As the Toronto Raptors try to establish themselves as a contender in the Eastern Conference, the play of stud wing OG Anunoby is something that this franchise will have to analyze closely. There is a direct correlation between Anunoby playing well and the Ws piling up in the standings.
Anunoby was a reliable scorer on last year’s team who flexed his unique defensive muscles as Toronto made it to the playoffs. After spending their Tampa exile season in the lottery, the Raptors were unanimously regarded as one of last year’s more surprising, feel-good stories.
Of course, the Raptors’ status as a team to be reckoned with is in jeopardy due to all of the improvements that have been made in the Eastern Conference. Toronto will roll out the same starting lineup they used last year, with Anunoby once again in a position of prominence.
Anunoby should strive for these three goals, all of which are easily attainable if he keeps improving and would have a direct positive impact on the Raptors’ performance this year. If Toronto is going to go anywhere this year, Anunoby can’t afford just to be a supporting player.
3 goals for Toronto Raptors SF OG Anunoby in 2022
3. Play more than 70 games
It seems like Anunoby’s body is often the biggest obstacle to his success. Even though he has reached offensive heights that even optimistic scouts thought he would never achieve, he has missed 61 games over the past two seasons. A hip injury and fractured finger were the culprits last season.
Anunoby has not played more than 70 games in a season since his rookie year. Not only has that made it difficult for him to upgrade his ball-handling abilities due to a lack of on-court reps, but it helped send Toronto spiraling towards some inopportune losses in the middle of last year.
Toronto Raptors: OG Anunoby needs to stay on the floor.
The Raptors would like to keep their starting five together in the future, but impending extensions for Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet could complicate things. If tough decisions have to be made, OG’s lack of durability could be something the franchise holds against him.
Anunoby can silence all of those doubters, as he has done so frequently during his career, by proving that his body can withstand the punishment of an 82-game season. After years of missing games and getting underrated by the media because of it, OG must come out of the chute guns blazing in 2022-23.
2. Average 18 points per game
Anunoby has reportedly been asking for a more impactful role on the offensive side of the ball. Still, Nick Nurse isn’t just going to hand him those extra shots without OG himself first showing that he is worthy of such responsibility. Luckily, Anunoby has always been able to take his game to new heights.
After barely registering on the scoresheet during his rookie year, OG averaged just over 17 points per game last season with some efficient percentages from the field despite starting slowly and suffering from injuries. 18 seems like a slight improvement, but it’s completely within reach.
OG Anunoby might break out on offense.
One of the few areas where the perpetually underrated Anunoby declined last year was 3-point shooting, as he nailed a respectable 37% of his triples after hitting 40% and 39% in the prior two seasons. Getting back to his old form here might be enough to lift him back to his past status.
OG will not lead the team in scoring, but we saw flashes last year of a player that can help carry the load for a few games here and there. Look no further than when he torched the Knicks for a career-high 36 at Madison Square Garden. A few more of those games against playoff teams, and the Raptors will be cooking with gas.
1. Make an All-Defensive team.
Anunoby has two flaws that make it tough for voters to consider him for this elite club. Not only does he play in a market that the media rarely gives the time of day (barring something truly unprecedented), but he lacks gaudy steal and block numbers to get those who only read box scores excited about his game.
Anunoby, when healthy, is one of the game’s more unique chess pieces. Strong enough to limit the damage that big centers can do while staying nimble enough to spend entire ballgames on the perimeter, Anunoby’s value to this team is clear and obvious to anyone who gives the Raptors an up-close analysis.
Toronto Raptors: OG Anunoby remains an elite defender.
The Raptors have two players that are without question among the best 15 defensive players in the game in Anunoby and VanVleet. Toronto could not run their system, which ranked in the top 10 in defensive rating allowed despite a poor bench, without FVV’s turnover creation and Anunoby’s Swiss Army knife-esque pestering.
Considering Anunoby’s ability to take his game and refine it in a very subtle way from year to year, there is a very strong chance that we see the finest version of him on both ends during this increasingly important 2022-23 Raptors campaign.