“I’ma just stick to the models.” — Future



While I don’t believe “The WIZRD” is an album about NBA player projections, that’s not bad advice. This time of year tends to primarily focus on optimism and best-case scenarios. Player development would be complicated enough if we could somehow remain completely objective, and our biases, I think, tend to lean toward the over-optimistic. It’s easy to fall into that trap. It’s more fun, too. Sure, the numbers suggest Player X has disappointed and has limited upside, but my qualitative analysis — my eye test — suggests a breakout is bubbling right beneath the surface.



Future would cut you off there. Stick to the models.



I will not. At least not when it comes to OG Anunoby.



As explained in Part One yesterday, I’ll be running a three-part mini-series this week on player development as we try to establish expectations for the Toronto...