Former Hoosier OG Anunoby Earns NBA All-Defensive Team Honors
Six years into his NBA career, former Hoosier and current Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby was named to the 2022-23 NBA All-Defensive second team on Tuesday.
Anunoby led the NBA with 128 steals this season, starting 67 games for the 41-41 Raptors, whose season ended in the play-in game as the No. 9 seed.
Here are the full 2022-23 NBA All-Defensive teams:
First team
- Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls
- Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
- Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
- Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Second team
- Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
- OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
- Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies
- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
- Derrick White, Boston Celtics
Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby (3) blocks a shot from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort (5) in the first half at Scotiabank Arena.
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
After being selected with the 23rd overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2017 NBA Draft, Anunoby, 25, has developed into a multi-faceted threat in the NBA. After averaging 5.9 points in 62 starts as a rookie, Anunoby has averaged over at least 15.9 points in each of the last three seasons. He played 20.2 minutes in 67 games before going down with an injury on the Raptors NBA championship run in 2018-19.
On his way to NBA All-Defensive honors this season, Anunoby, a 6-foot-7 small forward, averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He's grown into a great 3-point shooter, too, leading the Raptors at 38.7 percent in 2022-23.
Before becoming one of the top defensive players in the NBA, Anunoby played two seasons at Indiana under former coach Tom Crean. As a freshman, he played in 34 games off the bench and averaged 4.9 points as the Hoosiers won the 2016 Big Ten title. Anunoby make a significant sophomore jump in 2016-17, stuffing the stat sheet with 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
After 16 games with 10 starts, Anunoby's breakout sophomore campaign at Indiana was cut short when he required season-ending knee surgery. Though his NBA Draft stock dropped after the injury, the Raptors ended up with one of the biggest first-round steals at No. 23.
“I’m not sure who’s as versatile, period, and who’s as effective, even on the winning teams,” former Raptors coach Nick Nurse on March 15. “He’s certainly an all-defensive team player in my mind, for sure, if not the winner of the [Defensive Player of the Year] award.”
