3 players Raptors star O.G. Anunoby will kick off All-Defensive team

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 21: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors drives on Fred VanVleet #23 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

2. Draymond Green

Can Draymond still play great defense? Absolutely. Are the Warriors still good? You bet. Has Anunoby moved into (at minimum) the same tier as a defender? Without question. Draymond has been a blueprint, of sorts, for what the Raptors are trying to turn Anunoby into, and their project is going swimmingly.

Anunoby’s steals and blocks are finally catching up to some of the numbers that Green has amassed in his career. While Green became famous for playing center in Golden State’s small-ball lineups, Anunoby has spent a good chunk of the last two years playing in the paint.

O.G. Anunoby is right there with Draymond Green

All-Defensive, unfortunately, is one of those honors where reputation and what the media perceives a player to be can have a huge impact thanks to the lack of quantifiable defensive stats. Even if Anunoby outperforms Green, Draymond might get the benefit of the doubt.

At this moment in time, Anunoby is a better perimeter defender with comparable versatility. Green can flash rings and his leadership in voters’ faces all he likes, but his accomplishments might not stack up in the face of a new, improved Anunoby set to make his mark on the game.