OG Anunoby gets violent

Toronto is looking for alternatives to compensate for its multiple absences. Before the meeting of the night, Nick Nurse had thus evoked the possibility of seeing OG Anunoby be used more as a slasher, with more aggressiveness towards the circle. What Pascal Siakam, currently absent, or Scottie Barnes, in difficulty, are usually brought to do during a match.

His statements were quick to materialize on the field as the Raptors winger signed his best game of the season with 32 points at 13/18 on shots, and the most relevant is that he did not took just three 3-point shots to focus on penetrating baskets.

“We worked on things before the match, even if it’s always a bit tricky because you never know how the opponent will defend against him. They were changing a lot on him, so we also had to adjust to that. But he wanted the ball, he was all in control, he made his moves, he took the balls out and he did everything you had to do when you’re the go-to-guy., explained the Raptors coach.

Between power and balance

OG Anunoby thus successfully hammered the racket until the end of the match. Determined, more aggressive, it was in the paint that he helped secure his team’s victory at the end of the match, with a “floater” after snatching the rebound, then via a baseline pass for the dunk by Chris Boucher.

“I just want him to be aggressive, and it’s true that he felt comfortable with his shot early on as they gave him space. I liked how it worked its way up to go more inside afterwards. He also made good cuts and found good gaps facing the area, thanks to good reads”added Nick Nurse, who also explains his player’s performance by a change ball in hand. “I think he went for more power and balance rather than just relying on technique. He did a lot of euro-stepping, trying to avoid contact. There, he ran into them being strong. It allowed him to find his way.”