2019-20 Player Rankings

[S.R.]

Kyle comes in at 39. Pascal will be in the top 30.

Dropping Lowry 18 spots vs a year ago is weird.

Also, DeRozan is barely top 50 and doesn't make All-Star teams if he isn't playing for Dwane Casey and beside Kyle Lowry. The NBA, man. If you don't have a top 5 guy, you're wasting your time. All those years we hope a Bosh or DeRozan team might actually make a run...pipe dreams.

[Scraptor]

Dropping Lowry 18 spots vs a year ago is weird.

Also, DeRozan is barely top 50 and doesn't make All-Star teams if he isn't playing for Dwane Casey and beside Kyle Lowry. The NBA, man. If you don't have a top 5 guy, you're wasting your time. All those years we hope a Bosh or DeRozan team might actually make a run...pipe dreams.

I agree that those were pipe dreams, but I don't think it's accurate to dump on DeMar without Casey/Lowry.

He put up 21/6/6 last year on a 48-win Spurs team... only three other players have put up that line in the last ten years: LeBron, Harden, and Westbrook. If the Spurs are healthy this year I think he could make another all star team for sure, especially with Klay out.

[S.R.]

I agree that those were pipe dreams, but I don't think it's accurate to dump on DeMar without Casey/Lowry.

He put up 21/6/6 last year on a 48-win Spurs team... only three other players have put up that line in the last ten years: LeBron, Harden, and Westbrook. If the Spurs are healthy this year I think he could make another all star team for sure, especially with Klay out.

Sure, this is exactly what I mean. Another nice season for DeMar = a 48 win team. An early playoff exit. The 7th season in a row where his team is better with him on the bench than on the court.

I always feel bad for dumping on DeMar (honestly). He's a great guy and we should celebrate everything he gave Toronto.

But man if there were ever any doubts that you're wasting your time in the NBA if you don't have a top 5 guy, the DeMar > Kawhi transition should erase the doubts forever for Raptors fans.

I'm really gonna enjoy this upcoming season, but priorities 1 through 50 moving forward are to get that next top 5 guy on the roster. If we go through another era of 5-7 years of tweaking the roster around a Bosh or a DeRozan, I'll...eat my shorts or something, I don't know. Heavy drinking maybe.

[LJ2]

So tank ya?

So many things had to line up perfectly for the Raptors to nab Kawhi. And to win it all we had to field a competitive team to put around him...which pretty much never happens in the tanking scenario.

But I agree with you, if you don't have a top 5-ish guy, you are pretty much just posturing.

[planetmars]

If you don't want to be feel bummed about watching the NBA you pretty much have to stop with the "win it all" or "bust" binary frame of mind. Otherwise the NBA is the worst organization to pay attention to.

Just be happy with a decent team that does mainly well during an 82 game regular season.. and a chance to watch some playoff ball. If you need to win it all every season, than that won't happen. And it becomes hoping for either ping pong balls, or wishing/praying for disgruntled stars wanting to switch teams.

The latter seems like the better strategy even though you have no control over it. I mean I'm hoping the Bucks suck so that Giannis wants to leave. But that's likely not going to happen.

[Joey]

Sure, this is exactly what I mean. Another nice season for DeMar = a 48 win team. An early playoff exit. The 7th season in a row where his team is better with him on the bench than on the court.

I always feel bad for dumping on DeMar (honestly). He's a great guy and we should celebrate everything he gave Toronto.

But man if there were ever any doubts that you're wasting your time in the NBA if you don't have a top 5 guy, the DeMar > Kawhi transition should erase the doubts forever for Raptors fans.

I'm really gonna enjoy this upcoming season, but priorities 1 through 50 moving forward are to get that next top 5 guy on the roster. If we go through another era of 5-7 years of tweaking the roster around a Bosh or a DeRozan, I'll...eat my shorts or something, I don't know. Heavy drinking maybe.

Do you consider Siakam to be "a Bosh or Derozan"? Because that's pretty much what we have to look forward to ... I think you have alot of drinking in your future? Lol

[Scraptor]

Sure, this is exactly what I mean. Another nice season for DeMar = a 48 win team. An early playoff exit. The 7th season in a row where his team is better with him on the bench than on the court.

I always feel bad for dumping on DeMar (honestly). He's a great guy and we should celebrate everything he gave Toronto.

But man if there were ever any doubts that you're wasting your time in the NBA if you don't have a top 5 guy, the DeMar > Kawhi transition should erase the doubts forever for Raptors fans.

Oh I don't disagree that you're wasting your time without a top 5 guy, I said that over and over even while DeMar was here.

I disagree with your implication that DeMar's success was due to Casey/Lowry. He had a very good season last year on the Spurs even despite some bad stretches.

Also we were a net positive with DeMar in 2017-18 (+0.5) on the court vs off, which was actually better than Kyle (+0.1) that year.

In 2018-19, Aldridge was also a negative on the court (-0.8) and was also negative in 2016-17 (-3.2), but Aldridge and Derozan were the two big drivers of the Spurs success. On/off isn't always a good indicator of value.

[Scraptor]

This ESPN list is the best comedy this season. McCollum at 13? Trae Young at 28?

Bahahahhahahajajahahaaaahdhdhdhshajajsjdjjfjfjfjfj fskkkrkrknjffjfj

[golden]

Oh I don't disagree that you're wasting your time without a top 5 guy, I said that over and over even while DeMar was here.

I disagree with your implication that DeMar's success was due to Casey/Lowry. He had a very good season last year on the Spurs even despite some bad stretches.

Also we were a net positive with DeMar in 2017-18 (+0.5) on the court vs off, which was actually better than Kyle (+0.1) that year.

In 2018-19, Aldridge was also a negative on the court (-0.8) and was also negative in 2016-17 (-3.2), but Aldridge and Derozan were the two big drivers of the Spurs success. On/off isn't always a good indicator of value.

Sure, and DeMar would have had another 25 ppg season if he didn't have to play a lot of point guard for the Spurs last season. But real issue with DeMar is not necessarily his production, but that his specific flaws (i.e. an "all-star" wing, with no 3 & D) are exactly the worst kind of flaws that get exposed in the playoffs, but were covered up in the regular season largely because of DeMar's foul-baiting ability. And the team had to build entire offensive and defensive schemes to compensate for DeMar's weaknesses.

Fun fact: DeMar made only 7 three-pointers last season. Seven. An all-star shooting guard. Wtf? Ok, but he made them at 15.6% clip. Smh.

At times, people argued that we might have been a better playoff team swapping DeMar for a lower usage, reliable 3&D type player or bringing him off the bench as a 6th man, microwave scorer.

[GOLDBLUM]

This ESPN list is the best comedy this season. McCollum at 13? Trae Young at 28?

Bahahahhahahajajahahaaaahdhdhdhshajajsjdjjfjfjfjfj fskkkrkrknjffjfj

Holy fuggin shiit hahahahaha.

ESPN be like "WE'RE TRYING JENNIFER!!"

[KeonClark]

The hype for siakam is crazy. 22?? A spot ahead of blake Griffin?

um, sure..I guess.

[S.R.]

Do you consider Siakam to be "a Bosh or Derozan"? Because that's pretty much what we have to look forward to ... I think you have alot of drinking in your future? Lol

No we've got cap space coming up plus Siakam, plus I don't think Masai is a guy to spend years tweaking a mediocre roster. But if I'm a fan in a Washington or Indiana right now - then yeah, I'm deep in the bottle.

I hear it on the "just enjoy it" side. Partly there. Easy to say now, a bit different 5 years into a middling roster era.

[RandomGuy]

Siakam will continue to get better same as Derozan did, we will be competitive but never good enough for the finals unless we get a guy like Kawhi. I mean we have to be realistic, KD and Giannis will dominate eastern conference for years to come and I'm fine with that, the goal is not to suck and remain competitive (make conference finals). Siakam has a chance to maximize his potential in the next few years though and it will be interesting to watch him.

[G__Deane]

Siakam will continue to get better same as Derozan did, we will be competitive but never good enough for the finals unless we get a guy like Kawhi. I mean we have to be realistic, KD and Giannis will dominate eastern conference for years to come and I'm fine with that, the goal is not to suck and remain competitive (make conference finals). Siakam has a chance to maximize his potential in the next few years though and it will be interesting to watch him.

We been Champs now, "remain competitive" sucks as a goal."Challenge for the Chip" every year should be the goal unless we just admit that we can't attract top 10 stars north of the border and just be happy to have an NBA team

The best way to sign a top guy going forward is to sign two together like the Nets did.....

[MixxAOR]

We been Champs now, "remain competitive" sucks as a goal."Challenge for the Chip" every year should be the goal unless we just admit that we can't attract top 10 stars north of the border and just be happy to have an NBA team

The best way to sign a top guy going forward is to sign two together like the Nets did.....

well that's the reality