Rookie Ladder - 3008 (268 views)

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PreSeason Rankings

Day late, dollar short... whatever. Welcome to the 3008 Rookie Ladder... where I finally throw a homer pick in there and rank my guy at a spot that is probably too high.  We made it!  This class is neither star-laden or deep... lots of pretty meh players out there.  Defensive stats are lacking, as are scoring efficiency and volume.

1. Joel Embiid - New York Knicks

Pretty clearly the #1 here and I don't see anything from the PS performance that indicates that anyone will be particularly close to pushing Mr. Do-a-180 for the top spot down the line. 1st in scoring, 3rd in blocks, low TOs, Top 10 in efficiency.

2. Nikola Jokic - Texas Chaparrals

2nd in blocks, low TOs and he shoots enough... but his efficiency and rebounding are lacking. 

3. Jusuf Nurkic - Charlotte Bobcats

A lot like Jokic, except without the blocks... but added efficiency!

4. Julius Randle - Seattle SuperSonics

Sim gun to my sim head... Randle is the one player who has a chance of catching Embiid... but it's slim.  His TOs are just awful, despite his scoring (2nd) and rebounding (1st) being very very good! If upgrades can get him a tad bit better on that front he can pretty easily leapfrog the Balkans ahead of him.

5. T.J. Warren - Atlanta Hawks

Best wing in a class... but that's damning with faint praise. He scores well and he's not awful anywhere else... but he's not elite at anything.

6. Khem Birch - Toronto Raptors

HOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMERRRRRRRRRR. But Birch is clearly the best defensive big, averaging nearly twice as many blocks as the 2nd place guy (Jokic). Strong rebounder and careful with the ball.  But, he is also the worst offensive player in the class... so ignore that.

7a. Jabari Parker - Charlotte Bobcats

7b. Sim Bhullar - Boston Celtics

7c. Cristiano Felicio - Los Angeles Lakers

7d. Aaron Gordon - San Antonio Spurs

7e. Jerami Grant - Seattle SuperSonics

Bonus player on the ladder because all 5 of these guys are mediocre and I couldn't make a decision as to who was the most mediocre. All bigs, all flawed.  None play great defense, some have TO issues (Gordon), some rebound well (Parker, Bhullar), and Grant is the only one that is average on efficiency.  Lots of meh.

Honorable Mentions:

Points:

N/A

Wings:

Kyle Anderson - Pittsburgh Pipers

Torrey Craig - Houston Rockets

P.J. Hairston - Vancouver Grizzlies

Glenn Robinson III - Cleveland Cavaliers

K.J. McDaniels - Texas Chaparrals

Jordan Clarkson - Chicago Bulls

Bigs:

N/A

[Deleted]

no semaj christon makes killy something something

[delap]

Jun 21, 2021 8:42:25 GMT -5 @jayz93j said:

no semaj christon makes killy something something

He and Galloway were the only PGs that came close to consideration. 

[dump]

wow no James Young or Doug McDermott

shameful

[bankz]

Jun 21, 2021 10:16:36 GMT -5 dump said:

wow no James Young or Doug McDermott

shameful

Just accept you got fleeced... 

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Day 40 Update

Update for you lads and lasses... because I am tired this morning and don't want to make a hard cut. Overall the class looks much better than it did during the pre-season. Embiid's reign at the top was short-lived, mostly due to his lackluster rebounding.

1. Nikola Jokic - Texas Chaparrals (previous: 2)
4th in P/TSA, 1st in rebounding, solid, but not dominant defensive counting stats. We all know assists don't really matter... but it's still impressive eric was able to build a C with more than 6 assists/36.



2. Joel Embiid - New York Knicks (previous: 1)
Rebounding woes, elite at most everything else. 2nd best defender in the post in the class, solid scoring, and keeps the ball safe.



3. Julius Randle - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 4)
Professional bucket-getter, good rebounder, and his TOs are down a lot from pre-season. Defensive numbers are down a little from Jokic's... but they aren't terrible.



4a. Doug McDermott - Boston Celtics (previous: NR)
4b. T.J. Warren - Atlanta Hawks (previous: 5)
4c. Gary Harris - Carolina Cougars (previous: NR)
Dougie McBuckets is incredibly efficient and takes care of the rock. Rebounding is a tad low for a weighty SF, but he'll get you points. Gary Harris will do the same and get you some steals. Warren garners even more boards. All 3 look like solid contributors already.





7a. Jusuf Nurkic - Charlotte Bobcats (previous: 3)
7b. Jabari Parker - Charlotte Bobcats (previous: 7a)
The Bobcats duo are putting up incredibly similar stats, and both are rebounding machines and + scorers, to boot. The Bobs are typically known for their defensive prowess... but these guys don't have a shred of that. Neither is terribly TO prone, though, so that's nice.




9. Khem Birch - Toronto Raptors (previous: 6)
Still the best D/R big in the group, Birch is 1st in blocks/stocks and 2nd in rebounding. He doesn't turn it over... but he does shoot a little bit too often for someone you want as a D/R only type.



10. Semaj Christon - Anaheim Amigos (previous: NR)
Backwards James is 2nd in P/TSA among qualified rookies and shoots enough for that to matter some. His A:TO is solid... but would be helped enormously by getting his TOs down a tad.



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Marcus Smart - Washington Bullets
Dante Exum - Vancouver Grizzlies

Wings:
Andrew Wiggins - Los Angeles Clippers
Glenn Robinson III - Cleveland Cavaliers
James Young - Boston Celtics
Jordan Adams - Seattle SuperSonics
Cleanthony Early - Houston Rockets
Kyle Anderson - Pittsburgh Pipers
Damien Inglis - Atlanta Hawks

Bigs:
Mitch McGary - Washington Bullets
Cristiano Felicio - Los Angeles Lakers
Sim Bhullar - Boston Celtics
Aaron Gordon - San Antonio Spurs
Dwight Powell - Philadelphia 76ers
Clint Capela - Washington Bullets

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Day 90 Update
I'm starting to really dig the depth of the wings in this class. None are future all-stars, I really don't see anyone outside of the Top 3 being an All-Star anyway... but the wing depth is intriguing nonetheless. This class is what the league needs in terms of balance... leaving point guard as the spot with the least depth (but with the two best players in the league?) Bonus 11th spot for this update, because once again, I don't feel like making a cut.

1. Joel Embiid - New York Knicks (previous: 2)
Re-taking the top spot, Embiid's defense continues to be solid (not elite) and his scoring efficiency (1st in the class, among qualified rookies) and turnover rate both slightly put him ahead of Jokic/Randle.



2. Nikola Jokic - Texas Chaparrals (previous: 1)
The gap between 1, 2, and 3 is minimal. Jokic is 3rd in efficiency of the 3 stars, but is 1st in rebounding (and is 1st among the whole class, to boot). His defense is pedestrian, which places him above Randle.



3. Julius Randle - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 3)
I really wanted to put him at first... but I can't justify his ascendancy with his TO rate so high. He's not the defender either Jokic/Embiid are, but he's a far better rebounder than Embiid and is scoring 15-20% more points than either of the others.



4a. T.J. Warren - Atlanta Hawks (previous: 4b)
4b. Gary Harris - Carolina Cougars (previous: 4c)
These two slot above the mass of wings at the bottom of the ladder by virtue of their combination of scoring prowess AND rebounding. Neither turn it over much at all.




6. Jabari Parker - Charlotte Bobcats (previous: 7b)
Parker has shown an offensive explosion since the last game, moving his PPG from 11 to 19, and his per36 scoring puts him at 2nd in the class (only behind Randle). Still doesn't play defense, though.



7. Khem Birch - Toronto Raptors (previous: 8)
3rd in boards, 1st in blocks/stocks by a good bit... still probably shoots too much, but what are ya gonna do?



8a. Doug McDermott - Boston Celtics (previous: 4a)
8b. Glenn Robinson III - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: HM)
8c. Kyle Anderson - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: HM)
8d. Cleanthony Early - Houston Rockets (previous: HM)
4 wings who are hard to differentiate without attribute ratings right now. All efficient, McDermott and Anderson rebound really well, but the other two aren't slouches, none really play defense, but none turn it over either. Anderson is the only one without SG-eligibility, but he's a great rebounder from the SF spot.






Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Semaj Christon - Anaheim Amigos
Langston Galloway - Carolina Cougars

Wings:
James Young - Boston Celtics
Rodney Hood - Milwaukee Bucks
Damian Inglis - Atlanta Hawks
Jordan Adams - Seattle SuperSonics

Bigs:
Mitch McGary - Washington Bullets
Jusuf Nurkic - Charlotte Bobcats
Sim Bhullar - Boston Celtics
Aaron Gordon - San Antonio Spurs
Clint Capela - Washington Bullets
Dwight Powell - Philadelphia 76ers

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End of Season - Final Standings

No extra rung... just 10 dudes being dudes. Congrats to Ankly ! Please give him his 1k from my bank, Mr. skrouse

I ultimately went with Embiid by the narrowest of margins. His rebounding really worries me long-term, but it should grow naturally... right? Jokic and Randle are both future All-Stars... the rest of the class is fine.

1. Joel Embiid - New York Knicks (previous: 1)
1st in P/TSA and scores at a high volume, plays a lot of minutes, and doesn't turn it over. Despite my focus on the poor rebounding, the rest of the package is stellar.



2. Nikola Jokic - Texas Chaparrals (previous: 2)
3rd in P/TSA and a stud rebounder. Came ever so close to knocking out the Cameroonian Kid.



3. Julius Randle - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 3)
4th in P/TSA and a scoring machine. I was rooting for him to jump the guys ahead of him... but he couldn't quite get there. If he can get his steals or blocks up a tad I might actually like him more than them in the future.



4. T.J. Warren - Atlanta Hawks (previous: 4a)
He gets his own spot at the end, because I view him as the preeminent wing in the class. 2md in P/TSA, decent steal rate, decent rebounder.



5. Jabari Parker - Charlotte Bobcats (previous: 6)
Not super efficient... but he's a bucket getter and you always need one of those. Throw in good rebounding and low TOs and you have to think the future is bright for Brother Parker.



6a. Cleanthony Early - Houston Rockets (previous: 8d)
6b. Gary Harris - Carolina Cougars (previous: 4b)
6c. Doug McDermott - Boston Celtics (previous: 8a)
Scoring wings who aren't awful on the boards (but aren't great either)... with enough volume and efficiency to make the starter-level players in the league for a while.





9. Jusuf Nurkic - Charlotte Bobcats (previous: HM)
I don't know why... but he leaves me just a little bit deflated. He's a fantastic rebounder (1st in the class!)... but it feels like he should be scoring a tad bit more or playing a bit more defense. Can't quite put my finger on it.



10. Khem Birch - Toronto Raptors (previous: 7)
Still the tops of the class in terms of defensive stats, and #2 in boards. He is just a complete trainwreck on offense... where it wouldn't be that big of an issue if he would take 3-4 fewer shots each game... but he does... alas...



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Semaj Christon - Anaheim Amigos
Marcus Smart - Washington Bullets
Langston Galloway - Carolina Cougars

Wings:
Glenn Robinson III - Cleveland Cavaliers
James Young - Boston Celtics
Rodney Hood - Milwaukee Bucks
Kyle Anderson - Pittsburgh Pipers
Jordan Adams - Seattle SuperSonics

Bigs:
Mitch McGary - Washington Bullets
Sim Bhullar - Boston Celtics
Aaron Gordon - San Antonio Spurs
Clint Capela - Washington Bullets
Dwight Powell - Philadelphia 76ers

[skrouse]

65K - good stuff as per usual

[jhb]

60k

[Handsome Pete]

75k

[20s]

69k

[Fason]

75k

[Deleted]

lol ranking your own player (khem birch) who is literally worthless and will be out of the league before his rookie deal is up (if youre not bad at sim) over semaj christon who is literally the best point guard in the class and a solid point guard even when compared to other classes

69k