2. OG Anunoby
Anunoby is the forgotten man of this budding Raptors team. Lacking the hype of Barnes or the statistical excellence of VanVleet or Siakam, Anunoby’s ability to do it all on both ends of the floor remains a valued trait for Nick Nurse and this squad.
Anunoby averaged 17.3 points per game despite struggling with injuries and deferring to Siakam. If he gets the more significant role on offense he reportedly wants to squeeze out of Nurse, we could see more nights like his 36-point masterpiece against the Knicks in New York.
The Toronto Raptors will lean on OG Anunoby.
Anunoby will need to stay healthy to achieve this goal, as he has missed time in both of the last two seasons. With his penchant for improving every season he’s been in the league, logic and history would dictate that Anunoby will finally get his scoring numbers to a point where he is an unquestioned star.
Even the most ardent Anunoby supporter at Indiana has to be surprised that he’s developed into a scorer of this magnitude this early in his career. While he, like Trent, is being flippantly thrown into hypothetical Durant trades, Anunoby remains a part of Toronto’s long-term plan.