2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 25: Lakers at No. 1, Knicks at No. 2
By Chris Stone
OG Anunoby
SF/PF, Indiana
Draft status: In with an agent
For several weeks, Indiana’s OG Anunoby has found his way to the Denver Nuggets in these mock drafts and for good reason. Denver’s roster could use an injection of athleticism that few players like Anunoby possess and the Hoosiers’ sophomore wing would also bring an elite defensive skill set to a team that could use someone to help out Nikola Jokic.
Anunoby — assuming he fully recovers from the knee injury that he suffered back in January — is arguably the best defender in the 2017 draft class. He stands 6-foot-8 with a long wingspan and has the strength to slot in as a small ball power forward. Anunoby is versatile and makes an impact on the stat sheet. As a sophomore, he was averaging 2.1 steals and 2.1 blocks per 40 minutes. The big question about pairing him with Jokic is how successfully he could challenge shots at the rim on a regular basis. Anunoby has the length and athleticism to do it, but would also need to be in position as well.
Offensively, there are significantly more concerns about Anunoby. While he made quite a few 3-pointers as a freshman, his shot doesn’t look good and he’s been a horrid free throw shooter. The likelihood that his jumper translates immediately is incredibly low. Anunoby also doesn’t offer much in the way of playmaking at this point. He’ll need to invest significant time on this end before he turns into a useful player.