Hoops Habit
Fansided

You’re The GM: Lance Stephenson or DeMar DeRozan?

By Luke Duffy

Jan 7, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson (1) is guarded by Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson (1) is guarded by Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

In last week’s You’re The GM, the first of the new season, Rajon Rondo got the better of Deron Williams. You can view that piece here, and in fact it was a little closer than I thought it would be, although Rondo still won out pretty comfortably. This week, we turn our attentions to two shooting guards who are similar in age and experience, and who will both be looking to have great seasons next year.

DeMar DeRozan and Lance Stephenson are different players in what they do and where they’re at, but with Stephenson recently moving team, they figure to be more closely linked as their careers continue. Let’s take a look at both, before deciding who you would rather have in your team if you had to pick one.

Apr 4, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan drives past Indiana Pacers Lance Stephenson during the first half at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors DeMar DeRozan drives past Indiana Pacers Lance Stephenson during the first half at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

DeMar DeRozan

The 25-year-old has been in the NBA for five years now, and has improved his game accordingly as he’s gotten older. Drafted to what was then a poor Raptors team, he is arguably the go to guy for the franchise now, although some would say point guard Kyle Lowry is, and he was a first time All-Star last season. His 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and four assists made him deserving of this accolade, as he was a huge factor in Toronto returning to the playoffs and coining that catchy ‘We The North’ slogan. Whereas before DeRozan relied on his mind bending athletic ability to get him through games, these days he has learned to harness it to harass opponents.

Not known for his defending, much improvement could also be made in his three-point shooting as well, where he shot just thirty percent last season. Other than that though, he is a tremendous offensive player, who has pretty much perfected the midrange game, even if it is going out of fashion. He is a well-built wing player who can do so much with the ball, but also a lot without it which people don’t notice. He runs and spreads the floor well, and it has been fun to watch this guy grow in confidence on this team. His Player Efficiency Rating of 18.4 last season was fantastic, especially when you consider the league average is fifteen. Clearly then, he is influencing the game in the right way for his team.

More from NBA

Where there might be some concern however, is wondering just how much better he can become. He will not be able to rely on athleticism forever as he gets older, and while he has expanded his game considerably, it is still a valid question. Are last year’s stats as good as it will get for him, with a couple more All-Star nods to boot?

At worst, this guy will be in the league for a decade more, but the risk here is that he has peaked already. There is nothing wrong with that of course, he’s one of the best shooting guards in the league, but for how long before he is overtaken by others in that position?

Lance Stephenson

Some may be annoyed that this is even a question, given how Stephenson has been a bit of a bonehead so far in his career, but he deserves to be here. As a part of the Indiana Pacers, he showed a little of everything. Looking lost on offensive sets, making stupid plays were he ran headfirst into the paint and the waiting arms of five opponents. Being so far out of his depth against the Miami Heat in 2012 that it was hard not to have sympathy for him, there have been many moments when you wondered why this guy was quite so hyped coming into the league.

But for all of those moments there was also the stellar play against that same Heat team in the playoffs in 2013. Even last year, he looked the best player on the court for the Pacers during the playoffs for long stretches. Offensively he is a juggernaut in that he can get to the paint almost at will. He also had the most triple-doubles in the league last year as well with five. He is a matchup nightmare for opponents, and when he’s tuned in he can really go off. Add to that the fact he’s a better defender than DeRozan, and suddenly there’s a few things going for this guy.

But here is where it gets really interesting. Moving to the Charlotte Hornets, Stephenson now has an opportunity to be the man for a team. He’ll see a lot more of the ball and get to do with it what he wants. In Indiana with the way head coach Frank Vogel sets them up and Paul George and Roy ‘I need my touches’ Hibbert to keep happy, that wasn’t the case. He is in a great scenario, so much so where you have to think he has shown enough flashes of his potential that he can grow into a more complete player than DeRozan. Players with potential are always given a chance, it’s the reason Michael Beasley is still in the league. Stephenson has heaps of it, and finally he’s going to get a chance to really showcase it.

His numbers last season, 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists, might trail DeRozan in scoring, but if anything it just highlights once again that he is more of a well rounded player. Certainly not as well behaved as DeRozan though, but just how much should that count against him?

Verdict

This is a really tough one. On one hand you have DeRozan, who last season was the better player on a team where he had to do more of the heavy lifting. His All-Star selection validated that, however Stephenson was one of the biggest snubs to the annual exhibition game. If DeRozan could add a consistent three point game, it would make him hard to resist.

But I just can’t keep returning to Stephenson. As mentioned above, Ive seen him do some truly stupid things on the basketball court. I’ve also seen him play at a level that makes you think he could be the first option on a playoff team himself. He has that opportunity now, and I’m excited to see how he grasps it.

So I’m going with Lance Stephenson, because I believe the best is yet to come from this guy. He will be an All-Star next season. A final word on DeMar DeRozan though, he has come such a long way and is a great player, it was hard to turn him down. What do you think? Leave your choice in the comments below and as usual, the player with the most votes wins!