Post by Handsome Pete on Aug 17, 2021 17:40:24 GMT -5
In an unprecedented show of transparency, the Los Angeles Lakers and I would like to unveil our coveted draft big board of the top ten prospects in the 3012 draft. Despite risks that we will divulge information to give other drafting teams a competitive advantage, this is a highly intriguing draft class that warrants some discussion, and we in Los Angeles are proud and brave enough to start the conversation. This is a no-spin, smokescreen-free peek behind the curtain of the 20th most successful front office in all of TMBSL. Enjoy!
1. Dominique Wilkins SF 6'8'' 215 22 A C C B B C Georgia
Nique has been penciled in at 1.1 since this class was announced, and his college production has done nothing to change that. Nique is a beast on the boards and is probably going to have one of the highest builds for physical attributes (strength/jumping/quickness) that we've seen for a wing in 6.0. His free throw rate stands out to me as very impressive. It's currently the highest we've seen from a non-big in the College Stats era. His jump shot is bad but not completely busted, and his inside scoring looks high enough that there should be plenty of uppies left over to improve his FT%. The only other drawback is the low potential, but this is a very low potential class to begin with so that shouldn't be as much of a red flag as in other years.
2. James Worthy SF 6'9'' 225 21 B C C B C B UNC
There were a few complaints at the James Worthy profile when it was posted, as some felt it didn't go far enough to highlight his strengths. However, Worthy's college stats tell a different story. This guy is a phenomenal prospect and I think the argument could be made to take him at 1.1 over Nique. It will be fun to watch their careers unfold, because they're sure to be compared against each other for as long as they're in the league. Looking at the two, Worthy is more polished offensively, mostly thanks to a much better jumper. He gives a little ground on defense and rebounding but not by much. And while Nique's FTr is outstanding, Worthy is just behind him, so you can expect that his strength will be close as well. The kicker is that Worthy has a B potential rating, so he will likely see better TCs than 'Nique as well. We'll see how both look in scouting, but I give the edge to 'Nique because his rebounding, positional versatility, and physical attributes. Either way, I think Nique and Worthy are the obvious top tier prospects, so Sap should be happy with whoever falls to 1.2.
3. Fat Lever PG 6'3'' 170 22 C C A B C C Arizona State
Fat is a tantalizing PG prospect. On the one hand, he's got elite rebounding for the position, his jumper is workable, and despite a strong passing rating he looks to have solid handles, sporting a nifty 3.5 Ast/TO rate. He also has at least some defensive chops, as he's the only PG in the class with a B- or greater defensive display grade. On the other hand, he's an inefficient scorer and probably will never be suitable as a scoring option. He makes a ton of sense for an inside-oriented team where he won't have to handle the scoring load and can let the rest of his game shine. Is that skillset worthy of the 3rd pick in the draft? Maybe not, but rebounding point guards are always in vogue, and he'd be an ideal fit for my Lakers at 1.5 if he should fall that far. I'm guessing he doesn't.
4. Ricky Pierce SG 6'4'' 205 23 A D C D C C Rice University
Ricky's profile described him as a PF stuck in a SG body, and his build looks like it matches that description beautifully. Pierce is a very strong rebounder, especially for a SG where the attribute caps mean his ratings can't exceed 65 in either. I would also bet he's well above the cap for inside scoring given how strong of a scorer he is. Just looking at the stat line, he looks like he belongs in the same conversation as Nique and Worthy. However, he's got a couple major red flags holding him back. For starters, his jumper is probably a little worse than Nique and he draws fewer fouls. But even more troubling, his defensive display grade is in the Ds and even after uppies he will likely be one of those players who struggles to get full starter's minutes. We've seen other wings have success despite a low defensive display grade, so it's not the end of the world, but couple that with his low starting potential and it's hard to imagine him ever getting to the point where he could average 30+ minutes on a good team. Still, I really like Pierce and think he's got a great skillset for an inside-oriented team.
5. LaSalle Thompson C 6'10'' 245 21 B C C B A B Texas
In a 6.0 first, I project that no big is drafted in the top 3 this season. My top big in the class is LaSalle Thompson, who has the makings of an above-average two-way big. He's a strong rebounder and shot blocker with B potential, so he could easily grow to elite in either or both categories. He's not going to wow anyone with his scoring output but it's at least workable, and his jump shot rating is good enough that with all of his points dumped into inside scoring, I think he could be a potent 3rd option. The biggest worry is the turnovers. I don't expect that they'll be above 3 when he makes it to the league, but he needs enough help everywhere else that they'll probably never get below 2. A quality prospect for sure, but a far cry from the sure thing bigs like Embiid, Coleman, Yao and Ewing in the past few drafts.
6. Paul Pressey SG 6'5'' 185 23 C B B A D B Tulsa
It's a shame Pressey plays SG and not PG, because his poor rebounding would be much easier to swallow. Even still, Pressey has a rare skill set for this class, as he's one of the only players willing to let fly from distance. He's got the makings of a strong 3 and D option on the wing, with a promising jumper and good efficiency along with top flight steals numbers and a decent assist/TO ratio. Anyone in the top ten looking to build an outside-oriented offense should have him on their short list. The B shown potential is an added boost, as he could get some good TC growth in his 3s and steals ratings and go from good to elite in those categories.
7. Sleepy Floyd PG 6'3'' 170 22 C B C C D C Georgetown
My 4.0 darling, Sleepy Floyd looks to be an absolutely satisfactory conventional point guard prospect. He's a willing 3pt shooter and appears to have a good jumper and high 3pt rating out of the box. His FG% isn't earth-shattering but it's good enough that he probably won't need a 30 uppie investment in his inside scoring to be an effective offensive weapon. The passing rating is on the low side and his handling looks pretty good. He's way behind on rebounding compared to some of the other PGs in this class, but Sleepy looks like the kind of PG who can fit into multiple offensive styles. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go higher than this.
8. Lester Conner PG 6'4'' 180 23 C C B C C B Oregon State
If you love rebounding from a PG, you're in luck. Lester Conner is the bargain bin Fat Lever, averaging nearly identical boards and points per 36. Like Fat, he's also got a semi-workable jumper and is allergic to shooting 3s. He's also got a higher starting potential. So why is Fat my #3 prospect and Lester my #8? Because his offense is ATROCIOUS. Lester has the worst Pts/TSA in the class and took nearly 100 more FGA than Fat, meaning he's probably going to steal more shot attempts away from better players when he's in the lineup. Still, for the same reasons I think Fat goes early, I see Lester making his way into the top ten.
9. Mark Eaton C 7'4'' 275 25 C D D C B A UCLA
Our only profile prospect to earn an A potential rating. Eaton has been a dominant D/R big in previous iterations of sim league, but he's looking a little more Nene than Shawn Bradley. His rebounding and shot blocking are both very strong, as to be expected, but he's also going to cost you a few possessions a game on the offensive end, as he's a terrible FT shooter and managed to turn it over a ton despite not shooting very frequently. The high potential coupled with his already strong rebounding and stocks numbers could make him a defensive force, but it could just as easily lead to offensive growth that would cause even more wasted possessions on that end. Worth the gamble in the latter part of the lotto.
10. Terry Teagle SG 6'5'' 195 22 B C C C C C Baylor
Picking a prospect for the 10th spot was difficult. Terry Cummings just missed out, as his rebounding and scoring weren't enough to overcome his turnovers and lack of shot blocking. Instead, I'm giving the nod to Terry Teagle, who looks like a solid reserve wing with the makeup to perhaps be a starter on a high-level team. He's shooting with good volume compared to a typical non-profile wing, and he's drawing FTAs at a good rate, all of which make sense when you see that his strength is Inside Scoring. The good news is he's at least attempting some 3s, and since his inside scoring and jumper both appear to be at or near the caps, he could get a lot of investment to bring that 3 pt rating up enough to make him a highly efficient wing scorer. I think if his potential is in the 50s, he'll be a top 10 pick. If not, he may fall to the early-to-mid teens.
Handsome Pete's 3012 Big Board
All grades and stats are as of the sim 5 update.
All grades and stats are as of the sim 5 update.
1. Dominique Wilkins SF 6'8'' 215 22 A C C B B C Georgia
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
58 2047 23.1 9.6 2.4 1.4 0.2 2.4 523 1006 267 406 0 0 0.52 0.658 0 1.108 23.5Nique has been penciled in at 1.1 since this class was announced, and his college production has done nothing to change that. Nique is a beast on the boards and is probably going to have one of the highest builds for physical attributes (strength/jumping/quickness) that we've seen for a wing in 6.0. His free throw rate stands out to me as very impressive. It's currently the highest we've seen from a non-big in the College Stats era. His jump shot is bad but not completely busted, and his inside scoring looks high enough that there should be plenty of uppies left over to improve his FT%. The only other drawback is the low potential, but this is a very low potential class to begin with so that shouldn't be as much of a red flag as in other years.
2. James Worthy SF 6'9'' 225 21 B C C B C B UNC
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
53 1859 21.4 7.7 2.1 1.3 0.3 1.6 427 816 250 318 0 0 0.523 0.786 0 1.155 22.6There were a few complaints at the James Worthy profile when it was posted, as some felt it didn't go far enough to highlight his strengths. However, Worthy's college stats tell a different story. This guy is a phenomenal prospect and I think the argument could be made to take him at 1.1 over Nique. It will be fun to watch their careers unfold, because they're sure to be compared against each other for as long as they're in the league. Looking at the two, Worthy is more polished offensively, mostly thanks to a much better jumper. He gives a little ground on defense and rebounding but not by much. And while Nique's FTr is outstanding, Worthy is just behind him, so you can expect that his strength will be close as well. The kicker is that Worthy has a B potential rating, so he will likely see better TCs than 'Nique as well. We'll see how both look in scouting, but I give the edge to 'Nique because his rebounding, positional versatility, and physical attributes. Either way, I think Nique and Worthy are the obvious top tier prospects, so Sap should be happy with whoever falls to 1.2.
3. Fat Lever PG 6'3'' 170 22 C C A B C C Arizona State
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
51 1763 12.7 6 8.8 1 0.2 2.5 260 592 102 138 0 1 0.439 0.739 0 0.953 16.9Fat is a tantalizing PG prospect. On the one hand, he's got elite rebounding for the position, his jumper is workable, and despite a strong passing rating he looks to have solid handles, sporting a nifty 3.5 Ast/TO rate. He also has at least some defensive chops, as he's the only PG in the class with a B- or greater defensive display grade. On the other hand, he's an inefficient scorer and probably will never be suitable as a scoring option. He makes a ton of sense for an inside-oriented team where he won't have to handle the scoring load and can let the rest of his game shine. Is that skillset worthy of the 3rd pick in the draft? Maybe not, but rebounding point guards are always in vogue, and he'd be an ideal fit for my Lakers at 1.5 if he should fall that far. I'm guessing he doesn't.
4. Ricky Pierce SG 6'4'' 205 23 A D C D C C Rice University
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
52 1401 22.8 8.1 3.1 1.1 0.3 1.7 380 722 127 203 0 0 0.526 0.626 0 1.093 23.3Ricky's profile described him as a PF stuck in a SG body, and his build looks like it matches that description beautifully. Pierce is a very strong rebounder, especially for a SG where the attribute caps mean his ratings can't exceed 65 in either. I would also bet he's well above the cap for inside scoring given how strong of a scorer he is. Just looking at the stat line, he looks like he belongs in the same conversation as Nique and Worthy. However, he's got a couple major red flags holding him back. For starters, his jumper is probably a little worse than Nique and he draws fewer fouls. But even more troubling, his defensive display grade is in the Ds and even after uppies he will likely be one of those players who struggles to get full starter's minutes. We've seen other wings have success despite a low defensive display grade, so it's not the end of the world, but couple that with his low starting potential and it's hard to imagine him ever getting to the point where he could average 30+ minutes on a good team. Still, I really like Pierce and think he's got a great skillset for an inside-oriented team.
5. LaSalle Thompson C 6'10'' 245 21 B C C B A B Texas
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
55 1840 16.4 12.4 2.5 1.2 1.6 3.3 307 651 223 288 0 0 0.472 0.774 0 1.076 19.5In a 6.0 first, I project that no big is drafted in the top 3 this season. My top big in the class is LaSalle Thompson, who has the makings of an above-average two-way big. He's a strong rebounder and shot blocker with B potential, so he could easily grow to elite in either or both categories. He's not going to wow anyone with his scoring output but it's at least workable, and his jump shot rating is good enough that with all of his points dumped into inside scoring, I think he could be a potent 3rd option. The biggest worry is the turnovers. I don't expect that they'll be above 3 when he makes it to the league, but he needs enough help everywhere else that they'll probably never get below 2. A quality prospect for sure, but a far cry from the sure thing bigs like Embiid, Coleman, Yao and Ewing in the past few drafts.
6. Paul Pressey SG 6'5'' 185 23 C B B A D B Tulsa
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
59 2106 13 4.8 4 1.8 0.2 2.3 295 642 95 112 74 159 0.46 0.848 0.465 1.098 14.9It's a shame Pressey plays SG and not PG, because his poor rebounding would be much easier to swallow. Even still, Pressey has a rare skill set for this class, as he's one of the only players willing to let fly from distance. He's got the makings of a strong 3 and D option on the wing, with a promising jumper and good efficiency along with top flight steals numbers and a decent assist/TO ratio. Anyone in the top ten looking to build an outside-oriented offense should have him on their short list. The B shown potential is an added boost, as he could get some good TC growth in his 3s and steals ratings and go from good to elite in those categories.
7. Sleepy Floyd PG 6'3'' 170 22 C B C C D C Georgetown
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
51 1779 15.7 3.4 6.8 1.1 0.1 2.3 307 679 109 136 52 127 0.452 0.801 0.409 1.049 17.1My 4.0 darling, Sleepy Floyd looks to be an absolutely satisfactory conventional point guard prospect. He's a willing 3pt shooter and appears to have a good jumper and high 3pt rating out of the box. His FG% isn't earth-shattering but it's good enough that he probably won't need a 30 uppie investment in his inside scoring to be an effective offensive weapon. The passing rating is on the low side and his handling looks pretty good. He's way behind on rebounding compared to some of the other PGs in this class, but Sleepy looks like the kind of PG who can fit into multiple offensive styles. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go higher than this.
8. Lester Conner PG 6'4'' 180 23 C C B C C B Oregon State
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
54 1855 12.1 5.9 7.4 1.3 0.2 2.3 273 678 76 105 1 15 0.403 0.724 0.067 0.86 14.7If you love rebounding from a PG, you're in luck. Lester Conner is the bargain bin Fat Lever, averaging nearly identical boards and points per 36. Like Fat, he's also got a semi-workable jumper and is allergic to shooting 3s. He's also got a higher starting potential. So why is Fat my #3 prospect and Lester my #8? Because his offense is ATROCIOUS. Lester has the worst Pts/TSA in the class and took nearly 100 more FGA than Fat, meaning he's probably going to steal more shot attempts away from better players when he's in the lineup. Still, for the same reasons I think Fat goes early, I see Lester making his way into the top ten.
9. Mark Eaton C 7'4'' 275 25 C D D C B A UCLA
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
51 1404 14.7 11.5 1.8 0.9 1.7 2.8 239 524 94 175 0 6 0.456 0.537 0 0.952 15.9Our only profile prospect to earn an A potential rating. Eaton has been a dominant D/R big in previous iterations of sim league, but he's looking a little more Nene than Shawn Bradley. His rebounding and shot blocking are both very strong, as to be expected, but he's also going to cost you a few possessions a game on the offensive end, as he's a terrible FT shooter and managed to turn it over a ton despite not shooting very frequently. The high potential coupled with his already strong rebounding and stocks numbers could make him a defensive force, but it could just as easily lead to offensive growth that would cause even more wasted possessions on that end. Worth the gamble in the latter part of the lotto.
10. Terry Teagle SG 6'5'' 195 22 B C C C C C Baylor
G M P R A S B T FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA FG% FT% 3P% P/TSA PER
61 2121 17.3 6.5 2.1 1.1 0.1 1.2 425 893 156 193 14 53 0.476 0.808 0.264 1.043 17.5Picking a prospect for the 10th spot was difficult. Terry Cummings just missed out, as his rebounding and scoring weren't enough to overcome his turnovers and lack of shot blocking. Instead, I'm giving the nod to Terry Teagle, who looks like a solid reserve wing with the makeup to perhaps be a starter on a high-level team. He's shooting with good volume compared to a typical non-profile wing, and he's drawing FTAs at a good rate, all of which make sense when you see that his strength is Inside Scoring. The good news is he's at least attempting some 3s, and since his inside scoring and jumper both appear to be at or near the caps, he could get a lot of investment to bring that 3 pt rating up enough to make him a highly efficient wing scorer. I think if his potential is in the 50s, he'll be a top 10 pick. If not, he may fall to the early-to-mid teens.
