Sanji vs King stat analysis. Also will be debunking a few misconceptions. Starting with the biggest one speed:

Speed - King

Speed wise, King and Sanji have the similar feats. They’re both able to go invisible.
Here we see King replicate Sanji’s same feat and the anime also shows this. but King’s feat is actually more impressive. Based on two reasons:

1. He’s much bigger than Sanji (approximately 3.4 times bigger) this important because the bigger the object/thing the faster it would need to travel in order to appear invisible. Which means King would need to travel faster than compared to Sanji to achieve the same feat.
2. Light - depending on how bright or dark a room is, the harder or easier it is for an object to disappear. King wears all black and Black absorbs Light energy more than any other colour meaning it would (again) be harder for someone like King to disappear unless he was travelling faster than someone who isn’t wearing full black outfit. Yes, I’m using physics in a fictional story, but physics in One Piece is somewhat consistent and actually utilised by Oda so some extent, and my point stands until it’s proven otherwise.

Now that we’ve established these points, it proves how King would need to travel faster in order to appear invisible than compared to what Sanji did. So King has a higher top speed than Sanji Sanji on the other hand, has faster acceleration than King. We know this based on the multiple emphasis on his improvement in acceleration after awakening and the sound FX Oda decided to use.
​
So King has higher top speed but Sanji has faster acceleration.
There’s also two levels to Sanji’s speed. His based speed (after awakening) which is relative to Hybrid Queen (as he was tagged by Queen many times)
​
​
https://preview.redd.it/cfrmefejvu3b1.jpg?width=1111&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31f6acc2cc83adcc5296929490570bfce1525575
​
https://preview.redd.it/qy84n4covu3b1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0638856b33e0bad8e74b7d384f83b38dca6036ce
And no, Sanji wasn’t having a mental breakdown (not at this moment in time) because in the very chapter before all this - he fortifies his resolve, accepting his fate and tells Zoro to kill him if need be.
​
from this point on, Sanji is completely stable (mentally)
But he is still getting tagged by Queen. However, he’s also able tag Queen too, in base speed:
https://imgur.com/a/QryQO95
Meaning he’s relative to Queen’s speed. And his second level of speed is when he goes invisible. This is only a temporary speed boost (similar to how Zoro is able to get a boost with Asura) and it drains his stamina heavily as we see him huffing and puffing immediately after going invisible against Queen.
​
https://preview.redd.it/8lqp2tnixu3b1.jpg?width=349&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b125f1979f2f98dbbef91600425827f9db51bad4
So unlike King, Sanji can’t maintain his speed - it’s temporary. King’s speed is constant (not a temporary boost) and doesn’t drain his stamina. He can toggle between his defense and speed and there’s no delay either. So King is has faster top speed, Sanji has faster acceleration, King can maintain his speed for longer, Sanji’s speed is a temporary boost and drains Stamina.
In terms of base King’s speed is also impressive as he easily dodges a named air slash from Zoro within mid range:
https://i.imgur.com/F90DSMt.jpg
But we have Queen unable to react to this from Zoro when he was very far away:
https://i.imgur.com/Q6PpDsq.jpg
Flame mode King Speed > Queen speed. And no, Oda’s SBS statement about Sanji does not downscale King in anyway. King’s speed is independent of Sanji and vice versa. I’m also aware Sanji’s flames increases his attacking speed (combat speed).
​
\"speed of my kick\" aka attacking speed/combat speed
​
https://imgur.com/a/8wtzngn
Don’t mistake it with Travel Speed
Overall Speed = King

Strength - King

King has some impressive strength feats such as casually overpowering Zoro multiple times. The same Zoro who blocked and deflected ocean Sovereignty (yes he did and I’ll prove it)
​
Here we see the initial release and trajectory of OS (Ocean Sovereignty) which is horizontal above Onigashima's skull.
​
Next we see that Zoro blocked OS and you can see how the trajectory changes from horizontal to diagonal because of Zoro's block .
​
And then a second later it explodes. So Zoro blocked and deflected/parried OS by changing it's trajectory.
Yet we see King casually overpower Zoro:
https://i.imgur.com/WZanHkq.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ST9SdcX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wH2VhuF.jpg
​
King is that guy pal, trust me; he is that guy. Now let’s look at Sanji’s most impressive “strength feat”
​
Sanji kicking a 20 ton dinosaur outta Onigashima \"with his strength\"
Except, this isn’t entirely a strength feat but mainly a speed and AP feat. Well since his AP involves speed it’s primarily a speed feat and here’s why: The main attribute of Ifrit Jambe (IJ) is the heat and force of the attack. The force is mainly generated by the increased speed due to hotter flames ( because hotter flames = faster kicks) exoskeleton and muscle which increases the overall force/AP of the attack. Sanji mentions strength but the strength is actually the combination of multiple different factors as i've explained but also stated by Sanji:
​
\"muscle\" is combined with many different factors; in order to increase \"strength\"
Meaning it’s not just "strength" alone as he is specifically referring to the force/AP of the attack which is dependent on multiple different factors and not raw physical strength exuded from his muscles. Next let’s analyse how he sent Queen out the island.
Sanji lands a 10 hit hit combo here. Each attack is fueled by immense speed and momentum. Sanji is transferring all that speed and momentum into Queen and conserving it, allowing all the Kinetic energy to build up, this in turn allows him to to easily direct it all in one direction with all the pent up energy and the added heat from IJ just explodes Queen into the sky. So it’s less of a Strength feat and more of a Speed/AP feat. Other than this, Sanji lacks strength feats (and rightfully so because that just isn’t his fighting style).
Overall Strength - King

Durability - King

Both have impressive durability. Sanji has impressive exoskeleton feats but we haven’t seen it’s limit, so far this is the best feat:
​
tanks a slash to the face from a gaint blade from Queen while offguard
But then this happens:
​
takes damage from being thrown around
​
takes damage from electricity
​
So his durability isn’t too great compared to the feats King has shown.
​
He takes Zero damage from this attack, which is the same one that cut Kaido.
​
And he even states (indirectly) that his durability surpasses Kaido’s.
​
btw the same attack which King easily tanked, was able to cut Kaido
​
Overall Durability - King

Endurance - Sanji

This easily goes to Sanji. The man literally has regeneration and was able to heal and restructure his entire internal organ and Skeletal Systems after being turned to mush within a few moments:
https://imgur.com/a/QoIeKCc
Then you have King who couldn’t even regen his Wing that was cut off despite having a full week to heal up. Yes, I know Zoans fast recovery rates but Sanji regened more in a few seconds than what King did in a week.

AP - Sanji/King

Sanji’s IJ has the highest AP as it’s the hottest version of his flames, the force and speed behind the kicks are also impressive. King also has strong AP, with his strongest attack being the Extra Large Imperial Flaming Wings (ELIFW)
https://i.imgur.com/OlMk5I3.jpg
which is a bigger and hotter version of the “Magma like” Imperial Flaming wings (IFW)
https://i.imgur.com/Odk2pYc.jpg
The temperature of blue flames is around 2500 - 3000°C and the temperature of Magma is similar but a little cooler (around 2400°C) but Kings ELIFW are hotter than the normal version meaning their AP is relative. The only difference is that Sanji’s IJ is a finisher attack so he’s less likely to use it casually but once he does, he’s able to land many hits effectively, where as King’s IFW is a more casual attack but easier to evade.
Overall AP - Draw (both relative)

DC - King

Sanji has practically Zero DC feats other than maybe with IJ where as King’s flame attacks cause huge explosions almost the size of Onigashima’s skull.
https://i.imgur.com/p231BJ0.jpg
And Oda keeps the size consistent as we see it from different perspectives/angles:
https://i.imgur.com/hh0fpxI.jpg
Overall DC - King

Stamina - Sanji/King

Both have relatively similar Stamina feats. King fights for a very long time against different opponents and Sanji fights multiple battles too before his main one.
Overall Stamina - Draw

Hax - Sanji

Germa awakening really levelled up his Hax exponentially, nothing else needs to be said honestly, King isn’t too far behind in terms of Hax but Sanji is just the clear winner.

Haki - Sanji/King

Both have decent Haki feats. Sanji is known for his exceptional base CoO ability with some great feats to back it up,
https://i.imgur.com/Lmoiknz.jpg
And King has Armament Haki strong enough to match Zoro’s and not be damaged despite also going up against Enma.
https://i.imgur.com/J5537gH.jpg
Overall Haki - Draw

IQ/BIQ - Sanji

Due to King lacking IQ/BIQ feats compared to Sanji’s many feats that we have seen over the years, Sanji takes this comfortably.
Overall IQ/BIQ - Sanji
Summary: King is superior or relative to Sanji in almost every category of stat, although Sanji is not too far behind - he is still inferior in almost every category. A lot of misconceptions about Sanji’s speed needed to be discussed because a lot of the times it’s over exaggerated and meanwhile; King’s speed feat is underrated. King is just a superior version of Sanji right now until Sanji gets stronge power creeped or unlocks new abilities.
But as of now: King > Sanji extreme diff.

So have you heard that the Blazers are looking to shop around the 3rd pick and Anfernee Simons for a star forward? Yeah, let's finally get into this.
The Blazers lucked themselves into a rather unique position, both with the pick they got - having jumped from 5th to 3rd in the draft - and with the team who managed to get the 2nd pick being the Charlotte Hornets who are likely to draft forward Brandon Miller over G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, with Scoot seemingly falling to 3.
This would make Scoot the 2nd young guard the Blazers recently drafted and their 3rd under 25 guard to play next to Dame...if they weren't trying to shop the pick around.
They have a perfect opportunity to finally do a rebuild...and yet, here we are with yet another rumor about the Blazers trying to build around Dame and get him the help they've left him without for...what, 8 seasons and counting? Like the Rockets who are alleged to be interested in moving the 4th pick, I don't think the Blazers really should be trying to do a two timelines, pseudo rebuild while contending around Lillard.
I also don't think the package they can put together is as great as it's often hyped up to be. As we'll get into, a package around Anfernee and the 3rd pick plus a player or pick or two is quite decent in a vacuum but it certainly isn't good enough to get to get you that Top 10-15 player in the league who can singlehandedly win you a series - if not, a championship. It certainly isn't enough to outbid the likes of the Jazz or, more significantly, the Thunder who may opt for a splash in the offseason as their core develops into a young, hungry playoff team with some greater veteran presence around them.
I'm just going to say it: If Portland really is saying "time's up" and putting together one last effort to compete against Dame, they need to do more than get Siakam, O.G., Karl-Anthony Towns or whichever star's name pops up in rumors leading up to the draft. Not to say those players won't improve the team, but none of them - and yes i'm including Siakam - are good enough to elevate a former lottery team like the Blazers over the past 2 seasons to a Top 3 seed, let alone guarantee a championship.
A duo of Siakam and Dame, Dame and KAT, etc. can be part of one's core championship team but they need the right supporting pieces around them in order to win. To put it mildly, the Blazers...do not have that. Jusuf Nurkic has seen significant regression as a defender and the bench is one of the few to make the Raptors bench look like a bastion of basketball greatness. It shows on the floor and statistically, and it's a large reason why the Blazers have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league over the past, one of the worst when it comes to rebounding and in general being near the bottom of the Western Conference before they pulled the plug on their most recent season in an attempt to tank for a Top 4 pick.
If the Blazers are actually going to commit to Dame, they need to engage in a paradigm shift this offseason. Rework the starting 5, the bench and go all-in getting Loyalty McLoyal the team he should have had around him for years instead of endlessly running it back with minor tweaks to who his #2 is.
That means either getting your pick back from the Bulls and shopping the 4 firsts/3 swaps you can or removing the protections and dealing out the 3/3 you would have to improve the roster. Don't just get Siakam, KAT or whoever and set them up to fail with Damian because it's not fair to either player to put them in that situation.
Go after Buddy Hield, see if Myles Turner or Clint Capela are going to be available, or if the Wolves are desperate enough to sign and trade Naz Reid to recoup some assets after the costly Gobert trade - if not, try signing him with the full MLE. And you don't stop there! However they plan to shake up the roster in this hypothetical scenario, they need to significantly improve the center position/rotation and their bench to give Dame an actual chance of winning a ring with what few years left they have in his prime.
Also fire Chauncey Billups, he's a bottom 3 coach and the only reason I can't say he is not the worst is because I can't say the Raptors coach will be objectively worse/better without knowing who will head either team. He isn't 3rd, that's for sure.
But anyway that's the Blazers prerogative. What exactly could the Raptors see in a potential pick that, presumably, revolves around Pascal Siakam?
Since I can be a bit of a wordy writer, i'm going to add some TL;DR sections for each playepick discussed in this little piece for those that want a quick breakdown.
Note: This is not a trade proposal; this is a compilation of the assets and players who could be included in a trade for Pascal Siakam. Additionally, this is not an endorsement of trading Pascal Siakam, etc. in a deal with the Portland Trailblazers.
Anfernee Simons
https://preview.redd.it/eon5unll7d3b1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=2873b3d89092d0e0c221ee9817335918489f2e7e
The main player who's been the subject of a contentious discussion between Blazers fans and Raptors fans. Whether you think he's overrated, underrated or somewhere inbetween, it is undeniable that Anfernee Simons would have to be included in the trade at minimum.
I can't speak for the Blazers and I won't pretend to speak for all Raptors fans so let me just say this: I like Anfernee Simons. He's one of the more exciting players in the league under 25 even if he doesn't have the same ceiling as a guy like Zion or fellow player nicknamed "Ant" Anthony Edwards.
A borderline All-Star guard with a combination of shooting prowess and explosiveness, he had a breakout season in 2021/22 when Dame went down due to an injury and thus became the Blazers lead point guard in his absence. He's a genuine 3-level scorer who can splash from outside, pressure the rim for a high-flying dunk and he's effective in the midrange too. If nothing else, it cannot be overstated how nice it would be for this team to have another player who's a reliable, 38.7% from 3 volume shooter on a roster so thoroughly lacking in outside shooting
And before you say it, yes, Anfernee Simons is a point guard. This isn't a case like CJ where his skillset is that of a 2 who can do some playmaking but shouldn't run your offense, Simons does have some issues with dribbling the air out of the ball before making a pass, but he is a point guard. He isn't a typical point, operating more as a shoot-first point like Lillard, but he's still capable of cracking out a notable number of assists while getting buckets; he dished out 6 dimes a game with nearly 28 points in the games he's played without Dame as the lead point.
All 11 of them last year.
https://preview.redd.it/nwhosg3d8d3b1.png?width=1945&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d01cd6a71d032cf5e3bab941c00fc942148991c
Yeah, you might have seen some posts or stats online of what Simons has done without Damian Lillard; in his breakout season of 2021/22, the Anferno was putting up a similar number of assists and cracked 20 points per game, albeit over a more significant sample size of 30 games. And in 2022/23, Anfernee Simons put up 27.9/2.9/5.7 (2.4 turnovers so an AST/TO of 2.38:1 which is solid) while shooting a staggering 41% from 3 on 11 3s.
Those numbers are impressive in a vacuum; his true shooting of 62% is especially notable. However, they require some context and should be taken with an enormous grain of salt.
For one, it's a very small sample size over a lengthy period of the season where teams haven't had to plan for Simons to be the main guard to focus their defense on. He's still the 2nd option so it's not like there's no film watching or the like, but if Anfernee Simons permanently becomes the lead point guard of a team, opposing teams will gameplan around him and his weaknesses more significantly than the very few times where he's asked to be the lead ballhandler in Dame's absence.
His 2021/22 stats, while still a limited overall sample size, do suggest he'll be able to dish out a similar number of dimes as the lead guard (Dame had been ruled out due to injury during the season so teams did have to gameplan around the Ant for a large portion of the season instead of a handful of games scattered throughout the season) and he still has room to grow as a playmaker but once again, it was only a sample size of 30 games so it is hard to draw much out from the games he played.
Speaking of drawing conclusions from said sample size: Yes the Blazers went 4-7 within that 11 game sample size - and bear in mind this sample included games where the Blazers were still trying to contend while facing a variety of teams i.e. not every team was a playoff or contender. That isn't great, however, Ant was generally not the main reason they lost since the 2022/23 Blazers as a whole were pretty terrible all year, even before they blatantly tanked. The same is also true of his breakout year when the Blazers lost Lillard due to injury, they just weren't a good team.
If there is a point of contention around Simons that one can draw from his past 2 seasons, it's his defense which...it's bad.
It's really bad.
He's improved this season on that end to the point where i'd say he's a better defender than Dame - even if his overall defensive rating doesn't support this, the eye test does - but that's like saying Spencer Dinwiddie is a better defender than Trae Young. While Chauncey Billups hasn't been doing either one of Portland's guard any favors, it doesn't change the fact that being better than one of the worst defenders in the league is not an accomplishment to be proud of. All coaching issues aside, Simons is still a notable negative on that end of the floor. He has a propensity for losing his man via ball watching, he's not great at closing out on the perimeter and he's not a lane disruptor by any means. It's not impossible for him to improve as a defender - he's 6'3 with a 6'9 wingspan and much of his defensive weaknesses come from a lack of discipline - but as of right now when his shots aren't falling he's a major liability on the court and his flaws on defense were not well hidden when paired next to another notably poor defender in Dame.
There are a couple of other habits that Simons needs to address - he could stand to be less trigger happy as a scorer and work more on his playmaking given all the promise he's shown in that area - but that's the main issue with Simons. He's a very skilled guard with a similar approach to the game as Dame on both ends of the floor. And we all know Dame isn't locking down the opposing team's point.
Does Anfernee Simons seem like he'll become a guard on the level of Dame? No but that's a ridiculously high bar to hold him to, especially with the limited opportunities he had and will continue to have when he's behind Dame in the guard pecking order. Anfernee is a good player who often shows glimmers of true greatness on offense but whose defense (or lack thereof) is going to require very careful teambuilding to limit exploiting said defense in the playoffs. Perhaps he'll need to be the full-time point to fully achieve his potential as a playmaker but while he doesn't scream All-NBA caliber, he's someone you can easily see eking out a couple of All-Star nods at his peak and is, at worst, a staring-caliber guard. As for whether he can be the lead of a championship contender...we'll get to that when we talk about the pick he'd come with.
TL;DR - Anfernee Simons is an intriguing young player with upside as an explosive, shoot-first PG but one whose poor defense does mean the team's starting lineup/bench has to be built around carefully to account for his current (and likely ongoing throughout his career) weaknesses.
3rd Pick
https://preview.redd.it/96pocramhi3b1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=3ee450641a298a5b1dee0da9fce0c7f652c60665
It's whomever is left from Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller. Maybe you trade down to 4 for some more assets if you're a believer in Amen Thompson, maybe you take Amen if you think he's the best player available and the Rockets won't negotiate for Scoot/Miller but yeah, it's one of those three via the 3rd overall pick.
Before we get into the players, I do want to briefly mention that I actually did a post a while ago on a different sub going over trades involving the 3rd pick and to put it bluntly: The 3rd pick has good value but it doesn't have as much value on its own and trades involving the 3rd pick for an All-Star or even All-NBA caliber player are very rare.
The closest trade to what the Blazers would want in return was in 2000 where the Atlanta Hawks traded the 3rd overall pick to the Vancouver Grizzlies along with Brevin Knight and Lorenzen Wright for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the 27th overall pick. That 3rd pick turned out to be future HoFer Pau Gasol but no one knew he'd become that at the time. As for what the Grizzlies gave up for the pick, Shareef Abdur-Rahim was not a perennial All-Star nor was he an All-NBA level player. He was a solid player that became an All-Star in his debut season for the Hawks...and that was his only All-Star appearance.
With that in mind, it is a bit wild that it's so commonly suggested that Simons and the 3rd pick alone should be enough to acquire an All-NBA talent like Siakam, especially with how much inflation we've seen in trades for players of that caliber of late or even players who are a step below. Concerns about his contract expiring lowering his value are baffling, as if a team's front office wouldn't talk to him about an extension before making such a trade. Moreover, it's not like the Raptors need to deal him out when they can simply re-sign him in 2024.
Now this year, when Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller could be up for grabs, the 3rd pick has a lot more value given how highly praised those players are, so let's put aside the debate on what is fair for Siakam for a moment and talk about the presumed 3rd overall pick, Scoot Henderson.
The 2nd best player in a draft class containing the best prospect since LeBron James. He's projected to go 3rd because Charlotte is allegedly interested in taking Brandon Miller at 2nd but we'll touch on that later. For now, let's talk Scoot:

• Henderson is a freakish athlete and a terrific floor general; he racked up an average of 6 assists a night on an AST:TO ratio of 1.94:1 and is a strong option on offense due to his abilities as a slasher
• His usage as the G-League Ignite's offense, be it ball screens or handoffs, displayed his ability to break down a team's defense
  • To delve deeper into his production as an offensive guard, his percentage rate of ball screens (43.7%) is only matched or surpassed by 7 players across the entire NBA. 7!
• Despite the athleticism, Scoot is generally good at controlling the ball and not turning it over due to careless mistakes driving to the basket
• For a guard, he's a pretty solid rebounder and, if nothing else, he puts in the effort on defense even if he's not necessarily someone who screams "Future DPoY"
• Intangibles are hard to really quantify but Scoot is the definition of someone who "has that dog in him" and he's someone you trust down the stretch to make the right move
• He puts in effort on defense but he's only 6'2 with a 6'9 wingspan and, well he's no Kyle Lowry when it comes to taking charges or the like
• His shooting is...a work-in-progress; he tends to default to long 2s which he isn't great at making (38% overall), his free throw percentage is only 75% and his 3-point shooting is a measly 31% off the dribble

Needless to say, there's a lot to like about Scoot; if Victor wasn't in this draft, he'd easily go #1 overall. He's often compared to Derrick Rose or even Russell Westbrook as this uber explosive guard who can seriously pressure the rim while generating solid passes for his teammates which is a good comparison though one obviously hope his outside shooting pans out more like Curry or Trae than Russ or Rose.
Losing Siakam would obviously hurt the team in the short term but as far as what Scoot brings, there is a lot of upside to him that would raise the ceiling of the team in the long run. His ability to get to the rim, combined with his athleticism would make him the perfect guard for a team that thrives in transition like the Raptors. He would also have chemistry with another player the Raptors have been rumored to be interested in/may take at 13 in Leonard Miller as they played on the same team but we'll talk about the 13th pick's potential prospects another time.
For now, let's go over one of the problems with trading for Scoot Henderson if he is still on the board, besides the obvious hypothetical of "he might never become a player as good as the one you're giving up" or "what do you do with Fred when you brought in Scoot and Simons" because what you're really asking is this: Is a backcourt of Scoot/Simons the team's guard duo of the future?
This brings me to my big problem with a “trade for Simons + 3” trade if the 3rd pick does end up being Scoot: A backcourt of two undersized guards, one of whom is unproven against NBA competition on defense and the other of whom has been one of the worst guard defenders in the league is not a duo of guards you can build a contender around in the long-term unless both of them become significantly improved defenders. Or at the very least, it's a duo that has historically not led to notable championship contention.
Blazers fans would know this well given their team has only had one year where they weren’t the in the NBA’s basement as far as defensive ratings go, be it with CJ or Anfernee as Lillard’s sidekick; the furthest they ever got with either was the Western Conference Finals and the best their defense has even been was 10th. Every other season, the Trailblazers defense has been amongst the worst in the NBA. Part of those Blazers teams' failures can be attributed to bad coaching, but a more significant portion of the blame be laid at the feet of Dame being a bad defender and undersized who has been paired with bad, undersized guards throughout much of his career.
You can get away with one bad defender or a starter who’s undersized for their position on a championship-caliber team which, if you’re rebuilding by trading away Siakam, that is what you’re hoping to take a step back for. As an example, Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t known for being a lockdown defender and yet the Mavericks won their first and only championship to date with Dirk as the weak link on defense. He was also a phenomenal offensive talent whose weaknesses on defense were mitigated by how much momentum he was able to generate for his team but I digress.
You can get away with running several smaller players for a limited time to force mismatches on offense with the right lineup. The Warriors dynasty comes to mind, where Golden State would close games using their “Death Lineup”. However, that lineup revolved around 4 Hall of Famers (Klay, Dray, Steph, Igoudala) where Steph is the lineup’s weakest link on defense, and this is before we acknowledge that they were able to include yet another HoFer in Kevin Durant to replace Harrison Barnes in a different incarnation of the Death Lineup from 2017 onward.
For that matter, it's not wholly impossible to win a championship with a duo of small guards - the Pistons repeated in the 89/90-90/91 with 6'3 Joe Dumars and 6'1 Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Pistons were contenders throughout the 90s - but it is damn near impossible if your lead guards are bad defenders. Whatever can be said about Thomas' various off-court controversies, notably with him being found liable for sexual misconduct during his stint heading a woman's basketball team a la the New York Liberty, he was a phenomenal defender, as was Dumars.
Hell, the Raptors won in 2019 while having Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry share the floor a fair amount of time in the Finals though it is once again worth noting that both were terrific defenders at the time. Even if one wouldn't call their efforts All-Defense caliber, they were both positives on that end of the floor.
Historically speaking, you cannot be a championship-caliber team with two of your starters being undersized negatives on the defensive end barring them being surrounded by generational defenders or said starters being generational offensive players who can make up for how many points you’re giving up on the other end of the floor.
Simons is a gifted scorer with good playmaking but is a truly sorry defender. Scoot Henderson is a talented passer but is undersized for the position and how he fares defensively with teams hunting him as the smallest player on the court will remain to be seen. But with neither of them likely to be a Dumars/Thomas-level defender and the offensive capabilities for one of them being the main question mark as to how good a player they could become, having both of them as the foundation to your team's backcourt seems to cement the duo's future as a non-contending entity.
Let's put this into perspective with some statistics: Of the past 40 years, the only championship to ever be won by a team with what could be considered a bad regular season defensive rating was the 2000/01 Lakers. That team had two generational talents in Shaq and Kobe, and that season is itself an outlier when compared to the rest of the Shaq/Kobe Lakers era that it shouldn't even count. All other championship teams were at least 12th or higher for their season with most championship teams being in the Top 5 in defensive rating.
By the by, in case you're wondering: That team who had 12th in defensive rating was the 1995 Rockets led by the generational talent in Hakeem Olajuwon and said rating had a lot to do with untimely injuries to the 95 Rockets core. That team they still managed to have the 7th best offensive rating in the league despite Drexler's absence for much of the season is a testament to Future Raptors Retiree Hakeem's skills as the best big man of the late 80s, early-to-mid 90s. Are we noticing a pattern here?
Even if we ignore the question about what to do with Fred, the question of what the Raptors backcourt looks like is far more pertinent if it is going to involve some combination of Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons with, presumably, Gary Trent Jr. and another guard coming off the bench for relief. Is a backcourt of Anfernee Simons and Scoot going to turn this team into a Top 3-6 offense for the season without plummeting this team's defense off of a cliff? And if you don't think so, when do you move one of them to open up the 1 or the 2 for another player?
This is a question the team will likely have to answer once they've seen how Simons and Scoot fit togethefit with the rest of the roster; I don't see a 3-team draft day deal where Simons or the 3rd pick are moved elsewhere barring that aforementioned moving down to 4th and I don't see this team without Siakam/with Scoot and Simons being a serious contender for several years even if they do pan out. But it is a question that has me concerned in regards to how this team will function when it's developing a dynamic duo of players who will be picked apart in the playoffs barring one of them turning into a terrific defender.
Whatever else one can say about Point Scottie or even Scottie Barnes when he was crammed into the starting Shooting Guard position for much of the year, it is hard to argue that having either Scottie or Trent & Simons/Scoot as your backcourt makes way more sense defensively even if having both Scottie and Scoot complicates matters on the offensive end since neither are great shooters and Trent's defense is a touch overrated at time due to is propensity to gamble for steals.
All this being said, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Henderson becomes an All-Defense-caliber player or for Simons to a climb out from the deep hole he's dug for himself as one of the worst defenders in the league, and Scoot is still a phenomenal talent. These concerns should be noted, but they shouldn't serve to deter from selecting him 3rd if such a trade were to go down. As a prospect, there's very few players in this draft class who could serve to singlehandedly raise the floor and the ceiling of this team in the long run.
Speaking of other players, however, it should be acknowledged that Scoot isn't the only potentially available player at 3; while all accounts suggest the Hornets prefer Brandon Miller at 3, Scoot is the best player available at 2 and there's no guarantee the Hornets draft for fit. So here's a quick rundown of Miller and a player the Blazers have recently worked out, Amen Thompson:

• Brandon Miller is a 6'9 forward (boo, we have enough of those!) who can shoot (yay, we need more of that!) and has some notable playmaking upside even if his decision-making can be questionable at times. He's a player you could see as either a #1 or a high level #2 option on a championship team though he's not the most switchable guy on defense and you have the usual rookie concerns i.e. "he needs to get the NBA body to thrive". He's gotten a lot of comparisons to Paul George but i'd say his playmaking is further ahead from what PG13 was as a prospect.
• Amen Thompson is someone I talked about in the trade for the 4th pick & he's a very interesting player. A high ceiling, low floor player with unreal athleticism, a 6'7 lead guard who's arguably the best passer in the draft class but has serious questions about the competition he's faced in OverTime Elite/his shooting being as bad as it was. Think Ja Morant but with defense and, again, at 6'7 with a much longer wingspan.

I feel like the trade makes more sense if the Raptors were to go for Amen or Miller but we won't know who the Hornets will chose on draft night until the day of & ideally you'd trade down for 4th to get Thompson plus assets if you're sold on Amen. Plus like I said, it is possible that Scoot does become a good or even great defender so one might not have to worry about choosing between him and Ant down the line.
TL;DR - Scoot is an amazing prospect but his pairing with Simons could be a major problem in the future if both don't improve defensively. Ironically, the 3rd pick becomes simultaneously more valuable for other teams/less valuable for the Raptors if it's Scoot and vice-versa if it's Miller due to those concerns. Thompson is a wildcard at 3 depending on who has the pick/how willing the Rockets are to trade up to 3rd.
Nassir Little
Portland is reluctant to deal out Sharpe. We can debate on whether or not it's fair value for an All-NBA caliber player like Siakam, how much his contract being expiring should affect a deal (we'll ignore the fact that he can be extended by Portland and that any front office making a trade like this should be doing their due diligence by speaking to Pascal Siakam beforehand) or how good Sharpe actually was as a rookie overall instead of solely focusing on that stretch where the Blazers let him do whatever because they were tanking but regardless, the Blazers seem intent on keeping him. Fair enough, Masai is likely aiming for more than Anfernee and 3 - especially for the reasons listed above if it is Scoot Henderson - but Sharpe is likely a hard sell for the front office even if they are going all-in i.e. they want to keep at least one young guy on the roster for the long-term.
That being said, there's still the matter of salary matching, and that's where one of Nassir Little or Sharpe has to come in (They're not going to move Nurkic in the deal for Siakam unless they have something lined up for their center situation i.e. tampering for Naz Reid); the only way for the Blazers to neatly absorb Siakam into their cap with just Simons is by renouncing their rights to Jerami Grant and they need to re-sign him/move him to the 3 (Grant is a really bad rebounder for a PF; the man is a career 4 RPG) if they are serious about competing with Dame.
So...yeah, Nassir Little. Little is what people think O.G. is: A good defender who is often injured, Little is a solid 3 & D wing who, unlike Anunoby, has never played more than 55 games for a given season. Granted, 2019/20 and 2020/21 were shorted to 72 seasons but regardless, injuries have hampered the 23 year-old in the same way that Otto Porter Jr.'s potential was sapped due to a career-long battle with injuries. Still, when considering his age and production, his newest contract ($28M/4 years) is amazing value when he's healthy.
But much like Otto (who I think technically could be sent in such a deal due to the rules around incoming/outgoing salaries), the question of when he's available is a common one. Little is a good young player but one whom you shouldn't get your hopes up about changing the team's direction.
TL;DR - A little salary (sorry) is needed for the deal to happen on draft night & Nassir would be a decent choice for forward depth off the bench. One will have to carefully factor in injury concerns when evaluating the team's depth.
Keon Johnson
So like I said, Sharpe is likely to be ruled out. I debated if I should cover him at all but i'm honestly not sold on Shaedon as a prospect and we've already met the quota for rants with the "Simons/Scoot frontcourt will be exploited" talks. That said, I don't think the Raptors would settle for just Simons and the 3rd pick or the 3rd pick plus assets from a 3rd team were Anfernee moved due to the aforementioned backcourt issues with Simons and Scoot. For now we have Keon Johnson.
Fun fact: When the Raptors were expected to draft 7th in the 2021 draft, Johnson was a common player mocked for the 7th pick.
He wound up going in the 20 to the Clippers (via the Knicks in a trade) who eventually fleeced the Blazers in a deal including him for Norman Powell.
Keon Johnson...hasn't really done a whole lot thus far. He was noted for having an impressive vertical of 48" at the 2021 combine which broke a previous record, he's a terrific athlete and he's about the same age as Scottie so he lines up with a rebuild or retool around Barnes...
...and that's where the positives end. Like I said, Keon hasn't demonstrated all that much on either team he's been on. For a guard, he's not a great ball handler, he isn't a good shooter, he's got decent size and the speed to be a good defender from 1-3 but his potential on that end does not All-Defense caliber. He'd be a throw-in that you'd hope can develop over time, likely spending a lot of time in the G-League because as of right now, he isn't going to be a significant contributor on either end.
TL;DR - Keon is on a rookie deal so you'd be taking a flier on him/betting on your development bringing out the best in him if he were included.
Other pick(s): As far as immediate draft capital goes, the Blazers have the 23rd pick in this draft, which is around the range where players the Raptors have been rumored to be interested in/interviewed (Bilal Couliby, GG Jackson) would likely be available. There's been some speculation that the Blazers could send this pick to the Bulls so they can get their owed pick back from Chicago but nothing concrete has come out regarding whether the Bulls would settle for that vs. hoping the Blazers make the 1st round and lose so they can get a pick in the 16-20 range.
That said, the future pick owed to the Bulls is where things get tricky if the Raptors did want a future 1st: The Blazers pick is protected until 2028. It is technically possible for them to offer a swap in 2029 but without the protections being removed on the Bulls-bound 2024 1st (The 2029 pick cannot be moved due to the Stepien Rule), any future draft capital would need to come in the form of the 2023 trade deadline's currency of choice: Second round picks.
Some of the notable 2nds include:

• A 2024 2nd that could come from the Hornets or Wolves
• A 2028 Warriors 2nd
• This year's second via the Hawks which is 45th
• The Blazers own 2nd in 2028

Not that these are a good substitute for a first-rounder but with the Blazers draft capital being restricted and the CBA's changes to 2nd round contracts, it's better than no future firsts if the 2023 Knicks pick is considered a bridge too far.
TL;DR - There is some interesting draft capital here beyond their own 1sts, especially if the 23rd pick is available in a deep draft like this, but ideally one would want a future 1st from the Blazers rather than a handful of 2nds given Dame's limited window.
Conclusion
I was originally going to talk about the 4th overall pick too but this got a bit lengthy so I made that into a separate post. As far as the 3rd pick package, in some ways it's better than one surrounding the 4th pick because Simons is a flatout better player than any one the Rockets would send back but it's also worse when you factor in Simons or Scoot's respective ceilings vs some of the potential prospects that could come in a 4th pick package?
You're getting significant depth at the guard position if it is Scoot/Simons but there's a huge question mark as to how good the defense will hold up with two undersized guards, one of whom is a bad defender, will hold up in the playoffs.

I have compiled some of the best japanese family cars on sale today from a few different categories : full size suv, mid size sedan, compact sedan, hatchback and even a wagon. The main things i considered were : - it had to be spacious enough to fit a baby seat, seat 4 adults confortably and have adequate cargo space in the boot - it had to be reliable - it had to be japanese - it had to be new, on sale today - it had to be offered as a hybrid (i think it's worth getting a hybrid for the better gas mileage and smaller environmental impact in the long run) All these cars offer a great value for money, but in different categories :

1 is the Mazda CX-60, a new model from Mazda, a big, spacious suv, with a confortable interior, it is a great choice if you are looking for an suv. A smaller alternative could be a cx-50. The nissan qashqai is also a great smaller alternative.

2 is the Toyota camry, witch is the bigger, more premium sedan offering from toyota, and although it is due a refresh soon, the current model offers great reliability and fuel economy while also providing great confort, an alternative to this could be a honda accord, mazda 6 or a lexus es.

3 is the honda civic, a fabulous car, get this if you want something slightly smaller, but still big enough to fit the whole family. The new honda civic is really practical and is filled with technology, honda really built a good car this generation. Alternatives would be a mazda 3 or a toyota corolla hatchback.

4 is the new toyota prius. Again, a bit on the smaller side, but the new prius is plenty practical. As the OG hybrid car it will be hella reliable and will get great gas mileage.

5 is the toyota corolla wagon, a very stylish and practical car, although it might not be the most posh car on the block. Where it lacks in luxury it makes up for in great build quality and proven reliability. It is one of the best all-rounders money can buy right now.

I hope this list was comprehensive and helpful, have a very nice day :>