Finding comparisons for every active player on the Toronto Raptors
Player comparisons are a fun, unique way to view each player. We came up with the best comps of the past 20 years for every player on the Toronto Raptors.
It’s a new year, and a number of Toronto Raptors have continued to develop, helping Toronto climb to the top of the league. Players like Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, and Serge Ibaka have revolutionized their games through changes in confidence, or style of play. They’ve found a viable role for themselves on an ever-talented roster full of interesting players. Let’s try to find suitable comparisons for everyone on board.
To keep the comparisons relevant, I’ll use an arbitrary cut-off point of the year 2000, meaning the players that will be used will generally have played in the last 20 years (hard to believe the millennium was almost 20 years ago!).
Let’s begin!
The traditional centers
Jonas Valanciunas: Enes Kanter
This was possibly the easiest of the group because I’ve been comparing these two side by side for years – as have many other folks. Both are centers who gobble up rebounds, and excel at scoring efficiently in the post, pretty simple. Their advanced stats are near-identical. Both guys even struggle to stay on the floor due to specific restrictions defensively.
These two are, for lack of a better phrase, contemporaries of the most obvious degree. It might not be the flashiest comparison, but it’s the right one.
Greg Monroe: Brad Miller
Although his numbers this year don’t show it, Greg Monroe is actually a very talented passer. For years in Detroit, Monroe operated on the elbow as a shot creator, averaging 3.5 assists per game at his apex. Brad Miller was quite similar. While his assist totals were much higher thanks to his time playing with Rick Adelman’s Sacramento Kings, Miller had a very similar skill-set.
The version of Monroe that can find an open shooter on the perimeter is buried somewhere deep down in Moose. However, all we’ve seen so far this year is his size make room for grabbing rebounds and putting up 2-foot bunnies. I’m not suggesting he’s being used wrong, because he’s very capable in his role. I’m simply suggesting if we need the old version, he should be there.