Karl-Anthony Towns hypes OG Anunoby's defensive impact for Knicks with crisp 1-word reaction

The New York Knicks have risen to be one of the top Eastern Conference teams this season, finishing the regular season as the third seed. The Knicks racked up a 51-31 win-loss record on the backs of a core of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Karl Anthony-Towns.

Besides their three stars, OG Anunoby played a vital role in the team’s regular-season run, providing strong defensive contributions. On Monday, Towns lauded Anunoby for his defensive brilliance for the Knicks, describing him with one word on his Instagram story.

“Demon,” Towns said of Anunoby.

Towns' IG story

More than his defense, Anunoby also provided a solid offensive game for New York as he averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 47.6 percent shooting from the field, including 37.2 percent from three. He also tallied 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game this season.

Meanwhile, Towns has been the Knicks’ second-best scorer, putting up 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. This will be the first playoff appearance for Towns, after being shipped from the Minnesota Timberwolves last offseason.

Anunoby is expected to be one of the players the team will rely on in the playoffs as they face the sixth-seed Detroit Pistons in a best-of-seven first-round series.

Last year, the Knicks bowed out in the second round, losing to the Indiana Pacers in a hard-fought seven-game series. New York has a chance to top that this season with Towns and others.

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Knicks' OG Anunoby believes he should win 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award

Since entering the league in 2017, OG Anunoby’s calling card has been his defense, making him one of the top perimeter defenders in the NBA. This year was no different for the 6-foot-7 forward.

Talking to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, Anunoby said that he should win this season's Defensive Player of the Year award on top of an inclusion to the All-Defensive First team.

"I think I should be on First Team All-Defense. I think I should win Defensive Player of the Year,” he said. “I’ve always felt that way."

Anunoby has yet to win the DPOY award, or be included in the First Team All-Defense throughout his career. In 2023, he was named in the All-Defensive second team, after leading the league in steals that season.

This year’s DPOY favorites included Evan Mobley, Draymond Green, Dyson Daniels, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Lu Dort, making Anunoby’s chance to win the award slim to none.

However, he can still be considered for one of the All-Defensive teams, for his defensive exploits this season.