NBA Playoffs: One intriguing matchup from each Eastern Conference series

OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors vs. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, Brooklyn Nets.

Maybe he’ll never be the highest usage player and his offensive game still needs to be polished, but Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby is one of the most influential defenders in the sport. His length, strength and sheer instinct allow him to defend multiple positions in any defensive set.

With the upstart Brooklyn Nets, Anunoby needs to ready himself for a matchup that no one thought he’d be concerned with before the Bubble: Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot.

Since the regular-season restart, Luwawu-Cabarrot has been one of the most efficient scorers in the league with 14.8 points on 50.6 percent from the field and 45.1 percent on 6.4 3-point attempts per game. His three-level scoring threat surged the Nets’ second unit as they clawed back against the Raptors in Game One of the series backed by his 26 points and seven rebounds.

Most of Toronto’s attention needs to be focused on Caris LeVert, but this emergence is the key factor that may help the Nets regain some traction after winning five of eight seeding games.

Maybe next season, there’ll be more hope for this team to make a splash in the playoffs with a healthy Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at the helm, but this is Brooklyn’s B-Squad. The likelihood of pulling an upset is slim-to-none and now, OG needs to warm up for more important assignments down the road. Potential future matchups for Anunoby include Giannis, Tatum and Butler — three legitimate stars. Pulling the assignment of a red-hot Luwawu-Cabarrot is a nice way for OG to warm up for more pressing tasks soon.