Young: OG Anunoby is an over-analyzer
On the latest episode of Hustle Play, Thaddeus Young joined the show to touch on how long he's known OG Anunoby and his unique personality. Also, the Raptors' duo discuss how much better he can still be. Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts or watch on our Yahoo Sports Canada YouTube.
Video Transcript
MIKE ROACH: Earlier on in the show, you mentioned your AAU team. OG did play for your AAU team?
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah, OG and actually another former Raptor, Terence Davis.
MIKE ROACH: Terence Davis.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah.
MIKE ROACH: Yeah. He was here for-- well, not that long.
CHRIS BOUCHER: That's my guy, man. I miss-- I miss that.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah, TD-- TD played as well, and they might have been actually on the same team.
MIKE ROACH: How much change do you see with OG compared to when he was younger? Just in terms-- not even necessarily just due to basketball, but his personality--
THADDEUS YOUNG: When I fir--
MIKE ROACH: --persona?
THADDEUS YOUNG: When I first seen OG, the first thing I said was, that's a pro.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Facts.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Just from, like, build of his body, how he moved, how he ran, how he jumped. I was like, we got to get him to play for us. He was playing for like, I think the St. Louis Eagles at the time, whatever. And I was like, yo, we got to steal him some kind of way.
And we ended up getting him because like, he was just unhappy where he was. And so we ended up getting him. My best friend recruited him in. We brought him in and we was, like, working him out and training him. I was like, yeah, he's going to be a pro. Like one, maybe two years, he's going to be in there. And you know, the only thing I probably said about OG is like, he overanalyzes every situation.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Yes.
MIKE ROACH: What do you mean, like--
CHRIS BOUCHER: 100%. 100%.
THADDEUS YOUNG: He just, like--
MIKE ROACH: Are you just talking about on the court, or--
THADDEUS YOUNG: Just like when you're talking about-- talking to him in general, he overanalyzes a lot of stuff. Like, he called me when he was making his-- one of his school choices or whatever. So he was like, yeah, these are my top three schools. And he was like-- I went-- I'm not going to say the other two schools, but he was like, it's this school, this school, and it's Indiana. I was like-- and the schools were like-- wasn't even close to Indiana. And I was like, OG, what are you even talking about? I say, no. Just--
CHRIS BOUCHER: Throw those--
THADDEUS YOUNG: It's like, no.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Throw those schools out and then you're going to do--
THADDEUS YOUNG: What you talking about? He's like-- he's like, but they came and watched me. I was like, that's what every school comes and does. He was like, but they-- you know, they just showed up a little bit more. I said, that's because they're in your city. I said, like, no. It's not close. Like, don't even go there. So he ended up being-- it was actually four schools, and it was like two smaller schools, and then Mizzou and Indiana.
MIKE ROACH: OK.
THADDEUS YOUNG: And I was like-- I was like look, man, Mizzou and Indiana are the two you need to be choosing between. If it ain't them two, we don't even need to be discussing-- having a-- having a conversation no longer. It was crazy.
MIKE ROACH: CB, talk to me about his impact yesterday, man. Because he was out for-- he was out for a long time.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Man. I mean, he ain't feel-- I ain't feel like he was like-- like he missed a game, really. I mean, maybe his first shot, but I think I would blame it on nerves.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah.
CHRIS BOUCHER: But then after that, what did you see that OG didn't do? He had a chase block. [INAUDIBLE] we didn't have in like four or five games.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yup.
CHRIS BOUCHER: He hit his 3's and he played defense. Like, that's what OG do all the time. So for me, it was just good to have another body, another defender, another hard player. And one thing that was funny with OG is that he plays the same all the time. Like, you guys, when you look at OG, you're like, OK, well, he's getting better and better and better. But he always does this-- his job, which is guarding the best player on the floor every time and give you some offense.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yup.
CHRIS BOUCHER: And he can shoot. And now his finger's-- his finger's better. He probably, like, wasn't shooting good because his finger [INAUDIBLE]. But y'all can see how he can shoot, so.
MIKE ROACH: That nice prototypical 3 and D--
CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah.
MIKE ROACH: --guy to a T.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Mm-hmm.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yep.
MIKE ROACH: You know what I mean?
CHRIS BOUCHER: And he's strong, man. Like, that's a lot-- that's what people don't realize. I don't think he knows his own strength, to be honest with you. And sometimes he bumps people and it's-- you don't feel like he did anything, but I'm seeing the--
MIKE ROACH: Yo.
CHRIS BOUCHER: --other people and the pain that they go through.
MIKE ROACH: You can tell how strong that dude is just by the way he runs.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah. OG, you're good, you know what I mean? You know what? To be honest with you, like he's got so much.
MIKE ROACH: He has a unique style of play.
CHRIS BOUCHER: He has so much left that you guys don't know yet. Like, I'm telling you. Like, he could literally go for 30 at any time.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah, he has that ability. He's like-- he hasn't even, like, scraped his potential, like his ceiling.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
MIKE ROACH: What's the next part of his game that you see taking off? Because we usua-- we typically see him as a-- as a 3 and D guy. He's catching, he's shooting.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
CHRIS BOUCHER: He's play-making. I'd say he's play-making his game now. You didn't see that pass he did yesterday? He went--
MIKE ROACH: No, because I'm--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
MIKE ROACH: --walking around Scotiabank Arena all game.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Well, I'm saying like, his play-making is-- you know, it's going to get there. Because honestly, they're going to start doubling and all that, and he sees those passes. Like, you-- OG has some great assists--
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yup.
CHRIS BOUCHER: --in a lot of games that goes under the basket. You don't really see-- you don't really see it in the stats because you only get one or two, but those are probably like the biggest play of the game.
MIKE ROACH: Mm-hmm.
CHRIS BOUCHER: So--
THADDEUS YOUNG: And I think-- and I think his, like, his aggressive nature.
CHRIS BOUCHER: Yeah.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Like just being more aggressive and understanding that he can do certain things and, you know-- you know, because I think sometimes, he just-- like, he knows he's out there to play defense and to shoot the basketball, but like, he can handle the ball. He can do certain things. He can do, like, a lot of the same stuff that, you know, Fred and Pascal is doing as well. And that gives us a third opportunity, you know, to-- or a fourth opportunity because, you know, Gary's doing some of the same stuff as well.
But it gives us, like, those four guys that's just pounding, pounding, pounding, going straight-- straight to the basket, putting a lot of pressure on opposing defenses, and-- and making sure that, you know, we're getting the shots that we need to get.
MIKE ROACH: Is there specific guys that you used to watch or you tried to mold your game after? Because your game is kind of unorthodox as well.
THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah. I wouldn't say I would, like, watch a lot of guys. You know, I just always just tried to be, like, who I am and just do all the small things, do all the intangible stuff. And then whatever comes out of me doing all the intangible stuff comes out of it.
