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To Start Or Not To Start, DeMar Is The Question
Posted on September 29, 2009 | 7 Comments
As training camp begins, there are quite a few questions surrounding the Raptors. Will Bosh be able to recover from his hamstring injury and make the next step to become a top tier player? Will Bargnani continue his play from the latter half of last season, and has anyone told him he’s allowed to touch the ball AFTER someone misses a shot? Will Turkoglu earn his new contract? Will the Raptors be able to stop any teams from scoring?
Of course, there are questions revolving around lottery pick, DeMar DeRozan, as well. Other than wondering whether Jessica Simpson will let him in on the Proactiv secret, one of the most common questions surrounding the high flying rookie is whether or not he will start, and more importantly, whether he should.
When Jay Triano stated that he felt DeRozan would start, depending on how he did in training camp, there were many that criticized the decision. DeRozan is certainly a talented player, but he hasn’t played a minute in the NBA, so some feel handing him the starting position isn’t doing him any favours. Rookies, no matter where they are drafted, should earn their place, not have it given it to them. Well, yes and no. While it is a nice idea to make a player earn his place, when so much is being invested in the player (not only monetarily, but also with where he was drafted), the development of the player and the future of the team should take priority.
DeRozan is in a different position than many lottery picks. When OJ Mayo came out of USC, the Memphis team he was drafted by was lacking in talent. He ended up playing heavy minutes (11th in the league), and taking the second most shots on the team, to Rudy Gay. Mayo ended up being the top rookie scorer, but his play noticeably declined as the season wore on, and he’s starting to pick up some of the bad habits one does when being thrust into a main role too early. Due to the heavy offensive load, Mayo’s defense started to suffer, and because of a lack of offensive options, he’s becoming known as a selfish player. He’s got a world of talent and it would be a shame for him to end up going down the same road that Damon Stoudemire went down.
Stoudamire was, of course, the Rookie of the Year for the Raptors in their inaugural season. So how could he be considered a disappointment? Well, because he was thrust into the main role so early, he picked up bad habits and couldn’t sustain that level after he was traded from the team. It was not only the statistics which he never came close to reproducing, but also the level of play. In Toronto, he was a huge threat that looked poised to be an All Star. After he was traded to Portland, he couldn’t find his role if it wasn’t the main man. Obviously his scoring went down, with more scorers on the team, but so did his assists and his shooting percentage, which was never good to begin with. It’s not often that a player peaks during his rookie season, but that’s exactly what happened with Stoudamire.
Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got Darko Milicic. Touted by Chad Ford as a future superstar, stronger than Gasol, better in the low post than Dirk, and more comparable to Garnett than any European player, Milicic famously was drafted 2nd by Detroit only to languish on the bench for a veteran laden team that went on to win a Championship that year, with no thanks to Milicic. Although he hasn’t exactly excelled since escaping the situation in Detroit, there’s no telling what he might have done if he were put in a better situation from the beginning.
What does all this have to do with DeRozan? Well DeRozan, thankfully, is not in either of those extreme positions. He’s in a very favourable position in terms of development. He’ll be depended on to play some minutes, but there will be little pressure on him to perform. He won’t need to score, so he can concentrate on developing all facets of his game in order to become a better all around player.
Now the question is, where will this happen best? Will it happen if he’s forced to fight for minutes off the bench, or would it be better if he knew he was going to start the first and second half of games and get at least a dozen minutes every game? More if he performed well. I think it’s obvious where I think he’d develop best.
Players that excel off the bench usually have a single great attribute. They can be energy guys, excellent shooters, great defenders or glass cleaning rebounders. The one thing about bench players, however, is that they’re usually expected to make an immediate impact on the game. Jarret Jack is a good bench player because he’s a very good defender but he can also play two positions, and can shoot. He also gives a different look to Calderon. The same is true of Reggie Evans. He’s a different type of player than both Bosh and Bargnani, and his rebounding and toughness are good sparks to be able to bring off the bench.
DeRozan, while a great mid range shooter and highly athletic player, is not a player who would make an immediate impact on the game, at least not early. He needs to get to know the flow of an NBA game and learn how to play with other great players. He needs to learn how to play without the ball and when and when not to shoot. Will he do this best playing with Calderon, Turkoglu, Bosh and Bargnani, or Jack, Wright, Evans and Nesterovic? I think DeRozan needs to learn how to play with the better players. If he came off the bench, he would need to score more, since really only Jack is a good scorer off the bench. Without much of an outside game, DeRozan needs time to develop his offense, without being forced to rely on it for minutes.
Besides, the Raptors would need Belinelli’s scoring and creativity coming off the bench a lot more than DeMar’s athleticism. In many ways, Belinelli can be compared to Manu Ginobilli. They’re both high energy players that can shoot the lights out and do so without a second thought. Spurs coachGreg Popovic likes Manu off the bench not only because he gives the second unit some scoring, but because he provides instant offense and immediately changes the game when he comes in. Really only one player provides that on the Raptors, and that’s Belinelli. DeRozan will hopefully become a very good player, but he’s not instant offense and he’s not a game changer at this point in his career. If Belinelli started, he’d be fighting for shots with Bosh, Bargnani, Turkoglu and Calderon. Belinelli’s best attribute would almost be lost. The player that starts with those four shouldn’t need the ball, and Belinelli does, to be most effective.
The main reason that DeRozan should start, though, is because he will always know when he will play, and what will be expected of him. He won’t be sitting on the bench, wondering when he will get in, or what he will be asked to do. Bargnani benefitted from this, and DeRozan should, as well. Does he deserve to start? I’m not even sure what that means. Starting shouldn’t be a reward, but something that is done for the benefit of the team and the development of the player.
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September 29th, 2009 @ 3:10 PM
[...] The Picket Fence DeRozan is in a different position than many lottery picks. When OJ Mayo came out of USC, the Memphis team he was drafted by was lacking in talent. He ended up playing heavy minutes (11th in the league), and taking the second most shots on the team, to Rudy Gay. Mayo ended up being the top rookie scorer, but his play noticeably declined as the season wore on, and he’s starting to pick up some of the bad habits one does when being thrust into a main role too early. Due to the heavy offensive load, Mayo’s defense started to suffer, and because of a lack of offensive options, he’s becoming known as a selfish player. He’s got a world of talent and it would be a shame for him to end up going down the same road that Damon Stoudemire went down. [...]
September 29th, 2009 @ 3:20 PM
Nice post.
I fully agree that, as long as DD can keep himself motivated and working hard, having a constant and well-defined role for him in the starting line-up would be best.
P.S.: Low blow on the proactive. REALLY low blow (not to mention that this stuff does very little, from what I’ve seen, and has bleach… would you really want to bleach your face?).
September 29th, 2009 @ 4:04 PM
good damn article man totally agree with you. some dont think putting Derozan in the starting line-up puts less pressure on him where actually it does and you discussed that.he will be getting great developing minutes where he can have the oppurtunity to expand his game without having to worry about mistakes.
September 29th, 2009 @ 4:12 PM
Nothing indicates that DaMar lacks motivation, so I really doubt that will be a problem.
As for the proactiv crack, I figured it was something everyone was thinking. Besides, I doubt he’ll read the blog so I don’t think they’ll be much offense.. I personally don’t know much about it. I’m well past the point of of needing something like that.
September 29th, 2009 @ 7:32 PM
The Proactive crack makes u come off as a douchebag.
Not sure where that came from.
Maybe humour is not ur forte.
Maybe ur just an idiot.
Either way. Stop.
September 29th, 2009 @ 8:06 PM
Your comment makes you come off as a moron. And one that can’t spell. I’m sorry if you’re offended. Maybe a sense of humour isn’t your forte. And since it’s my blog, I can do what I want. Bite me.
September 30th, 2009 @ 1:15 AM
So what’s proactiv solution?