7. OG Anunoby, Small Forward
Team: Chicago Bulls
Original draft slot: 23
The Toronto Raptors had some real nice unheralded draft picks over the course of the last two and a half years. In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Raptors took a flier out on the former Indiana Hoosiers wing OG Anunoby at No. 23 overall in the first round. And it’s finally starting to pan out at the beginning of the 2019-20 regular season.
But the main under-the-radar draft pick that the Raptors had in the last two years was the second round selection of rising superstar forward Pascal Siakam. There might be two solid building blocks the Raptors have in store between Anunoby and Siakam. The front office already dished out a max contract, which was an obvious move, to Siakam.
Moreover, there’s so many ways that the Chicago Bulls could go with this draft pick. With Lauri and other solid big men like Bam and Collins off the board, they should look in the direction of filling the wing depth problem. That’s where the idea of selecting Anunoby comes from.
So far this season, Anunoby is shooting better than 50 percent from the field and just shy of 40 percent from three-point range. He’s also averaging 11.6 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. This finally appears to be the season where Anunoby is rising to the occasion and improving his game. He also could have a long way to go at just 22-years-old.
The Bulls would be wise to select Anunoby here since they could find their wing of the future. Anunoby is starting to be a very nice depth forward for the Raptors this season.