Post by Rog on Dec 28, 2023 21:50:17 GMT
For all those new and a reminder to everyone else, Charles and I had long ago developed a formula to try to navigate FBB's quirks and place value where the game does, an example being we place a premium on outside scoring for perimeter players and rebounding for bigs. We did change the formula here a bit to accommodate the vast array of ages and potentials, so its not a 1:1 with our draft overview. The numbers at the end are the value assigned by the formula and they are being ranked by that number.
100. Dennis Schroder PG 30 6'3'' 170 C A- B- C+ D+ C - 51.25
Kicking off our list is 30-year-old point guard Dennis Schroeder. Schroder profiles as a more offensive oriented point guard but thus far has simmed with the defense leading the way. He clearly is hiding some steals under that C+ defense. Overall though, Schroder is a nice bench guy that should remain a nice bench guy for years to come. If you bank on him being a stater though, I feel like you are going to be disdappointed as the Celtics might currently be.
99. CJ McCollum PG 32 6'3'' 190 B- B+ C B- C- C - 51.25
CJ is a decent rebounder for his position and I'd say he has a slightly better then 3&D profile - he should be an efficient scorer for at least a year or two. I wonder if he fits better as a SG or in the future maybe as a backup for both positions. We'll have to see.
98. Walker Kessler C 22 7'0'' 245 B- C- D- B+ B+ B - 51.3
We're not even five rankings into our list and we've hit our first(and the next one being another) controversial and in my opinion underrated player. Walker Kessler is a 22 year old with B+ defense and B+ rebounding, you can't ask for more. He is hurt by the D- handles and C- outside scoring but if you are the Jazz this is the type of player every team needs and he has a chance to grow to be a really nice defensive and rebounding big. He probably should be closer to 50 than 100.
97. Desmond Bane SG 25 6'5'' 215 B A- C B- C- C - 51.3
Like Kessler, I like Bane and his game a ton and feel like our formula is missing here. I also think Bane as a player needed to be better rated. What Memphis does get here though is a very nice scoring two guard with room to grow at only 25 years old. Unlike a lot of other scoring guards in the league though Bane is a pretty decent defender and statistically showing he has a nice steals rating. Bane is a guy I'd love to have on my roster.
96. Devin Vassell SG 23 6'5'' 200 C+ A- C- B- C B - 51.3
Big fan of Vassell and personally think he's underrated here, the ratings were determined before he received a +1 to his inside from a supercamp this season. He's been quite the efficient scorer ever since. Other then that, he's a pretty solid defender and rebounder for his position. The only concern would be at 23 years old and no more time for camping, will he be able to continue to compete with the players in the league just based off his potential or will he fall off.
95. Bilal Coulibaly SF 19 6'6'' 195 B- C+ C- B- C A - 51.35
Big fan of Coulibaly moving forward, the young French SF looks like he has all the tools and all the potential to turn into an elite player sometime in the future for the Wizards. There's not much to say here. Normally we don't get to see such young players ending up on these ratings because they haven't had any time to develop yet. Coulibaly is coming in looking really special.
94. Zion Williamson PF 23 6'6'' 285 A C- C- C C+ A - 51.35
As if they were a pair made to be together, Slough took the Pelicans and inherrited talented big Zion Williams. He checks in well lower than I would have expected for a 23 year old with A inside and A potential but our formula really hurts bigs with poor rebounding and he has C+ to go along with no other rating above C. I think the formula here is underrating the type of value Zion has but there is no bonus for name value here and he thus far has yet to be statistically dominant so maybe our formula is onto something. I do think hes a good bit too low here though.
93. Luguentz Dort. SF 24 6'3'' 215 C A- D+ B C C - 51.35
Dort falls down here at 93 and it's because of his bad handles rating, which is sad because he's not a turnover prone player - he just lacks the passing ability. Given his ratings, I'd rather have him then Caleb Martin. He was able to get that extra little boost to the outside shooting which will make him more serviceable as a role player. He's pretty much a very solid 3&D wing.
92. Terry Rozier. SG 29 6'1'' 190 B- B+ B+ C C- C - 51.4
Terry Rozier brings quick offense from a small body at the shooting guard spot at number 92. Rozier has had quite the NBA career going from role player to depended upon scorer, hes helping Lamelo Ball keep the Hornets above .500 with sold, efficient scoring coupled with a balanced game that sets him aside from some of the names we've seen already. If me and Charles do this again in a couple of seasons, these types of dudes won't be seen but Rozier is a valuable piece on a playoff roster.
91. Jalen Johnson PF 21 6'9'' 220 B- B D+ B- C+ B - 51.45
On a team full of talented youngsters, Jalen Johnson in my opinion sticks out for being a well built, offensive big that can get down and defend a little and should develop on the boards. Thus far this season he is a bit outclassed while receiving 25 minutes a game and trying to be a do it all type player and hes not quite there yet. However, with this season and next season there for him to be camped coupled with his age, I can see Jalen Johnson breaking out in a year or two and being a really nice piece for the Hawks.
90. Mark Williams C 21 7'1'' 240 B C- D B- B+ B - 51.45
At only 21 years old, Mark Williams looks really nice for the Hornets. He's a pretty stereotypical low post, power, big man. He's a great rebounder, the defense is getting better and he's capable of scoring a solid amount. He's a nice piece to build around and honestly moving forward his value should increase. I think he's kind of underrated here, he would probably fetch a lot on the trade market if he was to ever be moved.
89. Kyle Kuzma PF 28 6'9'' 221 B A- C- C+ C D - 51.65
Kuzma is a bit underrated here due to both his lack of rebounding prowess and the C+ defense grade. I think he's still a really nice player and he's on an amazing contract moving forward. Currently, he's one of the best stretch-4s in the league. He's one of only 10 PFs with A- or better outside shooting and honestly some of those guys are trash - he's one of six if we are talking starter caliber players.
88. Aaron Gordon. PF 28 6'8'' 235 B+ C C- B C+ D - 51.75
I'm not a big fan of Gordon, he's under a massive contract and I don't think he's going to live up to it. It appears like he doesn't stretch the floor well which you would like out of your PF and he also doesn't rebound well. Even with all these problems in his game, he does everything just good enough to average out as a 'decent' player here and falls in at #87.
87. Andrew Wiggins SF 28 6'7'' 200 C+ B- C B+ C C - 51.75
Wiggins is one of those guys that are indispensable to a team in real life and it is really hard to emulate that. For years thats been the case for a few players in Golden State with Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala being other examples. In FBB, Wiggins even at 28 is only our 86th most valuable player in the league but his defense and energy means more to Golden State than can be emulated here. What he is here is a near unplayable SF averaging less than 10 points, 6 rebounds, and shooting under 40% from the field. Plus his stocks don't make up for the other issues.
86. Max Strus SF 27 6'5'' 215 C+ A- C C+ C C - 51.75
Max Strus provides the most glaring and obvious flaw in me and Charle's formula as we attempt to place value on what FBB values. Strus gets massive poitns for being an A- shooter and isn't harmed by the C defense, which is why he checks in above Zion Williamson. I think if Slough right now offered Zion for Strus, the Cavaliers would probably have a heart attack while trying to submit the trade as soon as possible. Strus is a nice player to have on your bench but he is not more valuable than almost anyone we've seen so far other than maybe Wiggins and McCollum.
85. Nikola Vucevic C 33 6'10'' 260 B- B- C- B- B D - 51.95
I'll be honest, when I signed Vucevic I was happy because I did not think this roster would be good enough to bottom out and with SGA on board I was hoping for a get to the playoffs and anything can happen sort of season. But Vucevic coming in and being a 20 and 10 guy early on in the season kept us at or above .500 in a way that enabled me to seek out and find a more competitive roster via the Hawks deal. Once again, pointing out the flaws here though, if Slough offered Zion for Vucevic he'd be in Orlando in less than a second. Vucevic gets bonuses here for being a very well rounded big and the B rebounding.
84. Amen Thompson.. SF 20 6'7'' 210 B C- B C+ C A 51.95
Amen looks like a really fascinating prospect. I'm really worried about his outside shooting, at the time of writing this, he has yet to hit a 3PT shot on the season. Is he a legit cornerstone for a elite team in the future? I'm not sure. One thing is for sure, he impacts the game in other ways. He is a fantastic passer for his position, he has the highest handles rating of all small forwards. He is also amongst the best inside scorers at the position, one of only four "B" graded players. Will these two attributes be enough to keep him around in the league? We'll have to wait and find out.
83. Jamal Murray PG 26 6'4'' 215 B- A- C+ C+ D+ B - 52
Murray looks like an elite offensive PG, he's able to score at will for the Nuggets. A lot of perimeter players are really lacking in the Defense category and so far this early season Murray is not getting a ton of stocks which leads me to believe that maybe he is just a technically sound defender. I am surprised by his low handling grade, but clearly that is a product of not having the highest passing. His C+ handling, even though he really has a solid assist/turnover ratio, and anemic rebounding cripples his overall score. I think Murray deserves to be higher.
82. Zach LaVine. SG 28 6'5'' 200 B+ A- C C+ C- C - 52
An ultra-focused elite offensive player, Zach Lavine checks in at number 82 on our list tied with Murray with his 52 score. This was the guy I was hoping to sign in FA but it just wasn't to be for me, the Jazz however are getting 22 a game from him and have him signed this and next year. Of course salary doesn't play into our ratings, his value is boosted significantly to the Jazz due to him fitting their young team's salary construction. I think he deserves to be a little bit higher than a couple on this list but his handles and defense hold him back a little bit.
81. Caleb Martin. SF 28 6'5'' 205 C B+ C B C D - 52.05
Caleb Martin is a nice looking 3&D SF for the Miami Heat. The position versatility and ability to stretch the floor is very nice for a competing team and he should remain a decent role player for the next few years. He has struggled early this season but there are hopes that he turns it around. The one thing to worry about I guess is the "C" inside grade. You would probably either like that to be higher or if he was going to be such a outside oriented player, that his outside would be better. Overall, I think that Martin is overranked here at 81.
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