Purple Reign

[MexicanMamba]

Word Count : 3000+





Purple Reign
 
 
Since I have seen it mentioned a few times lately how the league is currently being overrun by, or rained down upon, purple players these Sim Days, I figured that I would compile them all in a list and rank them.  The complete list of them will be based on how I believe they would fare if needed to carry a team in the next couple of seasons.  After that I will do a short top-5 based on their future potential, taking only the purple potential players who are 25 years old and younger.  There are currently TWENTY (!!!) players with purple potential in this league (with the potential to add more by tonight if certain people decide to train a player the right way) so I have plenty of material to work with to get these ten points that I am after! 
 
Oh, Happy Day!
 
 
1.  Lu Dort
 
I do not think that number one is any big surprise or secret at the moment.  Dort is a freak, and a special player, as well as the reigning back-to-back MVP.  He has averaged over 20 points per game for 8 seasons straight at this point, and unless he is traded (he should be) around Day 60 or sooner, he might even flirt with 30 per game this season, considering there is almost nobody for him to share significant touches with in Portland with the trade of Michael Sneed.  Last season broke a streak of 4 consecutive seasons with double digit assists as well, which I imagine he will pick back up this season.  He’s also an A defender on the perimeter, with the capability to block a lot of shots … if he wasn’t so short.  Though 29 years old, Dort will continue to play at a supreme level for a long time, barring anything catastrophic.  Whoever does end up trading for him will not regret it. 
 
 
2. Killian Hayes
 
You could really put Hayes at 1B, or some may even give him top dog status and I do not think I would argue too much, if at all.  He’s versatile and elite-level well rounded, much like Dort but he does it all with a significantly larger frame.  The only “knock” when comparing him to Dort is that he is not nearly the athlete that the MVP is, though he is no slouch in that department either.  Hayes, like Dort, has not had much post-season success to this point but I contribute that to being with GMs who have still been figuring out the game, learning on the fly, as opposed to their talent level.  I am sure both GMs would do a few things differently if they could start this run over and if they could, we might have seen a few more brand-new champions the past few seasons.  Hayes can, and I suspect will, lead a team to a championship before his career is over. 
 
 
3. Zaire Wade
 
Wade is one of my person favorite players in the league, because (like the two ahead of him on this list) he is absolutely an elite two-way player, and his defensive is more his anchor than his offense, which is still high-level.  I put him at 3 instead of in the top 2 over Hayes and Dort because they play Point Guard, which is an incredibly important position if you want to win a championship.  Wade is good enough to play PG in a pinch, but he is obviously at his best on the wing where he can slash on offense and terrorize other players on defense without the responsibility of also running the offense. 
 
 
4.  Delmar Lopez
 
Old faithful himself.  The rare 33-year old purple player, who still looks like he can lead a team to a championship.  He won’t need to be THE guy in Oklahoma City this season, since he is being paired up with Zaire Wade, but it looks like he has at least this last season where you could use him as your focal point and build a winner.  Really is not much to add to what has already been written about Mr. Lopez in the past, so, just know that he’s still going to piss you off when you play him.
 
 
5.  Fang Shuo
 
Fang took a tumble the previous training camp, but Ed stayed off the ledge, rewarded Fang with a new supermax contract and he bounced back in a big way, re-gaining his purple potential, and re-establishing himself.  Great offensively, good athlete and has a knack for taking the ball away from the other team, Shuo can be counted on in all facets of the game.  I’m curious of the plans for the roster however.  Adding Felicio is a nice touch, and Kostas should still be a top-level offensive player and rebounder, but there is not much else there to support Fang.  So, will he possibly be put on the block?  Will the Nets ship off 1 or both of their young players to help maximize Fang?  We’ll see, but I do know Fang is up to the challenge. 
 
 
6.  Dorian Whitley
 
Whitley might be the most efficient scorer in all of PBSL.  The past few seasons he has been near the top of the league in field goal percentage, as a 6’6” shooting guard, when that list generally is gobbled up by power forwards and centers.  He has been flirting with a 70% true shooting percentage for a few seasons now and hit the mark in the small pre-season sample.  Defensively he is not quite as strong, though his steal rating is decent enough to give his team a few more possessions each game. 
 
 
7.  Gerry Folse
 
This one is a surprise to me, but here he is.  It is a surprise because ever since he came out of college, I was a bit “meh” on him.  Obviously, he is not the player that he was then, as training camp (and paid trainings? I don’t remember if any GM has done this for him) has been kind to him.  Folse is now built a bit like a poor man’s Delmar Lopez.  Poor may not be the right word because Folse is not poor at all, but just a lesser version.  Like Delmar, Folse is a 6’8” Power Forward with dominant defensive abilities that make-up for his lack of height for the position.  Folse is far more well-rounded on that side of the ball technically, just not as athletic.  Folse is also lightyears beneath Delmar offensively, but we are talking about one of the best offensive players in recent memory.  If Gerry reaches his full potential, he can be a very scary player. 
 
 
8. He Hor
 
Give He Hor 1 or 2 more training camps and he is going to be much higher on this list.  He is currently Dort-lite but can be every bit as effective in short order.  I wanted him bad in UFA, just didn’t have the success the previous season to convince him to jump to Los Angeles.  There’s absolutely nothing that he is unable to do, with his only downside being his small frame, but that is the same issue Dort has and I don’t think there’s a GM in the league that wouldn’t love to have him.  I won’t be shocked if He Hor is a future MVP in relatively short order. 
 
 
9.  Genaro Montoya
 
This is a player that I coveted from the moment I saw in the lead-up to the draft.  6’11” Small Forwards just do not seem to come around too often.  His offensive abilities are currently elite, with 99 inside scoring ability and 88 from 3, and he’s now gained high-end perimeter defense and stealing traits to go along with very strong athletic ability.  Once Montoya peaks, he will be a load to handle like Wiseman due to the various positions he will be able to play because of his size and athleticism combo. 
 
 
10.  Alex Caruso
 
Scoring points will not be a problem for Caruso as he has pretty much tapped out his abilities on that side of the ball, barring any jumps in potential in his inside scoring in the coming camps.  Decent passer, good defender on the perimeter, good athlete.  He lacks elite traits outside of his scoring to put him higher on this list, which means he does require a very specific type of roster around him to carry a team to a championship. 
 
 
11.  Brandon Boston Jr.
 
BBJ is a good player, who surprisingly (to me anyways) finally popped full purple at 29 years old.  His peak will likely be very short now, and he is not much a top dog that can win a championship for you, but he would be the perfect #2 purple on a championship team.  Does a bit of everything solidly, though being a wing, his solid post defense does not do a ton to help you. 
 
 
12.  Michael Sneed
 
I love Michael Sneed.  No, I do not think he is built to be a team’s #1 option if you want to win a championship, but he’s a fantastic second banana OR top scoring option on a loaded roster, which is probably his situation in Chicago this season.  He has absolutely no other responsibility but to put the ball in the hoop with Yandell handling the offense, Wiseman taking leadership duties, and THT being capable of doing a little of everything.  Sneed will thrive this season in his role, that is for certain. 
 
 
13.  Saddiq Bey
 
A few of these players in this middle section are a bit interchangeable.  Even re-looking now after I ranked them before starting to deep dive further, I think I would put Bey under Myke Henry and maybe Manley as well when considering how they’d fair running a team right NOW.  BUT, I’ve already started writing now and I’m too lazy to flip these things.  Bey is a fun player, but a bit of a tweener.  He’s a tad slow (for my taste) at small forward but lacks the defensive traits to be a post player (he is a solid perimeter defender though).  His offensive game is well-rounded though he doesn’t do anything at top-level just yet besides shoot the 3 ball.  I think He Hor will be this team’s top option (unless he is traded as the newest Nuggets trade block suggests could happen) and he will get Bey in some great positions to do big things. 
 
 
14.  Myke Henry
 
I will always be a fan of a wing who has that 100 inside scoring ability.  Like Bey, Henry is a bit of a tweener, though his defensive attributes make me think he could handle the physical rigors of post play a bit better than Bey.  It is only preseason, but his spike in scoring (28.7 PPG) is an encouraging sign.  It will be interesting to see how far up a list like this Henry can get once he reaches his full potential. 
 
 
15. Kory Manley
 
Double Magic!  Manley is the perfect complementary player to Henry, as he is elite from deep to go with Henry’s attacking offensive game.  His lack of defensive promise drops him down here further on the list though.  If you need someone to score points and not much else?  Manley is your Man. 
 
 
16.  Talen Horton-Tucker
 
Once he hits his potential, THT can and should be an elite Power Forward who also has the flexibility to play Small Forward or even Center in a pinch.  Currently, he is not strong enough offensively to carry the load of a team but, much like Sneed, should be perfect in the role that he will be asked to perform on a stacked Bulls roster.  He isn’t going to be needed.  He is going to be the ultimate luxury. 
 
 
17.  Karlo Pearson
 
The newest member of the purple club is right here.  I was very happy to acquire Karlo when I decided to trade away Zeke Nnaji, knowing that I did not have a roster ready to compete.  I did not pay attention to how close he might be to purple when I traded for him or trained him.  In fact, I thought I did something wrong when I uploaded preseason results and saw he had purple potential (I’m partially colorblind, so couldn’t tell in the node).  What I love about him most is his defensive potential.  He’s the rare A potential in both perimeter defense and steals.  He’s not an elite athlete and without potential bumps in future camps, he won’t likely be an elite scorer either.  He is only 21 years old though and is a blue/purple, so I could see some big bumps in the future.  Right now, it looks like he can blossom into a very capable #2 on a championship team, but I will cross my fingers and hope he gets some potential bumps in the future now that I cannot train him anymore. 
 
 
18.  Kai Jones
 
Without the aid of major paid training assistance, there have been no purple potential traditional big men in the league since I have joined until Kai Jones.  I was a fan of his for a while now but even I did not envision this kind of progression so quickly.  If and when he peaks, he may be dominant in a way that is unique to most everyone on this list.  Spoiler alert, he is going to be much higher on the futures list below this one.  Currently, he just lacks any legitimate offensive punch to be able to lead a team anywhere as the top guy. 
 
 
19.  Kyle Kuric
 
Another guy who I liked coming out of college but has progressed much more than I anticipated.  I saw Kuric being a very strong starter eventually, but he now can become much more than that.  Currently he is not going to help in a major way (unless you count being traded for a star like Dort as helping?) but he has decent size, solid athleticism and can be a great two-way player down the road. 
 
 
20.  Antonio Blakeney
 
I have no idea how long it is going to take this 19-year-old to reach his absolute peak, but whoever has him on their roster when he does is going to be very happy that they do.  6’6” and 220 lbs, all A’s in scoring potentials, the elite of the elite in athleticism (90+ in quickness and leaping ability) and will do just enough defensively to be trusted.  I will not be shocked if training camp decides to give this guy some bumps over the years and we see those defensive potentials pop as well.  Just, right NOW?  I am not sure he has any current attribute that justifies him even being in a rotation that isn’t a terrible team. 
 
 
 
Future Rankings
 
25 and younger players top 5!  He Hor would be number 1 on this list if he had not just aged out.
 
 
1. Genaro Montoya
 
 
2.  Kai Jones
 
 
3.  Gerry Folse
 
 
4.  Antonio Blakeney
 
 
5. Alex Caruso
 
 
I went into detail about each player above, so I don’t want to just repeat everything again, but I’ll just briefly explain this list too.  If for no other reason than I still need some more words to reach the max here.  Montoya is going to be a freak of nature, I feel like.  He’s got perimeter skills and athleticism in a big man’s body.  Kai Jones is just a big man but will have 0 weaknesses in his particular brand of basketball if he does max out.  If Folse becomes full-on poor man’s Delmar Lopez (while Kai explodes), how will anyone combat that front court?  Blakeney could very well belong at #1 on this list, but he is still so far away from giving meaningful contributions that even in a futures list I have trouble putting him higher, especially with training camp being so unpredictable.  The 5 slot could have went to several players, and I almost put Karlo Pearson here just to make myself feel good, but I’ll go with Caruso, who I think has a bright future ahead of him. 
 
 
 
Final Note
 
I have seen Josh specifically discuss the influx of purple potential players, and this list shows just how many of them there are floating around here these days.  I have never paid close attention to it before, so I am not sure how this season compares to seasons past (and no, I have no intention of going back to find out either) but it feels like a lot!  That being said, where I disagree with Josh is in the idea that purples don’t mean much since there are so many of them floating around now.  Obviously, some are more ‘legit’ than others (just like every other color) but they definitely still matter.  Just look at the past 10 seasons of champions and you’ll see that all, but a few have at least 1 current purple player and most of the ones who did NOT, had a player or players that had just lost their purple potential.  They also obviously matter because they people who are winning the championships continue to go out of their way to trade for them or get excited when their young players pop.  If absolutely nothing else, they make for fantastic trade chips to help you either get better or tear things down and gather as many assets as possible for a rebuild. 
 
Like with anything in this league, there is some nuance involved in purples.  And just dumb luck.  Probably more the latter, if I’m being honest.  There are also no purple players in this league currently that will bring you a championship without you making the right moves to surround that player with a good roster.  What that means can be different to different managers, of course.  Some want a top-heavy team where their bench doesn’t matter, others hope to be a bit deeper in case of emergencies.  Regardless, while camp bumps and smart training by GMs has purples being handed out like candy, being the teams that have that candy in their pockets is still leading to finding great reward. 
 
 




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[MexicanMamba]

3,000+ words

+10

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk