Rook could pick up starters’ minutes
HOUSTON — OG Anunoby isn’t the type to share his thoughts, inner or general, with just anyone.
His media scrums have become almost must-see spectacles as earnest reporters try to engage the Raptors very likable rookie in conversation only to be stymied by one and two-word answers. It’s comical at times as long as you don’t happen to be the one trying to build a fulllength feature around a bunch of yes and no responses.
But, even before Norm Powell went down with a hip pointer potentially opening up a temporary spot in the starting five that, barring a sudden change of heart, looks like it will result in extended run for the young Anunoby alongside the likes of DeRozan and Lowry at least for one more game, there was plenty of interest in the Raptors first overall pick of the 2017 draft.
And now that interest is likely to double as the young man is thrust into a bigger role perhaps as early as Tuesday when the Raptors take on the Western Conference-leading Houston Rockets.
Anunoby isn’t the only option available to Casey to fill Powell’s minutes, but he does appear to be the likely candidate.
Like Powell, Anunoby is a very capable defender, a willing driver and a threat from three-point range. He brings a physical presence to that starting five that already has a good dose of that in Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka.
“The young man has been playing well defensively,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said following practice Monday in Houston. “Offensively, he’s making the right reads, good cuts. He had one cut out that got a three-ball for Kyle in the corner the other night. Without him reading that situation and cutting out to create space, it would have been a crowded situation. His awareness, his reading of situations has been really, really good. He’s growing. Is he making mistakes? Yes. He missed a couple of switches. They’re all hard. That’s what this year is all about, those guys growing up and developing an NBA game. That’s what he’s doing right before our eyes. He was playing well (Sunday) night.”
Casey wasn’t willing to cede Powell’s minutes (assuming Powell doesn’t play and while he was much improved from a day earlier he did not practice which is always the best indication of when a player will return) to Anunoby but he’s a good bet.
C.J. Miles, another option Casey could go with in the starting five, says Anunoby just seems to fit well with that starting group.
“I think the thing that helps is his strengths don’t take away from their strengths,” Miles said of Annoby with the No. 1’s. “He’s good off the ball. He makes plays and uses his athleticism and length as a big part of the plays he does make — his cutting and getting his hands on deflections and getting out and running. He’s able to be even more of a threat in that situation because they have to go help but, I don’t want to say forget about him, but defences rotate away from him and he’s able to play within space and pick and choose.”
The key for Anunoby is going to be finding a balance between being a floor spacer for the likes of Lowry and DeRozan and an offensive option when teams invariably put the clamps down on his two all-star teammates.
Powell, who got a taste of playing alongside those two in the playoffs both last year and the year before struggled early on in the season finding that balance. For a time he all but abandoned his drive game in the mistaken belief that he was doing the right thing by sacrificing that in order to get the ball in the hands of his teammates more.
Eventually Powell saw the error in that thinking and returned to form.
The expectation is Anunoby will struggle a little with this initially as well.
Early on in the Boston game he did make a beautiful baseline cut and took an on-time feed from Lowry for a monster slam dunk. That was very encouraging given both how effective it was and how quick he was to realize his own offensive contributions are still necessary when he plays with the starters.
Anunoby doesn’t forsee any problems if he does end up playing big minutes with the starters. He doesn’t see himself changing any.
“Not really. Still playing hard, trying to make plays at both ends to help the team. Same,” he said.