OG Anuoby unlocking important part of his game for Knicks with Jalen Brunson out

MILWAUKEE — Without Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have needed their secondary scorers to elevate.OG Anunoby certainly has answered the call.And he’s beginning to showcase a new offensive element that could unlock an important part of his game.In the 11 games since Brunson went down with an ankle injury, in which the Knicks have gone 6-5 to stay afloat at the No.

3 seed in the East, Anunoby has averaged 22.4 points per game — up from his season average of 17.5 points.He poured in a game-high 31 points in the 116-107 win over the Bucks Friday night at Fiserv Forum.

A whopping 20 of them came in the fourth quarter, helping the Knicks stave off a late Bucks run.“Super aggressive,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Anunoby.“And I think he’s doing it a lot of different ways, which I like.

I think just the overall aggressiveness — 10 free throws, 10 3s, attacking the rim but not hesitating on his open 3s.People are flying at him, he’s reading closeouts well.

He’s doing a lot of great things.And then defensively, he’s everywhere, he guards everybody.

He’s unique, he’s special.I think when you have Mitch [Robinson] playing back there, he’s even more aggressive.”That aggressiveness represents a new wrinkle the Knicks hadn’t seen much of previously.

With Brunson, Anunoby operated more in a catch-and-shoot role from 3-point range or as a cutter off the ball when defenses focused on Brunson.But without Brunson, Anunoby has become much more aggressive driving to the rim as a slasher.In those 11 games without Brunson, 51.1 percent of Anunoby’s shots came within 10 feet of the basket.

That’s a significant increase from his season-long 44.8 percent mark.And only 30.1 percent of his field goal attempts have been catch-and-shoot attempts, down from his 38.4 percent mark for the season.“OG’s just taking his game to another level and being aggressive and confident in what he does,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.

“When he’s playing like this he�...