Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Anunoby, George, Tatum
Although Karl-Anthony Towns sat out their blowout win over the Bulls on Friday due a right elbow impingement, the Knicks are nearing full health as the playoffs approach and their postseason rotation is beginning to take shape, Ian Begley of SNY writes.
On Friday, with Mitchell Robinson starting, head coach Mike Brown experimented by using Jeremy Sochan as the backup center and was pleased with the results, naming him the team’s defensive player of the game.
“It allowed us to do a lot of things like switch pick and rolls,” Brown said of using Sochan as a small-ball five. “It brought a different element to our game. Not just offensively with the speed, but defensively with switching a lot of things and just keeping the ball in front of us.”
While Robinson will take the majority of reserve center minutes in the playoffs, having Sochan as an option could allow Brown to go to the Towns-Robinson frontcourt more than he might otherwise.
Another notable change was that neither Jose Alvarado nor breakout rookie Mohamed Diawara played in the first three quarters. With Miles McBride and Landry Shamet healthy, Brown indicated that getting them back up to speed is crucial.
“Deuce is getting healthier and Landry’s getting healthy and trying to find minutes for those guys — both of those guys are capable of playing that (backup guard) spot — is going to be a priority because they’ve proven themselves this year for us,” he said.
We have more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Brown was surprised to hear that wing OG Anunoby has only made an All-Defensive team once in his career, Begley writes in the same article. The Knicks‘ head coach believes the 6’8″ forward is clearly deserving of being recognized a second time this season. “His versatility is just off the charts and you can do a lot of things with your defense because of him,” Brown said. “In my opinion, he deserves First Team All-Defense this year — and hopefully the powers that be will see it that way, too.” Anunoby agreed with his coach’s assessment: “I think I should’ve gotten it last year. I think I should get it this year. That’s definitely a goal of mine, coming into the season, especially defensively, being on the first team or second team — hopefully first.”
- Paul George is listed as probable for the Sixers‘ game against the Pistons today due to left knee injury management. Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports notes (via Twitter) that if George is able to play, this will mark his first back-to-back of the season. Since coming off his 25-game suspension, the nine-time All-Star has been rounding into form, averaging 27.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.2 steals in his past five games.
- There were concerns within the Celtics organization, including players, about trying to rebuild in-game chemistry with Jayson Tatum so soon before the playoffs, but the star wing has quickly alleviated any such concerns, Jay King writes for The Athletic. Boston is 10-2 with Tatum active and he has already been been named Player of the Week. Most importantly, King writes, Tatum hasn’t looked hesitant or uncertain about his body. He is driving at around the same rate as last season, and the defense has been elite when he’s on the floor. King notes that if the Celtics were to win the championship this season, his return could go down in history as one of the league’s all-time comebacks.
Victor Wembanyama, Ausar Thompson Win Defensive Awards For March
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for a third straight time. After winning the award for January and February, Wembanyama has also claimed it for March, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The overwhelming favorite to be this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama continued to anchor one of the league’s best defenses across 15 outings in March, racking up a league-high 56 blocks (3.7 per game) and 20 steals (1.3 per game) for the month. According to the league, the star big man also ranked second in the league by contesting 11.6 per game in March as he led San Antonio to a 14-1 record (the Spurs lost a second game in which he didn’t play).
While Wembanyama is the only player to win three Defensive Player of the Month awards this season, Pistons wing Ausar Thompson joins him as the league’s only other multi-time winner, having earned the Eastern Conference honor for March. Thompson was also the East’s Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Thompson now leads the NBA in steals per game after racking up 32 in 13 March appearances (2.5 per game). In addition to ranking first in steals per game for the month, he also led the league in deflections per game, with 4.8, and contributed 1.1 blocks per night as well.
According to the NBA (Twitter link), the other Western Conference nominees included four usual suspects – Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Clippers guard Kris Dunn, and Thunder big man Chet Holmgren – along with one surprise: Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
In the East, Thompson beat out fellow nominees Scottie Barnes of the Raptors, Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers, OG Anunoby of the Knicks, and Hawks teammates Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels.
Knicks Notes: McBride, Robinson, Towns, Hornets, Anunoby
The Knicks could get a key reserve back from injury on Sunday, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who reports (via Twitter) that Miles McBride hasn’t been ruled out of tomorrow’s game at Oklahoma City. If the fifth-year guard doesn’t play Sunday, he’s on track to return to action either on Tuesday at Houston or Wednesday at Memphis, Begley adds.
McBride has been sidelined since late January following surgery to repair a core muscle injury, also known as a sports hernia. He went through Saturday’s practice, tweets Jared Schwartz of The New York Post, and will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Thunder, per Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).
We have more on the Knicks:
- Head coach Mike Brown benched Karl-Anthony Towns in favor of Mitchell Robinson for the final eight minutes of Thursday’s loss to Charlotte, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks were hammered on the glass, having lost the rebounding battle 43-24, which was “part” of the reason Brown turned to Robinson, who was plus-eight in 26 minutes (Towns was minus-18 in 22 minutes). “I just thought when we had Mitch in there with certain guys, we were able to match their physicality,” Brown said. “And we made a run. But we were down 20 at that time. And versus a good team on the road, that’s tough to do.” Towns was also on the bench down the stretch of Tuesday’s win over New Orleans as New York went with a small-ball lineup, Bondy notes.
- The Hornets could be the most difficult first-round opponent for the Knicks if they finish as the No. 6 seed and New York stays at No. 3, Bondy writes in a subscriber-only story. According to Bondy, the Knicks were “overwhelmed by Charlotte’s speed and athleticism” on Thursday. “That’s their style,” Brown said. “They play fast. They want to let that thing fly. They got shooters that’ll let it fly. Josh (Hart) did a great job. Josh was up into the ball. He was physical with his man without fouling. He showed his hands when he needed to, and everybody that he guarded, they felt him. I can’t say it was like that all the way across the board and we have to do a better job of that if we expect to beat a good team like this on the road.”
- OG Anunoby is the best defender on Knicks team that has the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA, according to Bondy (subscription required), who believes the 28-year-old forward should be named to the All-Defensive first team for his performance on that end of the court in 2025/26. “He guarded a lot of different players,” Brown said after Tuesday’s win. “And to close the way he did against Zion (Williamson) — Zion is a monster, he’s a handful for anybody, so for OG to do what he did down the stretch with him was huge.”
Knicks Notes: Anunoby, Dadiet, Towns, Road Trip
The Nuggets bring out the best in OG Anunoby. The Knicks forward had a career-high 40 points against Denver last season and followed that up with a 34-point outburst on Friday in a 142-103 romp. Anunoby also had seven rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“He’s playing powerful,” head coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. “He’s making quick decisions and touching the paint. He’s knocking his shot down. And then, defensively, he’s just on another level. If he keeps that up, that’s Defensive Player of the Year-type stuff — for sure first-team All-Defense. He’s guarding point guards, and then, I don’t know how many times (Nikola) Jokic won MVP, he’s guarding him. And then he’s guarding everyone in between. It’s been phenomenal and fun to watch because he can do a lot.”
Anunoby is in the second year of a five-year, $212.5MM contract.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Second-year player Pacome Dadiet scored 11 points in nine minutes of garbage time on Friday. Dadiet, a 2024 first-rounder, has spent most of his young career in the G League. “He’s been playing well in the G League and shooting the mess out of it,” Brown said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “And he’s got great size. He’s young. And we want him to keep growing and developing. Any time young guys like that see the ball go in and do those things on the floor in an NBA game, it helps with the belief. It helps not only in them believing and their confidence level going up, but also their teammates, too.”
- The Knicks need Karl-Anthony Towns to play like an All-Star in order to make a deep playoff run. He’s shown signs of finishing the season strong, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Since the All-Star break, Towns has averaged 19.1 points on 60.9 percent shooting (48.1 percent on threes) and 11.7 rebounds per game. “Just trying to be the best player I can be in my role,” Towns said. “I wanna be a star in my role, and I’m just focusing every day on doing that and impacting winning. … That’s what I wake up every day thinking about for this team — how can I impact winning and be a star in my role?”
- The Knicks continue their five-game road trip with back-to-back games against the Los Angeles teams on Sunday and Monday. They are 17-14 in road games this season.
Wembanyama, White Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named February’s Defensive Player of the Month for the Western Conference, while Celtics guard Derrick White has earned the honor for the Eastern Conference, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
Wembanyama, who is the betting favorite for this season’s Defensive Player of the Year award, led the NBA in blocks per game (3.5) in February, increasing his league-best mark to 2.9 BPG. According to the NBA, he also ranked second in the Western Conference in defensive rebounds per game (9.3) as the Spurs enjoyed a perfect month (11-0).
San Antonio’s league-best +15.1 net rating in February was buoyed by a defensive rating of 106.2, which was the second-best mark in the league and ranked first among Western Conference teams. That rating improved to 100.0 during Wembanyama’s 323 minutes and dipped to 111.1 when he wasn’t on the floor.
Wembanyama was also named the West’s Defensive Player of the Month in January, so he’s the first repeat winner in either conference so far this season.
The Celtics were the only team with an overall defensive rating (105.5) better than the Spurs’ mark in February, and White was a crucial part of that effort. Despite standing just 6’4″, the veteran guard averaged 1.7 blocks per game for the month, which ranked third in the East. He also contested 75 shots, the highest total among guards, per the NBA.
As was the case with Wembanyama in San Antonio, the Celtics posted a defensive rating of just 100.0 when White was on the court in February.
Wembanya’s teammate Stephon Castle was among the other nominees for Defensive Player of the Month in the Western Conference, along with Clippers guard Kris Dunn, Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., and Thunder teammates Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace (Twitter link).
Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Knicks forward OG Anunoby, Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, and Pistons wing Ausar Thompson were nominated in the East.
Knicks Notes: Towns, Anunoby, Bridges, Diawara, Brunson
The Knicks lost to the top-seeded Pistons again on Thursday, dropping a home game by 15 points after being blown out in their two visits to Detroit. The Pistons were down their starting and backup centers (All-Star Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart) due to suspensions, but Karl-Anthony Towns only managed two points on three field goal attempts in the first half, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“I mean, our offense is our offense. It’s been that way all year,” said Towns, who finished with 21 points (on 7-of-14 shooting), 11 rebounds and four assists. “So we have our system and we’re gonna — regardless of who’s in the game or not in the game — we run the system that we have implemented for our team to the best of our abilities.”
Head coach Mike Brown reiterated after the game that the six-time All-Star big man is “comfortable” in New York’s offensive system, Begley notes, despite persistent questions about Towns’ role on that end of the court.
“We’re continuing to try to do different things to help free him up,” Brown said. “And we’ll continue to search to try to do different things to free him up throughout the course of the year.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby‘s return to the court on Thursday was a forgettable one, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Anunoby, who previously said he’s still in pain after having his toenail removed, finished with eight points (on 3-of-13 shooting), zero rebounds and zero assists in 32 minutes. He also struggled to slow down Cade Cunningham, who torched the Knicks (42 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds) in an MVP-level performance, Schwartz writes.
- Starting wing Mikal Bridges was benched for the final nine-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter in favor of Landry Shamet, according to Stefan Bondy and Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges recorded eight points (on 4-of-9 shooting), three rebounds and no assists in 25 minutes. “Landry had hit a couple shots. We needed to score,” Brown said. “They’re both really good defenders. And so I just stayed with Landry. But it wasn’t anything where, ‘Oh, I’m going to sit Mikal because he’s not doing this, or he’s not doing that.’ We were looking to score points and Landry was the only one to make a shot from behind the arc.”
- Rookie forward Mohamed Diawara tells Schwartz he’s not concerned about potentially losing playing time after the Knicks signed Jeremy Sochan. “I’m just gonna continue what I was doing,” Diawara told The Post prior to Thursday’s loss. “Keep working and being ready for each opportunity that I’m gonna get. I’m not worried about that. I know the coaching staff and the team is gonna do whatever is good for the team, and that’s what I’m trying to do.” For what it’s worth, Diawara played nine minutes on Thursday, while Sochan received 10.
- Jalen Brunson signed a team-friendly extension in the 2024 offseason, locking in $156.5MM over four years when he could have earned an additional $113MM if he had waited a year for free agency. The star point guard told Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair (subscription required) that he hopes the Knicks “do right” by him down the line after he took less money to help the team, as Andrew Battifarano of The New York Post relays. “If I’m thinking about playing well to make sure I get paid, that could mess with me,” Brunson told Vanity Fair. “I play best when I have a free mind, and that did that for me. A lot of people say I sacrificed for the team. One hundred percent I sacrificed for the team. But most importantly, I made sure my family and I are taken care of. … Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me. I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.” As Bondy notes in a subscriber-only story, Brunson won’t be extension-eligible until 2027 and the earliest he could hit free agency would be 2028.
Knicks Notes: Sochan, Diawara, Anunoby, Brunson
After a disappointing end to his time in San Antonio, Jeremy Sochan is eager for a fresh start to his NBA career with the Knicks, writes Robert Sanchez of SNY.tv. With his hair dyed blue and orange in honor of his new team, Sochan talked to reporters on Wednesday about what he can contribute.
“I can do a little bit of everything, so whatever coach wants me to do, you know, whatever gets me on the court, I’m gonna do it and I’m gonna do it 100 percent,” he said. “… At the end of the day, I wanna be Jeremy. I wanna be myself. … I bring versatility, defense, energy, a little bit of tenacity, so I can’t wait.”
Sochan had plenty of options, with 10 teams reportedly expressing interest in signing him after he cleared waivers, but he said New York was “always at the top” of his preference list. He added that he had “refreshing conversations” with people throughout the organization and said it feels “very natural” now that he’s able to start practicing with the team.
“It’s just seizing whatever opportunity I get,” Sochan said. “And I think one of the reasons why I picked New York is it’s a very deep roster, a lot of really talented players and I think it’s a pretty cool opportunity just watching and to grow from that too. I still think I’m young, so just being around players that have established themselves and have done a lot of stuff in this league, I think is a crazy opportunity for me.”
There’s more from New York:
- It appears Sochan’s minutes will come at the expense of rookie forward Mohamed Diawara, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks want to get a long look at Sochan to see how he affects the team heading into the playoffs and determine if he’s a good fit to bring back next season. “[Sochan] knows the league. The league knows him. He knows the officials and vice versa. So he’s going to get an opportunity,” coach Mike Brown said. “But at the end of the day, I’m going to play who I think is best for us. Right now Jeremy is new. He hasn’t played for us. So I have to see rather quickly what we have in him before going to the playoffs.”
- OG Anunoby is officially listed as questionable for Thursday’s game with Detroit due to a toenail avulsion, but he and Brown both said he’ll be able to play, Bondy tweets. After missing the past four games, Anunoby was able to practice on Wednesday. He had the nail removed, according to James L. Edwards of The Athletic (Twitter link). “There’s a lot of pain,” Anunoby said. “It’s an open wound.”
- In an interview with Tom Kludt of Vanity Fair, Jalen Brunson references the discount he gave the Knicks on his last contract and states that he hopes to make up for it next time around. “Obviously we’d love for them to do right by me,” Brunson said. “I think anyone would. I feel like I sacrificed.”
Knicks Notes: 15th Man, Anunoby, Diawara, Alvarado, Clarkson
At the trade deadline, the Knicks were able to free up enough room below their second-apron hard cap to sign another player to the roster immediately rather than having to wait until late in the season to do so.
While they’re prohibited from adding a free agent whose pre-waiver salary was $14.1MM or higher, the Knicks can bring in anyone waived by March 1 and still have them be playoff-eligible. With that in mind, The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III breaks down five potential Knicks targets on the buyout market, singling out Chris Boucher, Marvin Bagley III, Haywood Highsmith, Drew Eubanks, and Mason Plumlee.
Edwards views third-string center as one of the remaining holes on the roster, hence the ample big man representation on his list. He also notes that the team could try to add another wing who can guard ball-handlers. Highsmith is one such name, as is Jeremy Sochan, whom he mentions as another player to keep an eye on — his article was published before news broke that the Spurs were waiving Sochan.
Given rumors that the Knicks had checked in on potential deals involving Sochan before the trade deadline, it stands to reason that the versatile defender, who is significantly younger than anyone on Edwards’ list, could be of interest to the team that is thin on bench forwards with size.
We have more on the Knicks:
- OG Anunoby is missing his fourth straight game tonight with a toenail avulsion on his right foot, and head coach Mike Brown says there’s no clear timeline for his return, per Edwards (via Twitter). Anunoby is considered day-to-day as a result of the injury. The Knicks are 1-2 during his absence heading into Wednesday’s game against the Sixers, having been blown out by the Pistons on Friday and then losing to the Pacers in overtime on Tuesday.
- One player benefiting from the absence of Anunoby is the Knicks’ lone rookie, Mohamed Diawara. While the 51st pick in the 2025 draft has been impressing offensively, he showed out defensively in Boston on Sunday and turned some heads while doing so, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. In that game, he guarded both Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown equally well and was rewarded by the team by being named the defensive player of the game, a tradition the Knicks have started under Brown. “It was tough because they’re both great players, but I was ready to take the challenge to guard them,” Diawara said. “And I was happy the coaches put me on them because that means they think I’m a great defender, and I appreciate it.” Brown noted that it’s the little things Diawara has shown the willingness to do, such as diving on the floor, making the right pass, and defending hard, that have impressed him the most.
- Jose Alvarado called his first game for the Knicks in Madison Square Garden “one for the books,” Dan Martin writes for the New York Post. “Playing for the Knicks is a huge thing, but I’m literally a kid from the same streets the fans are, and to be part of everything here, it’s a blessing,” the newly acquired point guard said. “It’s something I had to get used to and to get it out of the way, let’s get the ball rolling.” It wasn’t Alvarado’s best performance, as he finished with four points and five assists in 18 minutes as the Knicks lost to Indiana, but he believes it helped him calm the nerves related to his much-anticipated homecoming. “I was nervous today, for sure,” he said. “There was a lot going on. I was glad I got it out the way. I can’t wait to come back and get better and win some games here.“
- Jordan Clarkson, who spoke recently about adjusting to his diminished role with the Knicks, took to social media to vent some of those frustrations, Stefan Bondy writes for the Post. “Stop saying my minutes, I never had minutes,” Clarkson wrote in response to someone posting a question about how Collin Sexton would look with Clarkson’s playing time. Clarkson is playing the fewest minutes of his career and has struggled to find consistency, especially with his outside shot.
Knicks Notes: Deadline, Alvarado, Robinson, Kolek, McBride
President Leon Rose deserves kudos for making the Knicks better at the trade deadline, contends Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link).
While Rose made a mistake by signing Guerschon Yabusele in free agency last summer, he corrected his error by essentially flipping the French forward/center and a pair of second-round picks to acquire Jose Alvarado. The backup point guard fills a position of need, and his smaller salary also gives the Knicks enough breathing room beneath their second-apron hard cap that they should be players on the buyout market, Bondy writes.
The fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a Buck benefited the Knicks as well, Bondy notes, since the star forward wasn’t sent to an Eastern Conference rival. New York will have the option of revisiting trade talks for the two-time MVP in the offseason, when the team will have a pair of first-round picks to offer.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Prior to Friday’s game, head coach Mike Brown said he was excited about what Alvarado will bring to the Knicks, according to Bondy (Twitter link). “He just brings a level of toughness to the team, his energy is unmatched. What he can do defensively in the full court and even in the frontcourt on the ball especially on pick-and-rolls and stuff like that, is at a pretty high level,” Brown said. “He shoots it better than most people think. We want to play fast and we believe he’s a guy who will come in and push the pace. Get us into our offense and all that other stuff. Because he is quick, he’s got a low center of gravity. Been around for a while, he’ll touch the paint and make others better. We’re a big spray team and he should be good in that area too. So excited to have him.”
- The Knicks love Mitchell Robinson. Will they extend him or re-sign him in free agency this summer? “As one team put it to me a couple days ago, they may value him more than (any other team) in the league,” Ian Begley of SNY.tv said (Twitter video link). ” … Because of that, and because of the signals some Knick people have given out to other teams, I assume they’re going to do what they can — do what they have to do — to re-sign him.”
- Second-year guard Tyler Kolek said he’s looking forward to competing with Alvarado for minutes in the wake of Miles McBride‘s sports hernia surgery, Bondy writes for The New York Post. “There’s always competition in this league. Obviously Deuce is out for a little bit. We’re trying to be a championship-level team so you bring in as much talent as you can,” Kolek said Friday. “I’m going to compete every single day. He’s going to compete. Everybody on this team is going to compete for minutes. So it’s no slight to anybody.” Citing league sources, Begley hears McBride is expected to return to action in six-to-eight weeks after he undergoes the procedure (Twitter link).
- New York’s eight-game winning streak was snapped on Friday when the team was blown out by the top-seeded Pistons in Detroit. Karl-Anthony Towns (right eye laceration) and OG Anunoby (right toe soreness) were out for the Knicks, while Jalen Duren (right knee soreness) was sidelined for Detroit.
Wembanyama, Thompson Named Defensive Players Of The Month
Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama has been named the Western Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for January, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
After missing a pair of games to open the month, Wembanyama suited up for San Antonio’s next 13 contests and averaged 8.2 defensive rebounds and 2.2 blocks per night — both of those figures ranked second in the Western Conference for January, per the league. While the Spurs posted a modest 7-6 record during those 13 games, their defensive rating during that stretch was 107.5, which ranked first among Western Conference teams.
The strong month has firmly placed Wembanyama back in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year, though he can’t afford to miss many more games if he wants to remain award-eligible. He has appeared in 35 of the Spurs’ first 49 games and must play in 30 of the last 33 to qualify for DPOY and other end-of-season honors.
Wembanyama was selected for the Defensive Player of the Month award over fellow Western Conference nominees Kris Dunn and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, Suns guard Jordan Goodwin, Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, and Rockets guard Amen Thompson (Twitter link).
Amen’s brother Ausar Thompson of the Pistons has been recognized as the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for January, according to the league.
While he’s not a rim protector like Wembanyama, the Pistons wing wreaked havoc on the defensive end of the court last month by averaging a league-leading 2.4 steals per game, along with 4.2 deflections per game across 14 starts. Detroit went 10-4 in January and ranked first in the NBA with a 104.8 defensive rating.
The other Eastern Conference nominees for Defensive Player of the Month were Knicks forward OG Anunoby, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley, Warriors center Alex Sarr, and Thompson’s teammate Isaiah Stewart, who won the award in December.
This is only the second season that the Defensive Player of the Month award has existed, but Wembanyama is a two-time winner, having also earned recognition for his defense in November 2024. It’s the first time Thompson claimed the honor.