Raptors’ OG Anunoby questionable for Game 1 of NBA Finals

As they get set to take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the Toronto Raptors have upgraded the status of OG Anunoby.

As of Monday, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said forward OG Anunoby was 10 days away from playing as he nears the end of his recovery from an appendectomy. But on Wednesday that changed. According to multiple reports, Anunoby has been upgraded to questionable for Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night.

Anunoby underwent an emergency appendectomy just before the start of the playoffs, and he did not play during Toronto’s run through the Eastern Conference. According to Blake Murphy of The Athletic, Anunoby’s appendix ruptured before the surgery and he had some infection complications during the procedure. So that explains an absence that was a bit longer than originally expected.

In 67 regular season games this year (six starts), he averaged 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals per game over 20.2 minutes per contest. He played 74 games and started 62 for the Raptors as a rookie in 2017-18, as he averaged 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

Nurse went with an eight-man rotation against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, so Anunoby’s progress toward a return is good news if only for depth purposes. He’s also a versatile defender, which will come in handy against Golden State and is where he’ll offer the greatest value.

Even if Anunoby doesn’t suit up for Game 1, and it’s worth noting he hadn’t been cleared for full practice as of Wednesday afternoon, there’s a pretty good chance he plays sometime during the Finals.

Anunoby’s isn’t the kind of singular difference maker who will tip the scales dramatically and open the door for Toronto to upset heavily-favored Golden State. But he is a valuable piece for the Raptors, and his presence at some point in the upcoming series shouldn’t be shrugged off either.