Rookie Ladder - 3030 (398 views)

[delap]

PreSeason

Lots to like about this class, especially in scoring. No one wants to rebound anymore... kids these days! Amirite?

Zion didn't dominate as much as he did in college, and a few others look even stronger (notably Poole/Morant). I don't know that it's an absolute lock that Zion maintains the top spot, mostly because of the lack of rebounding/defense, which keeps him from running away with the crown from the jump. Upgrades (both the timing and the type) are really going to have a major impact in shaping the Ladder this year.

1. Zion Williamson - New York Knicks

He's efficient enough, but with improved FT% could be incredibly efficient. His rebounding is below average, but he should grow into it. His defense is poor in both blocks and steals, but it is likely that will be the case his whole career. TOs weren't quite as bad as in college, so maybe there is a small hope that those numbers stay down... increasing his future potential success by a large amount.

2. Jordan Poole - Milwaukee Bucks

If he had B POT he would likely be #1 here...  but he would also be incredibly overpowered at that point. He plays almost no defense, but is going to be a scoring machine in the right offense. He can flat out shoot the rock and given his high usage, his TO% isn't bad at all. We'll see what we see in a post-uppies world, but Poole is more of a sure thing than some of the next few players who are still going to rely on TCs in the future.

3. Ja Morant - Pittsburgh Pipers

The +5 star of TC, Ja still isn't efficient, still turns it over too much... but everything else isn't bad? His FT% was better than expected, his defensive stats are solid, and averaging more than 5/36 rebounds for a PG is pretty good. He will still rely on uppies/TC in the future, but he's one of the best bets for that.

4. Jaxson Hayes - Seattle SuperSonics

Like rebounding, this class is also light on shot blocking... so Hayes' 1.6/36 is actually among the best of the class. He's also #2 in the class in rebounding behind Bol Bol. There are really no holes in his game and he should still have solid POT. I don't see anything elite elite in his game, but nothing weak either, which means his GM has a lot more latitude in how to apply upgrades.

5. R.J. Barrett - Toronto Raptors

Like Hayes, there are no major weaknesses in Barrett (maybe defense a little?), so there are options for upgrades. His most noticeable weakness is FT%, which is fairly easily solved. In a class with weak rebounding he is #2 among wings in that category.

6. Kevin Porter Jr. - Cleveland Cavaliers

The building blocks for an explosive scorer are there... and his steal rate is quite nice! He needs volume more than anything, so any chances his GM has to feed him the ball more should be taken.

7. Matisse Thybulle - Seattle SuperSonics

Like all of us, we don't know what to make of Matisse right now. He's dismal on offense, which is totally fine? But... he might be the best defensive wing we've ever seen. 3.3 stocks (featuring 1.5 blocks!) per 36 are incredible. His weak rebounding numbers are really a damper on his ceiling, though.

8a. Max Strus - Seattle SuperSonics

8b. Deividas Sirvydis - Atlanta Hawks

8c. Cameron Johnson - Vancouver Grizzlies

3 long-range bombers who need a bit more volume (Strus is the closest on that front) to make the leap. Cam has solid defensive numbers for a wing and is a SF so he has some different growth potentials than the other two. Strus turns it over a bit, but overall looks like a solid SG. Sirvydis is very strong on D and with any semblance of volume increase could be very very good. Let's see how King treats him, though.

Honorable Mentions:

Points:

Ky Bowman - Carolina Cougars

Coby White - Chicago Stags

Tremont Waters - Washington Bullets

Carsen Edwards - Denver Nuggets

Wings:

KZ Okpala - Syracuse Nationals

Marial Shayok - Minnesota Timberwolves

Jaylen Nowell - Chicago Stags

Jarrett Culver - Chicago Stags

Tyler Herro - Charlotte Hornets

Bigs:

Goga Bitadze - Pittsburgh Pipers

Darius Bazley - Charlotte Hornets

Bol Bol - Charlotte Hornets

Brandon Clarke - Toronto Raptors

Tacko Fall - Boston Celtics

[delap]

Day 40
No movement at the top.... yet. Zion needs to really show something that he hasn't yet. Word is that he has really gained weight and that his official listing is out of date and he's been seen at Sbarro at all hours of the day pounding pepperoni rolls.

1. Zion Williamson - New York Knicks (previous: 1)
#1 still by default... no one has taken the crown forcefully. That doesn't mean that he's bad... just that he hasn't been dominant and is still finding way in the Big Apple. If he doesn't show something bigger in the next 4 sims he is very likely to lose his crown to one of the next 3-4 players on the list.



2. Ja Morant - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: 3)
His stats could be misleading because he's splitting time as a SG... but I still like the upside here. His ball security is probably a little worse, as is his steal rate, but there is still a lot to like here and he has a solid number of upgrades left and very high POT. I'm still betting on his future.



3. Matisse Thybulle - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 7)
I don't think any of us know exactly what to make of Matisse. He doesn't shoot at all, which is fine. His rebounding is inching up with his upgrades. But of course, the main event is defense and he is an absolute monster on the wing like we've never seen before. He's averaging 4.8 stocks/36 and and an entire block/36 more than any other player in the class... all while playing SF. The experiment and experience will continue, and the Ladder will be watching with great interest.



4. Jaxson Hayes - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 4)
He's not the flashiest of bigs, but he is steady in all aspects of the game so far, except for efficiency (1.06). He doesn't really have any weaknesses and for his usage rate has an exceptionally low TO rate. A lot to like here, but nothing superman-like yet from the rook.



5. R.J. Barrett - Toronto Raptors (previous: 5)
Efficiency is down a bit from the preseason, but his FT% has improved substantially... so there is still hope here. His TO rate has also inched down. He's a strong rebounder on the wing, but not elite. Still has very high POT and some upgrades left. Still reason to be optimistic in Toronto.



6a. Kevin Porter Jr. - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 6)
6b. Tyler Herro - Charlotte Hornets (previous: HM)
6c. Marial Shayok - Minnesota Timberwolves (previous: HM)
6d. Deividas Sirvydis - Atlanta Hawks (previous: 8b)
A whole mess of SGs share the honors here. Porter Jr. leads the way because of his incredibly low TO-rate, combined with strong defense and enough scoring punch. Herro leads the group in scoring and is a high POT player. Shayok leads all rookies in P/TSA and is scoring in bunches as well, though his defensive chops don't seem to be all that great. Sirvydis joins the group as a defensive stopper and is #2 in the class in P/TSA... but his volume is super low.






10. Darius Bazley - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 10)
Those who saw the scout were not impressed... but Bazley looks like he could possibly pull off being a strong D/R big without too many downsides. He's #3 in the class in rebounding (not a strong class outside of Kabengele, though) and is 4th in blocks. He doesn't shoot a lot and is borderline efficient so far.



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Tremont Waters - Washington Bullets
Jordan Poole - Milwaukee Bucks

Wings:
Jarrett Culver - Chicago Stags
Dylan Windler - Philadelphia 76ers

Bigs:
Mfiondu Kabengele - Carolina Cougars
Brandon Clarke - Toronto Raptors
Bruno Fernando - Dallas Mavericks

[delap]

Day 80

New leader alert! Hayes is the best looking player thus far AND no one else is stepping up to the plate. Morant/Zion/RJ/Matisse all slid back in the last 40 days (or at least remained static) and Jaxson upped his game a little and took the top rung.

1. Jaxson Hayes - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 4)
4th in P/TSA in the class, #3 in rebounding, #3 in blocks, etc. He's great all around and is a high POT guy. It's not hard to imagine a world where he is clearly the #1 from this class in 3, 5, or 10 years from now.



2. Zion Williamson - New York Knicks (previous: 1)
Zion FALLS all the way to #2. He's getting played off the floor in New York and his p36 numbers are all suffering. The major upside here is that he's still sitting on all of his upgrade points, which he is really gonna need to reach his enormous frame/potential.



3. Matisse Thybulle - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 3)
Matisse's insane defensive stats are merely crazy now... and his efficiency has dropped back to reality (not that it matters). Rebounds are up by about .5 a game though! That's pretty good.



4. R.J. Barrett - Toronto Raptors (previous: 5)
Scoring is up, efficiency is up, rebounding is up, MPG is up... but so are TOs. He's trending in the right direction, but he still needs to get efficiency WAY up to hit his ceiling. POT is still high and has a small amount of upgrading left.



5. Ja Morant - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: 2)
Too many TOs, even with uncheesed time at SG... and just not efficient enough. That doesn't mean he won't get there going forward, but right now he sits at the bottom of the top tier players.



6a. Tyler Herro - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 6b)
6b. Kevin Porter Jr. - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 6a)
6c. Marial Shayok - Toronto Raptors (previous: 6c)
The quad becomes a trio as Sirvydis' numbers just continue to wane. Herro's extra 5 points/36 wins in the balance against Porter Jr.'s 1 less/TO for the top spot of the SG morass. Herro's downfall will ultimately be piss-poor defense... but he could end up being a really fun scorer in an outside offense. Shayok got picked up by a real team and his numbers have held steady. He is #1 in P/TSA and doesn't have a noticeable weakness (outside of POT).





9a. Darius Bazley - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 10)
9b. Mfiondu Kabengele - Carolina Cougars (previous: HM)
Double the D/R Big pleasure, double the D/R big fun. Bazley still #2 in rebounding, low TO, and fairly efficient. If he gets all his POT into shot blocking growth in the future he will have a long career. Mfi is killing it in limited run in Carolina. #1 in the class in rebounding and #2 in blocks, he is a big time player for the now (but probably not for a lot of future growth, given his low POT and used-up uppies).




Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Tremont Waters - Washington Bullets
Jordan Poole - Milwaukee Bucks

Wings:
Max Strus - Seattle SuperSonics
Deividas Sirvydis - Atlanta Hawks
Dylan Windler - Philadelphia 76ers

Bigs:
Brandon Clarke - Toronto Raptors
Bruno Fernando - Dallas Mavericks
Naz Reid - Boston Celtics
Goga Bitadze - Pittsburgh Pipers

[delap]

Day 120 - Final Standings

TinyTimPig please give TinyTimPig 1k from me.

Congrats to Jaxson Hayes and to anyone who really wants a SG in Free Agency in a few years.

1. Jaxson Hayes - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 1)
3rd in boards, 4th in blocks, 5th in P/TSA, low TOs and high POT... could be a great player. His uppies are all used up, but that's OK. I don't think this ended up being particularly close, especially because of the TO issues for #2.



2. Zion Williamson - New York Knicks (previous: 2)
Scoring is solid, rebounding is so-so, defense isn't great... and TOs are high. BUT! Still high POT and all of his upgrades left. A lot of the rough edges should be smooth by Year 3. Still has a high ceiling.



3. Matisse Thybulle - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: 3)
Rebounding has ticked up enough that he holds off Barrett for the Bronze Medal. His stock numbers still aren't at the crazy peak they were at Day 40... but still pretty insane for any rookie, let alone a wing. High POT remains to hopefully help him in the good ways (and not in any way that will encourage him to shoot more.)



4. R.J. Barrett - Toronto Raptors (previous: 4)
Still has high POT, still has a few upgrades left, and looks like he can play in any type of offense and won't be pegged to a certain system. The Canucks want to see more defense from him, though, which will need to come from TC luck as his remaining upgrades will surely go to help efficiency.



5. Ja Morant - Pittsburgh Pipers (previous: 5)
I'm still not sure of what his actual future is, as he might still be at TO machine at PG full-time... but he's got high POT and some upgrades remaining. He needs another very strong TC to goose his inside/FG%... because otherwise he just won't be efficient enough to succeed.



6a. Tyler Herro - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 6a)
6b. Kevin Porter Jr. - Cleveland Cavaliers (previous: 6b)
6c. Max Strus - Seattle SuperSonics (previous: HM)
6d. Marial Shayok - Toronto Raptors (previous: 6c)
Again, a logjam of shooters. I almost had Herro above Morant... and I would wager on his career being better... but the ceiling on Morant (even if it is unlikely) is higher. Herro is clearly the best of this bunch and could be a #1 option for a team sooner rather than later. The other 3 all had smaller samples, but none of them turn it over, all are very efficient (6th, 3rd, and 1st, respectively, in P/TSA). I don't think any of them can reach the heights of Herro, but all should have solid careers.






10. Darius Bazley - Charlotte Hornets (previous: 9a)
A panned pick has really turned out pretty well. He should have a long D/R career and could end up being more than that with modest TC growth. He's far more efficient than most D/R guys... the volume just isn't there. And that's OK.



Honorable Mentions:

Points:
Jordan Poole - Milwaukee Bucks
Tremont Waters - Washington Bullets

Wings:
Dylan Windler - Philadelphia 76ers
Devidas Sirvydis - Atlanta Hawks

Bigs:
Mfiondu Kabengele - Carolina Cougars
Brandon Clarke - Toronto Raptors

[mazunga]

"Again, a logjam of shooters. I almost had Herro above Morant... and I would wager on his career being better... but the ceiling on Morant (even if it is unlikely) is higher. Herro is clearly the best of this bunch and could be a #1 option for a team sooner rather than later"

Ankly suck my dick

[Ankly]

Morant > Herro as an asset. Not close

I also told you Hayes/Thybulle were better than Herro too btw. 

[mazunga]

Aug 5, 2022 14:00:56 GMT -5 Ankly said:

Morant > Herro as an asset. Not close

Seems close based on the infallible Delap ladder.

[killiam bing]

80k

[Sapular]

95k

[Ankly]

90k

[Herby New Year!]

90k

[rw]

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[20s]

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