Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby is on the path to recovery, but it sounds like he won't be available to face the Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Anunoby has been sidelined since mid-April after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. There was some hope within the Raptors organization that he might be able to play at the start of this series, but that won't be the case.
According to a report from ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Anunoby will remain out of commission for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals:
The Raptors say OG Anunoby remains out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals tomorrow in Milwaukee.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 14, 2019
The loss of Anunoby was a tough blow for the Raptors, as he was producing at a fairly high clip off the bench. In 67 appearances with the Raptors during their 2018-19 regular season campaign (six starts), the London native racked up averages of 7.0 points on 45.3 percent shooting from the field (33.2 percent from beyond the arc) and 2.9 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per outing.
Anunoby's absence has allowed several other players to shine for the Raptors, including Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell. As long as OG is out, this is a trend that will likely continue.
“I don't think there's anything close at all,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said earlier this month when discussing Anunoby's progress. “I think we're a long, long ways away.”
So it sounds like OG Anunoby won't be a consideration in this series, and if he is, it'll be at the back end. Still a week before a clearer timeline begins to materialize.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) May 14, 2019
The Raptors and Bucks will meet for Game 1 on Wednesday night. Tip-off inside the Fiserv Forum is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage. Both teams will be looking to make history. Milwaukee has won it all once (1971), while Toronto never has.
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