Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is rising, and Serge Ibaka gets a little heated

OG Anunoby

Things are beginning to tick over nicely for OG Anunoby, who is coming to terms with his role with the team at the right time.

In Anunoby, the Raptors have a player who could potentially become one of the best all-around defenders in the NBA. His offense pales in comparison to his defensive potential, but as a fairly strong floor spacer, OG should have a place in most lineups for the Raptors moving forward.

Anunoby hasn’t started for the Raptors since the blowout loss to the Orlando Magic towards the end of February, and he struggled against Jonathan Isaac – someone with a similar playing style and build.

Anunoby has taken a leap since then and has averaged seven points off the bench in his last eight games. It doesn’t exactly scream offensive powerhouse, but OG is cutting well and knocking down one or two threes per game. He also played a role in one of the most beautiful possessions this season for the Toronto Raptors. (via stats.nba.com)

A Jeremy Lin dribble-drive resulted in a kick out to Norman Powell, who then fed the ball to Kyle Lowry. Lowry flipped the ball inside to Lin, who played a no-look bounce pass to a cutting OG, who finished off the play with a two-handed slam.

The game was already settled by this point, but it was still basketball in it’s simplest, a most fluid form: let the ball do the work.

In that game against the Miami Heat, Anunoby had his best game of the week with 11 points and went to the free throw line for a season-high five made free throws. Anunoby isn’t going to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot, but this week he proved he can still be a positive influence on the offensive side of the floor.