Post by bankz on Mar 26, 2021 13:49:57 GMT -5
Best Pure Talent: Eastern Conference Edition
Rankings will always be popular in tmbsl. I felt it was time to look at the league and give my opinion on who are the best players in the league. Some things I didn’t factor in when doing my ranking was age and contract. To me this isn’t the most valuable asset list but just a best player on the sim court. Let’s not waste any time and dive right in…
15) Le'Bryan Nash
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Le’Bryan Nash would qualify as one of Ian’s most slept on players in tmbsl. I know this will come off as highly controversial because Nash isn’t even a starter and his ppg numbers aren’t as sexy as others. I firmly believe his efficiency and per 36 suggest that he’s worth more than the bench role JHB is giving him. The guy is shooting .625% from the field and is 2nd amongst qualified players in P/TSA with 1.308.
14) Clyde Drexler
Clyder Drexler was our very first 1.1 rookie selection. One thing you will notice as this list unfolds is my love for highly efficient players and those who shoot a great percentage. Clyde checks a ton of boxes and likely has room to grow and in a few sim seasons could land much higher on this list. But for now his .495% shooting percentage takes him down a couple of spots. The league is filled with some great players that a .495 shooting percentage is looked as negative in this article.
13) Shawn Kemp Jr.
Shawn Kemp Jr is the first of four 76ers to make this list. Early in Kemp’s career he was criticized for being a high volume but low efficiency player. Those critics were accurate at the time. But since joining the 76ers he’s improved greatly thanks to massive upgrades and some good rolls of TC. Kemp is now one of the better big men in the eastern conference as he averages 21 and 10 on .556% shooting in a 6th man role.
12) Antonella Riva
Antonella Riva checks in at 12 on the list as back to back 76ers have graced the list. Riva is a player who’s production numbers are lower thanks to playing on a very talented roster. If Riva was on a non competing team I think you could see him at the very top of PER 36 lists. Riva boast a 1.308 P/TSA number that checks in as #2 in the league. He quietly fills a ton of boxes and his best attribute may be he protects the basketball only averaging 1.0 turnovers per game.
11) Kiki Vandeweghe
Kiki Vandeweghe is 11th on our list and surprisingly the only Cougar to make this list. Kiki is able to rank just as high as his teammates in PER 36 numbers and does it on highly efficient numbers. .568 from the field a 1.237 P/TSA and he’s able to fill in the rest of the boxscore just fine as a wing. Why not Maye in this spot? Why not Maye in the top 15? I believe Maye may be a product of playing for bad teams or maybe he’s just having a poor season but either way a career low FG% and 3P% keep Maye off my list.
10) Michael Brooks
We start the top 10 with a Brooklyn Net in the form of Michael Brooks. Something I like to point out is how razor thin the margins are with the wings in the east. Guys like Maye, Dudley and others could easily be put in any of the spots prior to selection or at this selection. I like Brooks and I think his shooting percentage and ability to fill the box score gives him a very slight nod above those before. One thing I may keep an eye on is his volume and mpg, the Nets are asking him to be the man and yet he trails Diamond D and Dudley in minutes per game and only just slightly took more shots. If he’s to stay or improve in the future list increasing his volume would be key.
9) Kevin McHale
The man in the middle and the man task to be the leader of the Cavalier movement checks in at 9th on my list. Kevin McHale was the 1st overall pick in the 3002 class. And some at the time questioned his build and how his game would translate on the sim court, I had no such worries. Kevin has lived up to my expectations with a cool 24/9/4 slash line. He’s one of the higher PER 36 players in the league but his lack of efficiency when the league is filled with bigs who are ultra efficient knocks him down from what could be a top 5 slot. With that said he’s still an elite player in the east and one to keep long term.
8) Larry Smith
A second member of the Brooklyn Nets appears on this list with Larry Smith checking in at number 8. Everyone who scouted Larry knew he was going to be a dominant big man on the boards and hold his own on defense. What vaults Larry up this list is his offensive game and how easy that part of the game comes to him. With a bunch of talented scorers on the roster he leads the Nets with 21.6ppg on .529 shooting percentage. Larry is also a plus free throw shooter knocking them down at a .807% clip.
7) Sergei Belov
Our second member of the Atlanta Hawks enters our list at 7th. He’s the only point guard to make our top 15 list and the premier point guard in tmbsl. Sergie Belov has kept his top tier status in the league thanks to still being a very good shooter of the basketball. Knocking down over 50% of his shots with good volume. He never turns the ball over and is able to find the open men. He’s the only point guard I would attempt the 4.0 offense with and even though the years are ticking father time hasn’t caught up to the Russian.
6) Devin Williams
The next player on our list is a big man from the Hawks. No, not that big man, I'm talking about Devin Williams. Williams has surpassed Kenny George as the most talented big body on the Hawks and I believe Williams is one of the most talented players in the league. So why Williams over Kenny? Simply, I believe scoring is king and even though George is the best in the business at shutting down bigs, Williams is able to score at highly efficient rates, rebound the basketball and foul out opponents. In the current stage 6.0 is in i’ll side with scoring and rebounding and very few can do it at the level that Williams does.
5) Wayne Estes
Entering the top 5 of the list and a Bobcat makes the list. One of the most discussed players in the league and certainly one of the most talented. Wayne Estes may be the most sought after trade piece in the league. Odin has flirted with the idea of moving him but ultimately made the wise decision to keep Estes. 27/9/3 from a small forward is ridiculous and then you turn to his amazing shooting percentages and there is no doubt he’s one of if not the best wing players in sim league.
4) Hank Gathers
The first Chicago Bull ranks 4th for me. Hank Gathers just ever so slightly gets the nod over Estes on my best pure player ranking. He’s a bit more aggressive on the court and can fill the bucket more often. He’s no slouch filling up the box score either with a smooth 31/7/3 slash line. 1.165 P/TSA on his volume is fantastic. Mike has something special with his big two. Lets see if he can put the pieces around them.
3) Dale Ellis
Third on the list is my wing player in the East and that’s Dale Ellis. From his first footstep on a tmbsl court very few players could score with his efficiency. After taking a slight step back last year and finding his game 3003 season has seen Dale rank 7th in PER, 2nd in P/TSA with an amazing 1.281 as he averages 28 and 8 for the defending sim league champs. With such high volume one would think Dale would sport a high turnover number, not at all as he’s 1.7 for the year.
2) Antoine Carr
Antoine Carr is second on my pure talent rankings. The best player on the 76ers for three years running and coming off an MVP performance in the playoffs of 3002 very few players in the league can match up with his efficiency, scoring and rebounding. He’s also slightly improved his blocks this season and putting out a decent 1.6 bleals per game. He’s fouling out elite players nightly and hitting at a stellar 89% from the charity stripe.
1) Bojan Dubljevic
We have come to number one on the list and a surprise to nobody that man is Bojan Dubljevick. Bojan selected 1.1 in the creation draft and the four seasons in sim league have proven that he’s beyond worthy of that selection. Now making his home in Chicago paired up with Hank Gathers, Bojan has shown the ability to play with elite players and still be able to be every bit as productive and efficient as before. 37 and 10 is just the start, he does it on .533% and shoots .947% from the stripe. What a monster.
The Rest
16) Luke Maye
17) Lloyd Sharrar
18) Bootsy Thornton
19) Jared Dudley
20) Rick Mahorn
21) Steve Stipanovich
22) Sergio Llull
23) Joakim Noah
24) James Blackmon Jr.
25) Mike Conley
15) Le'Bryan Nash
14) Clyde Drexler
Clyder Drexler was our very first 1.1 rookie selection. One thing you will notice as this list unfolds is my love for highly efficient players and those who shoot a great percentage. Clyde checks a ton of boxes and likely has room to grow and in a few sim seasons could land much higher on this list. But for now his .495% shooting percentage takes him down a couple of spots. The league is filled with some great players that a .495 shooting percentage is looked as negative in this article.
13) Shawn Kemp Jr.
Shawn Kemp Jr is the first of four 76ers to make this list. Early in Kemp’s career he was criticized for being a high volume but low efficiency player. Those critics were accurate at the time. But since joining the 76ers he’s improved greatly thanks to massive upgrades and some good rolls of TC. Kemp is now one of the better big men in the eastern conference as he averages 21 and 10 on .556% shooting in a 6th man role.
12) Antonella Riva
Antonella Riva checks in at 12 on the list as back to back 76ers have graced the list. Riva is a player who’s production numbers are lower thanks to playing on a very talented roster. If Riva was on a non competing team I think you could see him at the very top of PER 36 lists. Riva boast a 1.308 P/TSA number that checks in as #2 in the league. He quietly fills a ton of boxes and his best attribute may be he protects the basketball only averaging 1.0 turnovers per game.
11) Kiki Vandeweghe
Kiki Vandeweghe is 11th on our list and surprisingly the only Cougar to make this list. Kiki is able to rank just as high as his teammates in PER 36 numbers and does it on highly efficient numbers. .568 from the field a 1.237 P/TSA and he’s able to fill in the rest of the boxscore just fine as a wing. Why not Maye in this spot? Why not Maye in the top 15? I believe Maye may be a product of playing for bad teams or maybe he’s just having a poor season but either way a career low FG% and 3P% keep Maye off my list.
10) Michael Brooks
We start the top 10 with a Brooklyn Net in the form of Michael Brooks. Something I like to point out is how razor thin the margins are with the wings in the east. Guys like Maye, Dudley and others could easily be put in any of the spots prior to selection or at this selection. I like Brooks and I think his shooting percentage and ability to fill the box score gives him a very slight nod above those before. One thing I may keep an eye on is his volume and mpg, the Nets are asking him to be the man and yet he trails Diamond D and Dudley in minutes per game and only just slightly took more shots. If he’s to stay or improve in the future list increasing his volume would be key.
9) Kevin McHale
The man in the middle and the man task to be the leader of the Cavalier movement checks in at 9th on my list. Kevin McHale was the 1st overall pick in the 3002 class. And some at the time questioned his build and how his game would translate on the sim court, I had no such worries. Kevin has lived up to my expectations with a cool 24/9/4 slash line. He’s one of the higher PER 36 players in the league but his lack of efficiency when the league is filled with bigs who are ultra efficient knocks him down from what could be a top 5 slot. With that said he’s still an elite player in the east and one to keep long term.
8) Larry Smith
A second member of the Brooklyn Nets appears on this list with Larry Smith checking in at number 8. Everyone who scouted Larry knew he was going to be a dominant big man on the boards and hold his own on defense. What vaults Larry up this list is his offensive game and how easy that part of the game comes to him. With a bunch of talented scorers on the roster he leads the Nets with 21.6ppg on .529 shooting percentage. Larry is also a plus free throw shooter knocking them down at a .807% clip.
7) Sergei Belov
Our second member of the Atlanta Hawks enters our list at 7th. He’s the only point guard to make our top 15 list and the premier point guard in tmbsl. Sergie Belov has kept his top tier status in the league thanks to still being a very good shooter of the basketball. Knocking down over 50% of his shots with good volume. He never turns the ball over and is able to find the open men. He’s the only point guard I would attempt the 4.0 offense with and even though the years are ticking father time hasn’t caught up to the Russian.
6) Devin Williams
The next player on our list is a big man from the Hawks. No, not that big man, I'm talking about Devin Williams. Williams has surpassed Kenny George as the most talented big body on the Hawks and I believe Williams is one of the most talented players in the league. So why Williams over Kenny? Simply, I believe scoring is king and even though George is the best in the business at shutting down bigs, Williams is able to score at highly efficient rates, rebound the basketball and foul out opponents. In the current stage 6.0 is in i’ll side with scoring and rebounding and very few can do it at the level that Williams does.
5) Wayne Estes
Entering the top 5 of the list and a Bobcat makes the list. One of the most discussed players in the league and certainly one of the most talented. Wayne Estes may be the most sought after trade piece in the league. Odin has flirted with the idea of moving him but ultimately made the wise decision to keep Estes. 27/9/3 from a small forward is ridiculous and then you turn to his amazing shooting percentages and there is no doubt he’s one of if not the best wing players in sim league.
4) Hank Gathers
The first Chicago Bull ranks 4th for me. Hank Gathers just ever so slightly gets the nod over Estes on my best pure player ranking. He’s a bit more aggressive on the court and can fill the bucket more often. He’s no slouch filling up the box score either with a smooth 31/7/3 slash line. 1.165 P/TSA on his volume is fantastic. Mike has something special with his big two. Lets see if he can put the pieces around them.
3) Dale Ellis
Third on the list is my wing player in the East and that’s Dale Ellis. From his first footstep on a tmbsl court very few players could score with his efficiency. After taking a slight step back last year and finding his game 3003 season has seen Dale rank 7th in PER, 2nd in P/TSA with an amazing 1.281 as he averages 28 and 8 for the defending sim league champs. With such high volume one would think Dale would sport a high turnover number, not at all as he’s 1.7 for the year.
2) Antoine Carr
Antoine Carr is second on my pure talent rankings. The best player on the 76ers for three years running and coming off an MVP performance in the playoffs of 3002 very few players in the league can match up with his efficiency, scoring and rebounding. He’s also slightly improved his blocks this season and putting out a decent 1.6 bleals per game. He’s fouling out elite players nightly and hitting at a stellar 89% from the charity stripe.
1) Bojan Dubljevic
We have come to number one on the list and a surprise to nobody that man is Bojan Dubljevick. Bojan selected 1.1 in the creation draft and the four seasons in sim league have proven that he’s beyond worthy of that selection. Now making his home in Chicago paired up with Hank Gathers, Bojan has shown the ability to play with elite players and still be able to be every bit as productive and efficient as before. 37 and 10 is just the start, he does it on .533% and shoots .947% from the stripe. What a monster.
The Rest
16) Luke Maye
17) Lloyd Sharrar
18) Bootsy Thornton
19) Jared Dudley
20) Rick Mahorn
21) Steve Stipanovich
22) Sergio Llull
23) Joakim Noah
24) James Blackmon Jr.
25) Mike Conley
