The New York Knicks are one of the deepest teams in the NBA. They have the star power with Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns, and have elite role players such as OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, who some believe could take an even bigger step.
NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner noted that both Anunoby and Bridges are candidates to be selected to their first All-Star games.
“There are spots in the East to be had, with Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard, an All-Star with Milwaukee last year, all absent this season,”
Knicks wing duo has been key to their recent success
Both Bridges and Anunoby have been key to the Knicks’ recent success. Bridges averaged 17.6 points per game in his first season with the Knicks, while Anunoby averaged 18.0 points in his first full season with the team (he was traded to the at the 2023-24 season’s trade deadline). Anunoby in particular turned the heat up in the second half, averaging 21.2 points per game following the All-Star break.
As for Bridges, his signature Knicks moments came in the team’s second-round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics. In Games 1 and 2, Bridges made a defensive game-winning play at the end of each game to seal a pair of 20-point comeback victories. The defensive plays gave the Knicks a commanding 2-0 series lead, and they’d go on to beat Boston in six games.
Entering this season, the pair of two-way wings will once again be major contributors to a Knicks team that is looking to snap a 52-year long title drought.
