OG Anunoby’s return made Knicks more of a defensive force

When the Knicks faced the 76ers in January, OG Anunoby’s primary defensive assignment was All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey.

After missing 18 games with an elbow injury, Anunoby returned to the lineup Tuesday night and was charged mostly with guarding power forward Tobias Harris.

That defensive versatility certainly was missed by the Knicks during Anunoby’s absence, and they posted a middling 8-10 record while he was sidelined.

It also is why Tom Thibodeau grinned while declining to say whether he considered Anunoby or fellow multi-positional defender Josh Hart the power forward or the small forward during Tuesday’s 106-79 win over the Sixers at the Garden.

“I say that tongue in cheek because that’s the beauty of Josh and OG,” Thibodeau said after the game. “Both can play all three wing positions. They can play 2, 3 and 4, and they’re interchangeable, and sometimes, you can go with the matchup.

“Like, ‘OK, we can take advantage of this this way.’ And I like that, I like that versatility. … We can do a lot of switching with those guys.”