most overrated/underrated raptor

[Nilanka]

I would say that the entire team is Underrated. There were a lot of expectations (well at least for me personally) going into last season and they failed badly. Last season has made me look at the team differently and reading posts from others I sense that a majority feel that the Raptors are a border line playoff team. That is possibly true but if everything breaks right (and it's possible) then the team could do very well.

As for overrated... that would be JV. Not because he's bad or I think he's bad.. it's just because it feels like there is so much expectation for him to be great.. and that may not happen. There is still a debate (and a good one) of whether or not he should have been traded for Harden, and even with hindsight many have felt that it would have been a bad deal.

If the team failed to meet expectations last year, wouldn't that mean they were overrated (instead of underrated)?

[Mundy]

If the team failed to meet expectations last year, wouldn't that mean they were overrated (instead of underrated)?

Overrated last year, underrated this year? Our roster has a bit of a new look so maybe last year's expectations would suit this team better

[planetmars]

If the team failed to meet expectations last year, wouldn't that mean they were overrated (instead of underrated)?

I think the fact that they were so highly overrated last year and disappointing makes them underrated this year.. Perhaps more people got a gut check last year and are looking at this year's squad as a lottery team so that they don't get their expectations up.. I know that I'm partially doing that.

[psrs1]

Overrated DD
Underrated Lowry

[slaw]

Underrated: Lowry. He got killed in the media last year despite putting up solid numbers. And... CONTRACT YEAR!

Overrated: I don't think anyone on the team is overrated. No one on this team is hyped all that much. The only guy getting much attention is Valanciunas but, even there, I think most people are keeping expecations in check.

[golden]

I would say that the entire team is Underrated. There were a lot of expectations (well at least for me personally) going into last season and they failed badly. Last season has made me look at the team differently and reading posts from others I sense that a majority feel that the Raptors are a border line playoff team. That is possibly true but if everything breaks right (and it's possible) then the team could do very well.

As for overrated... that would be JV. Not because he's bad or I think he's bad.. it's just because it feels like there is so much expectation for him to be great.. and that may not happen. There is still a debate (and a good one) of whether or not he should have been traded for Harden, and even with hindsight many have felt that it would have been a bad deal.

Great post. God forbid sounding optimistic, but I actually really like the way the starting 5 fits together and the team chemistry. JV/Amir/Gay is almost a perfectly balanced front court, from a usage/efficiency standpoint. I think JV, Ross, Acy and Fields will be better than last year (Fields cannot possibly be worse, can he?). Hansbrough is an upgrade. Derozan and Lowry are the wild cards - especially Lowry. If Lowry starts Mike Jamesing it for his next contract, then all the nice warm fuzzy chemistry will fall apart pretty fast. DD is the other X-factor. The eye test tells me he's plateaued, but if he surprises (in a positive way), then it's playoffs for sure.

[planetmars]

The one thing about Fields is that even if he continues to play poorly.. there are really no expectations from him. And plus he does the little things well (defense/rebounds/good teammate) that if he still can't make a layup or a free throw it won't impact the team by much. In other words Fields != Bargnani.

[Craiger]

Overrated - Jonas. He's going to be an excellent basketball player but I don't think the "franchise calibre" player people at times talk about.

Underrated - Amir. He's been the best player on this team for 3 years running, and he is still often talked about as a back up.

Underrated#2 - Lowry. As Slaw pointed out Lowry put up some solid numbers last year but still took a beating in the public sphere. They were rather similar (and in some cases better) than his previous two years as a starter in Houston.

[Nilanka]

Overrated - Jonas. He's going to be an excellent basketball player but I don't think the "franchise calibre" player people at times talk about.

Underrated - Amir. He's been the best player on this team for 3 years running, and he is still often talked about as a back up.

Underrated#2 - Lowry. As Slaw pointed out Lowry put up some solid numbers last year but still took a beating in the public sphere. They were rather similar (and in some cases better) than his previous two years as a starter in Houston.

The critique on Lowry last year probably had more to do with his style (ball-hogging, quick trigger, gambles on defense, etc.) than his pure numbers.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Overrated - DeRozan

Underrated - Fields & MU's cast of 1-year-contract characters (ie: Hansborough, Augustin, etc...)

Biggest over/under-rated unknowns - Gay & Lowry in contract year, Jonas-hype (all 3 could be massively underrated or overrated heading into this season)

[Raptorsss]

I think people were over analyzing Lowry's ballhogging. Yes, you can argue he was ballhogging early in the season, when they were doing poorly and he decided to carry the offense himself. But, Lowry's biggest problem I find is I don't see him being comfortable with his ability to distribute the ball. When Gay was brought in Lowry's offense dissappeared and he was primarily a distributer, but he only did safe passes near the 3 point line or to Demar or Gay 5-10ft away. He wasn't penetrating and dishing, so the offense stagnated, since the iso Demar/Gay was easy to defend.

Now, he needs to stop butting heads with coaches and gambling on defense with his relatively short arms.

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As for the topic of this thread I don't really have an opinion beyond, the ESPN player rankings severely underrated Amir and overrated Augustin ( I think he was our highest ranked bench player and will probably only see the court in blow-outs)

[Superjudge]

Any player who consistently shows better numbers in contract years IS A DOUCHE.

[minks77]

most overrated Raptor: Drake
most underrated Raptor: the mascot

100% agree. No one outside the fans is overrating anybody on this team because the team is made up of fairly replaceable parts. Closest thing would be JV but when you're the only tree in the field....

[minks77]

Any player who consistently shows better numbers in contract years IS A DOUCHE.

Or simply human. It's ridiculous to think anyone gives 100% effort every time in anything they do, especially if it's something you do over and over again for a long time (like a job). Incentives, both positive and negative, are excellent at refocusing effort to detail and effort committed to any task.

[Eric Akshinthala]

This question leads to an interesting and encouraging point that nobody on the team is terribly overrated. When you take their salaries, Fields and Amir could be could be considered slightly overrated. I wouldn't say anybody is underrated.