Knicks appear to operate more smoothly after picking up OG Anunoby

When the Knicks swung the trade for OG Anunoby it provided them with a player who seemed a perfect fit for their needs — an elite defender versatile enough to keep up with a speedy guard or a towering power forward and a three-point shooter with enough instincts and athleticism to improve the Knicks' starting lineup.

But the move isn’t just about how he fits in. For the Knicks, the arrival of Anunoby provides a trickle-down effect throughout the roster.

As evidenced in his first game on Monday, without the benefit of anything more than a briefing and a walk-through, Anunoby cleared up a handful of roster issues.  The Knicks almost certainly need another move to rise above the second-tier contender status they have held last season and this one, but his arrival helps the pieces in place fit smoothly.

“I think that's just who he is as a player,” Julius Randle said. “He just makes very solid, sound decisions. He understands how to play well off of everybody. I think he’s just a high-IQ kind of basketball player. That's naturally who he is, and it fits right in for us.”

Randle was the first visible beneficiary, pouring in an efficient 39 points in the win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. While he understandably was saddened by the departure of longtime friends — he referred to RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley as his little brothers — their departure and the style of Anunoby on the offensive end opened up the paint, where Randle excels.

As Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau sorted through lineups there was a clear dilemma. Barrett’s strength, barreling to the rim, is the same strength that Randle has, the same as Jalen Brunson. Take one of those away, put Anunoby in Barrett’s place in the lineup and position him in the corner where he is an accurate and reliable outlet, and suddenly the offense, which already was performing among the best in the NBA, finds another level.

It’s not just that it was one less ball-dominant player making runs at the rim. Like Donte DiVincenzo and Isaiah Hartenstein, Anunoby just seemed to know when and how to cut into openings, finishing his first game with 17 points on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc and 4-for-6 inside it, all dunks.

"Thibs just loves his players who obviously play hard and all that stuff,” said Brunson, who had a rough shooting performance but posted a career-best 14 assists. “And so he brings it naturally . . . When you're playing as hard as you can for your teammates, I mean, all that other stuff, it’s minimal.”

More than just fitting on the court, the deal eased the minutes crunch. Already this season, Josh Hart had complained about his role and then Quentin Grimes, who was in the starting lineup  alongside Barrett, Randle and Brunson, voiced his frustration about rarely touching the ball before moving to the second unit. With two perimeter pieces moved out and one added, it’s simpler for Thibodeau to allocate minutes.

Grimes saw his minutes rise to 18 Monday, a number that he’d reached only once since Dec. 11.

“Just another opportunity for me to maximize what I have coming towards me,” Grimes said. “So go out there, play my game. Everybody knows what I can do when I have that opportunity given to me. So just go out there and play my game.”

Deuce McBride played sparingly on Monday, but with a contract extension, he figures to have a larger role as a defense-first backup point guard and doesn’t need the minutes or shots that Quickley did.

“It’ll be a work in progress, but I like that Quentin has started, Donte has started, Josh has started,” Thibodeau said. “So those guys are real comfortable going with both units, that’s real helpful, and I think that as time goes on, OG will get comfortable with everything that we’re doing as well."

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.