His rookie season stats are really productive for only 16 minutes a night ( 8 points and 5 rebounds). The problem is, Steve Kerr is not great at developing new talents, which led to his drop off. I think if Darko plays him like 20 minutes a night, he can average a solid 9 and 6 but I'm not really sure

hope to see how he does in his Toronto debut on Sunday (I think he'll play)

16 comments

  1. My guy is a former 57th pick, age 25, and turning 26 on feb 22 (that’s 2 weeks away). This is who he is. Just need him to be solid on the role we require. I won’t bet on him developing anything

  2. You will be very pleasantly surprised. He has highlight potential, both dunks and blocks. Great instincts and intelligence.

  4. Another delusional raptor fan. He is a 3rd big/end of bench guy and that’s who he will be.

  5. I think most casuals will never understand this guy. He’s a super low usage high impact stats guy, he is NOT a box score type of player. He just does an amazing amount of little things that lead to way more efficient defense and offense and helps other guys from taking a beating in the paint. For a 2nd rounder it’s a good deal

  6. He also gained a whole lot of weight at one point, he was up to 265 or something. Honestly reminds me of Jared Sullinger minus the shooting.

    Hope he is more serious about keeping his weight normal from now on.

  7. it was a boring trade but i trust players coming from gsw over a lot of other teams so hopefully he works out

  8. If the Raps are trying to win, maybe not. They’ll keep playing CMB, Poeltl and Manu and Barnes.

  9. I think he can improve a bit and be better utilized.

    He has showed flashes of higher productivity in the past, and by all accounts didn’t fit Kerr’s system.

    Let’s see what Darko and him can do.

  10. He’s a lob threat, and a rim protector. This is exactly what we need. I remember his rookie year when we played them. He looked really good. I have a good feeling about TJD

  11. We get too hyped on these No Names, but it is a raptors tradition. From the Stanley Johnson’s to the Sony Weems. But for every journeyman underdeveloped player, there’s a Fred Van Vleet ready. I get it. It’s exhausting though but I get it.

  12. We need to have realistic expectations here. He’s front court depth, maybe a 9th / 10th man on the roster

  13. For me, developing would look like him figuring a solid 15 minutes in the rotation and being a small but positive trade asset

  15. If he turns out to be a net neutral emergency big that provides relief that’s totally fine. Front office clearly has it planned for a Yak return and CMB to play backup center.

  16. He’s definitely more of a forward than an actual center. Golden State lacked a lot of size so made him play small ball center. He’s a terrible finisher and can’t shoot but he is an athletic lob threat and has a bit of weight on him which is what you want for a small ball 5. His per 36 numbers show that he could be a decent rebounder and offer some rim protection. I’m not expecting much with him however, I just hope he can play more center minutes to keep guys like CMB, Mamu and Scottie fresh. We really can’t afford any of those guys to get injured with this last 3rd of the season left. This move may be a small move but could also be the difference between us avoiding the play in entirely.

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