NBA SIMS LEAGUE
NSL Insider - NSL Premium: Trending Playersby Vitticus, updated on Tuesday, November 26 2019, 10:20 am EST It feels like a month ago, but we actually started this league on February 16, 2019. 9 months has passed. So much has happened since then. Lot of players have gone up and a lot of players have gone down. Today, let’s focus on the players that have been trending in the upward direction. Picked: 1st round pick 4 Salary: $7,683,360 Initial 2K rating: 87 Current 2K rating: 93 Vitt adjusted ranking: 1st round pick 2 Why is he trending? After a year of Luka, we knew he was going to be great. But who knew that he would be chasing MVP in only his 2nd year? He’s already being compared to Lebron James. People in Dallas are already saying he could be greater than Dirk. The Dallas Mavericks were not a playoff team last year. Right now they are 4th place in the Western Conference now. Picked: 1st round pick 11 Salary: $27,250,000 Initial 2K rating: 89 Current 2K rating: 91 Vitt adjusted ranking: early 1st round Why is he trending? Towns has been one of the most polarizing prospects of this decade. We all want him to become an MVP type player, but he has been a bit soft. The defense was also lacking. This was disappointing because he was such a good defensive prospect in college and it hasn’t shown in the NBA. Early this year Towns had a near death experience. He said he had a 5% chance of making it out alive. Towns told reporters, “I hit the 5% mark. And then, I’d say 4% was to be seriously injured, and 1 percent was to be minorly injured. And I came out in the 1%.” Since that day, Towns has played like a grown man. All his numbers went up. The defense started to show. And as this new NBA season starts, Towns isn’t just looking like a better player, he’s being talked about as a player that could run the league very soon. He’s looking like a man among boys out there on the court. Picked: 2nd round pick 1 Salary: $8,730,240 Initial 2K rating: 79 Current 2K rating: 82 Vitt adjusted ranking: early 2nd round
Why is he trending? Ja has been trending since the beginning of his sophomore year at Murray St. But even as an NBA pro, he has been a highlight machine. You can’t go through a Memphis game without a Ja highlight. His defense is still ass, but the highlights still keep coming. He’s just so fun to watch. Even Lebron James says his kids love Ja. Picked: 4th round pick 15 Salary: $27,270,000 Initial 2K rating: 79 Current 2K rating: 84 Vitt adjusted ranking: mid 2nd round
Why is he trending? Wiggins is stunning everyone this month. All people can talk about is his pre-draft hype many years ago. Wiggins had similar hype to Zion. But he never lived anywhere close to that hype. He has been a “tools” guy his entire career (speed, strength, length, but no brain). Dude had no feel for the game what so ever. And he was incredibly inefficient. He always took the worst shots. He has a horrible contract. It was labeled as the “worst contract in the NBA.” But now Wiggins is finally being taught to be more selective with his shots. KAT has been sweet talking him into believing in himself and telling him that he is indeed a star in this league. It has done wonders for his game and all basketball fans are beginning to notice. Picked: 2nd round pick 22 Salary: $20,000,000 Initial 2K rating: 83 Current 2K rating: 86 Vitt adjusted ranking: mid 2nd round
Why is he trending? The new contract was pretty ridiculous. And watching the Cavs draft Brogdon in the 2nd round sounded a bit ludicrous too because he didn’t appear to have star value. But with Oladipo out, Brogdon has played like a star and living up to the contract. He has the shooting, playmaking, defense, and super high basketball IQ. Ohh yeah, and he talks like ex-president Barack Obama. Picked: 3rd round pick 6 Salary: $3,952,920 Initial 2K rating: 79 Current 2K rating: 83 Vitt adjusted ranking: mid 2nd round
Why is he trending? After his rookie season as a roleplayer with the LA Clippers, Shai is now thrusted into the star role after getting traded to the OKC Thunder. He’s doubling all his stats from last year and playing like a future star. Ohh yeah, he’s a Kentucky alum. Picked: 3rd round pick 13 Salary: $7,265,485 Initial 2K rating: 81 Current 2K rating: 85 Vitt adjusted ranking: mid 2nd round
Why is he trending? Ingram has always been way too overhyped because he was a previous top 3 pick and he was a Laker. I always looked at him as another Andrew Wiggins: a tools guy who can’t really do anything without the ball in his hands. This year Ingram has a new change of scenery with the New Orleans Pelicans. Coach Alvin Gentry has found good use for him and actually improved his three point shooting. All of Ingram’s numbers have increased and he’s playing like a star finally. He’s one of three players in the NBA right now averaging at least 26 PTS 7 REB and 4 AST, joining Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ricky Rubio Picked: 4th round pick 23 Salary: $16,200,000 Initial 2K rating: 78 Current 2K rating: 80 Vitt adjusted ranking: late 3rd round
Why is he trending? Ricky didn’t get enough props for the things he did in Utah. He helped push that team to new heights in the post-Hayward era. He always got a lot of heat for his poor shooting. Then he went to a really crappy team. He signed a really horrible contract. These were the signs of a bad pick. 9 months later, this really crappy Suns team is actually doing really good. They brought in a new coach, added Rubio, and added Aron Baynes. All the contributions Rubio made in Utah are being seen again in this young Phoenix Suns team. His shooting is still bad. The contract still sucks. But Rubio is really good at basketball. Devonte Graham Picked: 11th round pick 5 Salary: $1,416,852 Initial 2K rating: 69 Current 2K rating: 80 Vitt adjusted ranking: mid 4th round
Why is he trending? No one thought he would become a starting point guard in the NBA. People had him projected as a backup PG just like Jevon Carter and Jalen Brunson. They were all drafted right next to each other in the beginning of the 2nd round. Maybe backup PG is his ultimate destination. But on a young and inexperienced team like the Charlotte Hornets, he is the best guard on the team. Last week, he became the 4th player in NBA history to record 50 threes & 100 assist after the first 15 games of the season. Picked: 13th round pick 14 Salary: $3,640,200 Initial 2K rating: 73 Current 2K rating: 76 Vitt adjusted ranking: early 6th round
Why is he trending? The media is painting him to become the next Devin Booker. Just like Devin Booker, he went to Kentucky. And like Booker, he didn’t get to show all his talent at Kentucky. He can also shoot like Booker. The Miami Heat let him play the Devin Booker role at Summer League and he really lit it up. Even going into the regular season, Herro was still putting up great numbers. And with the return of Jimmy Butler, he is still able to put up stats. Picked: 10th round pick 28 Salary: $3,831,840 Initial 2K rating: 72 Current 2K rating: 77 Vitt adjusted ranking: mid 6th round
Why is he trending? When Zion went down, a lot of people started calling for Washington to become this year’s Rookie of the Year. He set the NBA record for 3PT in career debut with 7 three pointers in his first game. The hype train ran hot for his first 13 games, but finally cooled off last week. He was projected as a Patrick Patterson type of player. So far, that is what he has looked like. Picked: 8th round pick 15 Salary: $9,456,163 Initial 2K rating: 79 Current 2K rating: 80 Vitt adjusted ranking: late 6th round
Why is he trending? He doesn’t really have to athleticism to be a starter. But he’s doing it anyways. Like Devonte, he was projected to be a backup PG in this league. Nick Nurse likes to run double PGs with VanVleet and Lowry on the court. He had an amazing run during the playoffs. This season, VanVleet is averaging an unbelievable 38 minutes per game right now. And he’s been good as the Toronto Raptors starter. He’s been putting up tremendous numbers both as a passer and a shooter. Aron Baynes Picked: 11th round pick 8 Salary: $5,453,280 Initial 2K rating: 75 Current 2K rating: 79 Vitt adjusted ranking: early 7th round Why is he trending? Similar to Rubio, Baynes is a big reason why the Suns look so good right now. He’s averaging a career high in every single box score category, is shooting 44% from three, and the Suns are winning with him in the lineup. He’s been a true defensive difference maker in the paint. At age 32, he has finally put it all together. Eric Paschall Picked: 14th round pick 7 Salary: $5,453,280 Initial 2K rating: 71 Current 2K rating: 79 Vitt adjusted ranking: late 6th round
Why is he trending? Everyone on Golden State is injured. Paschall has been getting minutes and he looks like the best player on such a crappy team. People are calling him the next Draymond. Mostly because he’s very strong like Draymond. He is a bully too. He’s also scoring a ton. He was a second rounder and now currently the #1 scoring option for the depleted Warriors team. |
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