#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Exactly how bad is this draft class?
How many prospects do you see that could eventually find themselves starting jobs?
How many will become All Stars?
Why are GMs so down on them?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 3

Mike Lowry wrote:Exactly how bad is this draft class?
How many prospects do you see that could eventually find themselves starting jobs?
How many will become All Stars?
Why are GMs so down on them?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 3

I think people are so down on it because there aren’t as many pretty blue colors. And we all know the colors tell us everything. But I think it’s a bad draft class because nobody in the draft really looks pro ready, each season we’ve had a few players who could make an impact right away. But this year is different. This year’s draft class is made for the teams that are a few seasons away from competing. Any of these players can become all stars, just needs to find the right GM to develop them. I’ve had multiple later round draft picks eventually become starters but it took a few seasons. I personally like Coleman and if I had a top 2 pick, I’d be using it on him


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’s the GP1 draft. There are 2 A INS picks, no A PAS picks, one elite rebounder who’s only 6’9”, and one elite defender. Only one player is in two of those categories, and it’s GP1.

I don’t see any athletic freaks, I don’t see many dynamic players… TC will have to save or prove how bad this draft really is.

Outside of GP1 and maybe one or two other guys, the rest are role players/bench players at best. If my tank puts me out of the top three in the lotto, I’ll have to tank again lol. These guys suck lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mike Lowry wrote: Thu May 28, 2026 7:43 pm Exactly how bad is this draft class?
How many prospects do you see that could eventually find themselves starting jobs?
How many will become All Stars?
Why are GMs so down on them?

I think we've had several really strong draft classes (the 80's were an amazing time) but more importantly, I think we have a perception problem. This class is a little weaker than recent classes, but not THAT much weaker. Because so many guys in the creation draft were young and fully formed, we've convinced ourselves that every player in the draft should come in fully formed. They did early in the 80's but don't any more.

Look at our "all rookie" teams the past three years.
Archives/NPBSL/1986/seasonawards.htm
Archives/NPBSL/1987/seasonawards.htm
Archives/NPBSL/1988/seasonawards.htm

Mitch Richmond averaged 24 ppg last season as a rookie and Rony Seikaly averaged 18 ppg on a bad Knicks squad without a lot of offensive weapons. In 1987, Reggie Miller averaged 18 ppg on a bad Kings squad without a lot of offensive weapons and Kevin Johnson put up 15.9 on a bad Sonics squad without a lot of offensive weapons. In 1986 Johnny Newman got 16 ppg on... a bad Kings squad where there weren't a lot of offensive weapons. So, we've seen exactly one rookie put up good numbers on a squad that actually isn't horrible with no other offensive options over the past three seasons.

Heck, look at this year's draft. Robinson is great and Timmy Hardaway is doing well, but this was a squad that had nobody last season and both guys were given the keys to the car. Kemp is... 14.6 ppg and 7 rpg on a squad that's using Wayman Tisdale as its chief offensive option. That's... not good.

Looking at this year's draft, I wonder if I'm a little higher on it than most. I don't see a lot of multi-time all-stars (I can see a couple of of them putting up big numbers in his prime on a tanking team and get rewarded with a one-time all-star berth for empty numbers). What I do see is a lot of players that don't have an eye-popping strength, but when they reach their potentials won't have a lot of weaknesses, either. And you know what we call those guys? Third, fourth, and fifth starters. The other thing a guy with no weaknesses has? A chance for stardom with a TC bump.

I think most GMs are down on them because GMs in this league seem hyper-fixated on stars - everyone is worried about their #1, #2 and maybe #3 players. Most aren't thinking about their 7th or 8th man - but those guys do get significant minutes and if you lose a starter to injury, these are your new starters. You don't have to love them as much as your starters... but you shouldn't fear to play them either... and guys with no weaknesses are guys you aren't excited about playing but you're also not afraid of playing them, and that's an important thing.

Exactly how bad is this draft class?
Not bad at all - it is overblown due to the lack of blues but there is plenty of potential here with a little investment and TC magic.

How many prospects do you see that could eventually find themselves starting jobs?
I'd say about the top 7 will crack starting rotations around the league.

How many will become All Stars?
2 (Payton and Coleman)

Why are GMs so down on them?
Folks want instant results and this just is not going to happen. If you are willing to do some potential training and there is a little luck during TC I see several of these bigs popping to blue by RFA. Particularly, Elden Campbell and Tyrone Hill. Their JMP is outstanding so if they can round out their offensive game better then I see them being particularly helpful to rebuilding teams. It will cost you some for sure, but the investment is a worthy one.

Exactly how bad is this draft class?

In comparison to past drafts this might be the worst based on potential colors but I've seen players who may have looked bad initially become good players over time. This draft file maybe filled with green potential guys but those guys can be the difference in winning and losing games. Having great roles players isn't a bad thing. Aside from Gary Payton, I think Ceballos, Coleman and Campbell will also be great players from this class. I am really high on Ceballos tho.

How many prospects do you see that could eventually find themselves starting jobs?

Aside from the obvious players I can see these guys starting at some point in their careers.

Elden Campbell
Dee Brown
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Terry Mills
Dennis Scott


How many will become All Stars?

I can see these players becoming all stars at some point

Elden Campbell
Gary Payton
Cedric Ceballos
Derrick Coleman


Why are GMs so down on them?

The color of their potential could be the reason but we all know TC is the great equalizer. Some of these green guys will become blue. Just gotta be patient with them. I also think with them being a little older their initial rookie TC will show really good results.

Mike Lowry wrote: Thu May 28, 2026 7:43 pm Exactly how bad is this draft class?
How many prospects do you see that could eventually find themselves starting jobs?
How many will become All Stars?
Why are GMs so down on them?

Rules: 1 point if you give thoughtful answers, which I will award after the timer ends for responses. The timer ends for responses at the moment the corresponding week's Sim is run.

Note: Use approximately 5 sentences as your bare minimum for 1 point. If you write 3 long, complex sentences, you'll still get a point. If you write 5, 3 word sentences, you will not get a point. Don't @ me.

Due: Deadline for Sim 3

From a superstar perspective, it's bad. Gary Payton is going to be a star. Derick Coleman is going to be a high end player. I'm not even sure he will be an all star on his current trajectory. There are a lot of great bigs in the league currently. There will a lot of players that will contribute, but I don't see this draft as really putting out much in terms of all star talent. But those end of the starter players are important for success.