Raptors: Is OG Anunoby or Norman Powell more valuable?

One of the greatest trades that the Toronto Raptors ever pulled off was trading fan-favorite, Greivis Vasquez, to the Milwaukee Bucks for two draft picks. One of the draft picks from the Bucks was a 2015 second-round pick, which the Raptors used to select UCLA stud Norman Powell. The other draft pick was the 2017 first-round pick that became OG Anunoby.

This trade was a huge steal, as it gave the team two players with star potential, and they became two important players on the Raptors.

When Powell first started to strut his stuff in early in his career, the DeMar DeRozan with an improved three-point shot comparisons started to fly. He hasn’t reached the level, but Powell has become a great scorer off the bench, which made him a candidate for the Sixth man of the year.

Despite struggling with some cold streaks, he has shown in the past that he can be a difference-maker. During Game 3 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, Powell helped the Raptors get their first win of the series by scoring 19 points. Some of those points were important because most of the role players didn’t show up.

With the game being close 77-75 when they were heading to the fourth quarter, Powell gave the team some energy by scoring key points that got Toronto through double overtime and eventually the win.

Does Raptors SG Norman Powell’s offense make him better than OG Anunoby?

Anunoby’s value is different than Powell’s because Anunoby does not have the same style of play that Powell has. Anunoby is more versatile. When he first entered the league, he is a great defensive player with lots of raw talent on the offensive end. He has the potential to be a great offensive player in the league.

Anunoby has shown a glimpse of what he is capable of. He showed it during Game 3 of last season’s Eastern Conference semi-finals when he made that legendarily clutch three-point shot where he only had 0.5 seconds to shoot it.

His defense needs no introduction because Raptors fans all know how he impacts the game on that end. Anunoby is not only an elite perimeter defender, as his bulky frame and long wingspan help him corral quicker guards, but he has enough size to even guard bigger forwards, as evidenced by the fact Nick Nurse moved him to power forward.

So, who is more valuable between the two?

Powell is a type of player that can play for any team in the league because he will give that team 15 points per game, either as a starter or coming off the bench. This production is why Powell is likely the only trade asset that the Raptors can move in order to get better. A team could use his 15 points a game and they give the Raptors something they need like a center.

Anunoby can also play for any team, but not because of his scoring. His style of play is being a versatile player who can do anything on either side of the floor. He could be used in some teams that need a three and d guy, but he can be more than that.

Anunoby can be a franchise player on the Raptors. He might not become a superstar because the Raptors already have Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet as the best players on the team. However, Anunoby’s potential is so enticing that he has a chance to reach that level. Right now, Anunoby has only reached one-quarter of his potential. Once he fulfills it, look out.

Anunoby is more valuable than Norman Powell, plain and simple. It’s easier to find a guy like Powell than Anunoby. There is a lot of wing players that give you 15 a game. There aren’t a lot of guys who defend and shoot the ball at decent percentage with as much untapped potential as Anunoby has.