Toronto Raptors: 3 advantages Jalen Suggs has over Jalen Green

The Toronto Raptors were gifted the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and the expectation according to the mock draft experts seems to be that the Raptors will choose Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs, though USC center Evan Mobley and G League guard Jalen Green remain viable options.

Considering the team’s need at center, Toronto will likely take Mobley if he falls to them at No. 4. However, the team will need to figure out which of the two Jalens they prefer, as both of them could impact the Raptors in different fashions given their contrasting styles.

While Suggs is a ready-made point guard with a feel for the game that betrays his age, Green might have more offensive potential given how he can score at will. While both look like future stars in this league, the Raptors will need to eventually pick one of these two to settle on.

Green might have a higher ceiling as a scorer, but Suggs could end up as the better player. Suggs has 3 clear advantages over Green that the Raptors need to consider before finalizing their selection.

3 advantages Toronto Raptors draft target Jalen Suggs has over Jalen Green.

3. Passing

While this may be obvious considering Suggs profiles as a traditional point guard and Green looks like a wing scorer, the degree to which Suggs has overtaken green in this department is astonishing. Don’t let the assist averages fool you, as they aren’t always the best barometer of passing instincts.

Suggs’ flashy passing ould really start to shine if he goes to Toronto, as Nick Nurse’s offense has generally been able to coax high assist numbers out of points like Kyle Lowry. While Green did improve his passing in the G League as compared to his high school days, he isn’t the best at making tough passes off of the dribble just yet.

Jalen Suggs is more of a traditional point guard than Jalen Green.

While the Raptors could theoretically move Fred VanVleet to point guard and make Green the full-time shooting guard, making Suggs the primary ball-handler in tandem with VanVleet could make the offense even deadlier.

Green proved that when the ball arrives in his hands, he can isolate and score as well as anyone in this class. However, when looking purely at how these two would fit into Toronto’s offense, Suggs might be a better jigsaw piece for the high-octane, free-flowing puzzle Nurse wants to create.

2. Versatility on both sides

One of the few concerns about Green relates to his frame. At around 170 pounds at 6-5, Green might be too small to play as a traditional small forward in smaller lineups. While he is an electric athlete, he might not have the point guard skills needed to man that role full-time.

Suggs, on the other hand, can fill that point guard role on offense if needed. Say the Raptors want to make VanVleet the primary ball-handler and move Suggs to shooting guard. No problem!

Jrue Holiday is a very good player comparison for Suggs, and one of the reasons this comparison rings true is how both of them can operate off-ball due to their scoring and movement without the rock.

Jalen Suggs might be able to fill more roles for the Toronto Raptors.

On defense, Suggs could guard both guard spots and wouldn’t be out of place if he ends up defending small forwards in smaller lineups, especially considering how the Raptors will switch on the defensive end. Green’s slight frame might mean that he is stuck on smaller scorers and wings.

Suggs is a whole 30 pounds heavier than Green, and that added muscle should serve him well in the pros. Green might be a better pure scorer as a rookie, but the Raptors can trust Suggs to line up in more spots and accomplish a greater number of tasks in his first few years.

1. On-Ball Defense

This might be the only area where Green can be classed as “poor.” Not only did he have some lapses technically on that end in the G League, but the previously addressed concerns about his fit on that end make him a less attractive prospect when that is taken into account.

Suggs, meanwhile, excels on the defensive end. His body paired with a relentless motor makes him an on-ball defender that can match up with the best opposing backcourt player. In a testament to his skill on that end, Suggs also is one of the better off-ball defenders in this class.

Defense is a strength for Jalen Suggs and a weakness for Jalen Green.

Suggs will be trusted to score early and often in his hypothetical Raptors career, but his value as a rookie will lie in his ability to mesh well with VanVleet as a distributor and defender, as the Wichita State alum, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby will handle the bulk of the scoring next year.

The Raptors will need to fix their rim protection in order to really beef up their defense, but what Suggs has been able to do on the defensive end should help the Raptors have one of the stingiest perimeter units in the game with or without Lowry.