Raptors solidify foundational trio with OG Anunoby extension - Sportsnet.ca

TORONTO -- No one could’ve definitively known at the time, but just three years ago, the future of the Toronto Raptors was laid down.

A year after Toronto drafted Pascal Siakam and signed undrafted free agent Fred VanVleet, the team took OG Anunoby 23rd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. Since then this trio has gone through ups and downs, beginning merely as sparsely used bench pieces trying to earn their way into the rotation, to key starters on one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, to now -- looking like made men, all signing large contracts to remain with the Raptors.

On Monday, it was announced that Anunoby had signed a four-year, $72-million contract extension to stay in Toronto. That means after the four-year, $85-million contract VanVleet signed to stay with Toronto in the off-season and the four-year, $130-million extension Siakam signed before the start of last season, the foundation that Toronto’s front office laid out three years ago has now been cemented.

“They were second-year players when I was a rookie, so we all started off the same and we’ve all just been growing,” Anunoby said of Siakam, VanVleet and himself Tuesday after practice. “It’s been cool to see. We all work really hard, we’ve all been happy for each other. So it’s cool to see and I’m excited for the future.”

And by most accounts, the Raptors as an organization seem excited about the possibilities this trio might bring, too.

“I think it’s really been fun and interesting to watch them all grow,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “I think it’s a real credit, first of all, to them individually and to our organization, coaching staff, player development, all that stuff that I think we’ve been able to grow these guys to this point.

“I don’t think any of them were real sure-fire high draft picks or whatever, Freddy’s undrafted and two late first-round picks, I guess, and they go out there and they compete with the best. I think that’s where we’re heading.”

The improbable nature of these three becoming the core foundation of the Raptors is probably what makes this story so feel-good.

As Nurse mentioned, none of these players were highly drafted and they all came with supposed faults.

For Siakam, it was a supposed lack of a position for him in the league, for VanVleet it was the fact he didn’t have the desirable measurables nor athleticism, and for Anunoby it was the fear that a knee injury he suffered in college might hold him back in the NBA.

All those faults turned out to be completely overblown and the Raptors are now better because they were able to see what other teams couldn’t.

But in addition to just being overlooked talent, Anunoby, Siakam and VanVleet were aided by the winning culture of the Raptors. An environment that allowed them to make mistakes but still grow organically into the key roles they now hold with the team.

“They definitely set the standard and let me know what was going on,” Anunoby said of veterans that helped him out. “[They] let me know how I should be doing things and stuff. Like Serge [Ibaka] helped me out a lot, [Jonas Valanciunas], Marc [Gasol], CJ [Miles], those older guys, DeMar [DeRozan], Kyle [Lowry]. They all helped me a lot. So I really appreciate that.”

The nurturing nature of Toronto’s locker room has allowed Anunoby, Siakam and Vanleet to gradually step out of their shells and also become team leaders as time has gone on. Even though they’re still young and just now entering their primes, it’s now their turn to pay forward some of the lessons that were imparted upon them.

“I think teaching what’s taught is important,” Anunoby said. “I’m gonna help the younger guys. And when they’re in positions like this, I can give them advice — not tell them what to do, but just give them advice, my input, and help them [with] whatever they need.”

Outside of Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell -- both of whom could hit free agency in the off-season -- no one’s been part of the Raptors or know what being a Raptor means better than Anunoby, Siakam and VanVleet, and now they’ll be able to continue to pass on those lessons for years to come.

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2020-12-22 23:05:00Z
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