Los Angeles Lakers land their dream prospect in 2017 NBA Mock Draft
By Nick Ziegler
73. . Small Forward. Indiana. OG Anunoby. 13. player
The first thing people will notice about OG Anunoby is that he is injured. Anunoby injured his knee in late January, which caused him to miss the remainder of Indiana’s season. The torn ACL will play a big part in where he goes in the draft. If it is healing well, he is probably a lock for the lottery. If there are concerns, he will slip deeper into the first round.
Using a first round pick on a player that may not help you much in Year One is a risk, but if Anunoby is healing well he is worth the risk. As a prospect, there is a ton to like with him.
He has excellent size, as he already has an NBA body. Anunoby is 6-feet-8 inches tall and weighs 232 pounds; he looks the part of an NBA player. He has the skills to play the part as well. The physical tools that scouts and teams look for are there.
Offensively he has some work to do. He is a good shooter with range but needs to find consistency. His free throw percentage as a sophomore was 56.3 after a woeful 47.6 percent as a freshman. Overall from the field, he was successful, making 55.7 percent as a sophomore and 56.9 as a freshman.
His defensive ability is way ahead of his offense. He has a wingspan of 7-feet-2 inches, which can make him a terror on the perimeter. His size and athleticism give him the opportunity to defend multiple positions, a useful tool in today’s positionless game.
The Nuggets will have to wait a little while for Anunoby to return to the court. But, the return will be well worth the wait. His defensive game will get him a spot in the rotation, and if his offense can come along he will become that much more of an impact player.