Who would you rather start a franchise with? Devin Booker vs. Kyrie Irving [Poll]

[Revived]

Devin Booker vs. Kristaps Porzingis [29/62 votes] - 47%

47% for Booker or for Porzingis?

[chaplin1]

Now Booker vs. Wiggins, I'd go Booker.

[rsavaj]

I understand all the votes for Zinger(I voted for him myself) but who are the 2 fans who voted for Wiggins over Booker? I'm really curious as to what your thinking is

[MrMiyagi]

I understand all the votes for Zinger(I voted for him myself) but who are the 2 fans who voted for Wiggins over Booker? I'm really curious as to what your thinking is

Zinger, Wiggins? I've only seen two polls with Booker as the only answer.

[Villalobos]

How Wiggins can have so low rebounding, steals and block with his athleticism?

effort, mentality, and basketball IQ

[8on]

I understand all the votes for Zinger(I voted for him myself) but who are the 2 fans who voted for Wiggins over Booker? I'm really curious as to what your thinking is

I still believe Wiggins could be the next somebody. I was in love with his high school mix tapes. Haven't seen him much lately, but I believe he could get even better. I believe that about Booker as well, but Wiggins' ceiling is still higher thanks to his athleticism.

[batsmasher]

Devin Booker vs. Kristaps Porzingis [29/62 votes] - 47%

47% for Booker or for Porzingis?

Booker

Anyone have ideas for who to do next? I don't think we should restrict it to just players around his age.

[bwgood77]

Devin Booker vs. Kristaps Porzingis [29/62 votes] - 47%

47% for Booker or for Porzingis?

Booker

Anyone have ideas for who to do next? I don't think we should restrict it to just players around his age.

I'd be interested to see how many would take him over a healthy Embiid.

[Zelaznyrules]

47% for Booker or for Porzingis?

Booker

Anyone have ideas for who to do next? I don't think we should restrict it to just players around his age.

I'd be interested to see how many would take him over a healthy Embiid.

I probably wouldn't take Booker over a healthy-career Porzingis and I definitely wouldn't take Porzingis over a healthy Embiid. But one has been the opposite of healthy and the other is just a little too risky for my tastes. So, Booker.

[batsmasher]

Embiid time.

[Mulhollanddrive]

I'd take 1 Booker vs flipping a coin between Embiid / Oden.

[batsmasher]

I'm clearer on this than the other 2, funnily enough. Embiid just has 'it'. Would take him even with the health concerns.

[Qwigglez]

If Embiid was healthy I would take him over Booker.

[lilfishi22]

31 games since 2014 is just not good enough for me. If it weren't for his health history, this would easily be Embiid but all that talent and only being able to play 31 games after continuous setbacks doesn't give me much confidence. Booker at least plays even if he's less efficient offensively and have little impact defensively.

[Zelaznyrules]

I'm clearer on this than the other 2, funnily enough. Embiid just has 'it'. Would take him even with the health concerns.

I knew you didn't think much of Booker but WOW, that's really saying something. Embiid does have "it", there's no denying. And he's incredibly entertaining, on the court and off the court. I'd love to build around a healthy Joel Embiid, maybe more than any other young player. But I think his NBA future will look a lot like his NBA past and you can't win games if you don't play. Stress fractures in his foot, stress fractures in his back? Those kind of injuries do not bode well for NBA players, and especially not for BIG NBA players. When you consider he's broken the same bone in his foot twice and then consider his spondylosis, if I were to wager on this, I'd bet he won't even play as many games as Bill Walton or Yao Ming, two players that suffered similar stress fractures in the foot.

[Saberestar]

Booker, and it is not even close.

Joel is a great player, but I think his career is not gonna be long enough to consider him a franchise player.
It is a shame, but it is what it is.

[batsmasher]

I'm clearer on this than the other 2, funnily enough. Embiid just has 'it'. Would take him even with the health concerns.

I knew you didn't think much of Booker but WOW, that's really saying something. Embiid does have "it", there's no denying. And he's incredibly entertaining, on the court and off the court. I'd love to build around a healthy Joel Embiid, maybe more than any other young player. But I think his NBA future will look a lot like his NBA past and you can't win games if you don't play. Stress fractures in his foot, stress fractures in his back? Those kind of injuries do not bode well for NBA players, and especially not for BIG NBA players. When you consider he's broken the same bone in his foot twice and then consider his spondylosis, if I were to wager on this, I'd bet he won't even play as many games as Bill Walton or Yao Ming, two players that suffered similar stress fractures in the foot.

I like Book a lot. My bigger issue with him is just the concept of his game (and the fact that he isn't a big man). At this stage we can pretty much guarantee 2 parts to his game: his elite shooting and overall scoring ability. I think we're filling in the blanks a bit too much with the rest of his game. The passing (which is an absolute must in a superstar SG) could get there, but it's a long way from being. On that alone, you're basically placing a bet on lightning striking twice and him going full Kobe, sans the defense.

And I don't think there's any doubt that in the games Embiid did play last year, he was better than Book has been through any stretch of his young career.

I'm thinking about Book in grand terms as the best player on a championship team. Embiid fits in that conversation so easily with his game, and it's really only an issue of health. That's a completely valid concern: stress fractures ain't no joke. But just 14 months ago everyone was writing off Marc Gasol's career after the terrible foot injury. By no means am I trying to downplay the risk, it's just sometimes injury troubles become an afterthought so quickly (Steph is another that springs to mind)

I'm terms of average outcome I'd be kidding myself if I didn't have Book ahead, but I still have the median outcome firmly in Embiid's favor.

*conditions apply - the current Warriors overlords may or may not be forcing me to overestimate what is required by the best player on a championship team.

[RunDogGun]

I'd go Booker vs Embiid. Besides the 31 games played, he is then limited to 25 minutes per game due to concerns of injuries when on the court. It's tough to build a team around that limitation of minutes.

[rsavaj]

Embiid is a tough one. If I knew he could play even 60 games a year, I'd pick him over pretty much every young player other than Giannis or KAT.

But 31 games in 3 years makes this really hard.

[DirtyDez]

You can make an argument using advanced stats that Embiid is a top-5 player when he's actually playing. I wonder if Philly holds him out of b2b's or gives him a minutes limit b/c he's too important for them long term. They have Holmes and Okafor.