In the franchise’s short history, the OKC Thunder have been excellent at evaluating draft prospects. But, Toronto Raptors, O.G Anunoby may have been the one who got away.
One of the early story lines of this NBA season has been the strong play of rookies. Ben Simmons (although not a true rookie) has been spectacular averaging a near triple-double. Jayson Tatum is looking like a veteran on the first place Boston Celtics.
Lonzo Ball, despite his shooting struggles, is also having a nice season. Dennis Smith Jr. has been a stud for the Mavericks and may end up being the best point guard from this draft. Even guys not picked in the top ten like Donovan Mitchell, John Collins, and Kyle Kuzma have been excellent.
But there’s one rookie that has quietly been a steady contributor for a playoff team. That would be Raptors’ swingman OG Anunoby. Unlike most of these rookies, the Thunder had a chance to draft Anunoby, yet ultimately decided to go with Terrance Ferguson. It’s still incredibly early and way too soon to judge, however there is a good chance the Thunder missed out on a golden opportunity to draft a star player at the end of the first round
Picked 23rd overall out of Indiana University, Anunoby is just averaging six points and two rebounds per game in less than 18 minutes. Still, don’t let these average numbers distract you from how good he’s been.
“He’s a cult figure without a cult of personality. His athleticism does all the talking for him.”- Tjarks
The Raptors are allowing 9.9 fewer points per 100 possessions when Anunoby is on the floor. He was recently moved to Toronto’s starting lineup in a game against the Houston Rockets.
The 6’8 swingman helped limit James Harden to 8-25 shooting and nine turnovers. Oh, he also scored 16 points on 3-4 from beyond-the-arc and was a game-high +22. Analyzing his advanced statistics, he is right up there, if not ahead of the premiere rookies in this class.
So why did Anunoby fall so far in the draft? As a reminder, he tore his ACL last January, and there was uncertainty about when he would be able to play. And with any significant injury, you never know if the player will be able to regain form prior to the injury. In terms of his play on the court, concerns about his shot arose. He went just went 14-45 from downtown and 27-48 his final season at Indiana. This, along with his overall raw offensive game helped Anunoby slip to the end of the first round.
A lot of teams may regret passing on Anunoby, none perhaps more than the Oklahoma City Thunder. As seen with recent first round draft picks like Andre Roberson, Josh Huestis and Terrance Ferguson, the Thunder like to draft raw, but extremely athletic wings that can blossom into solid contributors. At 6’7 with a 7’2 wingspan, Anunoby perfectly fits the bill as a combo forward that can switch onto multiple positions.
Aside from his game, Anunoby’s has the perfect personality for the Thunder. OKC always drafts low-ego. high-character players that rarely, if ever cause problems off the court. Last year, The Ringer’s Jonathan Tjarks described Anunoby as “He’s a cult figure without a cult of personality. His athleticism does all the talking for him.” Anunoby would be perfect in OKC as fans wouldn’t have to worry about his desires to play in a bigger market.
In the Thunder’s defense of not drafting Anunoby, General Manager Sam Presti didn’t realize his team would end up with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The Thunder thought they would need to draft a wing that would be able to play right away. Again, there was no clear picture when Anunoby would be able to suit up. Ferguson is no finished product either, but at least he could play right off the bat.
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Had Presti known he would be able to acquire two elite wings, there is a good chance he would have taken a risk on Anunoby and let him work his way back at the end of the bench. Little did they know he could have played right away and make a massive impact.
Picking at the end of the first round is essentially a crap shoot. Teams can do all the research they want, but so often a player’s success is determined by the environment they are in and the opportunities they have to succeed.
With George and Anthony, it would have been tough for Anunoby to get minutes in OKC. But it’s more than possible he could have stolen minutes from Andre Roberson or event beat out Josh Huestis in the rotation. Right now, it may not look so bad. But down the road, this could end up being a decision the Thunder truly regret.