OG Anunoby is a rookie for the 2017-18 Toronto Raptors. Here is his Quote of the Week for the week of January 17, 2018.
As Allen Iverson once noted with much incredulity, a basketball practice is not the same as a basketball game. Similarly, watching basketball game film is not the same as playing in an actual basketball game.
As evidenced by his play, Anunoby is learning the game at a rapid rate. He practices, he prepares, but he can also joke about it. We know this now because Eric Koreen of the Athletic noticed this exchange prior to the Raptors’ game against the San Antonio Spurs.
About an hour before game time, Raptors assistant coach Patrick Mutombo entered the players’ section of the team’s locker room, holding his laptop.
“OG?” Mutombo said to Raptors rookie OG Anunoby, some annoyance in his voice. The implication was clear: It was time to go over some video on the visiting San Antonio Spurs, and Anunoby was shirking the task.
“I just knocked on your door,” Anunoby responded.
After a beat, Anunoby smiled, which brought a smile from the coach, too.
“You’re just going to tell a blatant lie? You’re just going to tell a blatant lie?” The player then followed the coach, presumably to watch some video.
OG is making the effort, even if you didn’t quite hear him.
See you next Wednesday.