Post by Handsome Pete on Nov 15, 2021 14:09:54 GMT -5
The expectations for this class were pretty low by most accounts, especially compared to the prior draft. After Dominique and Worthy, most felt like it would be a pretty steep drop off in talent. However, to the contrary, this ended up being a pretty strong top 10 in sim with multiple all-league players and a few solid starters. Coming off of the disappointment of the 3011 class, this one goes to show you that even the weaker looking draft classes can surprise you.
1. Original pick: Los Angeles Lakers (from Philadelphia 76ers) - Dominique Wilkins SF 6'8'' 215 22 A- C- C, B+ B, C, Georgia
Redraft pick: Dominique Wilkins SF 6'8'' 215 22 A- C- C, B+ B, C, Georgia
This was a great draft to have 1.1, as there is a very clear separation between the top player and the rest of the class. 'Nique and Worthy had very similar builds and at the time of the draft, some might've preferred Worthy's more polished offensive game and potential upside. But Dominique was insanely gifted in the slow-growing physical attributes and was a hidden gem, allowing him to get to A+ inside his rookie season, a mark no other player in 6.0 has achieved. His low starting potential has also not hindered him from getting better as a defender and rebounder as well. He's an efficiency dynamo with the highest Pts/TSA on record, an all-league caliber performer and a multi-time champion and playoff MVP. I do not hesitate to make this pick again.
2. Original pick: Cleveland Cavaliers - James Worthy SF 6'9'' 225 21 B+ C, C, B- C+ B, UNC
Redraft pick: James Worthy SF 6'9'' 225 21 B+ C, C, B- C+ B, UNC
We're going to keep it vanilla for the first two picks. Worthy was the 1B to Nique's 1A in this class, and as I mentioned above their scouts were very similar. Nique had better physical traits and an extra +10, while Worthy needed less improvements help on offense and had higher potential. Four seasons in, and the gap between the two has grown, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that Worthy is a great player in his own right. He's a volume scorer and is over 1.20 Pts/TSA so far for his career. He's an above average rebounder and takes care of the ball, and he blocks around half a shot a game so he's kicking in slightly more as a rim protector than most offensive wings. Would Sap want to redo this pick after Worthy spurned him in free agency? I still think so, although maybe he takes Odin up on his 1.1 offer this time around.
3. Original pick: Pittsburgh Pipers (from contracted) - Ricky Pierce SG 6'4'' 205 23 A- D+ C, D+ C+ C, Rice University
Redraft pick: LaSalle Thompson C 6'10'' 245 21 B- C- C- B- A- B, Texas
Pipe-town maybe would prefer the efficient scoring wing over the stud big given that the year before they took Patrick Ewing, but LaSalle Thompson has proven over the past few seasons that he belongs in the conversation of best big man in the league. He was a high-upside pick in a draft with few high-potential players, and after a couple seasons of development in San Antonio he burst onto the scene in 3014, and in the past two seasons he's become one of the best combinations of scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking for any big in the league. My biggest concern with LaSalle coming out of the draft was his strength, which was in the mid-50s, and we see that his FTAs aren't up to the level of elite scoring bigs. He also has some handling issues, but nowhere near as bad as one might've predicted looking at his original build. He's on a short list of bigs who could score over 1.20 Pts/TSA, lead the league in rebounding, and block 2.5+ per game. The fact that he's only at 1.3 speaks to how good the two wings above him have been.
4. Original pick: Utah Jazz - Sleepy Floyd PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, B- C+ C+ D, C, Georgetown
Redraft pick: Ricky Pierce SG 6'4'' 205 23 A- D+ C, D+ C+ C, Rice University
With LaSalle jumping to 1.3, the Jazz are free to select Ricky Pierce at 1.4. Pierce put up phenomenal stats and efficiency in the college sims and started above the cap for inside scoring and just shy of the rebounding caps for a SG. The questions with Pierce were whether his broken jumper and non-existent 3 point shot would prevent him from being a successful scorer as a SG, and whether his poor defense would prevent him from ever contributing a full complement of starter's minutes. The answer to both of those questions seems to be no, as Pierce has been an efficient scorer for his career and over the past two seasons (on track for 3 this season), he's gotten 30+ MPG. Pierce is not exactly threatening to lead the league in scoring, putting up shy of 20 PPG for his career, and compared to SG-eligible small forwards his rebounding is not as much of an asset as it could be, but among shooting guards he's consistently near the top of the group in Pts/TSA despite attempting only 27 3 pointers for his career. I think Pierce has been a success and the Jazz would be much happier to have him on their current team build with DC and company than with Sleepy, who they cut bait on after a few seasons.
5. Original pick: Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets) - Fat Lever PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, C, A, B- C, C, Arizona State
Redraft pick: Mark Eaton C 7'4'' 275 25 C, D+ D- C, B+ A, UCLA
This is one of the more interesting spots in the draft, in my opinion, and gets at the question of fit versus need. I came into this draft hoping to fill out my starting line-up with Nique and one of the PGs, and although Fat's scout was less than impressive, he was a really good fit for my team as a PG who would rebound and take care of the ball and didn't need to do much else. Given how well my team has done, Fat would probably still be my pick. But for the purposes of this exercise, Eaton is the better player. Eaton was incredibly flawed as a prospect, with awful handles and a poor jump shot. Worse still, he was good enough a scorer that he seemed to be caught in the no-man's land between D/R big and two-way big. I was surprised BK opted to put points into his offense, but it has paid off to some degree, as Eaton has developed into a poor man's LaSalle Thompson with the Amigos. He's a fantastic rebounder and blocks shots at an above-average rate, but his handles are still a problem and despite his high FG%, his 1.10 career Pts/TSA are a lot lower than one would like out of a 20 PPG scorer. All that being said, it's hard to find bigs who can rebound and block shots at these rates and his offense isn't bad enough to submarine his team on that end.
6. Original pick: San Antonio Spurs - LaSalle Thompson C 6'10'' 245 21 B- C- C- B- A- B, Texas
Redraft pick: Terry Cummings PF 6'9'' 220 21 C+ C, D+ C, A- C, DePaul
Losing out on LaSalle in this redraft is unfortunate, but fortunately for pointy there is another big in this class who by WS/48 is just as good. Terry Cummings is not the defensive presence that LaSalle Thompson is, and he's a slight downgrade as a rebounder, but his offensive game has been great since he entered the league and he is every bit as good on that end of the court. Cummings was minimally involved in the Grizzlies rotation his rookie season, but became a key part of their rotation by the playoffs and helped them crush the competition on the boards en route to the title. He's been a solid player in the years since, although his poor defense seems to put him in the Jabari Parker "can't get minutes" camp, as he's yet to top 30 MPG in a season. Without that defense, his ceiling is limited, but Cummings has shown he can be a title-caliber 3rd big or quality starter for most teams in the league. This is also the spot where the talent falls off a bit in this class, as you'll see by a lot of the following names that are out there as unsigned FAs this season.
7. Original pick: Vancouver Grizzlies (from Carolina Cougars) - Terry Cummings PF 6'9'' 220 21 C+ C, D+ C, A- C, DePaul
Redraft pick: Fat Lever PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, C, A, B- C, C, Arizona State
The Grizz would probably be disappointed to wind up with Fat Lever at 1.7. In fact, the league itself seems to have judged his skillset to be lacking, as he's currently sitting on the free agent market hoping to get a call. But Fat has a surprisingly strong WS/48 (I'm sure it's helped by the Lakers' team success), and as a starter for the Lakers since his rookie season he was a great complementary player. His offense was negligible and his defense never grew beyond average, but he has one of the best Ast/TO margins in league history and averaged 5.1 rebounds per 36 for his career, more than holding his own on that end. He's not a splashy player but he's a player that helps you win, and the fact that he's not even getting back-up minutes somewhere is shocking.
8. Original pick: Chicago Bulls - Lester Conner PG 6'4'' 180 23 C, C, B, C+ C, B, Oregon State
Redraft pick: Sleepy Floyd PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, B- C+ C+ D, C, Georgetown
The Lester Conner pick was probably the biggest head scratcher of the top 10. I had him fairly high on my big board going into the draft and compared him to Fat, but the Bulls at this stage were in need of players who could contribute, not complementary pieces. Rather than Conner, in this scenario they get Sleepy Floyd. I loved Sleepy's draft scout and thought I had missed out on an all-star caliber point guard when he went at 1.4, and he looked well on his way his rookie season, scoring 28+ for a mediocre Jazz team. His efficiency wasn't outstanding though, and either through bad TC luck or a change in offensive style that didn't suit him, he fell out of favor in Utah after two seasons and spent the last two with the Bullets trying to miss the playoffs. He's been brutal this season with the Stags, so he might not belong on this list at all. But I can't give up hope that maybe in the right situation he could recapture the promise of his rookie season.
9. Original pick: Anaheim Amigos (from Texas Chaparrals) - Mark Eaton C 7'4'' 275 25 C, D+ D- C, B+ A, UCLA
Redraft pick: Kevin Magee PF 6'8'' 230 23 B- C, C- C, C+ B, University of California Irvine
You can be forgiven if your first thought at the name Kevin Magee is "who?!?". He was an undrafted big signed by the Clippers, who decided to invest in him his rookie season with few others on the roster worth improving. Magee has developed into a solid rotational big. He's nowhere near the rebounder that Eaton is, but on the plus side he still gives you a little bit of shot blocking adn he's a more efficient offensive player. The real benefit is that he takes good care of the basketball. Magee has a better WS/48 number than better known names like Eaton and Sleepy Floyd, which is more surprising because he's mostly played for some bad teams. He's another player who is on the FA list hoping for another shot. The stats say he's worth a look.
10. Original pick: Portland Trail Blazers (from Seattle Supersonics) - Paul Pressey SG 6'5'' 185 23 C, B- B+ A- D+ B, Tulsa
Redraft pick: J.J. Anderson SF 6'8'' 195 22 C+ C, D+ C+ B- C, Bradley
The Blazers were probably hoping for better than just a defensive wing when they selected Paul Pressey at 1.10, but that's pretty much all he's been since entering the league. Rather than sacrificing rebounding, they instead take 2nd round pick JJ Anderson here. JJ has quietly been a solid rotation wing for the Cougars. His stats don't wow you but he's been a decent offensive player in the limited minutes he's gotten, and A- defense for a SG-eligible wing means he would give you an edge over almost any other rotational wing he goes up against. He's a depth piece, but a pretty good one at that.
11. Original pick: Houston Rockets (from Los Angeles Lakers) - Rory White SF 6'8'' 210 23 B, C, C, C, C, C, University of South Alabama
Redraft pick: Vince Taylor SG 6'5'' 180 22 C+ C+ C, B, C- C, Duke
There is nothing I want more than for a team to sign Vince Taylor and give him a shot as a scorer. He was a second round pick who was a hidden gem, and received 3 seasons's worth of mentor upgrades. His WS/48 number is better than Luke Maye, Joe Dumars, and Jabari Parker, to name a few. He's also only ever played 489 minutes. But I can vouch for his offensive scoring attributes from a few seasons ago being legitimately good, and I think he's probably much better than anyone else in this draft, and probably better than a few of the guys ahead of him. His D+ rebounding is bad, but he's gotta be better than other guys getting minutes. Someone please unleash him.
12. Original pick: Anaheim Amigos - Rod Higgins SF 6'7'' 200 22 C+ C, C, C, C, A, Fresno State
Redraft pick: Rod Higgins SF 6'7'' 200 22 C+ C, C, C, C, A, Fresno State
Like a lot of draft classes, once you get past the first 10 or so picks, the pickings get pretty slim. Rod is nothing special, a non-threat on offense and average on the boards. But he gives you good handling and 0.7 blocked shots per 36, so he's got some value as a depth piece.
13. Original pick: Pittsburgh Pipers - Rob Williams PG 6'2'' 175 21 C, C+ A- C, C- B, Houston
Redraft pick: Paul Pressey SG 6'5'' 185 23 C, B- B+ A- D+ B, Tulsa
Pressey is actually one of the more decorated players in the class, making two all-defensive second teams in his first two seasons as a starter for the Blazers. He's just not very good as an offensive player and a train wreck on the glass, so he's way down my list. I mentioned in the draft preview I wrote that if he were a point guard he would've gone early, and in 4.0 he probably is a quality starting point guard thanks to his A- handles. But now, he's going to be a career back-up and a limited one at that.
14. Original pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (from Toronto Raptors) - Terry Teagle SG 6'5'' 195 22 B, C+ C, C, C, C, Baylor
Redraft pick: Brook Steppe SG 6'5'' 195 22 C+ B, C, C, C, C, Georgia Tech
We've seen this story before with a player like Brook Steppe. Good offensive player, average across the board everywhere else. With some good development and luck, they can become Dave Jamerson or Luther Head. With some bad luck, they bounce around for a while as a 4th or 5th option as a wing. Steppe is nowhere near the Jamerson camp, but he carved out a nice role with the Knicks for a few seasons. Sadly, I believe he is a software casualty, as I can't find him on the rosters page or the FA list.
15. Original pick: Utah Jazz (from Boston Celtics) - Chuck Nevitt C 7'5'' 217 23 C+ C- C- B, B- C, NC State
Redraft pick: Trent Tucker SG 6'5'' 193 22 C, B- D, C+ C- B, Minnesota
Tucker rounds out the top 15 of this draft, which was pretty wing-heavy overall compared to most classes. Tucker does not give you much of anything, but he can at least play some defense, averaging 1.5 steals per 36. Not an exciting way to end the list, but we rarely have 15 players who are worth getting minutes in a draft class.
3012 Re-Draft
1. Original pick: Los Angeles Lakers (from Philadelphia 76ers) - Dominique Wilkins SF 6'8'' 215 22 A- C- C, B+ B, C, Georgia
Redraft pick: Dominique Wilkins SF 6'8'' 215 22 A- C- C, B+ B, C, Georgia
This was a great draft to have 1.1, as there is a very clear separation between the top player and the rest of the class. 'Nique and Worthy had very similar builds and at the time of the draft, some might've preferred Worthy's more polished offensive game and potential upside. But Dominique was insanely gifted in the slow-growing physical attributes and was a hidden gem, allowing him to get to A+ inside his rookie season, a mark no other player in 6.0 has achieved. His low starting potential has also not hindered him from getting better as a defender and rebounder as well. He's an efficiency dynamo with the highest Pts/TSA on record, an all-league caliber performer and a multi-time champion and playoff MVP. I do not hesitate to make this pick again.
2. Original pick: Cleveland Cavaliers - James Worthy SF 6'9'' 225 21 B+ C, C, B- C+ B, UNC
Redraft pick: James Worthy SF 6'9'' 225 21 B+ C, C, B- C+ B, UNC
We're going to keep it vanilla for the first two picks. Worthy was the 1B to Nique's 1A in this class, and as I mentioned above their scouts were very similar. Nique had better physical traits and an extra +10, while Worthy needed less improvements help on offense and had higher potential. Four seasons in, and the gap between the two has grown, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that Worthy is a great player in his own right. He's a volume scorer and is over 1.20 Pts/TSA so far for his career. He's an above average rebounder and takes care of the ball, and he blocks around half a shot a game so he's kicking in slightly more as a rim protector than most offensive wings. Would Sap want to redo this pick after Worthy spurned him in free agency? I still think so, although maybe he takes Odin up on his 1.1 offer this time around.
3. Original pick: Pittsburgh Pipers (from contracted) - Ricky Pierce SG 6'4'' 205 23 A- D+ C, D+ C+ C, Rice University
Redraft pick: LaSalle Thompson C 6'10'' 245 21 B- C- C- B- A- B, Texas
Pipe-town maybe would prefer the efficient scoring wing over the stud big given that the year before they took Patrick Ewing, but LaSalle Thompson has proven over the past few seasons that he belongs in the conversation of best big man in the league. He was a high-upside pick in a draft with few high-potential players, and after a couple seasons of development in San Antonio he burst onto the scene in 3014, and in the past two seasons he's become one of the best combinations of scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking for any big in the league. My biggest concern with LaSalle coming out of the draft was his strength, which was in the mid-50s, and we see that his FTAs aren't up to the level of elite scoring bigs. He also has some handling issues, but nowhere near as bad as one might've predicted looking at his original build. He's on a short list of bigs who could score over 1.20 Pts/TSA, lead the league in rebounding, and block 2.5+ per game. The fact that he's only at 1.3 speaks to how good the two wings above him have been.
4. Original pick: Utah Jazz - Sleepy Floyd PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, B- C+ C+ D, C, Georgetown
Redraft pick: Ricky Pierce SG 6'4'' 205 23 A- D+ C, D+ C+ C, Rice University
With LaSalle jumping to 1.3, the Jazz are free to select Ricky Pierce at 1.4. Pierce put up phenomenal stats and efficiency in the college sims and started above the cap for inside scoring and just shy of the rebounding caps for a SG. The questions with Pierce were whether his broken jumper and non-existent 3 point shot would prevent him from being a successful scorer as a SG, and whether his poor defense would prevent him from ever contributing a full complement of starter's minutes. The answer to both of those questions seems to be no, as Pierce has been an efficient scorer for his career and over the past two seasons (on track for 3 this season), he's gotten 30+ MPG. Pierce is not exactly threatening to lead the league in scoring, putting up shy of 20 PPG for his career, and compared to SG-eligible small forwards his rebounding is not as much of an asset as it could be, but among shooting guards he's consistently near the top of the group in Pts/TSA despite attempting only 27 3 pointers for his career. I think Pierce has been a success and the Jazz would be much happier to have him on their current team build with DC and company than with Sleepy, who they cut bait on after a few seasons.
5. Original pick: Los Angeles Lakers (from Houston Rockets) - Fat Lever PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, C, A, B- C, C, Arizona State
Redraft pick: Mark Eaton C 7'4'' 275 25 C, D+ D- C, B+ A, UCLA
This is one of the more interesting spots in the draft, in my opinion, and gets at the question of fit versus need. I came into this draft hoping to fill out my starting line-up with Nique and one of the PGs, and although Fat's scout was less than impressive, he was a really good fit for my team as a PG who would rebound and take care of the ball and didn't need to do much else. Given how well my team has done, Fat would probably still be my pick. But for the purposes of this exercise, Eaton is the better player. Eaton was incredibly flawed as a prospect, with awful handles and a poor jump shot. Worse still, he was good enough a scorer that he seemed to be caught in the no-man's land between D/R big and two-way big. I was surprised BK opted to put points into his offense, but it has paid off to some degree, as Eaton has developed into a poor man's LaSalle Thompson with the Amigos. He's a fantastic rebounder and blocks shots at an above-average rate, but his handles are still a problem and despite his high FG%, his 1.10 career Pts/TSA are a lot lower than one would like out of a 20 PPG scorer. All that being said, it's hard to find bigs who can rebound and block shots at these rates and his offense isn't bad enough to submarine his team on that end.
6. Original pick: San Antonio Spurs - LaSalle Thompson C 6'10'' 245 21 B- C- C- B- A- B, Texas
Redraft pick: Terry Cummings PF 6'9'' 220 21 C+ C, D+ C, A- C, DePaul
Losing out on LaSalle in this redraft is unfortunate, but fortunately for pointy there is another big in this class who by WS/48 is just as good. Terry Cummings is not the defensive presence that LaSalle Thompson is, and he's a slight downgrade as a rebounder, but his offensive game has been great since he entered the league and he is every bit as good on that end of the court. Cummings was minimally involved in the Grizzlies rotation his rookie season, but became a key part of their rotation by the playoffs and helped them crush the competition on the boards en route to the title. He's been a solid player in the years since, although his poor defense seems to put him in the Jabari Parker "can't get minutes" camp, as he's yet to top 30 MPG in a season. Without that defense, his ceiling is limited, but Cummings has shown he can be a title-caliber 3rd big or quality starter for most teams in the league. This is also the spot where the talent falls off a bit in this class, as you'll see by a lot of the following names that are out there as unsigned FAs this season.
7. Original pick: Vancouver Grizzlies (from Carolina Cougars) - Terry Cummings PF 6'9'' 220 21 C+ C, D+ C, A- C, DePaul
Redraft pick: Fat Lever PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, C, A, B- C, C, Arizona State
The Grizz would probably be disappointed to wind up with Fat Lever at 1.7. In fact, the league itself seems to have judged his skillset to be lacking, as he's currently sitting on the free agent market hoping to get a call. But Fat has a surprisingly strong WS/48 (I'm sure it's helped by the Lakers' team success), and as a starter for the Lakers since his rookie season he was a great complementary player. His offense was negligible and his defense never grew beyond average, but he has one of the best Ast/TO margins in league history and averaged 5.1 rebounds per 36 for his career, more than holding his own on that end. He's not a splashy player but he's a player that helps you win, and the fact that he's not even getting back-up minutes somewhere is shocking.
8. Original pick: Chicago Bulls - Lester Conner PG 6'4'' 180 23 C, C, B, C+ C, B, Oregon State
Redraft pick: Sleepy Floyd PG 6'3'' 170 22 C, B- C+ C+ D, C, Georgetown
The Lester Conner pick was probably the biggest head scratcher of the top 10. I had him fairly high on my big board going into the draft and compared him to Fat, but the Bulls at this stage were in need of players who could contribute, not complementary pieces. Rather than Conner, in this scenario they get Sleepy Floyd. I loved Sleepy's draft scout and thought I had missed out on an all-star caliber point guard when he went at 1.4, and he looked well on his way his rookie season, scoring 28+ for a mediocre Jazz team. His efficiency wasn't outstanding though, and either through bad TC luck or a change in offensive style that didn't suit him, he fell out of favor in Utah after two seasons and spent the last two with the Bullets trying to miss the playoffs. He's been brutal this season with the Stags, so he might not belong on this list at all. But I can't give up hope that maybe in the right situation he could recapture the promise of his rookie season.
9. Original pick: Anaheim Amigos (from Texas Chaparrals) - Mark Eaton C 7'4'' 275 25 C, D+ D- C, B+ A, UCLA
Redraft pick: Kevin Magee PF 6'8'' 230 23 B- C, C- C, C+ B, University of California Irvine
You can be forgiven if your first thought at the name Kevin Magee is "who?!?". He was an undrafted big signed by the Clippers, who decided to invest in him his rookie season with few others on the roster worth improving. Magee has developed into a solid rotational big. He's nowhere near the rebounder that Eaton is, but on the plus side he still gives you a little bit of shot blocking adn he's a more efficient offensive player. The real benefit is that he takes good care of the basketball. Magee has a better WS/48 number than better known names like Eaton and Sleepy Floyd, which is more surprising because he's mostly played for some bad teams. He's another player who is on the FA list hoping for another shot. The stats say he's worth a look.
10. Original pick: Portland Trail Blazers (from Seattle Supersonics) - Paul Pressey SG 6'5'' 185 23 C, B- B+ A- D+ B, Tulsa
Redraft pick: J.J. Anderson SF 6'8'' 195 22 C+ C, D+ C+ B- C, Bradley
The Blazers were probably hoping for better than just a defensive wing when they selected Paul Pressey at 1.10, but that's pretty much all he's been since entering the league. Rather than sacrificing rebounding, they instead take 2nd round pick JJ Anderson here. JJ has quietly been a solid rotation wing for the Cougars. His stats don't wow you but he's been a decent offensive player in the limited minutes he's gotten, and A- defense for a SG-eligible wing means he would give you an edge over almost any other rotational wing he goes up against. He's a depth piece, but a pretty good one at that.
11. Original pick: Houston Rockets (from Los Angeles Lakers) - Rory White SF 6'8'' 210 23 B, C, C, C, C, C, University of South Alabama
Redraft pick: Vince Taylor SG 6'5'' 180 22 C+ C+ C, B, C- C, Duke
There is nothing I want more than for a team to sign Vince Taylor and give him a shot as a scorer. He was a second round pick who was a hidden gem, and received 3 seasons's worth of mentor upgrades. His WS/48 number is better than Luke Maye, Joe Dumars, and Jabari Parker, to name a few. He's also only ever played 489 minutes. But I can vouch for his offensive scoring attributes from a few seasons ago being legitimately good, and I think he's probably much better than anyone else in this draft, and probably better than a few of the guys ahead of him. His D+ rebounding is bad, but he's gotta be better than other guys getting minutes. Someone please unleash him.
12. Original pick: Anaheim Amigos - Rod Higgins SF 6'7'' 200 22 C+ C, C, C, C, A, Fresno State
Redraft pick: Rod Higgins SF 6'7'' 200 22 C+ C, C, C, C, A, Fresno State
Like a lot of draft classes, once you get past the first 10 or so picks, the pickings get pretty slim. Rod is nothing special, a non-threat on offense and average on the boards. But he gives you good handling and 0.7 blocked shots per 36, so he's got some value as a depth piece.
13. Original pick: Pittsburgh Pipers - Rob Williams PG 6'2'' 175 21 C, C+ A- C, C- B, Houston
Redraft pick: Paul Pressey SG 6'5'' 185 23 C, B- B+ A- D+ B, Tulsa
Pressey is actually one of the more decorated players in the class, making two all-defensive second teams in his first two seasons as a starter for the Blazers. He's just not very good as an offensive player and a train wreck on the glass, so he's way down my list. I mentioned in the draft preview I wrote that if he were a point guard he would've gone early, and in 4.0 he probably is a quality starting point guard thanks to his A- handles. But now, he's going to be a career back-up and a limited one at that.
14. Original pick: Cleveland Cavaliers (from Toronto Raptors) - Terry Teagle SG 6'5'' 195 22 B, C+ C, C, C, C, Baylor
Redraft pick: Brook Steppe SG 6'5'' 195 22 C+ B, C, C, C, C, Georgia Tech
We've seen this story before with a player like Brook Steppe. Good offensive player, average across the board everywhere else. With some good development and luck, they can become Dave Jamerson or Luther Head. With some bad luck, they bounce around for a while as a 4th or 5th option as a wing. Steppe is nowhere near the Jamerson camp, but he carved out a nice role with the Knicks for a few seasons. Sadly, I believe he is a software casualty, as I can't find him on the rosters page or the FA list.
15. Original pick: Utah Jazz (from Boston Celtics) - Chuck Nevitt C 7'5'' 217 23 C+ C- C- B, B- C, NC State
Redraft pick: Trent Tucker SG 6'5'' 193 22 C, B- D, C+ C- B, Minnesota
Tucker rounds out the top 15 of this draft, which was pretty wing-heavy overall compared to most classes. Tucker does not give you much of anything, but he can at least play some defense, averaging 1.5 steals per 36. Not an exciting way to end the list, but we rarely have 15 players who are worth getting minutes in a draft class.
