Expectations for Demar this Year

[Check my Stats]

It is sounding like dude is making major strides in his game, and putting major work in his game. Of course all we have had to go off of is pickup games and highlight packs, but what are your guys' expectations for Demar this upcoming season? Will he be a 20 point guy and take over as the primary scorer for the Raptors this year? Will he make strides in the areas that are a weakness right now (defense, passing, ball handling, long range shooting) to take that next step and become a premier wing player?

 

What are your expectations for Demar this year, overall?

 

@DeMar_DeRozan DeMar DeRozan

3rd workout of the day. Make 300 3s make 200 free throws...

 

Can't help but love a kid like this.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Check my Stats

[Built Ford Tough]

It depends on his jumper.

 

If it has improved as much as people say and he does in fact have a reliable 3 point shot in his repertoire, I see no reason why he can't average around 22 ppg, considering he averaged a shade under 20 ppg (19.9 to be exact) post all-star break last season. He did this by hitting just 3 three pointers.

 

Lets say he hits 1 three a game instead of the 0.1 he hit last season. That would give him an extra 2.7 points per game. Add that onto his last seasons average, and that bumps him up from 17.8 to 20.5. Add that onto his post all-star break averaged and it bumps him up from 19.9 to 22.6.

 

That isn't taking other improvements in his game such as being more capable of creating his own shot, getting to the line a few more times a game or any other thing that you would expect a 22 year old to improve on.

 

Also, keep in mind that the Raptors likely aren't going to be adding anybody of significance to their team this year and they lost Sonny Weems 10 or so points a game. That should mean more touches for DeRozan as him, Bargnani, Bayless and Barbosa (who could be dealt before the deadline to a contender) as the only real scoring threats on the team.

 

What I want to see most from him has nothing to do with his scoring, though. I want to see how he plays defensively under Casey. He has the tools to be a solid defender, but with Triano's system, he was never really pushed to be as good as he can be defensively. I'm not expecting him to suddenly become an elite defender, but I do think he can be an above average wing defender.

 

The other area is his playmaking. What seperates him from potentially being a great scorer and a great player will be his ability to create plays for the rest of the team. The Raptors sorely lack somebody who can do this it would make him a much more dangerous offensive player.

 

As far as a statline goes, I'd say:

 

High end: 23 ppg/5 rpg/3.5 apg

Low end: 18 ppg/3 rpg/1 apg

Most likely: 20 ppg/4 rpg/2 apg

Edited December 5, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Real Deal]

I was going to write up a big post, but I remembered that Bargnani and Calderon are on this team.

 

As long as they are around, I can't expect too much from DeRozan, unfortunately. I'm not sure if he'll be let loose.

 

I was talking to another Raptor fan on this board I frequent, and he was basically saying the same thing, more about Bargs than anyone...and I just don't understand why DeRozan isn't being marked as their primary option.

 

Oh, and I have to say...his guy is Kobe. If he works as hard as Kobe, you Raptors fans have to be happy. Anyone that works that hard should get significantly better.

[Built Ford Tough]

Calderon isn't really much of a problem for his production. He pounds the ball too often and doesn't take many risks, but he is still a decent playmaker and with DeRozan's inability to really create his own offense on a consistent basis (assuming he didn't improve in this area), Calderon can still help him.

 

I can agree with Bargnani, though. Even if I am slightly (and I mean slightly) intrigued by how he plays under Casey, I do agree that he will inevitably take shots/touches from DeRozan.

 

On the other hand, he did average 19.9 a game after the all-star break, like I said in my first post, and that was with Bargnani in the lineup. He actually averaged more ppg (although it was just 0.1 more) and both took around 16 shots a game. Who knows, having Bargnani may not prevent him from really breaking out.

 

(Keep in mind, these numbers are a bit skewed since Bargnani only played in 16 games post all-star break, as he was in and out of the lineup with injuries).

[Real Deal]

Calderon isn't really much of a problem for his production. He pounds the ball too often and doesn't take many risks, but he is still a decent playmaker and with DeRozan's inability to really create his own offense on a consistent basis (assuming he didn't improve in this area), Calderon can still help him.

 

I can agree with Bargnani, though. Even if I am slightly (and I mean slightly) intrigued by how he plays under Casey, I do agree that he will inevitably take shots/touches from DeRozan.

 

On the other hand, he did average 19.9 a game after the all-star break, like I said in my first post, and that was with Bargnani in the lineup. He actually averaged more ppg (although it was just 0.1 more) and both took around 16 shots a game. Who knows, having Bargnani may not prevent him from really breaking out.

 

(Keep in mind, these numbers are a bit skewed since Bargnani only played in 16 games post all-star break, as he was in and out of the lineup with injuries).

Well, eventually, DeMar will need to create his own shot. That's going to be his forte down the road. He's got enough potential to be a very good player.

 

When I point out Calderon being a detriment to the team, I don't feel he's taking shots away...but he's not on the court as much as he should be, and he's always playing injured (seems that way). Every single time I watched Toronto last season, the guy was either limping around, not playing at all, or getting pulled from the game after about 20-25 minutes...and that is an issue with young teams learning how to play with their point guards.

 

Not to mention he's still horrible on defense, but there's no point in arguing that.

 

I watched Jack and Bayless...and I wasn't sure if they were ready. But, someone will need to step up and take it from Calderon, and I believe Jose has been struggling with his shot AND getting that extra step on his defender, which means it's time.

 

The Raptors are really hard to figure out, at least for me. As the owner, I would honestly use the amnesty on Calderon, try to trade Bargnani (or vice-versa, since Bargs is making far much more in a longer contract), and go from there.

[Built Ford Tough]

Jack is gone. I'm sure you know that, but with the way you worded the post, it seemed like for a minute you seemed like he was still on the team.

 

Anyways, I wasn't trying to imply that Calderon would take shots away from DeRozan or anything like that, because he won't be. Even when he was putting up near 50/40/90 seasons, he still didn't shoot the ball nearly enough. Now that his shot has seemingly abandoned him, he looks scared to shoot the ball.

 

I can understand what you are saying, though. I think we both are sort of saying the same thing in a sense. DeRozan needs Calderon at this point of his career, but Calderon isn't really reliable for whatever reasons (injuries, poor defense, inconsistent play, etc...).

 

As far as using the amnesty cut on him, I completely disagree with that. There really is no point in cutting Calderon considering the makeup of their team. He also only has 2 years left on his deal and since the Raptors aren't going to be players in FA this year anyways, I don't really see the point in cutting him.

 

If they had somebody who could actually replace him, I'd be for it, but they really don't. I'm hoping something goes off in Bayless' head and he plays up to his potential, because he is talented and has all the tools to be a very good player. I'm not really coutning on it, though. There also aren't really many free agents that would replace him, either.

 

I don't disagree with the idea of getting rid of the two of them, but I'd only do it via trade. Neither are worth using the amnesty cut on, at least at this point in time.

[Real Deal]

Jack is gone. I'm sure you know that, but with the way you worded the post, it seemed like for a minute you seemed like he was still on the team.

Haha, my bad. Leaving aside the Raptors, I'm not sure if Jack or Bayless are ready for a starting point guard position on any team.

 

Anyways, I wasn't trying to imply that Calderon would take shots away from DeRozan or anything like that, because he won't be. Even when he was putting up near 50/40/90 seasons, he still didn't shoot the ball nearly enough. Now that his shot has seemingly abandoned him, he looks scared to shoot the ball.

Nah, I knew you weren't. I figured you assumed I was implying that.

 

I can understand what you are saying, though. I think we both are sort of saying the same thing in a sense. DeRozan needs Calderon at this point of his career, but Calderon isn't really reliable for whatever reasons (injuries, poor defense, inconsistent play, etc...).

And BINGO was his name-o.

 

As far as using the amnesty cut on him, I completely disagree with that. There really is no point in cutting Calderon considering the makeup of their team. He also only has 2 years left on his deal and since the Raptors aren't going to be players in FA this year anyways, I don't really see the point in cutting him.

For me, it depends on if they want to extend Bayless and Barbosa, and give money to Chandler (who is set on a big deal, as if he's Dwight or something).

 

Also, right now, I'm not sure if the Raptors have the cap space to sign Chandler. This guy is wanting $20 million a year. I would be surprised if he did get that, but how long will teams wait until they settle for $13-14 million? If the Raptors want to give him that, they won't have the room.

[Built Ford Tough]

They aren't interested in Chandler, I am sure of that.

 

I know that you can't take what a GM says to heart, especially one like Colangelo, but he has gone on record numerous times in the past few months stating that he has no intentions of shelling out a major contract this offseason and is looking forward to adding another top 5 pick to the roster.

 

If they do end up amnestying somebody, then my opinion may change because something would clearly be up, but I am positive that as of right now Colangelo has no intentions of making an offer for Chandler or Nene.

 

If he does go after a big name free agent, it would likely be an offer sheet to DeAndre Jordan or Marc Gasol, even though both of them would be matched.

 

Barbosa likely gets dealt before the deadline this year, in my opinion as well. It also wouldn't surprise me if he goes back to Brazil after this season.

[Check my Stats]

I feel like Casey will make Demar the first option. I think Bargnani is going to get a real reality check playing under a hard nosed coach (I think at least?) like Casey.

[Real Deal]

I know that you can't take what a GM says to heart, especially one like Colangelo, but he has gone on record numerous times in the past few months stating that he has no intentions of shelling out a major contract this offseason and is looking forward to adding another top 5 pick to the roster.

To me, that's him basically saying he's going to tank. I just hate that...at least do it behind closed doors.

 

Didn't Colangelo say he wasn't going to use the TPE? I don't get that...it was around $10 million or so. Toronto doesn't need to worry about making room for two max deals, so I'm not sure what the motive is behind all of this, unless he's losing money out the ass.