Everything Norman Powell

[Bandit]

Raptors fans(in this forum anyways) have losers mentality. They're so used to having bad teams year in year out, and now that they actually have a good/respectable team, all of a sudden they want to bottom out and tank. Sigh.

As for Powell replacing DD. LOL. *shakes head*

I always like to think that we get to be good enough to be 2nd in the east and competing for 1st, all the while getting the benefits of being as bad as the knicks this year.

Right now, at this point in time its really hard to be one of the worst in the league. Having said, we get all the benefits of being as bad as the knicks, without having to actually mar our image or sink that low. It's really quite pleasant. In a round about way we get to tank while winning.

And if we were tanking, we're adding a top 10 talent and a mid 20s talent to JV and Ross. We have a second round pick contributing, our 1st round rookie looks like a not horrible back-up already, we have a HUGE, high potential project in Bruno, we acquired a young asset in Bebe for an old vet (who's already showing NBA talent in small sample sizes). Not to mention 2 more picks next year.

I mean, both sides of the coin should be pretty content

[Barolt]

I doubt anyone has seen enough of Wright or Powell to determine that is all they are or ever will be, even Bebe for that matter. These guys could fill bench roles on alot of teams right now IMO. And if either of them goes the way that Derozan has gone, then maybe even starters or all-stars. I think Powell has alot of potential.

We're talking about a guy who turns 23 in two months, has played 214 NBA minutes and is shooting 31.4% from the field in those minutes while playing with starters. He has a 7.5 PER and -0.005 WS/48. You guys are comparing him to Ross and DeMar? SERIOUSLY?

[Nilanka]

We're talking about a guy who turns 23 in two months, has played 214 NBA minutes and is shooting 31.4% from the field in those minutes while playing with starters. He has a 7.5 PER and -0.005 WS/48. You guys are comparing him to Ross and DeMar? SERIOUSLY?

Is 23 old? If not, why is it relevant at this point? Powell's got limited NBA experience, but has shown a nice skillset so far. If he continues to trend upwards with added minutes, it will give Masai some nice options this summer. That's all we're saying.

[The Great One]

I doubt anyone has seen enough of Wright or Powell to determine that is all they are or ever will be, even Bebe for that matter. These guys could fill bench roles on alot of teams right now IMO. And if either of them goes the way that Derozan has gone, then maybe even starters or all-stars. I think Powell has alot of potential.

Not every young player has the potential to be a starter or all stars. Raptors fans need to realize this.

[Barolt]

Is 23 old? If not, why is it relevant at this point? Powell's got limited NBA experience, but has shown a nice skillset so far. If he continues to trend upwards with added minutes, it will give Masai some nice options this summer. That's all we're saying.

23 isn't young is the point. 27 is when NBA players peak, generally speaking. Powell is 4 years away from his peak right now.

I LIKE Powell, I think he's a nice bench guy. But he's not a starter on a good team or a 6th man.

[The Great One]

You guys want to know what a REAL prospect looks like?

Just to name a few......

Zach LaVine
Devin Booker
Hezonja
Hood
McDermott
Harris

I didn't mention Towns, Russell, Wiggins, Porzingis because all thse guys were high draft picks. They're supposed to be good.

[Barolt]

Just to show how ridiculous these comparisons are:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

DeMar at 22 versus Powell at 22.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Ross at 22 versus Powell at 22.

Keep in mind, the fan base HATED DeMar and Ross in those years, and they were better than Powell is right now.

EDIT: Fixed the Ross link, had Ross' career since that year instead of just single season.

[JawsGT]

We're talking about a guy who turns 23 in two months, has played 214 NBA minutes and is shooting 31.4% from the field in those minutes while playing with starters. He has a 7.5 PER and -0.005 WS/48. You guys are comparing him to Ross and DeMar? SERIOUSLY?

The bold is the key. His stats are irrelevant at this point. He has the drive and athleticism to be a good NBA player. He could be that surprise second round pick that thrives if given a chance, thats all I'm saying. I'm not comparing him to Demar or Ross either. I don't think he can replace their production if either of them left. But I think he can fill a role as backup wing next season if that did happen. No big jump there really.

[Barolt]

The bold is the key. His stats are irrelevant at this point. He has the drive and athleticism to be a good NBA player. He could be that surprise second round pick that thrives if given a chance, thats all I'm saying. I'm not comparing him to Demar or Ross either. I don't think he can replace their production if either of them left. But I think he can fill a role as backup wing next season if that did happen. No big jump there really.

I think it's important too, I've been arguing in favor of our deep bench guys getting more minutes. I'm just saying that in those minutes he hasn't done ANYTHING to convince me that he's more than a deep bench guy, if he's on a good team. If we replace Ross or DeMar's minutes with Powell next year, that's a huge drop off.

[KeonClark]

Just to show how ridiculous these comparisons are:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

DeMar at 22 versus Powell at 22.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Ross at 22 versus Powell at 22.

Keep in mind, the fan base HATED DeMar and Ross in those years, and they were better than Powell is right now.

EDIT: Fixed the Ross link, had Ross' career since that year instead of just single season.

You're not supposed to compare ages, it makes way more sense to compare seasons of pro basketball. You just showed Demars 3rd season and Ross 2nd season and tried to compare them to a guy who's had a handful of games in the rotation.

I'm not saying he's anywhere close to them, I don't have a dog in this fight. Just found that to be a pretty unfair comparison to make

[JawsGT]

I think it's important too, I've been arguing in favor of our deep bench guys getting more minutes. I'm just saying that in those minutes he hasn't done ANYTHING to convince me that he's more than a deep bench guy, if he's on a good team. If we replace Ross or DeMar's minutes with Powell next year, that's a huge drop off.

well if one of those are gone we would still be looking to bring in another wing I'm sure. I wouldn't expect Powell to get 25-35 mpg. Maybe at 23 already it's unlikely he'll turn into much, but I think he's got something to work with.

[Barolt]

You're not supposed to compare ages, it makes way more sense to compare seasons of pro basketball. You just showed Demars 3rd season and Ross 2nd season and tried to compare them to a guy who's had a handful of games in the rotation.

I'm not saying he's anywhere close to them, I don't have a dog in this fight. Just found that to be a pretty unfair comparison to make

Saying 'You're not supposed to compare ages' isn't completely accurate though either.

Because peaks happen at the same age, generally speaking, regardless of what year you enter the league.

[ball4life]

You guys want to know what a REAL prospect looks like?

Just to name a few......

Zach LaVine
Devin Booker
Hezonja
Hood
McDermott
Harris

I didn't mention Towns, Russell, Wiggins, Porzingis because all thse guys were high draft picks. They're supposed to be good.

Did you know who Khris Middleton, Draymond Green, Tobias Harris and Rudy Gobert were in their rookie season?

Surely not.

You can't label a player who's played 200 mins in their career so far, sparingly. If you are gonna do that to all the players that gets drafted you might as well trade your picks for "veterans" so your coach can take them to one second round appearance while some other team laughs at your future. (That is definitely a Brooklyn story)

[KeonClark]

Saying 'You're not supposed to compare ages' isn't completely accurate though either.

Because peaks happen at the same age, generally speaking, regardless of what year you enter the league.

Oh so everyone peaks at the same age? My bad. Continue on.

[Barolt]

Oh so everyone peaks at the same age? My bad. Continue on.

Generally speaking, it doesn't hold true in every case, of course. But yes, there is an average peak year for NBA players.