The Toronto Raptors will not be at full strength for their first round playoff series with the Toronto Raptors. The team announced on Friday afternoon that second-year wing OG Anunoby underwent an emergency appendectomy on Thursday night.
OG Anunoby had an emergency appendectomy last night. There is no timeline for his return.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) April 12, 2019
While the Raptors should be able to win their first round series against the Orlando Magic without Anunoby, but it’s still a blow to the team’s overall depth that he won’t be able to play. While the team was unable to give a timeline for his return to the floor, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the expectation is that Anunoby will be out at least two weeks.
Raptors' OG Anunoby is expected to be sidelined at least two weeks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Blow to Toronto's lineup. https://t.co/5egBJB47ET
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 12, 2019
Anunoby appeared in 67 games for Toronto this season with six starts. The former Indiana standout averaged seven points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 0.7 steals in 20.2 minutes a night, and while he had trouble knocking down shots this year — he’s only connecting on 33.2 percent of his attempts from deep — he’s a long, athletic, and active defender who is capable of making his impact felt on that end of the floor.
While Anunoby has missed a handful of games this season due to various bumps and bruises, an emergency appendectomy is a different animal, so hopefully he’s able to recover without any complications. The Raptors’ first round series against the Magic begins on Saturday in Toronto.
