Would Derozan work in the 3 spot?

[koncept]

There's been some talk about Demar Derozan sliding to the 3 spot if we draft a SG next season. Personally I think there may be some size issue and I wanted to get a feel of how many people actually think he could work playing as a small forward

[WJF]

I don't feel he can play that spot 30 plus minutes a game. If he were a physical defender and player now, maybe I would give him a chance, but I don't want him as the starting small forward on my team.

[ceez]

I dunno on one hand he was way more effective last year playing the 3 but on the other hand those werent really big minutes nor does he have much of a frame and he clearly doesn't seem too keen on hitting the gym.

[Miekenstien]

voted no. i think it gives a built in excuse for more development. we would be hearing a lot of "demar learning a new position" talk.

if they wanted him there they should have played him there to start his career.

[Usagi_yo_Jimbo]

It would be a nice idea for derozan to play the 3, so maybe we can concentrate on an sg or even a pg on the draft, like lillard, rivers or lamb. But, truth is, he would get beaten to a pulp at that position, it'll work for stretches at a time, but as a full-time sf, not gonna work.

[Hello]

IF he can really workout and put on a lot more weight while still being explosive on offense, then yes.

But I do not see that as being likely, so im going to vote no.

[Thomas A.]

I've seen enough skinny 3's succeed, that I'm not too worried about it. As long as he applies himself on D.

It's his crappy rebounding that concerns me. If Andrea is still on the team, I don't think they can get away with it.

[saints91]

My main concern would be rebounding. We already have PF that plays away from the rim and DeMar doesn't show a desire to hit the boards. I don't know where our rebounds would come from. Jonas would have to average 25 rebounds a night.

[ezz_bee]

I voted yes because I do think it's realistic that the BPA if/when we use our lottery pick could be a shooting guard and could be taken by Coangelo. If this happens I think it is REALLY likely that demar could be moved to SF.

It the question was

"Do you think Demar is likely to be an above average starting SF should he get the majority of his minutes at that position?" I would say no due to size, defense, and rebounding.

But I do think there is a realistic possibility that he will get a lot of minutes at SF next year based on who we draft.

I do think we should keep in mind that the Raptors thought that Sonny Weems was a better option at SF than Demar. I still think that had sonny and demar battled it out for minutes at the 2 spot, we may have resigned weems as a back up SG.

[Nilanka]

I voted no (mainly from a defensive perspective).

DeMar is already one of our weakest perimeter defenders. Moving him to SF, where he would face even tougher matchups, is likely a recipe for disaster. As some have mentioned, if you combine this with DeMar's aversion to rebounding, it has "bad idea" written all over it.

If we end up drafting a SG, then trade DeRozan (rather than attempting to fit a square peg through a round hole).

[Apollo]

I voted yes. I've tossed this idea out here many times. I feel his natural skill set is better suited to the 3. Anyone questioning size needs to check out Bruce Bowen.

[jimmie]

I voted yes. I've tossed this idea out here many times. I feel his natural skill set is better suited to the 3. Anyone questioning size needs to check out Bruce Bowen.

Bruce Bowen was a special defensive player, one of the best of all time, plus a very good 3-point shooter. Derozan hasn't shown that kind of elite ability in any area yet. I wouldn't hang my hat on DD's ability to move to the SF spot based on Bowen's success.

[Prime]

Bruce Bowen was a special defensive player, one of the best of all time, plus a very good 3-point shooter. Derozan hasn't shown that kind of elite ability in any area yet. I wouldn't hang my hat on DD's ability to move to the SF spot based on Bowen's success.

Replace "special" with dirty and you have it down to a T.

[SuperRaptor]

He definitely has the skill set, all he needs is to bulk up a bit, I think he can do it.

[CalgaryRapsFan]

DeRozan can play SF offensively, but not defensively. He's not good defensively at SG, without the increased physical demands that would come with the switch to SF.

[ceez]

he doesn't do much at SG defensively either anyways

[Ambidextrious]

Yes he can! From the small sample of him playing at the 3, we can all agree he is effective at that position.

[NoPropsneeded]

nah I'd rather him play SG. He has a size advantage there and it is easier for him to get his shots off against smaller guards. If we move him to SF long term he is going to struggle on offense.

[jlongs]

Voted no since I don't think he works in the starting line up, at least not in his current state. He only gets the starting nod by default since we got no one else, but we need something better if we want to succeed in the playoffs or even get there. Now hopefully that something better comes from Demar himself improving, but if not we need to look elsewhere. Moving him to the 3 won't suddenly make his weak defense improve, just like moving Bargs to the 4 suddenly made him a more effective defender- it was his effort during the start of the season that was noticeably improved. I don't know if effort alone is enough for Demar though. Ball-handling, finishing in traffic, finishing despite contact, rebounding, going around screens, competitiveness - all of which aren't good enough to be our starting 2 OR 3.

The only reason I can see him being better at the 3 is because there are less scorers at that position that he has to defend. It's the same reason Jordan moved to the 3 over at Washington- he didn't have the legs anymore to chase around younger guards the whole game. But that would be more of a cop out than a strategic move. On the flip side is defenders will be much taller than him and can easily contest his shots, and since he doesn't have the handles nor the quickness to go around them, or even the strength to go through them, he'd be even more limited offensively.

Bottom line is we need DD to get better, or we need someone better to replace him.

[ReubenJRD]

I think his athleticism is the only advantage he is at the small forward, and plus his size being 6'7.

Defensively he has problems guarding bigger SG's, how about coming across guys like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony who would hand it to him on the post? Offensively I don't believe it's going to be a big problem at the 3.