Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan vs. Sonny Weems

Almost from the moment DeMar DeRozan was drafted ninth overall in 2009, the rookie was a virtual lock to be the Toronto Raptors starting shooting guard.

And almost to the moment Sonny Weems was drafted ninth in the second round of the 2008 draft by the Chicago Bulls, Weems was traded to the Denver Nuggets for a 2009 second round draft pick.

Sonny Weems never really got a chance to play with the Denver Nuggets.  Not really a surprise as Denver was a fully loaded Western Conference contender that had little time or patience to deal with a rookie.  Let alone a second round rookie.

Weems had a total of 55 minutes of NBA court experience when he arrived in Toronto.  And he never even saw the floor until game five of the 2009-10 season when Weems played for two minutes against New Orleans.

The differences between Sonny Weems and DeMar DeRozan can be summed up in one word, age!

DeMar DeRozan was a 19-year-old freshman from USC when he was drafted.  The typical young, high potential wing player that is a lottery draft pick in the hopes he develops into a legitimate NBA starter or better.

Sonny Weems was a college senior about to turn 22-years-old when drafted.  The typical good college player whom everyone feels may have topped out in his development after four years of college ball.

But as a physical specimen, Sonny Weems tested out superior to his younger competition in many areas.

First, Sonny Weems is fast.  At the NBA draft camp testing, Weems completed the 3/4 court sprint in under three seconds, a full 10 percent faster than DeRozan.

Second, Weems is strong.  Weems completed 12 bench press reps compared to just five for DeRozan.

And Weems is decidedly “longer” than his friend DeRozan.  A standing reach of 8′ 8″ and a wing span of 6′ 10″ gives Weems a better than 1″ advantage.

It might be interesting to note that DeRozan at 6′ 6.5″ in shoes measured 1″ taller than Weems.  But that isn’t noticeable on the court.

As one of the league’s prized rookies, it was DeMar DeRozan who was invited to the slam dunk contest during All-Star weekend.  And DeMar can do some amazing things in the air.  A good leaper, DeMar has a 29″ standing vertical jump that he can get to a maximum of 38.5″.

But Sonny Weems won a college slam dunk competition and can get some air of his own.  Sonny also has a 29″ standing vertical jump and can get up to a maximum of 36.5″.  One may have noticed, Sonny can dunk.

As the season has worn on, it has become apparent that the on-court offensive production differences between these two players wasn’t like the typical lottery pick versus second rounder.

When given a chance, Sonny Weems could hold his own against the rookie.  And Sonny’s age, quickness, and strength was giving him a decided advantage on the defensive end of the floor.  Quite simply, it has been harder for opposing wings to take advantage of Sonny.

As each month of the season has past and the Raptors coaching staff gained confidence in Weems abilities, Sonny Weems on-court performances have improved.

	Sonny Weems 2009-2010
		G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	November	9	0	9.9	43.2%	0.0%	0.0%	1.3	0.4	0.1	0.2	3.6
	December	13	0	19.2	45.1%	0.0%	58.8%	2.6	2.1	0.8	0.7	7.1
	January	13	3	15.3	48.2%	0.0%	64.3%	2.3	1.2	0.2	0.2	4.8
	February	10	3	20.3	53.3%	50.0%	81.8%	2.2	0.9	0.4	0.3	7.4
	March	16	5	22.5	59.8%	33.3%	64.3%	3.5	1.6	0.5	0.2	9.0
	As a Starter	11	11	26.4	61.3%	66.7%	71.4%	4.0	1.8	0.6	0.1	10.0

Sonny started five games in March including the last four games in place of DeMar DeRozan at shooting guard.  And Sonny’s production as a starter has been impressive.  Who wouldn’t be impressed by 10 points in 26 minutes on 61 percent shooting?

But there is no reason to be giving up on the Raptors rookie either.  There is every reason to believe that by the time DeMar DeRozan is 23-years-old, his play and statistics will have improved significantly and his rookie numbers are alright.

	DeMar DeRozan 2009-2010
		G	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
	In October	2	2	22.0	46.2%	0.0%	100.0%	5.0	1.0	0.5	1.0	7.0
	In November	16	16	17.9	43.3%	44.4%	75.0%	2.6	0.7	0.6	0.6	6.6
	In December	15	15	22.5	45.1%	0.0%	81.3%	3.1	0.7	0.7	0.2	8.7
	In January	12	12	23.1	51.1%	0.0%	75.8%	2.8	0.6	0.5	0.2	9.8
	In February	8	8	22.4	48.1%	0.0%	62.5%	4.1	1.0	0.8	0.0	8.1
	In March	16	12	23.8	54.8%	0.0%	82.1%	2.2	0.7	0.5	0.1	9.9
	As a Sub	4	4	21.5	69.6%	0.0%	84.8%	1.8	0.8	0.5	0.2	10.2

And in DeMar’s last four games as a substitute off the bench, the rookie has elevated his level of play and been decidedly more effective.

Jay Triano’s late season move to promote Sonny Weems to the starting line-up and bring the Raptors prized rookie off the bench looks like the right move, even if some of us were calling for this a month ago.

“DeMar DeRozan looks like the Raptors starting shooting guard of the future, his play does not resemble that of a starting shooting guard of today.”

Source: Time for a Change

Triano has already proven that he can keep the rookie’s minutes the same coming off the bench and DeRozan looks like he’s enjoying the opportunity to play against backups.

If the Raptors hold onto both of their young prospects through the coming off-season, the battle between them to start is far from over.  And it’s the team that will be the ultimate winner of that contest.

But for the rest of this season, it’s Sonny Weems turn to take on the burden of guarding some of the NBA’s best talent while continuing to be effective at the offensive end of the court.

And DeMar DeRozan can continue his development against slightly less skilled second string wing players coming off the bench.

It’s all good!