It's a record-breaker. Just now, the New York Knicks defeated the Trail Blazers at home and won five in a row. In this game, their new recruit Anunoby played only 29 minutes, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting 9-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. There is no need to talk about efficiency, today's Anunoby is efficiency itself.
NBA officials have always paid attention to this team, not for anything else, just because the Knicks are too strong after the trade. In the past five games, the Knicks have beaten the Timberwolves, Bulls, 76ers, Wizards, and Trail Blazers. Among them, facing the first place in the West like the Timberwolves, the Knicks won it steadily, and in the face of the third place in the East like the 76ers, the Knicks won by 36 points.
According to NBA official statistics, Anunoby has a 5-0 record and a plus/minus of +111 points in the five games he has played for the team! This is also the first time in NBA history that a player has a plus/minus of more than +100 in the first five games after a player completes a trade. Such a terrifying plus/minus means plug and play, and it also means that Anunoby's adaptability is top-notch.
After winning this wave of five consecutive wins, the Knicks have a record of 22-15, successfully standing out from the 5-8 spots in the East to the fourth place in the East, and fans are even beginning to wonder if the mini triumvirate composed of Brunson, Randle, and Anunoby can stir up the storm. The teams that wanted to strengthen but didn't want to make up for it are also starting to get ready to go, after all, who doesn't want to have an Anunoby?
Oh, by the way, it's not just Anunoby who has completed the outburst, but Barrett, who has returned to his hometown, seems to have found his touch. At that time in New York, Da Sni was regarded as a representative of brainless inefficiency, averaging 18.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, shooting 42.3% from the field and 33.1% from three-point range, but when he returned to his hometown, his statistics skyrocketed to 21 points and 6.5 rebounds, and the shooting rate soared to 53.8% and 52.6%.
Quickley also evolved in tandem, from 15+2.6+2.5 in New York to 17.3+4.8+6.5. There is no doubt that everyone from the team to the players is a winner, enough to be called the strongest trade so far in 2023-24, and even the benchmark for high-quality deals in recent years. With such a good start, the teams that want to trade next may start to riot.