Who scores more points this year?

[Monster]

LST a couple more thoughts on Patterson and Bennett. Bennett just hasn't shown to be that good of a rebounder either in 2 season in the NBA. Is he better than Patterson? Sure but that's not saying a lot. We are taking like 1.5 Rebs per 36 mins difference. Both guys SHOULD be better rebounders than they are but Bennett needs to prove that he is better before I give him much of an edge there. Carroll being the SF probably helps offset that from either player.

What Patterson brings to the Raptors is a floor spacer and very efficient player on offense. This is key with Derozen and Val as guys who need space. Since coming to Toronto Patterson has seen his TS% rise and last year he really nailed the shots he took at a high level.

It doesn't sound like defense is really a strong suit of Patterson but Bennett has been largely awful there. I thought Bennett was fine for team Canada but I don't know if he is going to be vastly improved in that regard. He may (he battled this summer) offer stronger interior man post defense which supposedly is Patterson's biggest weakness and he is better as a perimeter guy.

Bennett will get opportunities this year but I find it a difficult stretch to imagine him jumping over other effective players for regular rotation minutes. If he does fantastic I just think it's an unrealistic jump for a guy that's been largely ineffective for 2 of the worst NBA teams in the league the times he played for. Obviously that can hurt a player as well but he also recieved opportunities he may not have gotten on a good team. He will have to stay healthy and earn minutes. His play this summer is encouraging but he has a lot to prove.

[Monster]

This is a whacky question and nobody is likely to score a lot of points so it's nearly anyone's game. I picked KG. he scored more points last year and see sat out a lot of games. It's probably between him and Bjelica for me.

Well for our sake, I sure hope one of those guys scores a lot of points. We need production from PF. Love put in 2000+ points in his last year here. Thad Young scored about 700 for us last year before being dealt and roughly 1100 between two teams. It's possible the points (and the minutes) are going to be evenly split between KG/Payne/Bjelica. But a lot can happen. KG might get hurt (he's old) or he might play inspired. Bjelica might be awesome...or awful. Payne might get more run than we thought which could be good (or bad). It's just a poll question to get everyone thinking....the PF spot is now supposed to be a position of strength, but is it really? If Pek is healthy enough to play, I still hope Towns gets decent minutes at PF.

I get where you are coming from but I will say It really depends a little on where points come from other positions. There are scorers at other spots. If you look around the league very few teams have a lot of players that score more than double digits. If we end up with 3-4 guys that average 7-9ppg each playing that PF spot and in some cases some minutes at another position that won't be too bad. Dieng will probably play some minutes at PF as well and he will put up a few points. I am more interested in rebounds and defense and smart play from PF (embodies KG right now) than what they score. It's a PF by committee and it's an interesting combination of players in a good way in that they have a variety of skill sets.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Oh, boy. Bennett's just going to walk in and beat out Patterson, Scola AND Johnson for meaningful playing time, huh? That's nonsense, and I'd bet heavily that it doesn't happen.

Also, I don't see why Bjelica couldn't average 10 PPG if Bennett can. He's more skilled than AB, plain and simple. His dribble drive game is far superior, he's got a better post game (basic, but better than AB's), and his jumper is more reliable. Not to mention, you can write him in for 15-20 minutes a game when KG plays, and 30 when he doesn't. He'll have the opportunities.

*Nikola Mirotic, another Euro MVP, averaged 10.2 PPG in 20.2 MPG last year as a rookie.

**Anthony Bennett is very likely to miss games. Hasn't played more than 57 games in his two years, and his injuries have long been afforded to him as excuses. How convenient that we leave that out when discussing a total points scored poll.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

I think Payne scores the most. KG will miss games. I think NB is a little overhyped right now and the transition to the NBA is being undersold. People bring up the Miroric comparison. Mirotic was sub par for a lot of last year. He had one really good month (20 PPG that month) bring all his stats up to a decent level. Payne is likely to be the most consistent since he's going into his second year in the league with no injury history. He was the second most consistent guy on the SL squad behind Lavine and he was doing the things that will earn him PT (energy, hustle and aggressiveness).

In general, if Pek isn't healthy I would expect us to struggle to score the ball this year. The threats to score in the frontcourt really just aren't there and combine that with Ricky's lack of scoring and I think other teams will just stick to our wings like glue and make everyone else beat them.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

A second-year professional or a guy who's played and excelled at professional basketball for almost eight years? Payne's going to have the easier transition? Are you kidding me?

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

A second-year professional or a guy who's played and excelled at professional basketball for almost eight years? Payne's going to have the easier transition? Are you kidding me?

Euro basketball is the same competition level as the NBA. Got it. He could have played in the Euroleague for 15 years and it wouldn't make a bit of damn difference in his transition to the NBA. They are two completely different leagues in terms of play style and athleticism. Let's hear what you have to say after AD, Griffin, Aldridge, Randolph, etc. make him their bitch and CP3, Westbrook and Curry destroy him in the PnR. It's a different game here and Payne has a year under his belt even under terrible circumstances.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

A second-year professional or a guy who's played and excelled at professional basketball for almost eight years? Payne's going to have the easier transition? Are you kidding me?

Euro basketball is the same competition level as the NBA. Got it. He could have played in the Euroleague for 15 years and it wouldn't make a bit of damn difference in his transition to the NBA. They are two completely different leagues in terms of play style and athleticism. Let's hear what you have to say after AD, Griffin, Aldridge, Randolph, etc. make him their bitch and CP3, Westbrook and Curry destroy him in the PnR. It's a different game here and Payne has a year under his belt even under terrible circumstances.

Nobody said the competition level was the same, but Bjelica has been producing against good players overseas and you're throwing that out of the equation because... Who the hell knows why.

Anthony Davis: MVP candidate.
Blake Griffin: MVP candidate.
LaMarcus Aldridge: MVP candidate.
Zach Randolph: All-Star.
Chris Paul: MVP candidate.
Russell Westbrook: MVP candidate.
Steph Curry: 2014-15 MVP winner.

Those guys destroy their opponents nightly. To say that Bjelica should be on their level is absurd and not even part of the discussion. You're grasping at nothing there. Kevin Garnett is likely going to get worked by each of those guys this season too. Tip your cap to the best players in the world and gain some realistic expectations, khans.

Payne has half of a season in the NBA under his belt in which he was abused night in and night out. That experience gives him zero edge against Bjelica.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Also the position of AP and AB not amounting to much in this league based on their level of play to date is bullshit. They each haven't played enough to make that judgement yet. People are so quick to forget, but Lavine was statistically the worst player in the entire league at one point last year. Then he got a boatload of PT, finished with 1900+ minutes and improved a whole lot by the end of the year. In comparison Payne played 700+ minutes and AB is still only at 1500+ (800+ for us last year) after 2 years. If the jury is still out on Lavine even after playing more than the other two already, why has the verdict been submitted on AP and AB?

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

A second-year professional or a guy who's played and excelled at professional basketball for almost eight years? Payne's going to have the easier transition? Are you kidding me?

Euro basketball is the same competition level as the NBA. Got it. He could have played in the Euroleague for 15 years and it wouldn't make a bit of damn difference in his transition to the NBA. They are two completely different leagues in terms of play style and athleticism. Let's hear what you have to say after AD, Griffin, Aldridge, Randolph, etc. make him their bitch and CP3, Westbrook and Curry destroy him in the PnR. It's a different game here and Payne has a year under his belt even under terrible circumstances.

Nobody said the competition level was the same, but Bjelica has been producing against good players overseas and you're throwing that out of the equation because... Who the hell knows why.

Anthony Davis: MVP candidate.
Blake Griffin: MVP candidate.
LaMarcus Aldridge: MVP candidate.
Zach Randolph: All-Star.
Chris Paul: MVP candidate.
Russell Westbrook: MVP candidate.
Steph Curry: 2014-15 MVP winner.

Those guys destroy their opponents nightly. To say that Bjelica should be on their level is absurd and not even part of the discussion. You're grasping at nothing there. Kevin Garnett is likely going to get worked by each of those guys this season too. Tip your cap to the best players in the world and gain some realistic expectations, khans.

Payne has half of a season in the NBA under his belt in which he was abused night in and night out. That experience gives him zero edge against Bjelica.

Producing overseas means jack shit in terms of a guy's likelihood to produce in the NBA especially during his rookie NBA year. You're arguing his years overseas have him better prepared for the NBA than a guy who's played in the NBA already. That's stupid. If that was the case every productive player in Europe could just waltz over here and be more productive and better options than our college prospects. That's not the case. Splitter and Pek were both highly productive European players (arguably better than NB) that did jack shit their first year in the league. His years in Europe mean nothing besides giving him a chance to make it in the league and they are far from being the decider for his actual staying power. I don't understand why it's hard to comprehend that a guy who's already been in the NBA for a year is more prepared for the NBA than a guy who has never been in the NBA before.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I went with my boy Bjelica.

Cam, While I'm excited about Bjelica too, it wasn't so long ago that you were fairly indifferent toward him and pumped up Bojan Dubljevi? as the superior alternative. I'm assuming it was this most recent season and FIBA tournament that changed your indifference to now calling him "my boy"?