Toronto Raptors: What to expect from OG Anunoby next season

Anunoby could play a similar role as Otto Porter Jr.

Otto Porter Jr. of the Washington Wizards is someone who could be used as a template for Anunoby’s development. Porter has similar measurements, 6-foot-8.5 (in shoes) with a 7-foot-1.5 wingspan. He also shares the court with two ball dominant players in John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Porter is a versatile player that is capable of doing many things on a basketball court. One weakness is his ability to get buckets. Porter is limited as a scorer. For his career, 94.6 percent of his three-point attempts have been assisted. Similarly, 67.2 percent of his two-point attempts have come off assists. Given the other players on the roster this is not all that surprising. Porter is not asked to initiate the offense. He often defers to Wall and Beal.

Last season, James Harden led the league with a usage rate of 36.1. Wall’s usage rate was 29.1. Beal had a usage rate of 27.6. If two players are controlling more than half of a team’s possession, the other players must find different ways to contribute. Porter has done that. He has turned himself into an elite three-point shooter. Last year he shot 44.1 percent from downtown, good enough for third in the NBA.

By comparison, in Leonard’s last fully healthy season, he had a usage rate of 31.1. Last season, Lowry had a usage rate of 21.7. It is reasonable to expect that most of the offense will go through Leonard and Lowry. As a result, someone like Anunoby will likely get most of his points in transition or off a drive-and-kick for a wide open three.

Anunoby was primarily used as a spot-up shooter; 56.9 percent of his attempts were from three-point range. Of that, 94.5 percent of his makes came off an assist. Similarly, 71.1 percent of his two-point attempts were assisted. Anunoby will likely be asked to play a role similar to Porter. Play strong defence and don’t be afraid to shoot when you’re open.

Porter did not play much as a rookie, but the stats from his sophomore year are similar to those Anunoby put up as a rookie. Porter averaged 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals in 19.4 minutes per game. Anunoby’s stat line was 5.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 20 minutes of action. With an increase in playing time the following year, Porter improved across the board. He averaged 11.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.3 minutes per game.

The Raptors have one of the deepest perimeter rotations in the NBA. Coach Nick Nurse will have a difficult time managing minutes in order to keep everyone happy. Leonard, Anunoby and Siakam should see the bulk of the minutes at the forward spots. However, Nurse still needs to find time for C.J. Miles and Powell. Assuming Anunoby averages 30 minutes per game, it is reasonable to expect that he would put up similar numbers to Porter.

Porter’s stats aren’t going to blow anyone away, but he is a useful player to have in the modern NBA. Teams can never have too many two-way wings capable of guarding multiple positions. Porter is seen as a key member of the Wizards. Last summer, he was rewarded with a four-year, $106 million contract extension.

Anunoby is already a better shooter than Porter was at this point in his career. But Anunoby needs to continue to improve. He will be asked to do all the little things the same as Porter. If he can take the next step, it will go a long way in helping the Raptors reach their goals this season.

Stats were provided by NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com