OG Anunoby is an NBA champion and a very integral part of the Toronto Raptors. At this point, Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet are the veterans of this organization, building up the new generation of the team after being a part of the 2019 championship squad.
The Raptors have gone with the LA Clippers’ strategy of roster building where they have a number of talented wings on the roster and not enough spots for all of them. While the Clippers have that depth as injury insurance for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are still figuring out the ideal rotations for them. This led to Anunoby allegedly being upset with his role earlier in the summer, something he clarified during Raptors’ media day.
“Even when the report came out I was kind of surprised by it,” Anunoby responded. “I just woke up one day and I saw it, so I was kind of surprised by it. Even with the role stuff, I haven’t really talked to Nick [Nurse] about role. I just try to get better every summer and I think everything will fall into place. I don’t really worry about that, you can’t really worry about that.” (h/t Sports Illustrated)
Does OG Anunoby Have A Bright Future In Toronto?
There was significant trade interest in Anunoby because of his incredibly valuable 3-and-D skillset. Quality wings usually go for a premium in the NBA and Anunoby is the definition of that. He is a low-usage player that can hit open shots and shines on the defensive end.
The Raptors still haven’t fleshed out their roster fully to be competitive at a championship level. They can be a playoff team based on the same roster that was the 6th seed last season, but to get past that, this team needs to make more changes.
The biggest thing Toronto needs is a genuine center rather than awkwardly playing Pascal Siakam in that spot. Siakam and Barnes are likely to be their power and small forward duo in the future, which makes Anunoby disposable for a possible trade to acquire a star center. As for now, Anunoby is a Raptor and will look to have a big season for the franchise in 2022-23.
