O.G. Anunoby's playoff role with Raptors and the challenges ahead

Amit Mann and C.J. Miles discuss O.G. Anunoby's role with the Raptors and how he will be tested in the playoffs. Listen to the full episode on the roles and responsibilities of the players who will likely be part of the play-in/playoff rotation and how they'll be challenged to fulfill their tasks on the 'Raptors Over Everything' podcast feed.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: Interesting conversation around Freddie. All right, let's move to OG now. I think it's fair to say that defensively, we just sort of know.

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: You kind of know, right? You know what I'm saying?

CJ MILES: But that's what he's got to-- that's what he's got to lead with.

AMIT MANN: Yes, yes. Yes.

CJ MILES: He can't let--

AMIT MANN: Going to move to another player we're going to talk about too.

CJ MILES: Yeah, because he, he's-- that's what he brings that nobody else brings, right?

AMIT MANN: Mhm.

CJ MILES: So even on the nights he's not getting shots or not making shots, or just not whatever it is, that can't take away from that. Not at this point in the season.

AMIT MANN: No.

CJ MILES: Because there's nobody else that could defend their best player like you.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: That's the thing I need from you, more than anything. That's what's going to make you a star.

AMIT MANN: He's going to guard Joel Embiid tomorrow.

CJ MILES: Yes.

AMIT MANN: He is going to guard Joel Embiid tomorrow.

CJ MILES: That's what I'm saying.

AMIT MANN: That's crazy to me. That's crazy.

CJ MILES: So his effort on guarding Joel can't change if he's not getting shots. Because if he-- if it does, Joel is going to have a field day. It's going to take his mental capacity and all of his effort to guard the guy who could very well be the MVP this year. He has a chance to be. I don't know if he's going to win it. But I'm just saying, he's in the conversation.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: So if that type of caliber player walks in the building, me getting shots, making shots, cannot deter from that.

AMIT MANN: Mhm.

CJ MILES: Because even if say, let's say I'm getting shots. And I go three for three from the 3-point line I score and I have 9. But he's got 16.

You know what I mean? Like, my efforts got to go towards that. Because if I can bring him below his average, I hurt them more than my 9 points do.

And I'll get my shots and I'll make those, or whatever. Like, but I'm just saying, like, the first approach to this has got to be do that. And that's going to make me play better anyway, because I'm not, not concentrating on the other things. That just becomes part of the game.

AMIT MANN: What's different about OG is that some players, you ask them to play with energy and there won't be much of a material outcome, outside of their playing hard. And that's good, and they're not getting beaten, that kind of thing.

CJ MILES: Mhm.

AMIT MANN: But with OG, when he plays hard and he's engaged, you see steals. You see rebounds.

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: You see physicality. You see him, like, taking over games in a way that few players can do it on the defensive end.

CJ MILES: Exactly.

AMIT MANN: And you can just see it.

CJ MILES: Because he's been there.

AMIT MANN: It's just crazy to me. Yeah.

CJ MILES: He just falls into it. Like, there's no thought process. His instinct is so good on that side, that it's like, very healthy Kawhi Leonard.

You know what I mean? Like, we saw him. I remember the play in Toronto, when he dove backwards to steal the ball. Do you remember this play?

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: He dove, like, laid out, flat straight out, just to steal it.

AMIT MANN: Against OKC? Was it against OKC?

CJ MILES: Maybe that's it. Yeah, whoever it was.

AMIT MANN: I got to look it up.

CJ MILES: Whoever it was, though, like, that type of play. Like, dudes don't make plays like that.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: That's not normal, you know what I mean?

AMIT MANN: Mm.

CJ MILES: That's like, I have an instinct and I have a an ability, that I've-- that I've been able to hone over all this time. Hold on, I'm losing my hat.

AMIT MANN: It's all good. it was against Minnesota.

CJ MILES: That's--

AMIT MANN: That's who it was.

CJ MILES: Yeah, yeah. But like, that type of play?

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Like, OG has the-- he makes those type of plays. Yes, that's why the comparison was of that. That's what they saw, the instinct.

AMIT MANN:

CJ MILES: Yeah. And the way he affected the game. And his size and all that too, but like, that's what brings that comparison to him. And OG, OG has all of those tools to change the game without scoring a bucket.

AMIT MANN: Mhm.

CJ MILES: But I can stop a bunch of buckets, and I can create a bunch of other buckets for my teammates. And then a lot of these steals turn into dunks on fast breaks, which leads to better rhythm on my jump shot, because I've seen three layups go in. Like, you know what I mean?

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Like, this is why he has to lead with his best thing. Because they make everything else better.

AMIT MANN: On the offensive side of the ball, OG, he has been scoring the ball better.

CJ MILES: 100%.

AMIT MANN: Whether it's health, whether it's rhythm, comfort. Today, I was just saying to you, before we started recording, that he was working with Earl Watson. It was a lot of just like, mid-range.

CJ MILES: My guy.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. Great dude. From what I-- all accounts, from what I understand.

CJ MILES: Yeah, yeah.

AMIT MANN: At least, I don't know him very well personally. But--

CJ MILES: I played with him too. I mean, I told you that before, but I played with him too.

AMIT MANN: Oh yeah, you did, didn't you?

CJ MILES: Yeah, yeah. I played with him in Utah.

AMIT MANN: Yeah, you did.

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: It was a lot of mid-range. It was scoring from different spots, from the 45, from the high post. Counters? I think it's fair to say that especially with OG and his role, and this is the guy I was talking about when we were talking about Pascal.

Like, what is your role? I can see a case where you're going to get, you know, four or five, six attempts at scoring. Because teams are going to be like, we're not going to let Pascal loose.

CJ MILES: 100%.

AMIT MANN: We're not going to let Fred do that.

CJ MILES: Mhm.

AMIT MANN: And we're going to decide that we're going to make OG beat us.

CJ MILES: Mhm.

AMIT MANN: Can he score in those chances? That's my take away from what his role is going to be.

CJ MILES: Mhm?

AMIT MANN: And how he could level up at it. Can you hit those opportunities? The 3's, there's reason to believe with how he's been shooting, seems like he's healthy. The 3's are going to continue to drop. Right?

CJ MILES: Mhm.

AMIT MANN: The energy side, we know that. Offensive rebounding, great. Early post-ups, bully ball, cool.

CJ MILES: Mhm.

AMIT MANN: But those attempts? That's like, an 8-point swing that a team didn't account for.

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: You know?

CJ MILES: And this goes back into what we were talking about, being prepared. He's got to know that that's coming.

AMIT MANN: Mhm.

CJ MILES: That's what gives him the best chance to execute him, by knowing. He can't be caught by surprise. He can't be caught by surprise.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: And we're also talking about a guy who asked for an expanded space.

AMIT MANN: Aha.

CJ MILES: So this is where-- this is where you earn that.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: You don't earn-- the playoffs make everybody. The playoffs change everything.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: You do something in the playoffs, it changes the outlook on every-- because it's winning time.

AMIT MANN: Mhm?

CJ MILES: And the value is up. There's a lot of regular season greats. A lot of them. There's a lot of guys who go-- who go crazy in the regular season. And now when we get into playoffs and you're like, honed in on it, it's hard.

AMIT MANN: Yeah. FYI, if you're curious, this season he technically shoots 41% on drives. But since the all-star break, 46%. These are the possessions that we're talking about. You know?

CJ MILES: Essentially, every other drive.

AMIT MANN: Those random ones-- yes, yeah. That's very good, man. That's the kind of stuff that lifts your team and gives you, like I said, another 8, 10 points in a game.

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: That people, that they did not account for.

CJ MILES: Yeah.

AMIT MANN: Now, everyone's doing their job. You're humming. And you know, gives-- get a few cuts. His activity on both ends is really important.

CJ MILES: Mhm.

AMIT MANN: Defensively, obviously. But him off ball is very important. To him, seeking out early post-ups when he's already, you know, when a ball goes up and he can leak out a little bit, get someone small on him, get a few easy buckets, like, that's important too.

CJ MILES: Yeah. It's funny that we keep talking about everybody doing their job. Because it's like, if you look at championship teams, or anybody that's won a championship, you look at this team when they won the championship in-- a couple of years ago.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: Everybody did-- they won because everybody did their job. Like, everybody, every, every opportunity, the guy was-- that was presented to him, he executed in it, in certain points of the game. So like, nobody did anything outside of themselves. Like, Freddy making big shots.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: He had done that. Pascal, making his running the floor, catching up the top, finish at the rim, his spinning in the lane, he had done that. It's just, when it was time to execute it, Kawhi had done all the things. He didn't do anything different.

He wasn't playing like Steph Curry, all of a sudden. I wasn't playing different, you know what I mean? Like, nobody did anything outside of themselves. They just, when it was their chance, when they presented themselves, they executed. That's the biggest part of this. Like, the talent level is not the problem.

AMIT MANN: Yeah.

CJ MILES: It's being at that level when I needed you to be.