Fred VanVleet didn't mince words when it came to O.G. Anunoby's offensive explosion Wednesday. After seeing the 25-year-old Toronto Raptors forward struggle off and on with his offensive development for the better part of the past five seasons, VanVleet's message was direct.
"It's about time, man. It’s what everyone’s been waiting on," VanVleet said with a smile. "He's been incredible. It's great to see."
This is what the Raptors have been waiting for from Anunoby, the former No. 23 pick in the 2017 draft. It's why the organization has been so high on him, unwilling to trade him despite repeated attempts by teams throughout the league to pry him loose. To the Raptors, there's been this untapped offensive potential in a player who just hasn't strung together enough healthy games to take the next step.
Finally, that development appears to be happening. Over the last seven games without Pascal Siakam, Anunoby has taken the reigns of the offense, making the most of his career-high usage rate while averaging 21.7 points on highly efficient true shooting. Most of that has come courtesy of a more aggressive approach inside and a determination to finish through contact when he's attacking the rim.
"I think he's gone to more power and balance than skill," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "I think he was doing a lot of euro stepping and trying to avoid [contact], you know, and I think he's just going in there and gotten big and strong."
Well, part of that is true. While Anunoby has spent considerable time refining his offensive moves, studying Pascal Siakam, DeMar DeRozan, and Kawhi Leonard, he said, he hasn't put on any additional weight. The 250-pound list weight the Raptors put out during the preseason wasn't accurate, Anunoby said. He's not even 240 pounds, he said, opting to keep his actual weight unsaid.
Maybe the most impressive part of this stretch from Anunoby has been his ability to increase his offensive workload while maintaining his high-level defense. He's continued to average nearly two steals per game and has been asked to slow some of the league's most dynamic offensive players including Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over the past few games. To him, that's a point of pride.
"I’ve always thought I was a two-way player. That's always what I want to be," he said. "I think it's impressive when you can do it on both ends, when you can score and defend. Not a lot of guys can do that."
Posting Up Kyle Lowry
In the second quarter against Miami the other night, Anunoby found himself backing down his former teammate, Kyle Lowry, in the post. As Anunoby is well aware, that's no easy task against the sturdy 6-foot Lowry. In this case, Anunoby beat Lowry with a spin move to his right, turning around and laying the ball in with his right hand.
"I thought he was gonna flop but he did on the flop," Anunoby joked. "I was waiting for him to flop but he didn’t. Surprised."
No Netflix
Despite some high praise for his fellow teammate Juancho Hernangomez, Anunoby said he hasn't seen Hustle in which Hernangomez stars as the main character Bo Cruz. Why?
"I don't know my Netflix password," Anunoby said.
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