Where German Type 24 torpedo boats fit

Were the German Type 24 torpedo boats better destroyers than the Z-class?

No; they were useful small fleet destroyers or large torpedo boats, but not full substitutes for the Z-class.

German terminology called ships torpedo boats that other navies might classify as small fleet destroyers. The Type 24s occupied that intermediate niche and were useful vessels. They nevertheless lacked the broader capability needed for the main destroyer missions assigned to the larger Z-class. Class names do not map cleanly across navies.