Raptors MVP, LVP, and more at quarter mark of 2022-23 season
By Mike Luciano
Defensive Player of the Year: O.G. Anunoby
Shocker, I know.
Anunoby has been Toronto’s best defensive player for a while, but he has really taken things to another level this season. Forget about just being the team’s defensive leader; Anunoby may end up taking home his first Defensive Player of the Year award after years of being underrated by the media.
Anunoby is currently leading the league in steals per game with 2.4 per contest, recording at least three steals in a game on eight separate occasions. Keep in mind the fact that he is doing this while being one of the few players in the NBA who can defend all five positions without one shred of hyperbole attached to that statement.
O.G. Anunoby is still the Toronto Raptors’ best defender.
The fact that players like Matisse Thybulle have more All-Defensive nominations than Anunoby is absolutely criminal. The three-headed hydra of playing in a market the media doesn’t usually pay attention to, injuries, and lower counting stats (like steals and blocks) than his competition have hurt him in that area.
This version of Anunoby is a completely different beast, as his numbers this year should put him right at the forefront of the Defensive Player of the Year talk. Names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and reigning DPOY Marcus Smart need to look over their shoulder and see how quickly O.G. is coming.