How big of a gap is there between the Raptors and Magic?

[Merit]

Their depth and their defense is what makes them better than us. The defense though is the key. They have plus defenders at almost every position.

The Raptors do not have a lot of either at this point and it's going to take time to get those players. Drafting a defensive player like for example Ryan Dunn isn't going to change our fortunes next year. Pinning your hopes that a rookie changes everything is asinine. It's going to take a few years before we get to that 45+ win threshold.

I’m of two minds on this. On one hand, it would be nice to win, and our young guys I feel have several levels to go still.

On the other hand, being horrible next season is what’s best for our future.

A lot hinges on whether we keep our pick this season. If we do, we have the opportunity to accelerate the rebuild.

I think we want to the Raptors to return to winning again but it's going to take time. Even if they keep the pick it may shorten that return by one year it may not, we don't know that. At this point we should be concerned about asset accumulation in picks and depth and see what works.

Zero argument. Everything is on the table and we have a lot of flexibility. Let’s hope that has value.

[Tustari]

PB is the real deal. And he’s far ahead of Scottie. It has little to do with skills and athleticism (in both Scottie is superior) and everything to do with what is between the ears. PB rises to the occasion and seems to relish when the pressure and spotlight is on him, where Scottie shrinks faster than a dude with ED. Scottie is an immensely talented individual, but the sad reality is the history of basketball is littered with individuals like him. Guys who had all the talent in the world but just lacked the mental wherewithal to put it all together. PB is a future superstar. The jury is still out on Scottie.

[Scase]

Franz isn’t better than RJ, he’s just different. If RJ develops a 3 (possible, given his improvement with us), then it’s a wash. Agreed that RJ can bully guards. He’s like a wing offensively and a guard defensively.

Suggs is an excellent defender, but he’s nowhere near IQ offensively imo. I take IQ.

Agreed that Gradey developing is huge for us since he and Scottie would be our wings in most situations. Agreed again on his offense. Would love to see him as a plus team defender.

Franz is 100% better than RJ. If Weltman offered Franz for RJ right now with both of them having the same salary, Masai would be laughing to the bank and accepting it faster than a flash light can turn on. RJ's future with us if we're a good team is him being a 6th man. RJ having so much limitations is the reason why we have to have Scottie on the best wings which exerts so much of his energy that we need from him on offence. It's a serious issue. Don't be fooled by RJ's numbers with us.

IQ is a fantastic shooter but his offence isn't to the point where it's more valuable than having a top 5 guard defender in the league. It's a toss up between them IMO but Suggs has more untapped potential to tap into which makes him the more valuable player to have.

As for Gradey being a + team defender ? I don't see it happening any time soon but hopefully it happens.

I’m not fooled by RJ’s numbers. I think of him as a big guard as opposed to a wing. In that context he makes a world of sense. Of course we would trade RJ for Franz because our team needs a shooting wing. And yes, RJ would be an ideal 6th man, but only if we got a better 2 than him and another big wing. If we end up with Moody/Wiggins? Okay - he can come off the bench. But he’d be anchoring the bench units offensively. If RJ develops a 3 - the crux of my whole argument - then I take RJ over Franz for the storyline and the contract.

This was IQ’s first year playing full time PG. Maybe this is an over correction on my part because of how I previously valued shot creation, but I feel pretty good about choosing IQ over Suggs for now. If Suggs gets the reins and develops further offensively I’d like him more. Defensively he’s solid - zero arguments there. Glad we picked Scottie over him though.

Gradey has time to develop.

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

[HumbleRen]

Franz is 100% better than RJ. If Weltman offered Franz for RJ right now with both of them having the same salary, Masai would be laughing to the bank and accepting it faster than a flash light can turn on. RJ's future with us if we're a good team is him being a 6th man. RJ having so much limitations is the reason why we have to have Scottie on the best wings which exerts so much of his energy that we need from him on offence. It's a serious issue. Don't be fooled by RJ's numbers with us.

IQ is a fantastic shooter but his offence isn't to the point where it's more valuable than having a top 5 guard defender in the league. It's a toss up between them IMO but Suggs has more untapped potential to tap into which makes him the more valuable player to have.

As for Gradey being a + team defender ? I don't see it happening any time soon but hopefully it happens.

I’m not fooled by RJ’s numbers. I think of him as a big guard as opposed to a wing. In that context he makes a world of sense. Of course we would trade RJ for Franz because our team needs a shooting wing. And yes, RJ would be an ideal 6th man, but only if we got a better 2 than him and another big wing. If we end up with Moody/Wiggins? Okay - he can come off the bench. But he’d be anchoring the bench units offensively. If RJ develops a 3 - the crux of my whole argument - then I take RJ over Franz for the storyline and the contract.

This was IQ’s first year playing full time PG. Maybe this is an over correction on my part because of how I previously valued shot creation, but I feel pretty good about choosing IQ over Suggs for now. If Suggs gets the reins and develops further offensively I’d like him more. Defensively he’s solid - zero arguments there. Glad we picked Scottie over him though.

Gradey has time to develop.

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

Yeah lol. Suggs is at the very least a 2nd defensive team caliber player.

He’s the biggest reason why they’re a top 5 defence.

[Scase]

I’m not fooled by RJ’s numbers. I think of him as a big guard as opposed to a wing. In that context he makes a world of sense. Of course we would trade RJ for Franz because our team needs a shooting wing. And yes, RJ would be an ideal 6th man, but only if we got a better 2 than him and another big wing. If we end up with Moody/Wiggins? Okay - he can come off the bench. But he’d be anchoring the bench units offensively. If RJ develops a 3 - the crux of my whole argument - then I take RJ over Franz for the storyline and the contract.

This was IQ’s first year playing full time PG. Maybe this is an over correction on my part because of how I previously valued shot creation, but I feel pretty good about choosing IQ over Suggs for now. If Suggs gets the reins and develops further offensively I’d like him more. Defensively he’s solid - zero arguments there. Glad we picked Scottie over him though.

Gradey has time to develop.

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

Yeah lol. Suggs is at the very least a 2nd defensive team caliber player.

He’s the biggest reason why they’re a top 5 defence.

First people saying they'd rather RJ than Franz, now this lol. IO swear 90% of the people on this board just flat out dont watch any ball besides raptor games.

[islandboy53]

You don't think a team that has a core that was 21, 22, and 22 years old, that just managed to have the second best defence in the NBA, has more cap space, has more depth, and more picks than us......doesn't have a better trajectory?

Sometimes, I honest to god have no idea how some of you come to these conclusions. It is baffling.

It is true that Orlando's core is younger, and that they have more potential cap space, whether they use it or not. They have more 2nd round picks, but we have as many 1sts as they do. Nba.com has them with the 3rd overall defensive rating. At the same time, they had the 22nd offensive rating, just ahead of the Raptors at 24th. It's important to point out that Orlando's group has been together for 3 years, while Toronto's hasn't even had 3 months, meaning we're very likely to see more growth from them over the season than from Orlando. Banchero's great, and Suggs is an excellent defender, but, other than that, I like our guys and their potential more.

We have 6 picks from now until 2027. They have 10. 10 > 6.

Their defensive rating is 110.8, the celtics are 110.6, so yeah sure they are technically 3rd. They are functionally tied for 2nd.

They have been together for 2 years, Paolo isn't even in his 3rd year in the league. Yes, that is longer than the Raps, which is why I expect our offence to be better in the future. I however do not in any way, shape, or form, expect us to have one of the best defences in the league in 2 years.

All their players are younger and less experienced, they have more potential. Whether or not it is realized is a different story. But I will always take younger similarly talented players, over older ones. If you think we have higher potential, you are fully entitled to that opinion. I just don't see any reason to ignore younger players, that are playing as well, or better than older players and see that as less potential, just doesn't make sense.

Toronto has all of its own 1sts except for the one that will go to SA, whether that's this year, next year or the year after, plus Indiana's this year and in 2026. If the pick conveys this year, that gives a total of 5 1st round picks from now until 2027. Orlando has all of their own 1sts, plus Denver's next year, which is a total of 5 1st round picks from now till 20207, which is what I said. I also noted that Orlando has more 2nds, specifically they have 7 and we have 3 from now till 2027. I don't know where you got 10 and 6, but maybe check your source.

Their entire rotation except for Banchero, has been together for at least 3 years. Suggs, both Wagners, Carter and Harris arrived in 2021, while Anthony and Isaac arrived in 2020 and 2017 respectively. I expect the Raptors to make strides on both sides of the ball next year. I don't expect them to be be in the upper echelons defensively, but I do anticipate them being better than Orlando offensively.

I agree with you that younger players generally have more room for growth. Orlando's current group is clearly younger than ours. I'm not ignoring that. At the same time, I never said Toronto has a "higher potential". My comment was that Orlando doesn't have a higher trajectory. They've had their group, mostly, together for 3 years and are clearly ahead of us. In my opinion, that gap will close rapidly as Toronto's group actually plays together, and adds to its talent base.

[OakleyDokely]

PB is the real deal. And he’s far ahead of Scottie. It has little to do with skills and athleticism (in both Scottie is superior) and everything to do with what is between the ears. PB rises to the occasion and seems to relish when the pressure and spotlight is on him, where Scottie shrinks faster than a dude with ED. Scottie is an immensely talented individual, but the sad reality is the history of basketball is littered with individuals like him. Guys who had all the talent in the world but just lacked the mental wherewithal to put it all together. PB is a future superstar. The jury is still out on Scottie.

What are you talking about?

Scottie was pretty impressive in his first playoff series as a ROOKIE.

In his first playoff game, he put up a near triple double 15/10/8 with only 6 shots. Then he got hurt and he struggled the first game back from the injury but then put up 12/8/4 and 18/7/3 in the two games after that. There were no signs that he shrinks under the pressure.

Barnes has actually been very good in clutch situations historically and he's been so good in 4th Qs that many fans have actually questioned why he can't play more like that over the first 3 Qs because he has risen to the occasion in many 4th Qs.

Clutch TS%, this past season (last 5 mins of a game, ahead or behind by 5):
Barnes: 55.3
Banchero: 49.4

Scottie has a lot of flaws but one of the most promising qualities about him is his ability to impose his will on a game, especially late when it matters.

[Fairview4Life]

Lol, imagine posting on a board that spends half of every game thread talking about 4th quarter Scottie and Scottie time and saying he shrinks when the game is on the line. What in the world. We're talking about Scottie Barnes, not Matt.

[sbsat]

PB is the real deal. And he’s far ahead of Scottie. It has little to do with skills and athleticism (in both Scottie is superior) and everything to do with what is between the ears. PB rises to the occasion and seems to relish when the pressure and spotlight is on him, where Scottie shrinks faster than a dude with ED. Scottie is an immensely talented individual, but the sad reality is the history of basketball is littered with individuals like him. Guys who had all the talent in the world but just lacked the mental wherewithal to put it all together. PB is a future superstar. The jury is still out on Scottie.

What are you talking about?

Scottie was pretty impressive in his first playoff series as a ROOKIE.

In his first playoff game, he put up a near triple double 15/10/8 with only 6 shots. Then he got hurt and he struggled the first game back from the injury but then put up 12/8/4 and 18/7/3 in the two games after that. There were no signs that he shrinks under the pressure.

Barnes has actually been very good in clutch situations historically and he's been so good in 4th Qs that many fans have actually questioned why he can't play more like that over the first 3 Qs because he has risen to the occasion in many 4th Qs.

Clutch TS%, this past season (last 5 mins of a game, ahead or behind by 5):
Barnes: 55.3
Banchero: 49.4

Scottie has a lot of flaws but one of the most promising qualities about him is his ability to impose his will on a game, especially late when it matters.

I also don't know where this is all coming from, I've seen PB crater in the clutch many times this season, poor shot selection and turnovers. I actually do think PB is an immensely better offensive creator but Scottie does so many things its hard to compare. If I had to choose between PB and Barnes though, I probably marginally take Barnes; he just does a lot of good things.

[OakleyDokely]

PB is the real deal. And he’s far ahead of Scottie. It has little to do with skills and athleticism (in both Scottie is superior) and everything to do with what is between the ears. PB rises to the occasion and seems to relish when the pressure and spotlight is on him, where Scottie shrinks faster than a dude with ED. Scottie is an immensely talented individual, but the sad reality is the history of basketball is littered with individuals like him. Guys who had all the talent in the world but just lacked the mental wherewithal to put it all together. PB is a future superstar. The jury is still out on Scottie.

What are you talking about?

Scottie was pretty impressive in his first playoff series as a ROOKIE.

In his first playoff game, he put up a near triple double 15/10/8 with only 6 shots. Then he got hurt and he struggled the first game back from the injury but then put up 12/8/4 and 18/7/3 in the two games after that. There were no signs that he shrinks under the pressure.

Barnes has actually been very good in clutch situations historically and he's been so good in 4th Qs that many fans have actually questioned why he can't play more like that over the first 3 Qs because he has risen to the occasion in many 4th Qs.

Clutch TS%, this past season (last 5 mins of a game, ahead or behind by 5):
Barnes: 55.3
Banchero: 49.4

Scottie has a lot of flaws but one of the most promising qualities about him is his ability to impose his will on a game, especially late when it matters.

I also don't know where this is all coming from, I've seen PB crater in the clutch many times this season, poor shot selection and turnovers. I actually do think PB is an immensely better offensive creator but Scottie does so many things its hard to compare. If I had to choose between PB and Barnes though, I probably marginally take Barnes; he just does a lot of good things.

If you believe Banchero can become a legit #1 option on a really good team, you take him over Scottie because he has more offensive upside than Scottie.

But I believe both guys will settle in as very good #2s and if that's the case, I'd rather have Barnes' overall game in that role.

[islandboy53]

3-4 years difference before we win that many games. We have no depth.

Masai needs to get lucky in the draft... and also turn Trent (sign and trade) into something useful... then we COULD be a play in team next year...

Why would GTJ have any value to another team in a sign and trade? He is a shooter off the bench. I can understand a team like the Magic for example maybe having interest but there would be no reason for them to send the Raptors an asset. They have cap room. Many other teams as well. GTJ is walking for nothing.

Possibly. Lots of teams, including Toronto, need shooting, but only a handful will or could have cap room. Philly will have lots, but will be looking for much larger fish. Detroit will also have lots, but Trent isn't likely high on their target list. Ditto the Thunder, Spurs and Hornets (if they have space). Orlando is a possibility, and they can definitely use shooting but seem unlikely to have Trent at the top of their list. If they miss out on their main targets (Monk, Thompson ... ?) they could simply opt to bring back Fulz and do a sign and trade for Trent. The more likely destination is somewhere like Houston that needs shooting if either Trent's price is greater than the NTMLE, or they have another target to use that on but also want Trent.

[Merit]

Franz is 100% better than RJ. If Weltman offered Franz for RJ right now with both of them having the same salary, Masai would be laughing to the bank and accepting it faster than a flash light can turn on. RJ's future with us if we're a good team is him being a 6th man. RJ having so much limitations is the reason why we have to have Scottie on the best wings which exerts so much of his energy that we need from him on offence. It's a serious issue. Don't be fooled by RJ's numbers with us.

IQ is a fantastic shooter but his offence isn't to the point where it's more valuable than having a top 5 guard defender in the league. It's a toss up between them IMO but Suggs has more untapped potential to tap into which makes him the more valuable player to have.

As for Gradey being a + team defender ? I don't see it happening any time soon but hopefully it happens.

I’m not fooled by RJ’s numbers. I think of him as a big guard as opposed to a wing. In that context he makes a world of sense. Of course we would trade RJ for Franz because our team needs a shooting wing. And yes, RJ would be an ideal 6th man, but only if we got a better 2 than him and another big wing. If we end up with Moody/Wiggins? Okay - he can come off the bench. But he’d be anchoring the bench units offensively. If RJ develops a 3 - the crux of my whole argument - then I take RJ over Franz for the storyline and the contract.

This was IQ’s first year playing full time PG. Maybe this is an over correction on my part because of how I previously valued shot creation, but I feel pretty good about choosing IQ over Suggs for now. If Suggs gets the reins and develops further offensively I’d like him more. Defensively he’s solid - zero arguments there. Glad we picked Scottie over him though.

Gradey has time to develop.

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

Would you rather have Marcus smart or Ja Morant?

That’s my point.

[Merit]

What are you talking about?

Scottie was pretty impressive in his first playoff series as a ROOKIE.

In his first playoff game, he put up a near triple double 15/10/8 with only 6 shots. Then he got hurt and he struggled the first game back from the injury but then put up 12/8/4 and 18/7/3 in the two games after that. There were no signs that he shrinks under the pressure.

Barnes has actually been very good in clutch situations historically and he's been so good in 4th Qs that many fans have actually questioned why he can't play more like that over the first 3 Qs because he has risen to the occasion in many 4th Qs.

Clutch TS%, this past season (last 5 mins of a game, ahead or behind by 5):
Barnes: 55.3
Banchero: 49.4

Scottie has a lot of flaws but one of the most promising qualities about him is his ability to impose his will on a game, especially late when it matters.

I also don't know where this is all coming from, I've seen PB crater in the clutch many times this season, poor shot selection and turnovers. I actually do think PB is an immensely better offensive creator but Scottie does so many things its hard to compare. If I had to choose between PB and Barnes though, I probably marginally take Barnes; he just does a lot of good things.

If you believe Banchero can become a legit #1 option on a really good team, you take him over Scottie because he has more offensive upside than Scottie.

But I believe both guys will settle in as very good #2s and if that's the case, I'd rather have Barnes' overall game in that role.

As a raps fan I hope Scottie has a giannis trajectory. I don’t think we can say the same for Paolo, even if he’s more skilled offensively. Paolo is more like CWebb, but not as great defensively.

[Merit]

It is true that Orlando's core is younger, and that they have more potential cap space, whether they use it or not. They have more 2nd round picks, but we have as many 1sts as they do. Nba.com has them with the 3rd overall defensive rating. At the same time, they had the 22nd offensive rating, just ahead of the Raptors at 24th. It's important to point out that Orlando's group has been together for 3 years, while Toronto's hasn't even had 3 months, meaning we're very likely to see more growth from them over the season than from Orlando. Banchero's great, and Suggs is an excellent defender, but, other than that, I like our guys and their potential more.

We have 6 picks from now until 2027. They have 10. 10 > 6.

Their defensive rating is 110.8, the celtics are 110.6, so yeah sure they are technically 3rd. They are functionally tied for 2nd.

They have been together for 2 years, Paolo isn't even in his 3rd year in the league. Yes, that is longer than the Raps, which is why I expect our offence to be better in the future. I however do not in any way, shape, or form, expect us to have one of the best defences in the league in 2 years.

All their players are younger and less experienced, they have more potential. Whether or not it is realized is a different story. But I will always take younger similarly talented players, over older ones. If you think we have higher potential, you are fully entitled to that opinion. I just don't see any reason to ignore younger players, that are playing as well, or better than older players and see that as less potential, just doesn't make sense.

Toronto has all of its own 1sts except for the one that will go to SA, whether that's this year, next year or the year after, plus Indiana's this year and in 2026. If the pick conveys this year, that gives a total of 5 1st round picks from now until 2027. Orlando has all of their own 1sts, plus Denver's next year, which is a total of 5 1st round picks from now till 20207, which is what I said. I also noted that Orlando has more 2nds, specifically they have 7 and we have 3 from now till 2027. I don't know where you got 10 and 6, but maybe check your source.

Their entire rotation except for Banchero, has been together for at least 3 years. Suggs, both Wagners, Carter and Harris arrived in 2021, while Anthony and Isaac arrived in 2020 and 2017 respectively. I expect the Raptors to make strides on both sides of the ball next year. I don't expect them to be be in the upper echelons defensively, but I do anticipate them being better than Orlando offensively.

I agree with you that younger players generally have more room for growth. Orlando's current group is clearly younger than ours. I'm not ignoring that. At the same time, I never said Toronto has a "higher potential". My comment was that Orlando doesn't have a higher trajectory. They've had their group, mostly, together for 3 years and are clearly ahead of us. In my opinion, that gap will close rapidly as Toronto's group actually plays together, and adds to its talent base.

Agreed with all of this. What could change Orlando’s trajectory is the cap space they have and the zero income tax state they play in. They’re one solid offensive player away.

[Merit]

Yeah that’s true but I think Franz is a much better defensive player than RJ. But you’re right, being on a good team can influence a lot of advanced stats. RJ has never had good advanced stats though and he’s been on some good Knicks teams.

I don't think Thibs and the Knicks were a good fit for RJ in terms of his offense, which depressed his offensive numbers. But I agree, defensively he has a lot to improve on, and is behind Franz.

Franz had some mediocre advanced stats prior to this year and his TS% was actually down compared to years past. He might’ve benefited from the team he played on. Maybe the gap isn’t as wide as I thought.

And this is the type of nuanced and respectful discussion I appreciate on this board.

[Merit]

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

Yeah lol. Suggs is at the very least a 2nd defensive team caliber player.

He’s the biggest reason why they’re a top 5 defence.

First people saying they'd rather RJ than Franz, now this lol. IO swear 90% of the people on this board just flat out dont watch any ball besides raptor games.

Just so we’re clear, I would rather have Franz than RJ on this team based on our current team needs. We need a big shooting wing. Hopefully Gradey develops into that.

Also, given that RJ is locked in at a reasonable amount given the increasing cap, and he’s also young enough to improve and Canadian to boot - I’m more than happy to have him on our team. Franz is due for a raise.

Additionally, our system benefits RJ. He would play as a forward on offense and a guard on defense. For that reason, I’m optimistic. I don’t think Franz can stay in front of guards the way RJ can. Also, we still haven’t really seen BBQ for more than a few short stretches. Consider me optimistic.

[will]

As big as Teanna Trump's.

[Scase]

I’m not fooled by RJ’s numbers. I think of him as a big guard as opposed to a wing. In that context he makes a world of sense. Of course we would trade RJ for Franz because our team needs a shooting wing. And yes, RJ would be an ideal 6th man, but only if we got a better 2 than him and another big wing. If we end up with Moody/Wiggins? Okay - he can come off the bench. But he’d be anchoring the bench units offensively. If RJ develops a 3 - the crux of my whole argument - then I take RJ over Franz for the storyline and the contract.

This was IQ’s first year playing full time PG. Maybe this is an over correction on my part because of how I previously valued shot creation, but I feel pretty good about choosing IQ over Suggs for now. If Suggs gets the reins and develops further offensively I’d like him more. Defensively he’s solid - zero arguments there. Glad we picked Scottie over him though.

Gradey has time to develop.

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

Would you rather have Marcus smart or Ja Morant?

That’s my point.

Are you trying to suggest that the gap between Scottie and suggs is morant to smart lmao?

[JB7]

Calling Suggs solid defensively is an insane understatement. There is zero doubt that the right pick was made with Scottie, but Suggs is looking all nba level of defence in his 3rd year, that stretches beyond just solid.

Would you rather have Marcus smart or Ja Morant?

That’s my point.

Are you trying to suggest that the gap between Scottie and suggs is morant to smart lmao?

I think it was a comparison of Suggs to IQ. So defensive guard to offensive guard.

[JB7]

Yeah lol. Suggs is at the very least a 2nd defensive team caliber player.

He’s the biggest reason why they’re a top 5 defence.

First people saying they'd rather RJ than Franz, now this lol. IO swear 90% of the people on this board just flat out dont watch any ball besides raptor games.

Just so we’re clear, I would rather have Franz than RJ on this team based on our current team needs. We need a big shooting wing. Hopefully Gradey develops into that.

Also, given that RJ is locked in at a reasonable amount given the increasing cap, and he’s also young enough to improve and Canadian to boot - I’m more than happy to have him on our team. Franz is due for a raise.

Additionally, our system benefits RJ. He would play as a forward on offense and a guard on defense. For that reason, I’m optimistic. I don’t think Franz can stay in front of guards the way RJ can. Also, we still haven’t really seen BBQ for more than a few short stretches. Consider me optimistic.

After seeing how RJ performed on the Raps, I actually think I prefer him over Franz. I kind of think of RJ as a poor man's Jimmy Butler. Kind of that bull dog attitude. Again, 'poor man's Jimmy Butler'. He is not Jimmy Butler. Just has some essence of his game.

What would Franz's comparator be in the NBA? Would Pascal kind of be a comparator? Both lengthy wings who can score, shoot decently, and play alright D.