DeRozan or Stephenson

[iblastoff]

Yea, with Ross.

ross is most definitely not near that level yet to readily replace derozan. hes exceling in his role behind derozan right now, but move ross to primary scorer position and it'll just fall apart.

[JordanMariam14]

What do you guys say Derozan averages this year? I say 21-6-4.5

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[GoldenBaller]

I think DeRozan has a higher ceiling but in terms of consistency I go with Stephenson. Close call but for now I say Stephenson.

[C-Low]

Has to be DeRozan.. Lance is a key piece, but Hibbert and George are that teams allstars.

[Jamshid]

DD all day ...

[Balls of Steel]

I think of it as "which guy would be harder to replace?" or "which player would the team do worse without?".

For me, it's a no-brainer that Lowry is the engine that drives the Raptors. The Raps have depth that can replace DeRozan more readily than Lowry.

Yea, with Ross.

[DanH]

That doesn't make sense. How are his FGA inflated relative to his usage? He takes the 2nd most shots on the team and averages more than 5 APG. That says he isn't just the fifth option but rather an important cog in the offence.

His teammates use more possessions than him. They end more possessions with fouls or with turnovers, so even though he takes more shots, more of the offence is running through his teammates. The fact that he takes a lot of shots but doesn't draw fouls or turn it over suggests he is at the end of a lot of sets, a release valve so to speak. Not a primary option.

[BigCamB]

Yea dont know quite what to make of his on court schtick myself...is he just being playful or a taunter... but the dude can flat out play and of course a large asset to his team in multiple phases.

ps...liked his steal and fake dunk on JR (a real douche) in last night's game

Honestly I find him hilarious. Not too many people taunt the shit out of their opponents anymore so I find his antics rather amusing, and he's certainly a unique character. Usually I hate those kind of cocky guys, but he backs it up with real solid play. He's actually one of the best allround players in the league, a really brilliant passer with superb vision.

I honestly suspected he'd just be a JR Smith or Beasley clone..get in trouble off the court and put up bricks on it.... but you've got to give so much credit to the Pacers for teaching him to not only be a better person off the court, but to play the right way as well... And of course give him credit for embracing it.

[IROR]

Totally unbiased (loved lance since he was is high school), Demar has to have the advantage simply because the coaches choose. Teams game plan for Demar, focus a whole lot of defensive effort on him. Lance has accepted a role on Indiana where he doesn't have to score for the team to do well, and is very fortunate to have landed in such a great situation. Coaches make more adjustments for Demar and he still burns them often.

Personally I think derozan is a lock. Totally homer, but I can't see a majority of coaches disrespecting his game like that. Dudes a beast at 24 and has some flash in his game.

If the raps aren't ballin and have a bad record, I'd say Stephenson though.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Not so sure about that one. Derozan bears 27% of the offense at better than league average offensive rating (106) - highest on the team - by far. I don't see anybody on the roster who can even come remotely close to replacing that USG rate, at least not consistently. Definitely no way that Ross can step in today and suddenly become even an average shot creator at that high USG rate - his handle is terrible. We'd have to trade for an equivalent high usage replacement wing and/or upgrade PF to more of an offensive threat.

I meant relative to Lowry. We have even less viable options to replace Lowry.

[golden]

I think of it as "which guy would be harder to replace?" or "which player would the team do worse without?".

For me, it's a no-brainer that Lowry is the engine that drives the Raptors. The Raps have depth that can replace DeRozan more readily than Lowry.

Not so sure about that one. Derozan bears 27% of the offense at better than league average offensive rating (106) - highest on the team - by far. I don't see anybody on the roster who can even come remotely close to replacing that USG rate, at least not consistently. Definitely no way that Ross can step in today and suddenly become even an average shot creator at that high USG rate - his handle is terrible. We'd have to trade for an equivalent high usage replacement wing and/or upgrade PF to more of an offensive threat.

[special1]

I heard a lot of similar talk about Gordon Hayward in the preseason, and he's been shitting the bed as a lead guy. I think a lot of these tier 2 guys get the grass-is-greener attraction from our fans. If forced to play Demar's role, surrounded by our team, Lance would look nowhere near as good as he does now.

This^^^

Stephenson is a good player but Demar is our number one option right now. Demar doesn't have the benefit of playing with Hibbert, West, George.

Obviously I give the nod to Demar.

[Bendit]

Lance is a Grade A douche.

Demar ftw.

Yea dont know quite what to make of his on court schtick myself...is he just being playful or a taunter... but the dude can flat out play and of course a large asset to his team in multiple phases.

ps...liked his steal and fake dunk on JR (a real douche) in last night's game

[SitnonDfence]

Lance is a Grade A douche.

Demar ftw.

[Nilanka]

Scoring seems to be more valued than most other statistical categories (especially for the glorified pickup game known as the All-Star Game). Based on that alone, I could see DeRozan getting the nod over Stephenson.