NBA SIMS LEAGUE
NSL Insider - NSL Draft Grades and Projectionsby laddas, updated on Thursday, July 21 2022, 10:47 am EST Lottery Grades and Projections
In this piece I'll give each pick a grade and then give each prospect my floor/ceiling/roof comparison/projection. As a reminder, floor is absolute base line, ceiling is the closer expectation and roof is absolute best-case scenario (the most unlikely). Hopefully you enjoy it and if I have time, I will finish the rest of the first round in another piece.
Pick 1 � Oklahoma City Thunder � Chet Holmgren - A Floor: Brook Lopez (Skinnier version) Ceiling: Kristaps Porzingis Roof: Anthony Davis Chet is so unique that he is incredibly hard to project. He�s a much better and smarter defender than the Zinga has ever been but as what he can do with the ball on the offensive end it felt like the safest pick. If Chey can add some bulk and continue to develop his 2-way game I can see a version of AD in there because of his immense ability to protect the rim, great coordination and ability to cover a lot of ground. Personally, I would�ve taken Ivey at 1, but this is a great pick for Wizkid as he should be a great partner to Anthony Edwards.
Pick 2 � San Antonio Spurs � Paolo Banchero � A+ Floor: Lamar Odom Ceiling: Julius Randle Roof: Chris Webber As we know now, this pick was made on behalf of the LA Clippers in the huge Giannis trade, so considering that and the fact you get the number 1 NBA pick at 2, this feels like a good A+. Paolo is the most advanced and NBA ready prospect in the draft for me, he�s understanding and reading of the game seems to be ahead of his years. Very smooth and athletic at a legit 6�10 with great vision and the ability to go get a bucket whenever he wants... it feels like the Clippers have a potential 10+ time all-star on their hands here. The guy reminds of Chris Webber so much that I think he may be the most likely to his roof projection over anyone else.
Pick 3 � Utah Jazz � Jaden Ivey � A+ Floor: Jerryd Bayless Ceiling: Donovan Mitchell Roof: Ja Morant My favourite prospect in the draft and I love this pick at 3 for the Jazz. Jaden has everything you want in a modern-day guard, size, athleticism, speed, intensity and a want to be better every single day. While he will need to develop his handle and ability to read a defence if he wants to reach Ja levels, which is very possible, I feel he will more than likely fall in somewhere between Spida and Ja. He will get to the hoop whenever he wants, finish in and above traffic and be a good enough playmaker. Very much looking forward to seeing how a Giddey/Ivey back court develops together over the next 3-5 years.
Pick 4 � Indiana Pacers � Jabari Smith II � A- Floor: Rashard Lewis Ceiling: Jaren Jackson Jr. Roof: Chris Bosh (Raptor Version) I�m still a little iffy on Smith as he has limitations to his game similar to Lewis did coming out of high school. He struggled with efficiency in the SL because he simply struggles to create anything for himself at this stage and that was glaring and against lesser competition... But his shooting form is smooth and his ability to move fluidly for such a big guy will see him have an impact on the defensive end even as a rookie. Lonzo being healthy will go a long way to what impact Smith will have in his rookie season though. I think he projects more as a JJJr type, someone who can spot up and slash on offense and protect the rim and switch on the defensive end. If he can develop some isolation skills, then a Chris Bosh type could be his future, but I have my doubts.
Pick 5 � LA Lakers � Keegan Murray � A Floor: Otto Porter Ceiling: Tobias Harris Roof: Pascal Siakam Another pick that was chosen on behalf of someone else as he found his way to the Thunder in the KP deal shortly after. The 2nd most NBA ready prospect in the draft for me, behind only Paolo. Already showed off his advanced game in the SL, taking out the tournament's MVP award to top it off. For me, he�s pretty much Harris 2.0. A highly skilled 3 level scorer with a good enough iso game to be relied upon to get a bucket but limited as a playmaker and defender. IF he can advance in these areas, maybe he could reach the levels of a Spicy P but that�s a big if right now. Even as a Tobi clone, he�ll have a place in the NSL for many of years and may even grab a few all-star appearances along the way. Should be a nice fit in OKC.
Pick 6 � Phoenix Suns � Shaedon Sharpe � A- Floor: JR Smith Ceiling: CJ McCollum Roof: Brandon Roy (Before the knees and better athleticism) The biggest boom/bust guy in the draft and makes it even riskier when you consider Mathurin was still on the board here and we�ve barely seen this guy play... but the potential is elite. In 5 years', time we could be looking at one of the best 2-way guards in the league and wondering how he fell outside the top 5. The risk is huge, but if it pays off, he could be a steal here. With a reported 48-49 inch vertical, 7 foot wingspan, an advanced iso game from a young age, reportedly had one of the best workouts Portland has ever seen and wants to be as great as he can be, brass in Phoenix are very excited about what Sharpe could be and love a good high risk swing.
Pick 7 � Portland Trailblazers � Bennedict Mathurin � A Floor: Quentin Richardson Ceiling: Jason Richardson Roof: Jaylen Brown Picked 5 in the NBA and found himself all the way at 7 in the NSL, you know JMac was more than happy to take him here... but as we found out he wouldn�t be hanging around in Oregon for very long. He found his way to the Spurs and then onto the Clippers in that massive Giannis deal. Benny has next level confidence and a 2-way skillset to go with it. He was well ahead of his peers in the SL and looks set to have a very good rookie season. There is a world where he ends up the best player from this draft, legit. He does have some areas that need to be improved, as do most rookies, but he has the drive and work ethic to do it. Clippers add another a real top-level prospect to the rebuild and can be happy with the return in that deal.
Pick 8 � New York Knicks � Dyson Daniels � B= Floor: Shaun Livingston Ceiling: Lonzo Ball Roof: Tyrese Haliburton Another pick on behalf of someone else, Knicks picked Dyson here and then sent him away to the Jazz. Dyson is another of my favourite prospects in this draft. Legit 6�8, point of attack defender that can handle roles of running an offense, and one of the best shuttle times in the combine, ever... what's not to like? Still has limitations on offense in regards to scoring/shooting the ball but by all accounts, has an elite work ethic to want go get as good as he can be. My only question mark here and why I gave it a B+ is where does he fit in Utah? Already have Giddey, just drafted Ivey and are jam packed on the wings. Will be interesting to see what Jase does from here, but either way hes got a real quality talent on his hands.
Pick 9 � Miami Heat � Jalen Duren � A Floor: Derrick Favors Ceiling: Andre Drummond Roof: Dwight Howard As the lottery ended and we went off the air... and expressed our disappointment and frustrations with one and other, Pete established that Duren or Williams were his guys... and he got the better of the 2 Imo. Jalen is an 18-year-old in the body of a 28-year-old man. My first question when seeing this dude in workouts is �what have they been feeding this kid and why did my parents not feed me the same?� Ridiculous. TBH though his projection was one of the hardest, he could honestly finish a combination of all 3 guys listed and all 3 have their strengths and weaknesses... and a Favors floor isn�t the end of the world, that�s still a solid player. Either way, he has all the attributes to be top tier 2k big and I know Pete will make sure to keep him involved.
Pick 10 � Minnesota Timberwolves � Mark Williams � B+ Floor: Erick Dampier Ceiling: Michael Olowokandi Roof: Clint Capela Another pick being made on behalf of another team as he was a part of package the Wolves sent to the Mavericks for Ingram. Williams is a nice big, built for 2k in the same way as Duren, but I feel not quite as skilled in areas and doesn�t move as well. Williams had an impressive combine where he measured a 7�7 wingspan and less than a 5% body fat measurement. He may always be limited due to his �heavy footedness� when moving but his size always see him make a big impact in the land of 2K. How he fits is the question as the Mavericks already have a handful of starter worthy centres.
Pick 11 � Boston Celtics � Johnny Davis � B+ Floor: Jeremy Lamb Ceiling: Josh Hart Roof: Shorter Khris Middleton Davis is real solid player and his intangibles are through the roof according to scouts and his coaches at Washington. I feel he may always be limited as a player because he lacks the elite explosiveness of most top tier �stars� but that�s not saying he can�t reach it. He has similar qualities to Khris Middleton in that regard and we�ve seen him become Robin to Giannis Batman act and at times closed games in high pressure situations. Does Davis have that drive to get to that level? Time will tell, but either way, the Celtics have a very solid player at the very least on their hands.
Pick 12 � Boston Celtics � Jeremy Sochan � A- Floor: Chuma Okeke Ceiling: Shawn Marion Roof: Kawhi Leonard Now before I start, I don�t think he ever becomes close to Kawhi... But he does he have similar traits at a similar age. NBA body at only 18, can switch anything and is a good athlete. Will need to get stuck right into developing a jump shot if he even wants to get close to a Marion level, but his potential for me is sky high. Drafted into a great NBA situation at the Spurs as well, I think the Celtics can be very happy with this pick, especially 3 picks after where he went in the NBA. Boston love stockpiling talent, and they�ve added another that can let sit and develop over the next handful of years.
Pick 13 � LA Lakers � Ousmane Dieng � B Floor: Kyle Anderson Ceiling: Nicolas Batum ++ Roof: Andrei Kirilenko Drafted on behalf of the Mavericks, but I feel he went too high in the NBA and NSL... only because hes rawer than raw chicken. Has the natural attributes for sure but lacks any instant impact pro skill and will need to be worked on over the next 3 or so years. If he works out? He could be a really really good 2 way player. Could handle the ball and run an offense from the wing while shutting down the opposition's best player on the other end. I do like a good big swing pick but even this one is almost too big a risk for me.
Pick 14 � New Orleans Pelicans � AJ Griffin � A- Floor: Taller Seth Curry Ceiling: Saddiq Bey Roof: Jamal Mashburn I think Griffin has one of the safer floors to roof ranges... What he turns out to be all depends on how much his athleticism has been affected by the array of injuries he has dealt with. He looked a little slow throughout his freshman season but with reports here and there saying he played hurt, it would explain a lot. At the very least he will be a catch and shoot floor spreader and decent defender but as a best case, a beast of a scorer like Mashburn could be on the cards... I wanted to go with Jimmy but I can't see him being a lockdown defender if the injuries he has carried really have hurt his long-term athleticism. |
Archive· Recklessly-Early Power Rankings · NSL Draft Grades and Projections · NSL Draft - Round 2 (Nenjabin) · Before and After - feat. NY/Atl/Cle |
