I think people are overestimating what DD & Weems will do

[uniballer]

To the OP I dont think many posters are saying Demar and Weems are going to be the next comming of VC and TMac.. However where the hope lies is that they will atleast make this team exciting next year. But, I do think Demar is going to be better then you are pegging him out to be. I really expect Demar to step up this season and show he can be a solid piece on a WINNING team, whenever that time comes.

[DonYon]

The people that actually thank these two are going to be the next jordan & pippen and are going to lead this team to a championship are either high or are just hitting puberty. I'll be glad if these two end up even barely squeaking us into the playoffs.

[Raptors_Dynasty]

I think only one of Derozan or Weems will break double digits in PPG.

Did I miss Bargnani's funeral?

Fail.

Reading comprehension fail... That's what happens when you get 3 hours of sleep only .

[Laowai]

The likelyhood of both becoming NBA starters isn't that high but likely one will make that mark if both do wonderful. The player I'm more interested in is how Amir thrives as a PF. I would love all the so call experts to eat there words.

[andreafan]

The op has a fair point people are getting carried away with demar and sonny and naturally they will have a letdown this season. They overestimate those two like they underestimate andrea .

[Rude Boy 1]

The op has a fair point people are getting carried away with demar and sonny and naturally they will have a letdown this season. They overestimate those two like they underestimate andrea . :-?

lol

[Undefeated]

At this point Demar's handles have become underrated, it's ridiculous the hyperbole being attached to them.

"Like a 9th grader who's been playing for 3 years"

Honestly, if you want to be taken seriously try coming up with a valid argument and some relevant examples.

He may not have the natural handle of a Tyreke Evans or Kobe, but if you look at VC's early career he had a "shaky" handle as well. He's still young, don't buy that "you can't improve your handles" talk, it's completely false. He'll never have that "ball on a string" handle, much of that is natural, but it's foolish to believe it won't improve.

My handle at 23 is far more advanced than it was at 20 or 21, and I was playing more consistently at that point. If we're lucky, DeMar will reach a point where he just "gets it". It happens all the time with NBA players, like they finally understand how to harness their abilities, which helps them get from point A to B effectively.

Time will tell, but I think he has it in him.

Good post. I too do believe that DeMar's ball handlings skills are becoming underrated.

I suggest the people who are still calling DeMar as not being able to attack off the dribble, watch DeMar's game in Summer League play. That's the one skill DeMar has shown major improvements. Two things I noticed with DeMar is that, he's able to turn the corner on a pick-n'-roll play right AND left. Last summer and season, DeMar would be very, very hesitant to turn the corner and would settle for the jumpshots. But that's changed.

In addition, DeMar is able to change speed/direction on the fly and added a hesitation dribble which is why DeMar is ALWAYS able to force his opponent to leave their ground, go up and draw the foul as much as he did in Summer League. Granted, the competition/talent DeMar was going up against are inferior to him and most NBA players in the regular season, regardless, it's still good to see DeMar showing signs of improvements with his dribble penetration game within that small time span from late April to early July.

Most people keep expecting DeMar to pull of jaw dropping crossovers, and shake and bake moves, but that's not going to happen. DeMar is going to develop a ball handling skill that's sufficient enough for him to get inside to draw contact giving him the chance to score at the free-throw line or finishing. I don't know why people keep saying DeMar has weak handles, when how many times has DeMar turned the ball over? Not many times. DeMar handles the ball fundamentally which is good enough. What DeMar needs to do is take advantage of his size at the SG position.

[VC-INJURY]

At this point Demar's handles have become underrated, it's ridiculous the hyperbole being attached to them.

"Like a 9th grader who's been playing for 3 years"

Honestly, if you want to be taken seriously try coming up with a valid argument and some relevant examples.

He may not have the natural handle of a Tyreke Evans or Kobe, but if you look at VC's early career he had a "shaky" handle as well. He's still young, don't buy that "you can't improve your handles" talk, it's completely false. He'll never have that "ball on a string" handle, much of that is natural, but it's foolish to believe it won't improve.

My handle at 23 is far more advanced than it was at 20 or 21, and I was playing more consistently at that point. If we're lucky, DeMar will reach a point where he just "gets it". It happens all the time with NBA players, like they finally understand how to harness their abilities, which helps them get from point A to B effectively.

Time will tell, but I think he has it in him.

If you're banking on Demar "just getting it" I think you might end up being disappointed. Heck, fans are still waiting for Bargnani to "just get it". The dude is 20 years old now and should've been able to handle the ball well 6 years ago. At best he'll be a poor man's Jason Richardson, without the shooting touch.

[Ripp]

The op has a fair point people are getting carried away with demar and sonny and naturally they will have a letdown this season. They overestimate those two like they underestimate andrea .

[El Bow]

[[SJJ]]

I believe

[chimpston17]

I disagree with what the OP said about Demars handles, and he doesnt even need great handles to be a very good player. He can slash to the rim and use his body and footwork to finish while driving, and use quickness and momentum to get by people. Are you expecting him to be getting isos on the perimeter where he needs to beat people with crossovers and create? Because that isnt the kind of player he is, and that is fine, and that isnt the kind of offense we are going to run.

Also I dont think people are expecting DD and weems to be what VC and TMAC were like in their primes this year, I think people just bring those names up because it is nice to have a couple young athletic swingmen. Surely they are not the same and I dont think anybody expects them to be.

Also OP, consider this, if people here are expecting DD and Weems to be VC and Tmac, then why do most people talk about getting a high pick in the draft next year, and tanking, and not making the playoffs? If people really expected huge VC/tmac like things, then everyone would be talking about whether or not we can get home-court in the playoffs, not which highly touted prospect we could grab next year in the draft. Myself im cautiously optimistic and excited to see what they do with the opportunity and see what happens

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

I don't know, but I think DeRozan is taking Bosh's departure as an opportunity to elevate his game to another level. I've got high hopes for DeMar, but he is only in his 2nd yr. We've got to keep that in mind.

In fact, looking back at the 2008 draft, hopefully he is what Jennings is to the Bucks, what Evans is to the Kings, Curry to the Warriors, and when he arrives, what Rubio will be to the Wolves. All teams who are somewhat obscure in the NBA landscape, looking for a franchise hopeful to turn their fortunes around. We are no different. Hopefully, DeRozan is that guy.

[timdunkit]

I think DD is a bit of an unknown atm. He could go from bench player to a starter and a slight chance (key word slight) as an all-star. I don't see DD becoming an all-star (Just not enough skills) but I think DD is going to be valuable to this team. If he can become a defensive/slasher role player that can give you 13-15 pts and good defense, then I think we have a good piece to move forward with. But the biggest thing DD brings is that he is already an ambassador for the team and city.

I think Weems at best is going to be a bench player who can provide a little bit of everything but he doesn't have the efficiency to be a starter. He doesn't have a 3pt shot or gets to the free throw line to make his offense efficient. Sonny has a higher efg% then Demar but Demar is a lot more efficient because he gets to the line and has a higher TS%.

[Undefeated]

If you're banking on Demar "just getting it" I think you might end up being disappointed. Heck, fans are still waiting for Bargnani to "just get it". The dude is 20 years old now and should've been able to handle the ball well 6 years ago. At best he'll be a poor man's Jason Richardson, without the shooting touch.

Have you watched Summer League, or just basing this solely on last season? Because as I've said, DeMar has improved leaps and bounds between that time. It's still too premature to believe that DeMar won't ever develop those handles.

[VC-INJURY]

I disagree with what the OP said about Demars handles, and he doesnt even need great handles to be a very good player. He can slash to the rim and use his body and footwork to finish while driving, and use quickness and momentum to get by people. Are you expecting him to be getting isos on the perimeter where he needs to beat people with crossovers and create? Because that isnt the kind of player he is, and that is fine, and that isnt the kind of offense we are going to run.

Unfortunately I think the ability to handle the ball and create your own shot is a minimum requirement among any decent SG in the league. Kobe, Wade, Roy, Joe Johnson, VC, K-Mart, Ray Allen, Manu, Mayo, Rip, Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Eric Gordon, Crawford, even Evan Turner can all handle the ball well, better than DD, and can create their own shots. DD cannot simply rely on "quickness & momentum" and other aspects of physics to get past his defenders, he needs to actually learn how to handle the rock in order to be one of the better SG's in the league. Any good, competitive team will have either a SG or SF that can score off of iso's and the Raptors don't have that in DD or Weems.

[EG73]

I agree with the general idea of the OP (the title). Don't expect more than 35 wins with DeRozan and Weems as major contributors (they would play 5 mpg in a 50 win team). To be positive, I will be glad to see exciting, high energy plays in a 25 point loss. Anyway I don't care about the number of wins this year. I'm more interested about the following years, with one more lottery pics and players with more experience.

[redred9]

Unfortunately I think the ability to handle the ball and create your own shot is a minimum requirement among any decent SG in the league. Kobe, Wade, Roy, Joe Johnson, VC, K-Mart, Ray Allen, Manu, Mayo, Rip, Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Eric Gordon, Crawford, even Evan Turner can all handle the ball well, better than DD, and can create their own shots. DD cannot simply rely on "quickness & momentum" and other aspects of physics to get past his defenders, he needs to actually learn how to handle the rock in order to be one of the better SG's in the league. Any good, competitive team will have either a SG or SF that can score off of iso's and the Raptors don't have that in DD or Weems.

Give it time. I watched Stephen Jackson play briefly in Australia of all places when he was slightly younger than Derozan and he was a train wreck. Derozan looks like Kobe compared to him at the same age. Sometimes handles come along more slowly but doesn't mean they can't improve just like any other aspect of the game. I think Derozan will have better ball skills than someone like Jason RIchardson, and might have a similar career to Michael Finley if he works on his shot. Eric Gordon is a runt, of course he going to have great handles to play NBA. Rookie Evan Turner is actually older than Derozan.

Derozan also hardly turns it over- he might not have a bag full of tricks but all he really needs is that first step on you and he'll probably find himself at the free throw line anyway. If this was Derozan's rookie year coming up this board would be absolutely all over his nuts.

I think he can be an all star at some stage.

[HighOctane]

Demar Derozan: 56 ppg, 17 rpg, 10 apg 35mpg
Sonny Weems: 43 ppg, 22 rpg, 13 apg 33 mpg

Ah that's better.

[dagger]

This should spice up the discussion

ShamSports
Could DeMar Derozan be the first 20ppg shooting guard that can neither dribble nor shoot? Depends who you ask.
about 1 hour ago v