw the Knicks wing a favorable comparison in previewing the team's trip to Las Vegas.

"Him and Kawhi Leonard reminds me of each other because they're very strong, and what they do is they make you do things - be uncomfortable, make it very difficult for you to score the basketball, and he uses his size and strength ability to do that," he said in an appearance on The Putback with Ian Begley. "He doesn't gamble a lot, he plays you solid and makes you work for the things you have to get, and that's why I like him so much."

It's most interesting that Payton picked Leonard, a former teammate of Anunoby's from their one season together in the Toronto Raptors' championship-winning 2018-19 season. The Knicks' wing hasn't quite peaked as highly as the future Defensive Player of the Year once did, but his impact hasn't gone unappreciated on a needy Knicks team.

That's not to say that they're completely reliant on Anunoby, as they're already staffed with a few impactful defenders in different positions.

Bridges has rediscovered the best version of himself in shifting more to an off-ball role, picking passing lanes clean and providing blinding help defense with a never-ending wingspan, while Mitchell Robinson's combination of offensive rebounding and rim -deterrence have been second-to-nine. But as far as stepping up and getting in the way of star scorers looking to shoot or slash, no one in New York has or can do it like Anunoby.

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