Finding comparisons for every active player on the Toronto Raptors
Three modern-day wings
C.J. Miles: Gerald Green
When discussing bouncy, athletic, three-point shooting wings, both Miles and Green fit the bill. Miles isn’t performing up to par this season, for whatever reason, but he’s been around long enough to know that this isn’t the player he’s made himself into. We hope not, anyway. But even if he has fallen off of his career cliff, he still demands attention from defenders when on the floor, making him a threat from the perimeter.
Gerald Green was originally drafted as an athlete, not as a shooter. But at this point in time, Miles and Green occupy a very similar role, longe-range assassins who are threats from beyond the arc at all times.
Turner has struggled to find a consistent stroke since entering the league, but has excelled as a ball-handler/play-maker since being drafted second overall out of Ohio State. Wright is much the same, although has been played exclusively at guard for the Toronto Raptors.
Defensively, both players use their size effectively to match-up with smaller opponents. While Wright doesn’t quite have the same size as Turner, at this point in their careers, Wright has surpassed Turner as an athlete.
Turner has not lived up to the expectations of being a second overall pick. Luckily, Wright has no such pressure to deal with, helping him grow comfortably into a solid role for the Raptors.
OG Anunoby: Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu was one of the first small forwards to make the transition to power forward as the league grew fonder of “small-ball lineups.” It was around 2015, and the emergence of a champion-quality Golden State Warriors group, that teams began experimenting with prototypical small forwards (the 6’8” 220lb frame) at the four position – utilizing their strength on offense, and their quickness on defense. The experiment worked, mostly. Suddenly, that prototypical frame was now that of a power forward, not a small forward.
Enter OG Anunoby. Anunoby’s length and his lower-body strength make him a prime candidate to grow into a post-centric role defensively. This year, he’s done relatively well – he’s shown an ability to hold his ground on post-ups, and his length has slowly helped him improve his rebounding ability, just like Aminu.
Offensively, both players excel operating out of the corners, whether it’s taking that three-point shot, or cutting to the basket if their defender helps on a drive. Anunoby is a member of the first generation of pure small-ball fours the NBA has seen.