NBA: Top 10 candidates for 2019-20 Most Improved Player

OG Anunoby became a forgotten man during the Toronto Raptors’ drive to their first NBA title last spring.

Anunoby missed all of the playoffs after undergoing an emergency appendectomy just after the end of the regular season, but could be primed for a big leap in 2019-20.

The 22-year-old is entering his third season and took on a bench role for most of last season after making 62 starts as a rookie.

He averaged 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game in 2018-19, shooting 45.3 percent overall and 33.2 percent on 3.0 3-point attempts per game.

Anunoby’s shooting dropped across the board last season, from a slash line of .471/.371/.629 as a rookie to just .453/.332/.581 last season.

He took exactly half of his 404 attempts from deep last season and struggled with consistency.

But Toronto may need Anunoby to take a leap forward this season. With the departure of Kawhi Leonard via free agency, there is a Finals MVP-sized hole at the 3 in the Raptors’ lineup.

While the initial plan calls for last year’s Most Improved Player, Pascal Siakam, to shift from the 4 to the 3, Anunoby could get the call if coach Nick Nurse decides he’s more comfortable with Spicy P at the 4, with Serge Ibaka coming off the bench behind Marc Gasol.

Anunoby, per Basketball-Reference’s positional estimates, actually spent most of his time last season as a small-ball 4 on the second unit, so that is another option for Toronto to consider.

In any event, the bulky Anunoby could be ready to take a big step forward in his third NBA season.

No team has had back-to-back MIP winners, however, and Siakam is the reigning Most Improved Player — the first in Raptors history to win the award.