Toronto Raptors small forward OG Anunoby is entering yet another season as one of the most perpetually underrated players in the league. Despite excellent defense and an ever-improving offensive game, the rest of the league simply refuses to call him an elite forward.
Anunoby may have missed a good chunk of the season due to hip injuries, but he still managed to score 17.3 points per game. His defensive acumen helped him defend guards like Zach LaVine and bigs like Nikola Jokic within the span of just a few months.
Anunoby might finally break out if he can earn that enhanced offensive role Nick Nurse has been dangling in front of him for so long. Even as it stands right now, Anunoby has proven to be one of the best at his position in a league completely full of great small forwards.
Having already looked at the starting shooting guards and point guards, it’s time to start moving towards the small forwards. Will Anunoby find himself in the top ten after continuing to improve following his draft selection in 2017?
NBA shooting guard tier list: Where is Toronto Raptors SF OG Anunoby?
Tier 7: Replacement Level
30. Kyle Anderson, Minnesota Timberwolves
29. Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
28. Will Barton, Washington Wizards
27. Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks
Anderson might be at the bottom of the list due to mediocre production, but the veteran swingman should be a nice addition to a Timberwolves team that just gutted their depth for Rudy Gobert. Even as age starts to sap him of some skill, Gordon remains quality as a shooter. He’ll get minutes in Houston.
Barton was traded to Washington, but the last half-decade in Denver adds further credence to the notion that he’s an effective microwave scorer who will be a massive help to the Wizards. Finney-Smith is a solid defender, even if he’s an uninspiring offensive player.
Tier 6: Serviceable, if uninspiring
26. PJ Tucker, Philadelphia 76ers
25. Josh Hart, Portland Trail Blazers
24. Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
23. Chris Duarte, Indiana Pacers
22. Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons
21. Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat
Tucker is not the most prolific scorer, but championship contenders keep passing him around for a reason. Hart and Vassell started to show signs of breaking out last year, especially the former. Hart should be in for an uptick in shots now that Damian Lillard no longer has CJ McCollum.
Duarte will likely start over rookie Bennedict Mathurin as Indiana tries to get him back to the level he was at during his red-hot start as a rookie. While Bey could stand to be more efficient and Robinson is not super valuable when you take away his shooting, both of them have proven to be adequate starting wings.
Tier 5: Solid players, not needle movers
20. Herb Jones, New Orleans Pelicans
19. De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks
18. Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
17. Lu Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder
16. Lauri Markkanen, Cleveland Cavaliers
15. Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets
Jones and Hunter might not light up the statsheet on offense, but both of them proved their defensive quality on teams who made it to the postseason. Dort has long been an NBA Twitter fan favorite for his feisty hustle on the perimeter, and he’s started to come into his own as a scorer.
Wagner considerably outplayed Suggs during his first season in Orlando, and he’s just a few defensive changes away from becoming a well above-average SF before his rookie contract is up. While Markkanen and Hayward have both seen better days, they should be right around the 15 points per game threshold once again in 2022-23.
Tier 4: Higher-end Starters on playoff teams
14. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
13. Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz
12. Michael Porter Jr, Denver Nuggets
11. Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies
10. Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns
Being stuck in NBA Siberia, Barnes’ resurgence with the Kings has flown under the radar. He’s still a walking bucket. While a Raptors trade target in Bogdanovic is positioned for another season in relative anonymity thanks to his geography, he can still light up the scoreboard.
Assuming that Porter is healthy, he should be able to help Denver contend. Brooks should be in a similar tertiary scoring role with Memphis this season, though he is still a few ticks below OG when you factor in defense. Bridges is an excellent two-way star, making the gap between him and the next two spots as thin as humanly possible.
Toronto Raptors: OG Anunoby is a Top 10 SF
Tier 3: Fringe All-Stars
9. RJ Barrett, New York Knicks
8. OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
7. Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors
6. Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets
Barrett started to show that his ability to fill it up from the perimeter was here to stay last year. He and Anunoby will be locking horns against one another in that division for years to come.
Wiggins went from an overpaid player who was slightly disappointing this season to a key part of a championship team. Simmons remains as positionless and enigmatic as ever, but the expectation when he returns to the floor is that his usual brand of basketball will be good enough to help the Nets contend.
Tier 2: Expected All-Stars
5. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
4. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
3. Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
Middleton and DeRozan will likely be All-Stars once again next year. With the former remaining the perfect complementary role player for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the latter coming off one of the best seasons in his illustrious career, both arrows are pointing upward.
While it’s easy to make fun of George for his playoff season, he has very few holes in his game. When Kawhi Leonard returns, he and George will make the Clippers a contender. If Anunoby steps on the gas pedal, he might end up playing like a Tier 2 player for a brief spurt.
Tier 1: All-NBA
2. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Tatum’s status as one of the game’s more elite players is beyond reproach after leading the Celtics to the NBA Finals. While Anunoby has proven to give him some tough games in the past, it’s hard for one to argue that OG should be ranked near him right now.
James is 37 years old and remains one of the best scorers and all-around players this game has to offer. The fact that he’s still at the top of his game at a time when most his age are lucky to be in the league defies all logic. There’s no shame in OG looking much weaker in comparison.