ANUNOBY LIKELY TO BE RAPTORS’ SUPER SUB
Versatility adds to value of second-year NBA player coming off the bench
The NBA doesn’t have much of a quiet period. The closest the league comes to taking a break is usually from the second week of August through the first two weeks of September.
Before you know it, players will be back in their towns prepping for training camp.
Many players have already made their way back to Toronto. OG Anunoby, new head coach Nick Nurse and others attended a Blue Jays game last week, with Anunoby throwing out the first pitch and Nurse talking shop on the broadcast.
The Nurse-Anunoby relationship is going to be an interesting one, since the second-year forward is arguably the most promising Raptors youngster, yet also might be the one asked to take the biggest step back.
That’s not carved in stone, of course, and Anunoby will still get plenty of playing time and likely some starts, but he might come off the bench more regularly this season after starting 62 of his 74 appearances as a rookie.
Reasoning behind this is the presence of Kawhi Leonard, who will take Anunoby’s starting small forward spot. That’s a given and though Serge Ibaka is believed by the organization to be a far better fit as a centre, it still appears more likely than not he will start at power forward, with Nurse favourite Jonas Valanciunas continuing to man the middle.
With natural shooting guards Danny Green and Norman Powell on hand and with the team planning to pair Kyle Lowry with Fred VanVleet (or Delon Wright) as the starting backcourt in 2018-19, starting Anunoby at shooting guard probably doesn’t make sense, even though he can play that position as well as most.
Nurse and his staff will play mad scientists for the early going before they hit on what works.
You can bet having all of these options beats the alternative of not having enough talented players to work with.
WHAT’S THE 411?
If you missed it in August, the Raptors signed Greg Monroe to add a veteran presence in the middle and also added Jeremy Castleberry to the coaching staff.
Castleberry is a close friend of Leonard, who played with him both in high school and college. Leonard still has not said anything about the Raptors or been introduced to the local media, but that is expected to happen before media day Sept. 24. After that, the Raptors will head to Vancouver for camp, then start the exhibition campaign.
The team also inked diminutive point guard Kay Felder to a partly guaranteed deal.
CHEERS FOR HOOPS KING
If you missed it, hit the web to watch Steve Nash’s Hall of Fame induction speech. It was excellent and inspiring from the first words: “I wasn’t supposed to be here,” through to the finale.
Nash’s journey was unprecedented and incredible. From one NCAA scholarship offer to a pair of MVP awards and some of the most impressive numbers in league history (third all-time in assists, first in free throw percentage, eighth in three-point percentage, 36th in win shares, etc.) Nash evolved into one of the greatest athletes Canada has produced in any sport.
Vince Carter was the flashy force who convinced thousands of Canadians to pick up a basketball and fall in love with the sport, but Nash’s role should not be overlooked.
BIG GAMES FOR CANADA
Speaking of the Canadian national teams, the senior women nearly gave the mighty U.S. women their first home loss in nearly 19 years Saturday before falling short. The Women’s World Cup tips off Sept. 22 in Tenerife, Spain.
The squad, under head coach Lisa Thomaidis, has risen to fifth in the world ranking after winning last year’s FIBA AmeriCup, its second straight triumph at that tournament.
The men will continue with the qualification process for the 2019 FIBA World Cup starting Thursday in Laval against Brazil. This is the second round of qualifying. The senior men, who finished first in their group in the first round, have not made the World Cup tournament since 2010 and have not qualified for the Olympics since 2000.
Most countries didn’t get any NBAers for this qualification window, while Canada got most of its top players (Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson, Kelly Olynyk, Kevin Pangos, Melvin Ejim and Dillon Brooks) to attend.