OG Anunoby is playing pretty well this season, but he isn’t exactly a perfect replacement for Kawhi Leonard. I know that Raptors fans never expected him to be, but from this ignorant outsider’s perspective, SOMEBODY needs to be the Kawhi replacement. Here are the ways that Anunoby fails to live up to the task:
-Midrange game. Anunoby doesn’t have one. He’s made four midrange shots all season. A Kawhi replacement would make more midrange shots than that.
-Playoff game-winners. Anunoby’s career is marked by a stark absence of game-winning shots in series-clinching series. A Kawhi replacement would have a resume full of such shots.
-Meddlesome uncles. If Anunoby has uncles, they’re not meddling in his basketball career. At most, they’re giving him advice that he is welcome to heed or not heed. A Kawhi replacement would have an uncle who makes all his decisions for him.
-Betrayal. Anunoby hasn’t betrayed the Raptors. Yet. A Kawhi replacement would betray the Raptors at the first possible opportunity.
-Injury history. Anunoby’s legs, and presumably the rest of his body as well, are perfectly healthy. A Kawhi replacement would have big question marks over his head regarding his long-term health.
-Superstardom. Anunoby is not a superstar. He’s not even a regular star. He’s just a role-player. A Kawhi replacement would at least be an All-Star candidate.
In conclusion, Anunoby, despite scoring a career high 25 points in this game (truly a Kawhi-esque amount of points) is not a Kawhi replacement. But Pascal Siakam totally is because he checks off at least two of the things on the above list. I’ll let you figure out which ones.