Anunoby is a bonafide two-way wing
As far as the skill set, Anunoby would provide the Cavaliers the two-way wing they’ve been lacking for some time at this point. He’s a put-together 6-foot-7, 232-pound wing that could help the Cavs in a myriad of ways.
I do acknowledge that Lauri Markkanen, in a role shift to often a de facto 3, did do better than I would’ve anticipated this season defensively. There’s still limitations on-ball for him there, though, and Anunoby would provide a more legit option at that end of the floor.
Anunoby is a quality wing defender, that is far more equipped laterally and against opposing driving threats than Markkanen, by comparison. Plus, Anunoby is sturdy enough to play his share of time if needed against opposing 4s, which he’s established in his time with the Raptors.
And while some of it has been scheme/mixing in zone, and with other ball pressure guys on the perimeter in his time with Toronto helping, Anunoby is still a very active team defender. He’s often been able to generate steals, leading to breaks the other way, where Toronto has been at their best, and over the last three seasons, he’s had 1.4, 1.5 and 1.5 steals per outing.
Needless to say, he’d bring plenty of defensive activity in a starting minutes-share for Cleveland.
On the offensive end, from there, Anunoby would provide a knockdown threat from three-point range, and a player with a burgeoning game off-the-bounce. Anunoby has connected on 39.0, 39.8 and 36.3 percent of his three-point attempts the last three seasons, and in the last two, has attempted 6.1 and 6.6 per game.
In the past two years, in particular, he’s shown improvements as a shot creator for himself as well, and I believe with Cleveland, we’d see him continue to make progress as a driver, to counter his perimeter shooting.
He’s also a player that’d provide quality finishing at the rim from the wing, which is always a desirable trait from a guy who could play for stretches at the 3 and 4 spots. And honestly, with him being a multi-positional guy with off-ball viability and movement feel, Cleveland could theoretically insert Anunoby for stretches at the 2 as well, I believe.
So, next, we’ll suggest a few potential ideas for a trade framework, starting with the first.