2024 Draft Lotto Grades - Mcmuslim and UCF
Jan 23, 2024 18:21:54 GMT
vanimmer, hunt54, and 1 more like this
Post by ucfinfan86 on Jan 23, 2024 18:21:54 GMT
Draft lottery grade time! Mcmuslim is doing odds and I’m doing evens. It’s really hard to do these since we don’t have any pre-draft information other than Rog’s article and whatever personal scouting reports that we requested. I’m sure TC will make us all look very dumb either way.
1. Los Angeles Clippers - Alexander Sarr, 19 - B- C+ B- B- B- A - “Potential All-Time Great”
Mcm Grade: A
Sarr was the clear #1 pick and looks league ready as a 19 year old. He has a very diverse skill set, blending solid offense and passing with great defense and rebounding. Combine that with high potential and not a lot of super star bigs in the league, it’s clear why Sarr went #1 despite PG being arguably the most important position in FBB. A generational big can do wonders for a team, we even saw how the Spurs in our last reboot were able to cruise to multiple championships off the back of Zion during the early seasons. A great big proves a challenge for a lot of teams who have to settle for average to good bigs at best. Sarr is already an average big before camping and TC. At worst he is a high level starter in the league.
2. Boston Celtics – PG Nikola Topic, 19 – C+ C B+ B- C- A – “Potential All-Time Great”
UCF Draft Grade – A
Topic is a 19 year old PG who had the 5th highest potential of anyone in the draft class. He is also the only PG who has B+ handling. The only real downside is C outside on a guard, but that gives you a clear area to focus on and it will likely get a nice TC boost with how FBB treats PGs. The Celtics roster is pretty much a blank slate and allowed them to just grab the best player available. I think this was a no brainer pick.
3. New York Knicks - DJ Wagner, 20 - B- B- B- C- C- - “Potential Superstar”
Mcm Grade: A-
Wagner looks like one of the most polished offensive draft picks we’ve had this early in a reboot. B- B scoring is massive, and he should be scoring in the low to mid 20s on a bad roster like the Knicks, giving him a great opportunity to be the rookie of the year. I am curious to see where his turnovers are at, handling can be one of the hardest categories to camp in. Another thing is his note doesn’t really provide any help for his weaknesses, just for his strengths. His defense is easily the worst thing he has to offer, and sure the ability to focus all your efforts on his scoring does sound fun, and could potentially work out, but for me personally, it’s just a really big glaring flaw in his game. But, that being said, I think there’s still a lot of potential with his note. For example, the well rounded defender camp gives you +5 drive defense, a rating that doesn’t do anything for you in FBB. It is a way to hide bad defenders in many leagues, and silver has gone out of his way to set defender’s perimeter defense at 5 for that reason. With Wagner’s note, what is usually a +5 to a useless rating can turn into +5 into his scoring, while still getting all the other defensive boosts. Couple that with the fact he will be a free 1k cash every year, and you have a great note for a flawed player. I just wonder if it will be enough to make him a superstar.
4. Portland Trailblazers – SF Ron Holland, 19 – B- C+ C C+ C A – “Potential Superstar”
UCF Draft Grade – B+
I personally had Holland #5 on my draft board behind the top 3 and PG Carlton Carrington. Since the Blazers already have their PG of the future with Scoot Henderson, I thought Ron Holland made a lot of sense. There are less than 10 SFs in the league that you would feel good about starting, so grabbing the best one in the draft is a great place to start. He has the build that you look for in a SF. Good offense to go along with solid defense and the bare minimum of C rebounding. I think it was a logical pick.
5. Atlanta Hawks - Carlton Carrington, 19 - B- C+ B- C+ C A - “Potential Superstar”
Mcm Grade: A-
Really like this pick. Like UC mentioned, Carlton was a top 4 talent pick in this draft, but I didn’t have a good fit for him at 4. Carlton seems like an athletic build, with good handles and solid defense. He might not pack the offensive fire power that Wagner does, but with a few lucky TCs, that could change. Carrington is just one of those prospects that’s a very safe bet to be a good player. His build out is exactly what you’d want out of a PG, MAYBE if you’re nitpicking you’d want B- outside instead of inside, but in my opinion, the B- inside is huge, especially for a young PG. Also seeing he’s in the hands of Van is always reassuring too. I think Atlanta has their PG of the future. With the right development, he could be making some all league teams.
6. Detroit Pistons – PF Izan Almansa***, 18, C+ C- C C C A – “Potential Superstar”
UCF Draft Grade – B-
This is a boom or bust pick. The positives? He’s 18yo, had the highest potential in draft and has 3 years of draft notes. The notes aren’t amazing, but are pretty solid (specifically the mentor camp if he can find a mentor). The negatives are that his ratings just aren’t very good. A C/C def/reb PF is just not playable. With his notes and age, he can probably get to B/B big, but is there a path to A- rebounding while also developing his offense to be worth the #6 pick? Now I think the draft kind of fell off a tier after the top 5, so I understand the gamble and don’t hate it. It’s just not the route or type of player that I would normally invest in. This is a long game play and for a Pistons team that is likely going to tank again next year, he doesn’t hurt that at all.
7. Utah Jazz - Dillon Mitchell, 21 - B- C C C+ C+ A - “Potential Superstar”
Mcm Grade: C+
Dillon has a lot of things that you really want in a SF. The C+ rebounding is absolutely incredible, and it seems he has really good potential as well. Dillon also looks to be an incredible athlete, with massive strength to boost his rebounding and inside ratings. He has solid defense, and a good handle rating as well. So what’s the catch? Well, that 3 point shooting is just not stellar. I think Rog also hinted at it being really bad, saying the “rebounding enthusiast” in him is at odds with the “three point shooting” enthusiast in him. At the end of the day. FBB always loves its shooters, and for me, it’s a bit worrying to see him with that low of a 3 point shot. He’ll be a great utility player no doubt, but if his shot is as bad it seems, it could be completely unfixable, and that’s a shame. I think a guy like Ryan Dunn would have been a great pick here instead. Especially with his note, he has a lot potential to fix his flaws. Dillon however, not so much. But who knows, maybe a few TCs later, we’ll be singing a different tune.
8. San Antonio Spurs – SF Justin Edwards, 20, C+ C C C+ C- A – “Potential Superstar”
UCF Draft Grade – C-
I had Edwards ranked as the 6th best SF in the draft, so I don’t love the pick. I am assuming that Charles scouted Edwards before picking him and has more information than I do. Edwards has the 2nd highest potential in the draft. At 20yo he’s not “young” but not “old” either. He doesn’t have any discernable strength from his ratings that you can project forward. His best attribute aside from his potential is probably defense at C+. Rog does mention that he is pretty athletic, which could mean his skill is even worse than the ratings. With Vassell/Wemby as ready-made building blocks, I would have looked for someone more ready to contribute than Edwards.
9. Washington Wizards - Isiah Collier, 19 - C+ C+ B- C C- A - “Potential Superstar”
Mcm Grade: B
The slide finally ends for who was once one of the highest anticipated rookies in this class. Collier had a very disappointing first year in college, ending in injury, and that’s reflected here. Collier is a great athlete, and I think a big thing for his success in the league his quickness will be huge, and judging by his B- handle it seems it has. That’s a massive boost for someone who seems pretty raw every where else. While his defense isn’t DJ Wagner bad, it still is pretty damn bad at a paltry C. His scoring needs work too, as C+ C+ is just too raw. Collier is a project, but his quickness and potential make him an enticing selection which Dash understandably couldn’t pass up.
10. Memphis Grizzlies – SG Monte Levya., 19 – C+ B- C- C+ C B – “Potential Superstar**”
UCF Draft Grade – B+
Obviously I am biased here. I scouted 8 guys for pick 10 (also because I knew I had 13+14) and I loved Leyva’s scouts. His potential is a little lower than the guys drafted around him but he is very skilled and from his ratings you can see that he doesn’t really have any weakness. C+/C as defense/reb for a SG is solid and he can backup PG from day 1. He also gets a Desmond Bane mentor camp in year 1 to give him a little potential boost before his first TC. This was a weak SG class and I had Levya #2 and then a steep drop off to Reed Sheppard as #3 (and for some unknown reason I took Josiah-Jordan James over him later on)
11. Houston Rockets - Kel’el Ware, 21 - B- C C C+ B- B - “Potential All-Star”
Mcm Grade: B+
I actually really like this pick for the Rockets. It just makes a lot of sense for the team they have. Ware seems to be one of the most ready now bigs in the draft. Good inside, solid defenses and good rebounding. He’s exactly what you’d want out of a big’s skill set. Although his potential may not seem super high, he’s a guy who doesn’t need a ton of push to get him to where he needs to be. The only real worrying thing is that his potential doesn’t seem super high, so that can be limiting. That being said, for a team like the Rockets, they don’t need potential as much as they need proven talent. Kale is gonna be a solid backup for them already, and with a few seasons of camps, he’ll be even better.
12. Boston Celtics – PF Tidjane Salaun*, 19, B- C C C C A – “Potential Superstar”
UCF Draft Grade – C+
Very similar to the Izan Almansa pick without the draft note and 1 year older. His offense is a little more developed than Izan, but he doesn’t get the 3 free camps and the 18yo pot boost. He is also likely sitting around mid-80s potential instead of mid-90s like Izan. I did have Tidjane as the 2nd best PF in the draft, but not as a draft lotto prospect. I did have the luxury to scout a few of these guys, but I would have much preferred to see the Celtics grab a Aaron Bradshaw, Ryan Dunn, or Baba Miller type. However, like I mentioned with the Topic pick, the Celtics are in full blown rebuild mode and this is a boom or bust pick. He won’t contribute for a minimum of 1 season to help them tank again and for those reasons I understand it and gave it a little higher grade then just the selection of Salaun itself.
13. Memphis Grizzlies - Carson Tarrant, 19 - C+ C+ C C C+ B - “Potential All-Star**”
Mcm Grade: B
I was ready to really bash UC for this pick. I was ready to rip him apart and give him an F. Then I saw his draft note. I get it now! This a huge upside pick for the Grizz. Carson’s note of doubling boosts in camps is so sick, and will be a massive need for his raw skill set. And for having a raw skill set, he has a pretty nice load out with the note he has. C+ C+ scoring is definitely solid, and C+ rebounding, as we covered earlier, is really good. And he’s only 19, and we all know how FBB can be with teens and their pot. If UC can get a little lucky, this guy could potentially be one of the best players in the draft. That’s a big COULD though, as that’s gonna involve a ton of luck. Though, with his note, he’s going to be a solid back up at the very least, which is pretty solid at the end of the lotto in a weak draft.
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