The draft watch continues this week with the much-hyped sophomore from Indiana.
In our Mock Draft 2.0 we projected Anunoby to the Chicago Bulls with the 16th overall pick.
Player Comparison
The sophomore forward out of Indiana is compared by HoopsHype to former UNC Tar Heels standout Marvin Williams. Anunoby hardly played for Indiana as a freshman while Williams was a steady contributor for UNC. While this makes a true statistical comparison difficult, physically there are some similarities. Both are explosive leapers whose docile attitudes make the athleticism even more surprising. Williams was slightly larger in college at 6’9″ and 230lbs, while Anunoby is 6’8″ 215lbs. Williams was a much better shooter in college hitting 85% from the free throw line, a blistering 43% from deep, and 52% from two-point range. Anunoby is a miserable 52% from the line, 36% from deep (though 31% this year), and 65% from two-point range (though 70% this year).
Because he has an NBA ready body and showed strong defensive tendencies against elite competition, Anunoby had some prognosticators really excited prior to going down with an ACL tear 16 games into his sophomore year. Many casual fans who watched enough of his YouTube highlights have even become excited enough to compare his ceiling to that of Paul George. The hype is fun, but the Marvin Williams comparison is more reasonable given his past performance even though Williams was a much better college player.
Why the Suns Would Want Him
A Royal Pain
O.G. has an awesome name. But more than that, he plays solid defense and has the versatility to guard four positions. He has a chance to be an elite defender, a skill which the Suns current young core lacks. If he can develop a jump shot, he can be a young, solid replacement for the role P.J. Tucker used to fill.
Plus he has the potential to be even better. He has a range of mid-range shots that would allow him to be a better scorer than Williams has been in his pro career. Anunoby has shown to have the tools in college that if transfered to the pro game can make him a player who can stuff a stat sheet in the way the Suns haven’t seen since Shawn Marion. He has extremely long arms and fast feet. He gets steals, blocks, and assists while being a consistent contributor scoring and rebounding. Those kinds of multi-versatile players are hard to come by, especially when they play elite defense. Anunoby can also really jump. While dunks are almost meaningless on a stat sheet, the in-game impact of those kinds of highlight plays do make a difference to momentum.
O.G. is one of the most controversial players in this draft and while he might be picked in the top-20, and there is always the chance the Suns trade into the middle-late first round to snag him. Plus there’s also a chance he falls to the Suns in the second round where he’d be a good gamble.
Why the Suns Would Not Want Him
While his first name is awesome, having a cool name doesn’t necessarily translate to the court (see former Suns guard Smush Parker). Anunoby’s ability to stand out in the NBA will come down to three factors: his health, his ability to shoot a jumper, and his ability to produce consistent effort. In every instance it’s unclear whether or not he will meet his potential. Also, the Suns know all too well with Bledsoe’s history, knee injuries have a horrible habit of recurring.
The biggest challenge to his career is his jumper. O.G. has a funky release that makes it less likely that he’ll be able to fix his poor shooting. Suns fans remember that Marion overcame a similar problem and college basketball fans watched Lonzo Ball do the same this year. That said, this is not a fundamentally sound shooter by any stretch.
Plus there are some serious questions about Anunoby’s consistency. While skilled, he takes plays off. He gets caught watching the ball and when beaten he will occasionally give up. Sometimes he just plain doesn’t compete. Good coaching should clear this concern up, but it’s unclear if the Suns environment would actually help in this regard.
Next: Draft Watch: Lauri Markkanen
Conclusion
O.G. Anunoby has the best name in the draft and he’s one of the most fun players to watch. He is also one of the most controversial and risky picks. If he were healthy, he may have been a top 5-10 pick in this draft. He clearly has some elite skills. However, he hasn’t been healthy. When you combine the health concerns with questions about his jumper and effort, he’s not worth a high pick. If he is available at the top of the second round, the Suns would be thrilled to grab a young P.J. Tucker. However, odds are, internet hype will win out and he will be picked in the middle of the first round.