Raptors Discuss Slowing DeMar DeRozan & O.G. Anunoby's Defense Ahead of Play-In Game

The Toronto Raptors are expecting a more aggressive DeMar DeRozan as they get set for the play-in opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday

Aaron Rose | Apr 10, 2023

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

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Nobody in the NBA did a better job defending DeMar DeRozan this season than O.G. Anunoby.

Maybe it’s the familiarity Anunoby has with DeRozan, the tendencies he hinted at but wouldn’t talk about Monday afternoon as the Toronto Raptors held their first practice ahead of Wednesday’s play-in game against the Chicago Bulls. Back in 2017-18, Anunoby studied DeRozan, learning the tricks of the trade while developing alongside his former teammate.

They were, and still are, great friends, as Anunoby put it Monday. They message from time to time and chatted last week, Anunoby said. But that friendship is going to have to be put on hold, at least for a few days.

Step 1 to beating the Bulls on Wednesday starts with slowing DeRozan. Toronto has done a pretty good job of it this year, holding the 33-year-old forward to just 26 shot attempts over three games, by far the lowest of any team DeRozan’s faced this season.

That starts with Anunoby denying DeRozan the ball, a task easier said than done for most defensive players. The goal is to force DeRozan to catch the ball as far from the rim as possible, Anunoby said.

“Making him work for everything, make everything as difficult as possible,” said Anunoby. “It’s definitely difficult against a player like him. He’s a great player with a bunch of different tricks and skills.”

Anunoby has been pretty good at avoiding DeRozan’s veteran tricks. He’s surrendered just 14 points across 118.3 partial possessions of defense against DeRozan, per NBA Stats. Those stats have come on 3-for-5 shooting with six assists and six turnovers in just over 23 minutes of defense.

“It’s definitely difficult because he’ll pump fake three or four times in the same instance,” Anunoby added. “Just being disciplined and keeping your hands up, keeping your hands out.”

Toronto is expecting to see more of that Wednesday night. DeRozan has been more of a playmaker against the Raptors this season, opting to turn Toronto’s hyper-aggressive defense into points for his teammates. This time, though, there’s an expectation that DeRozan will call his own number a little more, Anunoby said.

With all the attention paid to DeRozan, Toronto has found some trouble slowing Chicago’s other offensive contributors, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević. LaVine dropped 30 points on the Raptors back in November while Vučević had 23 on 9-for-14 shooting in late February.

“Both of those guys can really score, they’re both really explosive,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of DeRozan and LaVine. “I think that we would always start out with trying to find the right matchups, who can maybe limit some touches one-on-one.”

If Anunoby takes the DeRozan assignment, as expected, Scottie Barnes will likely be tabbed with LaVine who he saw only briefly this season, surrendering nine points on 22 partial possessions, per NBA Stats. Barnes has been just an OK on-ball defender this year, but his versatility and ability to defend up a position should allow Toronto to snuff out Chicago’s pick-and-roll attack.

The Raptors are saying all the right things as they head into the first of what will be at least two must-win games, should Toronto advance past Chicago. Confidence is high with an extra day off to gameplan and the team feeling healthy.

“We just try to go out and execute the best we can,” Fred VanVleet said. “It’s not exactly the playoffs but a similar type of preparation, getting ready for win or go home.”

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