Post by josephballin11 on Aug 17, 2024 18:28:37 GMT
The title sums it up. I'm giving you MY rankings for the 2029 season of the top 23 players that are 23 years old or younger. Feel free to let me know what you'd change in the rankings!
Note: Foreign guys will hold the last spots in the ranking as they have not played in the NBN yet, but I think they are talented enough to be on the list!
23. Sarunas Jasikevicius.**
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SG 20 B- A- A- C+ D+
To get things started we have the young and soon to be Celtic, Sar. Shooting guards are at an interesting place in 3.0, as there are a lot of options, just not many elite ones. Sar is already boasting ratings that would appear to make him a strong offensive force. However, everywhere else in his game seems to be lacking a bit.
22. Dwayne Aristode*
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 21 B C+ C+ A- C+
Solid player build for a SF. I see a lot of teams running out there SF's with C and even C- rebounding, which I find very bold. Aristode seems to already be good enough to hold his own in a starting lineup, but once the Knicks are able to pump some camping into his offense I really think he will take off and succeed in the NBN.
21. Oscar Schmidt***
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 19 B B C B- C+
My favorite of the three international guys on the list. During the draft, I was saying he was the best prospect, but that was before I read draft notes! Regardless, he was rightfully drafted in the 2 slot. International players can be a hard sell as I think there is a good chance of TC ruining the player before the GM can get a chance to camp them. After his first training camp in the NBN Schmidt is on the path to being a very well rounded player in the league and I feel his offensive upside gives him the edge on Aristode for now.
20. Brandon McCoy Jr.
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PG 22 B- B- B B C
Coming in at a rookie age of 22 can be a bit of a turn off for my prospect eye. However, I find his build very interesting. We all know PG's tend to improve through TC at rate higher than other positions, and I find McCoy a very healthy prospect even though we haven't seen much of him in the NBN yet. With still 4 sets of camps to go to, I think we will see him starting for a team in the near future.
19. Chris Paul II
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PG 21 C+ B A- A- C-
As it stands now, CP2 is currently suffering from "Good ratings, shit player." He struggle quite a bit last year putting up 13/6/4 with 3 turnovers and shooting 43%. I still believe that his pop will be able to get his game straightened out and him become a fringe All-Star caliber PG in the league. If CP2 can manage to boost his Outside rating up into the A- range, the Bucks will have their franchise player!
18. Josh Leonard
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 20 B B- B- A- C
This goes back to my mini rant earlier about SF with C/C- rebounding. I feel it puts your team at a disadvantage unless you have two just absolute units in your frontcourt. At the same time, I understand that the majority of SF don't have the luxury of being high level rebounders....So here we are with Josh and we will have a few more on the list. For the Pistons, I find him a to be a solid player that is still pretty raw being as his sophomore season just kicked off. The Pistons elected to enter "Win now" mode and I feel it may have been a bit premature give Josh is still a few years out.
17. Keiner Asprillla
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
C 21 B- C C+ A- B+
Hmm, there was a lot of big men out there that are A-/B+ or B+/A- defense and rebounding. Ultimately ended up going Keiner for the 17 slot due to him being only 21 with a couple years of camping left. Additionally, he shoots near 70% from the line with I value a lot for big men that struggle to score the ball in general. He doesn't get a crazy amount of boards or stocks, so I find him pretty average overall...maybe a nice TC can change that!
16. Tajh Ariza
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 21 B B+ B- A- C
This is exactly how I imagine seeing Josh Leonard in a few seasons. Good overall player with a more polished offensive game, who I'd love to see get more rebounds than they are capable of. In his small sample size of 10 games this season he is putting up 1.3 blocks a game which I find very impressive!
15. Cameron Boozer
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PF 22 B C+ C+ B- A
The son of Jazz legend, Carlos Boozer, had an insane start to his NBN career by taking home All NBN 3rd Team honors in both his rookie and sophomore seasons. The unfortunate truth is that may have been Cam's career apex. Since then, he has been on a complete free fall. He is barley able to score at a 40% clip, he turns it over north of 2 times a game, and his defense is underwhelming to say the least. The bright spot for Boozer is that he is an absolute ANIMAL on the boards with his rare A rating. Hopefully, he can get things turned around, as I was formerly very high on him as a player.
14. Khaman Maluach
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
C 23 B C+ C A- B+
Yes, another standard big man that is solid defensively and on the boards, yet is limited offensively. I was torn with him though. I feel like he's one TC away from being a dynamic player given his B/C+ scoring, but at the same time a TC could kill him. His days of being camped are over as he recently inked a near max contract with the Hawks. Maluach making $35M is not a problem in my eyes, but later down the road it could come back to haunt somebody.
13. Tyran Stokes
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PF 21 B+ B- B- B+ C+
I can already hear it, "But Joseph, his rebounding sucks?!?!" Yes, it is no secret, Stokes can't grab a board for shit. He does possess a skill set that is very rare for PF/Cs in the league, and that's the ability to score the ball. In just his second year with B+/B- inside and outside ratings, I feel that he could be in prime position for a Lauri 2.0 type of player. While he may not get a desirable amount of rebounds, he can score enough to make up for it while still contribute to winning.
12. Damon Stoudamire
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PG 19 C+ B A C+ C
One of the three teenagers to make the list and the 2nd Piston. Cop has a decent offseason, bringing in elite PG Tyrese Haliburton and then drafting the up and coming Stoudamire. Getting a high tier mentor for such a young player is a huge benefit for Stoudamire and he holds a good foundational build for a PG. Over the next few seasons, I'd expect him to rapidly grow as a player.
11. Paul Osaruyi
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
C 20 B+ C+ C+ B- B
Personally, I had Paul going before both Mitch and Finley in the draft. Luckily for the Rockets, it didn't pan out like that and Hunt was able to snag a gem. Since an explosive first TC where I believe he increased across Inside, Outside, Defense, and Rebounding, Hunt has went out and got former NBN First Team PF, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once that mentorship is in full effect, Paul will be a problem. In the meantime, it appears he is getting the rookie treatment of playing bench minutes on an absolute shitshow of a roster. Cheers!
Part 2 will be coming soon to a NBN proboards near you
Note: Foreign guys will hold the last spots in the ranking as they have not played in the NBN yet, but I think they are talented enough to be on the list!
23. Sarunas Jasikevicius.**
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SG 20 B- A- A- C+ D+
To get things started we have the young and soon to be Celtic, Sar. Shooting guards are at an interesting place in 3.0, as there are a lot of options, just not many elite ones. Sar is already boasting ratings that would appear to make him a strong offensive force. However, everywhere else in his game seems to be lacking a bit.
22. Dwayne Aristode*
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 21 B C+ C+ A- C+
Solid player build for a SF. I see a lot of teams running out there SF's with C and even C- rebounding, which I find very bold. Aristode seems to already be good enough to hold his own in a starting lineup, but once the Knicks are able to pump some camping into his offense I really think he will take off and succeed in the NBN.
21. Oscar Schmidt***
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 19 B B C B- C+
My favorite of the three international guys on the list. During the draft, I was saying he was the best prospect, but that was before I read draft notes! Regardless, he was rightfully drafted in the 2 slot. International players can be a hard sell as I think there is a good chance of TC ruining the player before the GM can get a chance to camp them. After his first training camp in the NBN Schmidt is on the path to being a very well rounded player in the league and I feel his offensive upside gives him the edge on Aristode for now.
20. Brandon McCoy Jr.
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PG 22 B- B- B B C
Coming in at a rookie age of 22 can be a bit of a turn off for my prospect eye. However, I find his build very interesting. We all know PG's tend to improve through TC at rate higher than other positions, and I find McCoy a very healthy prospect even though we haven't seen much of him in the NBN yet. With still 4 sets of camps to go to, I think we will see him starting for a team in the near future.
19. Chris Paul II
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PG 21 C+ B A- A- C-
As it stands now, CP2 is currently suffering from "Good ratings, shit player." He struggle quite a bit last year putting up 13/6/4 with 3 turnovers and shooting 43%. I still believe that his pop will be able to get his game straightened out and him become a fringe All-Star caliber PG in the league. If CP2 can manage to boost his Outside rating up into the A- range, the Bucks will have their franchise player!
18. Josh Leonard
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 20 B B- B- A- C
This goes back to my mini rant earlier about SF with C/C- rebounding. I feel it puts your team at a disadvantage unless you have two just absolute units in your frontcourt. At the same time, I understand that the majority of SF don't have the luxury of being high level rebounders....So here we are with Josh and we will have a few more on the list. For the Pistons, I find him a to be a solid player that is still pretty raw being as his sophomore season just kicked off. The Pistons elected to enter "Win now" mode and I feel it may have been a bit premature give Josh is still a few years out.
17. Keiner Asprillla
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
C 21 B- C C+ A- B+
Hmm, there was a lot of big men out there that are A-/B+ or B+/A- defense and rebounding. Ultimately ended up going Keiner for the 17 slot due to him being only 21 with a couple years of camping left. Additionally, he shoots near 70% from the line with I value a lot for big men that struggle to score the ball in general. He doesn't get a crazy amount of boards or stocks, so I find him pretty average overall...maybe a nice TC can change that!
16. Tajh Ariza
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
SF 21 B B+ B- A- C
This is exactly how I imagine seeing Josh Leonard in a few seasons. Good overall player with a more polished offensive game, who I'd love to see get more rebounds than they are capable of. In his small sample size of 10 games this season he is putting up 1.3 blocks a game which I find very impressive!
15. Cameron Boozer
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PF 22 B C+ C+ B- A
The son of Jazz legend, Carlos Boozer, had an insane start to his NBN career by taking home All NBN 3rd Team honors in both his rookie and sophomore seasons. The unfortunate truth is that may have been Cam's career apex. Since then, he has been on a complete free fall. He is barley able to score at a 40% clip, he turns it over north of 2 times a game, and his defense is underwhelming to say the least. The bright spot for Boozer is that he is an absolute ANIMAL on the boards with his rare A rating. Hopefully, he can get things turned around, as I was formerly very high on him as a player.
14. Khaman Maluach
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
C 23 B C+ C A- B+
Yes, another standard big man that is solid defensively and on the boards, yet is limited offensively. I was torn with him though. I feel like he's one TC away from being a dynamic player given his B/C+ scoring, but at the same time a TC could kill him. His days of being camped are over as he recently inked a near max contract with the Hawks. Maluach making $35M is not a problem in my eyes, but later down the road it could come back to haunt somebody.
13. Tyran Stokes
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PF 21 B+ B- B- B+ C+
I can already hear it, "But Joseph, his rebounding sucks?!?!" Yes, it is no secret, Stokes can't grab a board for shit. He does possess a skill set that is very rare for PF/Cs in the league, and that's the ability to score the ball. In just his second year with B+/B- inside and outside ratings, I feel that he could be in prime position for a Lauri 2.0 type of player. While he may not get a desirable amount of rebounds, he can score enough to make up for it while still contribute to winning.
12. Damon Stoudamire
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
PG 19 C+ B A C+ C
One of the three teenagers to make the list and the 2nd Piston. Cop has a decent offseason, bringing in elite PG Tyrese Haliburton and then drafting the up and coming Stoudamire. Getting a high tier mentor for such a young player is a huge benefit for Stoudamire and he holds a good foundational build for a PG. Over the next few seasons, I'd expect him to rapidly grow as a player.
11. Paul Osaruyi
Pos Age In Out Hn Df Reb
C 20 B+ C+ C+ B- B
Personally, I had Paul going before both Mitch and Finley in the draft. Luckily for the Rockets, it didn't pan out like that and Hunt was able to snag a gem. Since an explosive first TC where I believe he increased across Inside, Outside, Defense, and Rebounding, Hunt has went out and got former NBN First Team PF, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Once that mentorship is in full effect, Paul will be a problem. In the meantime, it appears he is getting the rookie treatment of playing bench minutes on an absolute shitshow of a roster. Cheers!
Part 2 will be coming soon to a NBN proboards near you
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