Anunoby Can Still Be Valuable Even Without Shot Creation
For better or for worse, OG Anunoby is still OG Anunoby.
There's been a lot expected of the Toronto Raptors' 23-year-old forward this season. After three up-and-down seasons, the former 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft looked poised for a breakout season. For many — myself included — that meant being in the conversation for the league's Most Improved Player. It meant the kind of improvement Raptors fans have grown accustomed to seeing, be it with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, or the tail end of Kawhi Leonard's development into superstar status.
The truth is that kind of development is pretty rare. The chances any franchise gets struck by lightning once is pretty slim, but two, three, or let alone four times within just a few years, that seems almost impossible.
So what is OG Anunoby?
He is the type of player every NBA title contender is looking for. He's the ideal 3-and-D prospect, someone who can defend every position on the court, contain the opposition's best player and nail down catch-and-shoot looks on the other end of the court. He's not going to make much of a difference on a bad team deprived of offensive creation, but if you're already set with offensive playmaking, then Anunoby is exactly what great teams need.
Tuesday night's 100-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers came with the prototypical, ideal Anunoby game. He scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting including 4-for-7 from behind the arc. That came with six rebounds, five assists, and extended stretches on Ben Simmons, who scored zero points in 19.4 partial possessions against Anunoby, according to NBA Stats.
It also came with the prototypical post-game Anunoby quote when I asked about his performance.
"It was all right," he said. "I mean we lost and we had a lead."
None of his scoring was flashy playmaking or shot creation. Instead, it was the kind of offence Anunoby has become known for: catch-and-shoot 3s when defences forget about him and layups or dunks in transition or cuts to the basket.
That is perfectly OK for Anunoby. While it might mean he'll go quiet for stretches when his shots aren't falling or the ball isn't finding him, it's pretty unreasonable to expect him to become someone who can create his own shot.
If Anunoby's peak means elite defence and someone who can stretch the floor when the ball finds him, the Raptors should be more than happy.
