This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering the mental side of sports. Sign up for Peak’s newsletter here.
Tom Crean was the head coach at Indiana, where he coached OG Anunoby for two years. He is now an NBA and college basketball analyst.
This was coming.
I watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night from a hotel room. Early on, I could see OG Anunoby’s confidence. I’ve known him since he was 16. He was ready.
In the closing seconds of the game, after he blocked a shot on the other end, he took the ball out of bounds to inbound it for the final play. I saw the way the San Antonio Spurs were playing him and thought: He’s going to be open if he stays on the perimeter.
He passed the ball to Jalen Brunson. It was easily trending that Brunson was going to shoot the ball in that situation, with the New York Knicks down one. I watched OG.
He saw Brunson start his shooting motion, and instead of standing, waiting, pausing and having his hands up, he took off. He was gone before the ball was even in the air. He was in position for the game-winning putback before people even realized he had left.
OG Anunoby flies in for the game-winning tip in, completing an NBA Finals 29-pt comeback by the Knicks, who now lead the series 3-1
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We worked on that so much in college: the first two steps to the glass. That play epitomized sprinting to the rim. That’s a mentality as much as anything.
If he was a second late, maybe the Spurs get a body on him. However, it isn’t even about what San Antonio didn’t do in that situation. It isn’t. It’s way more about how ready OG was to go there.
That’s who he is.
He is the epitome of a guy who has a lot of natural athletic ability, a lot of talent — the body, the strength — but who has never, ever worked or played like he’s arrived. And that’s exactly how he’s been since I met him.
When we recruited him, there was no question that he wanted to be shown, told and convinced about how he could become an NBA player. He felt in his heart that he was going to be that. Everybody you recruit thinks that, but he had incredible intent.
It wasn’t: I want to make the NBA. It was: What is it really going to take for me to do this? How will we get there?
Most of the time as a coach, you’re selling a vision for them, and they may even want it, but they don’t have any idea about the reality of it. OG wanted to learn what the reality would be like if this were to happen.
There were very few conversations that didn’t have that part in there to a significant extent. The biggest thing for him was trusting the plan.
Some schools recruited him, like Iowa, Ole Miss, Georgia. But many schools didn’t really recruit him. We had a track record with guys like him: underrecruited, undervalued, not as well-known, but with a real inner drive and desire.
OG had that. He always wanted to be a both-ends, dominant player. Rebounding is something he strived to be great at on both ends. That was one of the things we always talked about: “There’s no question that you could become one of the top rebounders, especially on the offensive end.”
He didn’t have the technique yet; he didn’t have the consistency yet, but he had the quickness and the right mentality.
He came in with the work ethic. He wanted to be in the gym. He was indefatigable in that way. He still is.
In the offseason, he’ll be back home in Georgia, work out at 6:30 in the morning at a local high school and then go back for another workout that night. He’s a two-a-day-guy all the time.
He wasn’t just there for shot quantity, though. He was there for skill quality, for getting better with a real intention.
He always did so many things that don’t get stats. He’d get a deflection, or he’d swipe at you. The ball would get away, and someone else would pick it up. As a freshman, he averaged almost seven deflections a game coming off the bench.
People don’t always see his greatness.
What separates him, though, is this: He does not see limits in his game. He’s also not some illusionist that thinks it’s going to be there naturally.
He knows his talent, and he wants to impact winning at the highest level. And he wants to be a huge part of that.
He knows there are so many things that go into that, and that’s why he’s such a good defender, rebounder and passer. The last thing he wants to be is just somebody that’s taken for granted as another good player on a good team.
He wants to be a great player on a great team. And the only way that happens is if you impact everybody else, which is exactly what he does.
There’s an old saying: The ball finds energy. OG could be on the poster for that. He’s in constant movement, ready to shoot. The last thing he wants to be is just some token offensive player that’s taking up space. He wants to play. He wants to make others better. He’s got an extremely strong will. And he sees no limits in his game.
His skills and talents haven’t always been noticed or recognized the way they should be. However, last night people saw that talent and relentless hustle in the biggest moment.
It was coming. It was just a matter of time.
— As told to Jayson Jenks