Post by 20s on Apr 14, 2022 12:18:34 GMT -5
Note: As this is under 25, no one who is age 25 is included. I considered current ability, potential, expected future growth, and value in the league when making the list, but there isn't an exact scientific formula. It's just my opinion on who I'd probably rather have. The top and bottom of the 25 was easier to rank, the middle range, specifically 11-20 or so was like splitting hairs in many cases.
1 LeBron James SF 19 6'11'' 260 A A- A B- B A
LeBron might seem like the no brainer choice for #1, but I actually had Dwight Howard #1 first. After looking into the numbers more and factoring in the expected growth of LeBron (who apparently still has 96 potential thanks to bk), I realized it was a no brainer and I was being dumb.
2 Dwight Howard C 24 7'0'' 275 A C- C+ A+ A C
Dwight Howard being #2 might come as a shock to some because I was kind of surprised he is still under 25. He makes a massive impact on the Sonics team defensively and on the glass and is a big reason why they have been one of the top teams in TMBSL ever since Dwight entered the league. Tons of value here.
3 Troy Murphy C 24 6'11'' 245 A- C C B+ B C
Murphy came out of nowhere and is really good. He still has some upgrades left via Skill Camp and is on a fantastic contract which played a factor in his ranking being this high. But he is legit, he would have been top 10 even without the contract. His combination of effencient scoring along with great shot blocking makes him one of the best all around bigs in the league.
4 Gilbert Arenas PG 22 6'3'' 191 C+ A A+ C C- A
Gilbert is putting up MVP caliber numbers this season and still sports A displayed potential. He is slightly reminiscent of Kyrie Irving only without all the winning so far. If he can continue to improve in the important PG categories, maybe he could grab a ring someday.
5 Robert Swift C 24 7'2'' 245 A- C C- A- A- C
Swift is an underrated big man in the league. He is very good at all aspects of the game, a positive contributor on offense, defensively, and on the boards. He's kind of a slightly worse version of Troy Murphy just due to the contract and likely not as much expected growth.
6 Shaun Livingston PG 24 6'9'' 190 C+ A A+ A- C- B
Livingston has developed into a great young PG and depending who is doing the rankings, some might prefer him to Arenas due to his defensive abilities and height. However, I gave Arenas a slight edge due to the higher offensive production and slightly lower turnovers.
7 Dwyane Wade SG 22 6'4'' 220 A- A- B B+ C C
Wade has the ability to move up this list if he further develops his game, although his ranking is kind of counting on some of that already. He probably isn't #7 based on current production alone as you would like to see an increase in his efficiency. However, his shot blocking and steals for a SG are unmatched and he isn't hurting you anywhere else.
8 Juwan Howard PF 23 6'9'' 240 A- C D B B D
Howard is extremely efficient and takes good care of the ball. His shot blocking and rebounding are better than some of the other efficient score only type bigs who didn't make the list (Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry) which is what sets him apart. However, his future growth is likely limited due to his low starting potential and D displayed potential.
9 Thomas Hamilton C 21 7'3'' 340 A- C C A- B+ A
Hamilton isn't currently quite as good as Howard IMO, but he has A potential and is only 21. I expect him to vault past Howard at some point in the next few seasons, but that isn't a sure thing with TC so right now he slots in at 9. A good running mate for Hakeem.
10 Andreas Glyniadakis C 22 7'0'' 245 A- C C B- A- B
This dude came out of nowhere this season but has been insanely efficient as a scorer and can still be mentored next season. He shows B potential as well so I am counting on some growth. His stats are insane but his small sample size made it tough to justify putting him any higher.
11 Josh Howard SF 24 6'7'' 210 A C C B- C+ B
Extremely efficient offensively. Gave him the edge over many other similar wings due to that. Low turnovers, decent rebounding.
12 Purvis Short SF 24 6'7'' 214 A- C C C B C
Similar to Howard, but has been in the league a lot longer so his future growth might be limited. Also takes great care of the ball, more steals than turnovers this season.
13 Eric Montross C 24 7'0'' 275 A- C C- A- C+ C
Underrated big man out in Anaheim, Montross can do it all except rebound. He didn't start with sky high potential so he may need some luck to have his rebounding grow much, but if it does, he will be outstanding.
14 Joseph Forte SG 23 6'4'' 204 B A- C+ B+ C B
Good young SG who does everything pretty well. Hard to find major flaws in his game other than maybe you would want higher scoring volume. Similar to Charlie Bell but a year younger age wise so he makes the list while Bell is not eligible.
15 Glenn Robinson SF 23 6'7'' 230 A B D+ D+ C B
Very efficient scorer and turnovers have been less of an issue than many expected before he entered the league. Rebounding isn't great, but with SG elligibility that is not as big of an issue as it would have been. Still, it limits how high he can climb on this list.
16 Grant Hill SF 23 6'8'' 225 A- C B- B+ B B
Very good all around player here but turnovers are his achilles heel. If he can get those down, he probably belongs much higher on the list. He might anyway, like I said, the middle of this list was like splitting hairs.
17 Richard Jefferson SF 24 6'7'' 238 A C- D A- C+ D
Very efficient scorer, decent rebounder, strong defensive grade, and average defensive counting stats. Doesn't turn it over. Solid dude who probably won't get any better.
18 Ndudi Ebi SF 20 6'9'' 236 A C+ C- C+ C+ A
He's already efficiently scoring, you'd just like to see higher volume. And maybe some slight improvements to the rest of his game. But he is already solid and I expect a lot of future growth since he was over 90 potential even after his first TC. This is a guy who is propped up by his potential.
19 Carmelo Anthony SF 20 6'8'' 245 B+ B F+ C- C+ B
Good scorer, good efficiency, elite passing/handling ratio which leads to few turnovers. Needs to move past good to great to jump up the list and I am not sure that will happen.
20 J.R. Smith SG 24 6'8'' 245 B- A C+ C+ C C
J.R. is somehow still under 25 as well and he can fill it up. Has great size for a SG and has a fantastic steals to turnover ratio. He didn't play much this year and was recently amnestied, but I still have faith in my boy J.R. based on his track record.
21 Mo Williams PG 21 6'1'' 198 C+ B+ A C+ D- B
Young PG on the Cavs has potential and is already pretty good, but currently a tier below guys like Livingston and Arenas IMO. With continued improvement, he could see his stock rise.
22 Kwame Brown C 22 7'0'' 290 A C- C+ A- B+ A
Not perfect by any means, but the bones are there. There is a lot of stuff you like and with A potential, you can squint and see how he could become a very good big man.
23 Jason Kidd PG 23 6'4'' 210 C- B A+ B C B
Ranked him slightly below Williams because he probably isn't ever going to be a major scorer, but he's a different type of PG and in some offenses Kidd might be preferable. If he can continue to grow the traditional PG attributes, he could be really good because he has skills most PGs do not.
24 Pau Gasol PF 23 7'0'' 250 B C+ C+ B+ B+ B
Pau almost didn't make the cut, but ultimately I took him just ahead of some bigs like Brad Daugherty, Brad Sellers, Tyson Chandler, Zach Randolph, and others. He has developed into a pretty solid big man, although you would like to see more blocks. The steals and turnovers are great and he scores efficiently. Who knows how much potential he actually has left, though.
25 Ali Karadeniz SF 24 6'7'' 238 A C+ C C+ C+ C
Efficient wing scorer in a similar mold of guys like Josh Howard and Richard Jefferson, just slightly worse and less likely to see natural growth at this point IMO. Still, positive contributor and plays his role well in Seattle. Barely made the cut over guys like Trevor Ariza and others.
Totals by Position
1 LeBron James SF 19 6'11'' 260 A A- A B- B A
LeBron might seem like the no brainer choice for #1, but I actually had Dwight Howard #1 first. After looking into the numbers more and factoring in the expected growth of LeBron (who apparently still has 96 potential thanks to bk), I realized it was a no brainer and I was being dumb.
2 Dwight Howard C 24 7'0'' 275 A C- C+ A+ A C
Dwight Howard being #2 might come as a shock to some because I was kind of surprised he is still under 25. He makes a massive impact on the Sonics team defensively and on the glass and is a big reason why they have been one of the top teams in TMBSL ever since Dwight entered the league. Tons of value here.
3 Troy Murphy C 24 6'11'' 245 A- C C B+ B C
Murphy came out of nowhere and is really good. He still has some upgrades left via Skill Camp and is on a fantastic contract which played a factor in his ranking being this high. But he is legit, he would have been top 10 even without the contract. His combination of effencient scoring along with great shot blocking makes him one of the best all around bigs in the league.
4 Gilbert Arenas PG 22 6'3'' 191 C+ A A+ C C- A
Gilbert is putting up MVP caliber numbers this season and still sports A displayed potential. He is slightly reminiscent of Kyrie Irving only without all the winning so far. If he can continue to improve in the important PG categories, maybe he could grab a ring someday.
5 Robert Swift C 24 7'2'' 245 A- C C- A- A- C
Swift is an underrated big man in the league. He is very good at all aspects of the game, a positive contributor on offense, defensively, and on the boards. He's kind of a slightly worse version of Troy Murphy just due to the contract and likely not as much expected growth.
6 Shaun Livingston PG 24 6'9'' 190 C+ A A+ A- C- B
Livingston has developed into a great young PG and depending who is doing the rankings, some might prefer him to Arenas due to his defensive abilities and height. However, I gave Arenas a slight edge due to the higher offensive production and slightly lower turnovers.
7 Dwyane Wade SG 22 6'4'' 220 A- A- B B+ C C
Wade has the ability to move up this list if he further develops his game, although his ranking is kind of counting on some of that already. He probably isn't #7 based on current production alone as you would like to see an increase in his efficiency. However, his shot blocking and steals for a SG are unmatched and he isn't hurting you anywhere else.
8 Juwan Howard PF 23 6'9'' 240 A- C D B B D
Howard is extremely efficient and takes good care of the ball. His shot blocking and rebounding are better than some of the other efficient score only type bigs who didn't make the list (Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry) which is what sets him apart. However, his future growth is likely limited due to his low starting potential and D displayed potential.
9 Thomas Hamilton C 21 7'3'' 340 A- C C A- B+ A
Hamilton isn't currently quite as good as Howard IMO, but he has A potential and is only 21. I expect him to vault past Howard at some point in the next few seasons, but that isn't a sure thing with TC so right now he slots in at 9. A good running mate for Hakeem.
10 Andreas Glyniadakis C 22 7'0'' 245 A- C C B- A- B
This dude came out of nowhere this season but has been insanely efficient as a scorer and can still be mentored next season. He shows B potential as well so I am counting on some growth. His stats are insane but his small sample size made it tough to justify putting him any higher.
11 Josh Howard SF 24 6'7'' 210 A C C B- C+ B
Extremely efficient offensively. Gave him the edge over many other similar wings due to that. Low turnovers, decent rebounding.
12 Purvis Short SF 24 6'7'' 214 A- C C C B C
Similar to Howard, but has been in the league a lot longer so his future growth might be limited. Also takes great care of the ball, more steals than turnovers this season.
13 Eric Montross C 24 7'0'' 275 A- C C- A- C+ C
Underrated big man out in Anaheim, Montross can do it all except rebound. He didn't start with sky high potential so he may need some luck to have his rebounding grow much, but if it does, he will be outstanding.
14 Joseph Forte SG 23 6'4'' 204 B A- C+ B+ C B
Good young SG who does everything pretty well. Hard to find major flaws in his game other than maybe you would want higher scoring volume. Similar to Charlie Bell but a year younger age wise so he makes the list while Bell is not eligible.
15 Glenn Robinson SF 23 6'7'' 230 A B D+ D+ C B
Very efficient scorer and turnovers have been less of an issue than many expected before he entered the league. Rebounding isn't great, but with SG elligibility that is not as big of an issue as it would have been. Still, it limits how high he can climb on this list.
16 Grant Hill SF 23 6'8'' 225 A- C B- B+ B B
Very good all around player here but turnovers are his achilles heel. If he can get those down, he probably belongs much higher on the list. He might anyway, like I said, the middle of this list was like splitting hairs.
17 Richard Jefferson SF 24 6'7'' 238 A C- D A- C+ D
Very efficient scorer, decent rebounder, strong defensive grade, and average defensive counting stats. Doesn't turn it over. Solid dude who probably won't get any better.
18 Ndudi Ebi SF 20 6'9'' 236 A C+ C- C+ C+ A
He's already efficiently scoring, you'd just like to see higher volume. And maybe some slight improvements to the rest of his game. But he is already solid and I expect a lot of future growth since he was over 90 potential even after his first TC. This is a guy who is propped up by his potential.
19 Carmelo Anthony SF 20 6'8'' 245 B+ B F+ C- C+ B
Good scorer, good efficiency, elite passing/handling ratio which leads to few turnovers. Needs to move past good to great to jump up the list and I am not sure that will happen.
20 J.R. Smith SG 24 6'8'' 245 B- A C+ C+ C C
J.R. is somehow still under 25 as well and he can fill it up. Has great size for a SG and has a fantastic steals to turnover ratio. He didn't play much this year and was recently amnestied, but I still have faith in my boy J.R. based on his track record.
21 Mo Williams PG 21 6'1'' 198 C+ B+ A C+ D- B
Young PG on the Cavs has potential and is already pretty good, but currently a tier below guys like Livingston and Arenas IMO. With continued improvement, he could see his stock rise.
22 Kwame Brown C 22 7'0'' 290 A C- C+ A- B+ A
Not perfect by any means, but the bones are there. There is a lot of stuff you like and with A potential, you can squint and see how he could become a very good big man.
23 Jason Kidd PG 23 6'4'' 210 C- B A+ B C B
Ranked him slightly below Williams because he probably isn't ever going to be a major scorer, but he's a different type of PG and in some offenses Kidd might be preferable. If he can continue to grow the traditional PG attributes, he could be really good because he has skills most PGs do not.
24 Pau Gasol PF 23 7'0'' 250 B C+ C+ B+ B+ B
Pau almost didn't make the cut, but ultimately I took him just ahead of some bigs like Brad Daugherty, Brad Sellers, Tyson Chandler, Zach Randolph, and others. He has developed into a pretty solid big man, although you would like to see more blocks. The steals and turnovers are great and he scores efficiently. Who knows how much potential he actually has left, though.
25 Ali Karadeniz SF 24 6'7'' 238 A C+ C C+ C+ C
Efficient wing scorer in a similar mold of guys like Josh Howard and Richard Jefferson, just slightly worse and less likely to see natural growth at this point IMO. Still, positive contributor and plays his role well in Seattle. Barely made the cut over guys like Trevor Ariza and others.
Totals by Position
| Position | Count |
| C | 7 |
| PF | 2 |
| SF | 9 |
| SG | 3 |
| PG | 4 |
