Wesley Matthews VS DeMar DeRozan

[Dr. Feelgood]

Discuss who you guys is better right now, who you'd rather have on your team, and who has more upside. Please vote in all three polls.

[Check my Stats]

Demar was dropping 20 consistently at points last year without having a half decent shot outside of 15 feet. Matthews might be better now, but call me bias, I would rather have Demar long term (dude is 3 years younger, and I know nothing about Wesley, but I doubt he is putting in the same kind of work Demar is every night). Wes seems like he is considerably better than Demar right now though, at least in terms of skills not necessarily effectiveness.

 

Nice comparison, can't really go wrong with either in this debate. If Demar tightens his handle, and expands his range, look out, that's all I am saying.

[Dr. Feelgood]

Wes works out constantly as well, he's got great work ethic and is always hitting the gym.

[Built Ford Tough]

It is pretty much a toss up as to who is better now; or at least who was better last year since who knows how much they have improved over the past 3 or 4 months. I know from what I have seen, DeRozan's jumper and handles look much better, but they are only highlights from exhibition games. Mathews probably gets a slight edge just because he is a more complete player right now while DeRozan still has a glaring hole in his game (3 point shooting) and isn't much of a defender either.

 

In terms of who I think has the higher ceiling, I'd take DeRozan without hesitation. He is 3 years younger than Matthews and the improvements that he made from his rookie to his sophomore season was very impressive and you can see that he still has so much room to grow as a player. I'm not saying that Matthews has peaked or anything like that, but I think with DeRozan's combination of athleticism, body control, ability to get to the line, finishing ability and excellent mid range jumper he can definitely become a 20 ppg scorer on solid efficiency, assuming he puts it all together. If he adds a reliable 3 point shot, I think he could even get up to around 22 a game. He also has a fair amount of defensive potential in my mind as well because of his size and athleticism, and working with Dwane Casey should definitely help him develop in that regard.

 

For your last question, I'd go with DeRozan again partially because he has more star potential and that is what the Raptors need more than a great role player which is what I see Matthews' ceiling as. However, if you were a team like the Mavs Matthews would probably be a better fit as they are all in for the next year or two and Matthews is a better fit on a veteran team like that because he is the more rounded player and his skillset is going to mesh better with a team like that than DeRozan's would.