The New York Knicks’ star power forward, OG Anunoby, addressed the media during a press conference, charting his goals and aspirations for the team after a fantastic run last season. New York made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year but lost in six games against the conference champions, the Indiana Pacers.
The team will build on its decent run last year, with a well-rounded squad determined to perform in the upcoming 2025/26 NBA season. The preseason games start on October 2, while the opening night of the new season is scheduled for October 21st.
Knicks Forward OG Anunoby Announces His Bold Goals for the New Campaign
A journalist asked Anunoby to reflect on his goals of being named to the NBA All-Defensive First team every year and winning the Defensive Player of the Year. The 28-year-old replied, “Defense wins championships. So, it’s very important to me, and these have always been my goals.”
OG Anunoby says making First Team All-Defense and winning Defensive Player of the Year are always his goals heading into a new season:
“Defense wins championships” pic.twitter.com/NWzR5yAnGD
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) September 26, 202
Anunoby, a 2019 NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors, was named to the NBA All-Defensive team in 2023, the same year he was also named the NBA steals leader. The London native wants to return his glaring form to the court for the upcoming campaign and help them appear in the elusive NBA Finals.
Anunoby Reflected on Last Year’s ECF Loss and His Relation With Coach Mike Brown
The Knicks’ forward was further asked to reflect on the difficult ECF loss to the Pacers last year and how long the motivation to reach that level stayed with the team.
He replied, “Yeah, it stays with you, sure, the motivation. I mean, as you go into the new season, you own the situation and everything. So, you have to move on, but you never forget what happened, how close we were last season.”
Furthermore, Anunoby was asked to reflect on his relations with newly hired head coach Mike Brown, to which he replied, “I’ve known Mike for some years now…we talked pretty quickly about everything, not just basketball–life stuff.”
New York plays its first preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Etihad Arena on October 2. After five preseason games, the team heads into the opening night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on October 22.
