Who is OG Anunoby, the new star Knicks acquired from Raptors?

The Knicks are going into the New Year with a few new pieces in an effort to rework their rotation, including now former Raptors forward OG Anunoby in a deal the Knicks made official on Saturday. The Knicks and Raptors orchestrated a blockbuster trade , sending a shocked Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett off to Toronto with a second round pick, in exchange for Anunoby along with point guard Malachi Flynn and center Precious Achiuwa.

“We’re ecstatic to welcome OG, Malachi, and Precious to the Knicks family,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “OG’s complete offensive game and ability to defend multiple positions will enhance our team on both ends of the court…. Malachi and Precious are well rounded players that will complement the hardworking and talented nature of our group.

“OG, Malachi, and Precious are perfect additions to the type of team and culture we are building in New York.” On the surface, the 6 foot 7 Anunoby — who won a 2019 NBA title with Toronto — is expected to replace Barrett in the lineup to better fit with the pieces of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson .

The 26 year old, drafted as the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Indiana, has been holding an average of 15.1 points on 49 percent shooting paired with 37 percent from deep. Beyond the numbers, the Knicks are inheriting what is said to be a versatile player who brings a contagious energy and can do just about everything on the court.

He was born in England after his father, Ogugua, moved from Nigeria and is one of six siblings. Anunoby’s family moved to Missouri when he was 4 years old after Ogugua was offered a teaching opportunity in Jefferson City. The forward’s talents aren’t unexpected, as his mother was a national level competitor in track and field in Nigeria, and his older brother, Chigbo, moved around four different NFL teams as a defensive lineman.

Naturally, Aununoby gravitated to sports, playing soccer, running track, competing in the high jump and long jump, and testing the waters in football and baseball. But he received his first personal basketball hoop when he was 8 after begging his father to install it and took to the spot. “I said to him, ‘You have to promise to actually use it.

You will make sure that we have value for money,’” Ogugua recalled to Sportsnet. “It turns out, it was a very good investment.” During his recruiting process in high school, he was one of the most recognized players from Jefferson City and proved talented enough to receive several offers. “He was the Jimmy Chitwood of Jefferson City,” said Blair Thompson, the Jefferson City high school coach at the time, according to Sportsnet.

“Everybody knew who OG was and when he came in the gym, everybody loved to be around him.” Thompson recalled a story of a big man play Anunoby made in a scrimmage, which caused lots of hollering and commotion in the gym. Yet, looking at Anunoby, it was as if it was any traditional give and go or back door pass.

Anunoby was not “celebrating” or putting on any “mean mugging” and rather walked back, ready to get on with practice, according to Thompson. His popularity and his humble attitude never wavered as the years went on when Anunoby returned home to Missouri. “He was a bit of a celebrity. But he’d still grab a seventh or eighth grade kid and take them to go shoot.

And you can imagine what shooting with OG Anunoby was like for a seventh grader,” Thompson added. “He’s the only NBA player the town has ever had. I think a lot of people were excited about that and could see it coming. So, they loved to be around him and talk to him. They wanted some of that to rub off on them if they could.

They wanted any part of OG that he was willing to give.” Serge and OG arguing fashion forever pic.twitter.com/7PxkWRoSum Once recruited by Indiana, Anunoby was there for two seasons before electing to enter the draft. As a Hoosier, he averaged 6.8 points per game on 56.3 percent shooting across 50 total games.

In the 2015 16 season, he helped Indiana reach the Sweet Sixteen, though the Hoosiers fell to North Carolina, 101 88. Anunoby will be on the New York scene soon enough to try to help the 17 14 Knicks deal with the absence of Mitchell Robinson while trying to climb the standing in the East..