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NBA: 5 players taking a ‘leap’ in their game at the quarter-mark of the season

By Gunnar Conway

NBA New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
NBA New Orleans Pelicans Brandon Ingram (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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NBA Toronto Raptors OG Anunoby (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors

After regaining his starting spot from the departed Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby has proved to be the long-term small forward in Toronto. Losing a player of Leonard’s caliber would usually result in a total rebuild. However, Toronto had a contingency plan in place by having one of the best young cores in the league. Players like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby have provided Toronto with a foundation for the future. And Anunoby’s recent improvement is making it that much more promising.

Anunoby’s dramatic shooting improvement has elevated his game to an entirely new level. So far this season, he is shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from 3, making him one of the most efficient shooting forwards in the league. But these improved numbers can be attributed to better shot selection.

In fact, more than 95 percent of his shots come either at the rim or behind the arc. This trend has made him one of the most efficient players at his position. According to Cleaning the Glass, Anunoby ranks in the top 15 percent among forwards in effective field goal percentage and points per shot attempt. Having both his hyper-efficient shooting and low usage rate (13.5%) provides Toronto with the ideal skillset to pair with Pascal Siakam.

Even though the third-year wing is still developing, he has shown signs of being a premier two-way wing in the NBA. Anunoby has always been impressive on the defensive end. This season, he has a block percentage of 1.5 percent and a steal percentage of 1.9 percent, which are in the 92nd and 88th percentiles among forwards. If that wasn’t convincing enough, Anunoby has attributed to his defensive box plus/minus of +2.7, which is one of the best among players at his position.

Since being moved into the starting lineup, the outlook continues to improve in Toronto. Masai Ujiri has assembled a young core to build around in Siakam, VanVleet, and Anunoby. The trio that Nick Nurse has used to outscore opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions. As Anunoby continues to develop, he and Siakam could form one of the league’s most feared duos on both ends of the court.

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