ESPN's Jay Bilas Weighs In On OG Anunoby's Draft Projections
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas thinks former Indiana standout OG Anunoby could be selected anywhere from the lottery to the 20's in the upcoming NBA Draft.
In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Bilas weighed in on the wide-ranging projections that exist for Anunoby. For weeks, the former IU forward was slotted in the lottery - now, though, DraftExpress.com projects him at No. 21 overall.
"He's such a great athlete," Bilas said. "He's got size and length and ability.
"He's just raw offensively. For a guy to be a strong, athletic, versatile defender, and a guy that can rebound at a pretty decent rate - he's got talent. I think he got projected after a freshman year where he was a very valuable role player, and you kept going 'Man, how good is he going to be?' Then after the exhibition games he played at Indiana, I can't remember the numbers, but they were absurd.
"But he wasn't quite ready to be the lead guy yet. He still had a very good year, and then obviously got injured - the injury is the biggest issue to me. And then just how good do you think he can be offensively? Is he going to come around and be an excellent all-around player. I think he's really valuable just for the fact that he can come in and be a long, tall versatile defender."
Anunoby averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game at Indiana as a sophomore, also contributing 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee at Penn State on Jan. 18, which required season-ending surgery.
In other recent mock drafts, Sports Illustrated projects Anunoby at No. 16 overall to the Chicago Bulls. CBS Sports slots him at No. 14 to the Miami Heat, and SB Nation also projects him at No. 14 to the Miami Heat.
For the full audio of Bilas's comments on Anunoby, listen to the Soundcloud embedded below.
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