Toronto Raptors: Can OG Anunoby be a secret weapon in the NBA Finals?
With his status being upgraded to questionable, could OG Anunoby provide the Toronto Raptors with an additional boost heading into the NBA Finals?
Up until this point, OG Anunoby has been watching the Toronto Raptors make franchise history while recovering from an emergency appendectomy. Hearing that the appendix ruptured and caused an infection makes you wonder what could have been if this injury was diagnosed earlier.
Fortunately, not having the 21-year-old available hasn’t been a problem but you have to wonder the impact he could have had. Now, the question is whether he can be a factor in this series, especially off the bench.
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He is a capable defender and has shown flashes of offensive potential but not consistently enough to this point. However, in a series like this, he can bring a lot of tools the Raptors could benefit form against the Golden State Warriors.
Even if he doesn’t play a lot, just the experience alone will be valuable especially if he and other young players like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet make up part of the Raptors’ core over the long haul.
Right now, the Raptors aren’t running a lot of their bench players as some just seem like placeholders for a player like Anunoby. If you forgot, he had a strong performance in the post-season against the Cleveland Cavaliers but obviously, it wasn’t enough.
In Game 3 against the Cavs, Anunoby had 18 points going four-for-seven from three and 7-for-12 from the field in just under 33 minutes. Whether he can get back into playing shape remains to be seen considering he hasn’t been able to do a lot for the past six weeks.
While it might be too much to ask of the sophomore, it is probably something the Raptors are going to consider especially if Kevin Durant returns because then their defensive depth will be tested.
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Do you think it will be possible to see Anunoby play in the NBA Finals? Can he have an impact in this series? Let us know in the comments below.