[octothorp]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I think people are overvaluing DeRozan just a little. Not that he's bad player at all, but he's not a superstar and I'm not sure he will ever become one. For instance...

Player A at age 24: 24.6 PPG, 42% FG, 41% 3PT, 87% FT, 38 MPG
Player B at age 24: 25.8 PPG, 45% FG, 42% 3PT, 88% FT, 36 MPG
Player C at age 24: 22.7 PPG, 43% FG, 30% 3PT, 82% FT, 38 MPG

Player A is Kevin Martin, Player B is Danny Granger and Player C is DeMar DeRozan. Now I strongly suspect no one considers either of the first two players to be a superstar. DeMar can absolutely be a key compenent to a title contender, he just can't be the focus. DeRozan's jump this year over previous years is almost entirely based on the massive jump in free throw attempts per game (from a previous high of 5.3 to 8). And interstingly enough, Martin and Granger both saw similar jumps in FTA in their 24 year old seasons (7.1 to 9.5 for Martin; 4.7 to 6.9 for Granger)

Interesting choice of comparisons. You picked two players who improved until around the age of 24 and then suffered knee or ankle injuries that completely altered the course of their career and caused them to miss most of their next couple seasons. I'd argue that both Martin and Granger could have been multiple all-stars and, on the right teams, key parts of championship contenders, had they not sustained huge injuries during their primes.