Kawhis supporrting cast and toughest competition

[ropjhk]

Talent wise, I agree Kawhi made sort of a lateral move. The PG signing was huge for them, but the Raptors were an overall more balanced team. The Raps bench was also much deeper with Ibaka and VanVleet.
The Clippers are still short of a big man and shooting. Great defense though.

"Raps bench was much deeper". Um it's almost like people forgot which bench crushed the league and the record in bench scoring and bench efficiency. It is arguably the best bench ever. People are going by the finals series when guys stepped up and not realizing the Clippers had the best bench all year long by a mile (Raptors weren't even a top 10 bench). There is a reason Lou won 6th man and Harrell finished 3rd place. The Raptors had more top end talent than the Clippers last year, their advantage was DEFINITELY not the bench lol.

Raptors had the best bench in the league the year before but ask any Raptors fan and they will say that this years bench was shorter but more effective in the playoffs. FVV, Ibaka and Powell gave the Raptors 3 good starter quality players coming off the bench. There was no weakness in the Raptors playoff lineup. Don't compare regular season stats as the Raptors admitted that they treated the regular season like practice, being conservative with player injuries and doing lots of experimentation with lineups throughout the regular season.

You make a good point that the Clips bench should not be underestimated, but when comparing with the Raptors, the playoff version of the team is what you should be looking at.

[lamscott]

Its gonna be a rude awakening for the Clippers when teams will now get up to play them every game.

[jimmy keys]

lmao what is this?

Montrezl = SIakam
Lou Will > Lowry
Zubac <<< Marc Gasol
PG >>>> Danny Green
Beverley > FVV
JaMychal Green > Ibaka

where do you see any advantage aside from Marc Gasol ?

@ this take. Montrezl = Siakam, Lou Will > Lowry & JaMychal Green > Ibaka. Man that's just a horrible talent assessment.

[bmurph128]

Talent wise, I agree Kawhi made sort of a lateral move. The PG signing was huge for them, but the Raptors were an overall more balanced team. The Raps bench was also much deeper with Ibaka and VanVleet.
The Clippers are still short of a big man and shooting. Great defense though.

"Raps bench was much deeper". Um it's almost like people forgot which bench crushed the league and the record in bench scoring and bench efficiency. It is arguably the best bench ever. People are going by the finals series when guys stepped up and not realizing the Clippers had the best bench all year long by a mile (Raptors weren't even a top 10 bench). There is a reason Lou won 6th man and Harrell finished 3rd place. The Raptors had more top end talent than the Clippers last year, their advantage was DEFINITELY not the bench lol.

If you want to talk regular season, then Kawhi isn't that great of a pickup. His numbers were just okay and he did (and will) miss quite a few games.

Obviously the Clips were lacking star power last year, but the Raptors bench/depth has championship experience - the Clippers' bench does not.

I'm totally fine saying the Raptors bench was better.

What you said could be said by a Harden fan in illustrating why he's better than Kawhi.

[SpeedyG]

This thread will be a dumpster fire and a pissing match between Raps/Clips fans.

Raps were deep af...a phenomenal team that earned a Chip. What more needs to be said?

The clips will have 2 legitimate MVP candidate level players on their team in Kawhi/PG.... AND they have solid depth/roll players.
This thread/argument isn't necessary. Clips are gonna mop the floor with the rest of the league next year.

These comparisons are a joke because comparing roster 1 through 12 doesn't account for the weight of a PG next to Kawhi.

Just like going down the roster of LAL accounts for the weight of LeBron plus AD.

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[SpeedyG]

Talent wise, I agree Kawhi made sort of a lateral move. The PG signing was huge for them, but the Raptors were an overall more balanced team. The Raps bench was also much deeper with Ibaka and VanVleet.
The Clippers are still short of a big man and shooting. Great defense though.

"Raps bench was much deeper". Um it's almost like people forgot which bench crushed the league and the record in bench scoring and bench efficiency. It is arguably the best bench ever. People are going by the finals series when guys stepped up and not realizing the Clippers had the best bench all year long by a mile (Raptors weren't even a top 10 bench). There is a reason Lou won 6th man and Harrell finished 3rd place. The Raptors had more top end talent than the Clippers last year, their advantage was DEFINITELY not the bench lol.

Its not always about what the stats and media feed you. You have to watch the games and use your own brain to see types of problems and mismatches VanVleet, Ibaka, and Powell were able to create in the playoffs and finals... OFF. THE. BENCH.
After all, the Raptors did beat the team the Clippers lost to.

You can't just look at who "comes off the bench". Dig deeper. Look at Lou Williams usage rate and then look at Vanvleet and Ibaka's.
Lou Will ranks 13th in usage rate across the NBA. Ibaka ranks at 99th, Powell ranks at 219th, while Vanvleet is even lower at 241.

If you're winning 6th man awards, you're likely playing starter minutes too. Lou Will played 32 and 27 mpg the last 2 seasons. The Raps players averaged 20 and 27 the last 2 years.

FVV also went nuts in the Finals. The Sixers series would have been much easier for the Raps if they got Finals FVV vs FVV

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[OkcSinceSGA]

Talent wise, I agree Kawhi made sort of a lateral move. The PG signing was huge for them, but the Raptors were an overall more balanced team. The Raps bench was also much deeper with Ibaka and VanVleet.
The Clippers are still short of a big man and shooting. Great defense though.

"Raps bench was much deeper". Um it's almost like people forgot which bench crushed the league and the record in bench scoring and bench efficiency. It is arguably the best bench ever. People are going by the finals series when guys stepped up and not realizing the Clippers had the best bench all year long by a mile (Raptors weren't even a top 10 bench). There is a reason Lou won 6th man and Harrell finished 3rd place. The Raptors had more top end talent than the Clippers last year, their advantage was DEFINITELY not the bench lol.

If you want to talk regular season, then Kawhi isn't that great of a pickup. His numbers were just okay and he did (and will) miss quite a few games.

Obviously the Clips were lacking star power last year, but the Raptors bench/depth has championship experience - the Clippers' bench does not.

I'm totally fine saying the Raptors bench was better.

What you said could be said by a Harden fan in illustrating why he's better than Kawhi.

I'll take a just okay version of Kawhi at 26/7/4 or whatever he put up. This team will predominantly be carried by PG in the regular season while Kawhi's load is managed more strictly. Kawhi will likely be the guy come playoffs time. The Raptors bench had championship experience in who? I'm pretty sure not a single player on that roster outside of Kawhi himself+Green even have been to the finals. The bench specifically really didn't have any championship experience. Not that it means a damn thing. Bottom line is the Clippers bench was easily better all year long and anyone saying otherwise needs to be held accountable. Even in the damn playoffs Kawhi was barely afforded rest because of the load he carried. When he went to the bench teams went on runs. One big finals series from FVV/Gasol etc does not erase the entire season and previous series.

[TravisScott55]

Last years Raptors were deeper than the Clips this year, but all that matters in the playoffs is superstars, and the Clippers have 2.

[Tigersrule]

lmao what is this?

Montrezl = SIakam
Lou Will > Lowry
Zubac <<< Marc Gasol
PG >>>> Danny Green
Beverley > FVV
JaMychal Green > Ibaka

where do you see any advantage aside from Marc Gasol ?

this dude just said Montrezl=siakam??

[OkcSinceSGA]

lmao what is this?

Montrezl = SIakam
Lou Will > Lowry
Zubac <<< Marc Gasol
PG >>>> Danny Green
Beverley > FVV
JaMychal Green > Ibaka

where do you see any advantage aside from Marc Gasol ?

this dude just said Montrezl=siakam??

Those two are much closer than Ibaka/Green and Lou Will/Lowry actually.

[nikster]

This thread will be a dumpster fire and a pissing match between Raps/Clips fans.

Raps were deep af...a phenomenal team that earned a Chip. What more needs to be said?

The clips will have 2 legitimate MVP candidate level players on their team in Kawhi/PG.... AND they have solid depth/roll players.
This thread/argument isn't necessary. Clips are gonna mop the floor with the rest of the league next year.

These comparisons are a joke because comparing roster 1 through 12 doesn't account for the weight of a PG next to Kawhi.

Just like going down the roster of LAL accounts for the weight of LeBron plus AD.

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Still you have 5 players on the floor and Raptors win 3 of the 4 non Kawhi matchups. And it also doesn’t consider the weight of having Lowry the best playmaker from either team), or a 7 foot Center that can hedge out to the 3 point line, shut down bigs in the post and space the floor.

[Not Suave Rico]

Everyone comparing individual players, but basketball is a team game. What I like about the Clippers is the balance between the first and second units.

The first unit will feature two of the best basketball players on the planet, 4 guys capable of shooting 40% 3P%, and elite defense.

Then the second unit comes in a just drops bucket after bucket non-stop. There is no second unit in the league that can slow down Lou-Harrell.

[cpower]

lmao what is this?

Montrezl = SIakam
Lou Will > Curry
Zubac <<< Marc Gasol
PG >>>> Danny Green
Beverley > KD
JaMychal Green > Ibaka

where do you see any advantage aside from Marc Gasol ?

fixed for you

[VanWest82]

Here's the difference between last years Raptors and this year's Clippers minus Kawhi and PG. Raptors guys minus Kawhi still made 5x all star, 3x all nba, 5x all defense, 1x DPOY, 1x MIP. Clippers guys have none of those qualifications outside of Kawhi and PG.

I get it if you want to say that pairing PG with Kawhi plus their supporting guys has a higher ceiling than Kawhi with the Raptors. I disagree but I get it. All these posts from Clippers fans talking about how Harrell is as good as Siakam, or Lou Will over Lowry, etc., are just completely insane. Somehow Raptors guys are still being underrated despite winning the title after a half decade of top 2 seeds.

[Official]

The Clippers front court is way below average. Harrell and Zubac - that is a huge glaring weakness.

[Pennebaker]

I think what people are forgetting - or losing sight of - is that Paul George isn't an actual superstar player. No one would want to build a franchise around Paul George.

Ideally he'd be a great #3 with two other superstars.

George would be perfect behind LeBron and Davis or, say, with Curry and Durant. But just with Kawhi? He's not good enough. He's not a #1 guy and I'd be insecure with him as my #2.

[OkcSinceSGA]

The Clippers front court is way below average. Harrell and Zubac - that is a huge glaring weakness.

Can you back up that claim with statistics? Or just something you pulled out of your ass? I'm going to be laughing all year long at posts like these, just like I laughed last year at those who didn't think we'd make the playoffs or at me when I said Harrell was about to go off etc. Clippers don't have a top 10 frontcourt or anything, but they will be no worse than middle of the pack I can promise you that. Zubac/Harrell/Green/Kabengele all have a good chance to produce heavily this year.

[OkcSinceSGA]

I think what people are forgetting - or losing sight of - is that Paul George isn't an actual superstar player. No one would want to build a franchise around Paul George.

Ideally he'd be a great #3 with two other superstars.

George would be perfect behind LeBron and Davis or, say, with Curry and Durant. But just with Kawhi? He's not good enough. He's not a #1 guy and I'd be insecure with him as my #2.

Lol man stop. He's an outstanding, arguably best in league #2. To say he's ideal as a 3rd option on a contender when he just led the league in RPM, had a .200+ WS/48 and put up 28 ppg is downright silly. The man **** took 10 threes a game and hit 39%. He's also got elite numbers attacking the rim and is great at getting to the foul line. These kind of posts add no value man. They are intentionally foolish and can easily be crushed with data.

[Official]

Lol man stop. He's an outstanding, arguably best in league #2. To say he's ideal as a 3rd option on a contender when he just led the league in RPM, had a .200+ WS/48 and put up 28 ppg is downright silly. The man **** took 10 threes a game and hit 39%. He's also got elite numbers attacking the rim and is great at getting to the foul line. These kind of posts add no value man. They are intentionally foolish and can easily be crushed with data.

And a routine first round exit.

[OkcSinceSGA]

Lol man stop. He's an outstanding, arguably best in league #2. To say he's ideal as a 3rd option on a contender when he just led the league in RPM, had a .200+ WS/48 and put up 28 ppg is downright silly. The man **** took 10 threes a game and hit 39%. He's also got elite numbers attacking the rim and is great at getting to the foul line. These kind of posts add no value man. They are intentionally foolish and can easily be crushed with data.

And a routine first round exit.

Not surprised at your And 1 ratio with posts like this man. Can we wait until the season is over?