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Knicks New Wing Combo Adds Hidden Bonus

The New York Knicks are hoping to have the best wing defenders in the NBA.

Jeremy Brener

Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) talk during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) talk during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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When the New York Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and signed OG Anunoby in free agency, they formed one of the league's best potential defensive duos.

Bridges and Anunoby are very versatile on the defensive end of the floor and they can cover a lot of ground between the two.

"They provide a luxury Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, one of the league’s top defensive minds, has never had," The Athletic insider Fred Katz writes. "These are two big wings capable of manning Giannis Antetkounmpo or Luka Dončić. Bridges is superior on smalls. Anunoby has the edge on bigs. But Thibodeau could go any way with those two. When the Knicks face an elite perimeter player, he could alternate Bridges and Anunoby on them, never allowing the star to get comfortable against one guy. He can switch as much or as little as he pleases. Don’t forget, Bridges can fight through screens like few others his size."

The league is aware of what Bridges is capable of defensively, but he played with some defensive-minus players with the Nets like Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder, so it didn't highlight that aspect of his game very much.

Anunoby led the league in steals with the Toronto Raptors in the 2022-23 season and was named to the All-Defensive First Team that same year. While he was omitted from the list this past season because he missed 32 games due to injury, he still remains as one of the league's best defenders.

Now, Bridges and Anunoby will team up and give their opponents fits all season long. It's going to take a special offense or a rare off night from both players to have success against the Knicks on the perimeter in the upcoming year.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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