Mock Draft
Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:31 pm
The playoffs are almost done and another solid class of draft prospects are making their way into the PBSL. The deadline to enter into the draft has passed and we now have our final list of players eligible to be selected. There’s an obvious favorite in this bunch, but after that, how will the rest of the draft shake out? Based on the current lotto standings for the top 10, I’ll attempt to predict the order and list out some areas I believe are strengths and weaknesses of these players.
#1. Oklahoma City Thunder: Stephen Norsworthy – SG – 6’8 – 201lbs – 17 years old
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been an afterthought in this league, and it was entirely believable that the team could finish with single-digit wins this season. Listed as the #1 team in the draft preview, but tied with the Vancouver Grizzlies, it will be interesting to see how the coin flip impacts the lotto results.
The obvious #1 pick, Norsworthy will come into the league as a Y/P and, per the NCAA index, has a PFL rating of 67. Julio De la Rosa is talked about a lot, but Norsworthy will come into the league as the player the Wizards and now the Celtics wanted. The 6’8 17 year old SG is going to be a terror and is drawing comparisons to Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Norsworthy has the potentials to be elite at scoring and defending, and his size and athleticism to go along with his skills as they develop spells “All NBA Team” for this young player. Norsworthy will be the most coveted #1 pick since Anthony Davis and comes into the league just as talented. Notable players like Jeffrey Duren, Ben Simmons and Andrew Wiggins saw their potentials rise due to great training camps, and De la Rosa has always been foul prone. Norsworthy will be as naturally talented as all the others.
#2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Raymon Oyler – SF – 6’8 – 229lbs – 19 years old
The Vancouver Grizzlies GM knows he will never pay his bill and may be content with never paying it. Regardless, in this mock draft the Grizzlies have their work cut out for them. Norsworthy is gone, so who’s the next best player? In today’s game, I give a slight edge to Raymon Oyler over Alfonso Williams, mainly due to Oyler’s overall balance, decent athleticism, A’s in 3PS and PRD, and trainability. What I mean by trainability is that a team could invest points into bringing up some of those C’s like in passing, defensive rebound and post defense to B’s to really strengthen up Oyler’s skill set. Also, his athleticism is at a good level if you want to train him there. With the cap at 80, you could get his strength and jump ratings to the 80 cap in two seasons, and have him at 65 quickness for a SF. With these trainings, Oyler may have a realistic shot at going purple, especially if the training camp gawds smile upon him. Another great thing about Oyler is his 96 PFL rating. With an A in defense, B’s in steals and blocks, and the discipline to not foul, Oyler’s potential could be All NBA and All Defense.
Sadly, the Grizzlies can’t train him. He’ll have to settle for being very good.
#3. San Antonio Spurs: Alfonso Williams – C – 7’0 – 248lbs – 20 years old
The San Antonio Spurs in this scenario come out big winners with Oyler being picked at #2. Not because Oyler is a bad pick, but with Tua slotted as the SF of the future for the Spurs and PG Beau Agustin having a resurgence of a training camp, the Spurs will be able to select one of, if not the, best center prospect to come out of the college system. Alfonso broke hearts last season when he decided to stay in college for another season after winning the NCAA Freshman of the Year, but he adds to this supremely talented class that’s heavy at the top. When I saw Alfonso Williams as a freshman in the NCAA index, he reminded me of Erik Haynes but with better scoring ability. There’s two knocks on Williams, and it’s his potential foul tendency and inability to block shots for a big man. In the NCAA index, he has a rating here of 11. For a rebuilding team like the Spurs, they can easily live with this, as they don’t need to win right away. If you train him in foul training each season of his rookie contract, he should be in the 50-55 range, dependent on if the rating changes during the draft import. Due to his extra season in college, Alfonso comes into the league a little more developed than the others, especially in Inside scoring. Look for Alfonso to be in the Rookie of the Year race, or be the outright favorite.
#4. Orlando Magic: Scott Waters – C - 6’10 – 231lbs – 18 years old
Scott Waters may be overshadowed by Alfonso Williams, but Waters is a very similar player compared to Williams. Waters doesn’t come into the league as developed as Williams, but he does bring in the potential to be a great inside scorer, decent jump shooter and can hit his free throws. It’s not common to see a big man come into the league with an A range in free throw shooting and an A in inside potential, so it’s an added bonus for a team to take advantage of those points. Waters will be a good rebounder, especially on the offensive boards, but you wish his defensive rebounding was at an A, too. Where Waters has room to grow is on post defense. He will need a lot of time to develop as he’s currently at 21 in post defense. Even with great gains in training camp, say +7 on average, he’s still 6 training camps away from hitting 60 there. The Magic have been stockpiling points, and if they wanted, they could certainly speed up the development process. A big question for the Magic to answer is “Will Waters and Hawkins be a good start to build towards another championship ring?” Waters is a long-term project, so it’s up to GM false9 to decide if he’s willing to wait that long for Waters to grow.
#5. Indianapolis Pacers: Dylan Smock – PG – 6’3 – 205lbs – 19 years old
At pick #5, we begin to see a shift into the third tier of players, after the first consisting only Norsworthy, and the second with Oyler, Alfonso and Waters. However, this third tier of players are solid and will be good #2 piece to pair with another star. With the 5th pick in this (s)mock draft, I have the Pacers selecting freshman Dylan Smock. Smock does just about everything well you need from a PG. He can score from inside and outside, has great handles and can move the ball, decent size and decent athleticism with some room to grow. The C in perimeter defense can be bumped to a B immediately to really round out Smock. There are other wing players here that make sense for the Pacers if and when they decide to move on from Harris and Middleton, but GM Pauly is a patient GM and grows his talent, and with Smock he may see the potential of a really good PG for the future. At 6’3, 100 quickness, 100 stamina and balance in all scoring areas, Smock is definitely a player worth the investment and patience to see grow.
#6. Toronto Raptors: Truman Wrenn (to be renamed Kylo Ren) – SF – 6’6 – 210lbs – 20 years old
Toronto fans will be excited to welcome Truman to pair up with Bolton and Joffrey.
#7. Los Angeles Lakers: Lino Brookins – SG – 6’8 – 238lbs – 19 years old
The Lakers are in a tough position here. With the last blue potential player remaining, I feel the Lakers select Brookins and attempt to trade him right away. Yes, he does have a D in both inside and 3P shooting, and his stamina is terribly low, but Brookins has great height, quickness and jump that makes him a versatile player to plug in wherever he’s needed. If you don’t plan on training him, stay away from Brookins, but if you decide you want a tall, versatile defender with decent athleticism that can be trained up to be a potential All Star, Brookins can be worth the risk. The Lakers have a good problem in that they have so much talent that they can’t even insure all their talented young players, let alone train them. With Williams and Gustave on the wings, it is hard to see Brookins get much playing time, but Brookins can potentially be traded for a PG if the Lakers GM feels he’s close to competing.
#8. Philadelphia 76ers: Dennis Vowell – C – 6’10 – 240lbs – 20 years old
The 76ers, while not in the top 3, land a huge get. Already in the Eastern Conference Playoffs with a ridiculous young team, the 76ers are able to add to their youth with Dennis Vowell, a center with A’s in defensive rebound, post defense, and blocks, and can also score from inside with a B potential there. While his athleticism leaves a lot to be desired, notably his 29 stamina, there’s one thing Vowell does well that Alfonso and Waters need help with, and that’s not foul. The 76ers with Ben Simmons have already dealt with enough in terms of players being foul prone, and having a big defensive anchor who doesn’t foul pays bigger dividends than given credit for. With so much youth to insure and train, Vowell will be the odd man out for insurance and probably won’t get trainings to help with his lack of athleticism or offensive rebounding, but with one great training camp Vowell can potentially be a valuable bench player immediately. For the 76ers, this is too good to pass up.
#9. Charlotte Bobcats: Robert Roby – SG – 6’4 – 206lbs – 19 years old
Due to the large amount of talent at the top, a guy like Robert Roby falls to the Charlotte Bobcats, a player I have listed as that player we get in every draft that is one blessed TC away from being a super star. His skill set seems normal, with B’s in inside, jumpshot and steals, nothing really jumps out as spectacular. However, his 100 in jump screams “potential All Star”. For a SG, he’s a bit slow at 68, but this can be improved. It’s really up to GM Darth to pay off the tax bill so he can begin building Roby up into the player he can become, but if there’s one thing we know in this league, it’s that elite athleticism can turn an average player into a good player. In college, Roby took a free throw for every two shots attempted. That rate is amazing and if it translates to this league, Roby is an offensive weapon that teams would not want to defend against, especially defenders who are foul prone.
#10: Los Angeles Clippers: Bill Garcia – SF – 6’5 – 214lbs – 19 years old
The new chapter has started for the Clippers. Kevin Durant was traded, and Chet Dooley is running the show. Unfortunately, with each pick the talent pool becomes more shallow, but the Clippers will be able to draft Bill Garcia, a similar player to the previously selected Robert Roby. Like Roby, Garcia has a couple of B potentials in inside and post defense, and C’s in everything else but defensive rebounding and blocks. His many C’s can be a blessing, as it gives the Clippers options to build him up the way they would want to. At 6’5, Garcia is really a SG, and his quickness and jump (both at 89) is the main attraction. Just like others, Garcia can become a great player, but a team needs to invest in him. His 20 in stamina is awful, but the rest of his athleticism ratings make up for it. We don’t know much about the actual impact of stamina, but I think we can all agree being near the teens is poor. Luckily, training camp often helps with stamina with small bumps, and in 4 seasons it’s realistic to think he can be near the 50 mark with paid trainings by the time he hits RFA. Will his quickness and jump overshadow his skillset and stamina for GMs?
#1. Oklahoma City Thunder: Stephen Norsworthy – SG – 6’8 – 201lbs – 17 years old
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been an afterthought in this league, and it was entirely believable that the team could finish with single-digit wins this season. Listed as the #1 team in the draft preview, but tied with the Vancouver Grizzlies, it will be interesting to see how the coin flip impacts the lotto results.
The obvious #1 pick, Norsworthy will come into the league as a Y/P and, per the NCAA index, has a PFL rating of 67. Julio De la Rosa is talked about a lot, but Norsworthy will come into the league as the player the Wizards and now the Celtics wanted. The 6’8 17 year old SG is going to be a terror and is drawing comparisons to Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Norsworthy has the potentials to be elite at scoring and defending, and his size and athleticism to go along with his skills as they develop spells “All NBA Team” for this young player. Norsworthy will be the most coveted #1 pick since Anthony Davis and comes into the league just as talented. Notable players like Jeffrey Duren, Ben Simmons and Andrew Wiggins saw their potentials rise due to great training camps, and De la Rosa has always been foul prone. Norsworthy will be as naturally talented as all the others.
#2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Raymon Oyler – SF – 6’8 – 229lbs – 19 years old
The Vancouver Grizzlies GM knows he will never pay his bill and may be content with never paying it. Regardless, in this mock draft the Grizzlies have their work cut out for them. Norsworthy is gone, so who’s the next best player? In today’s game, I give a slight edge to Raymon Oyler over Alfonso Williams, mainly due to Oyler’s overall balance, decent athleticism, A’s in 3PS and PRD, and trainability. What I mean by trainability is that a team could invest points into bringing up some of those C’s like in passing, defensive rebound and post defense to B’s to really strengthen up Oyler’s skill set. Also, his athleticism is at a good level if you want to train him there. With the cap at 80, you could get his strength and jump ratings to the 80 cap in two seasons, and have him at 65 quickness for a SF. With these trainings, Oyler may have a realistic shot at going purple, especially if the training camp gawds smile upon him. Another great thing about Oyler is his 96 PFL rating. With an A in defense, B’s in steals and blocks, and the discipline to not foul, Oyler’s potential could be All NBA and All Defense.
Sadly, the Grizzlies can’t train him. He’ll have to settle for being very good.
#3. San Antonio Spurs: Alfonso Williams – C – 7’0 – 248lbs – 20 years old
The San Antonio Spurs in this scenario come out big winners with Oyler being picked at #2. Not because Oyler is a bad pick, but with Tua slotted as the SF of the future for the Spurs and PG Beau Agustin having a resurgence of a training camp, the Spurs will be able to select one of, if not the, best center prospect to come out of the college system. Alfonso broke hearts last season when he decided to stay in college for another season after winning the NCAA Freshman of the Year, but he adds to this supremely talented class that’s heavy at the top. When I saw Alfonso Williams as a freshman in the NCAA index, he reminded me of Erik Haynes but with better scoring ability. There’s two knocks on Williams, and it’s his potential foul tendency and inability to block shots for a big man. In the NCAA index, he has a rating here of 11. For a rebuilding team like the Spurs, they can easily live with this, as they don’t need to win right away. If you train him in foul training each season of his rookie contract, he should be in the 50-55 range, dependent on if the rating changes during the draft import. Due to his extra season in college, Alfonso comes into the league a little more developed than the others, especially in Inside scoring. Look for Alfonso to be in the Rookie of the Year race, or be the outright favorite.
#4. Orlando Magic: Scott Waters – C - 6’10 – 231lbs – 18 years old
Scott Waters may be overshadowed by Alfonso Williams, but Waters is a very similar player compared to Williams. Waters doesn’t come into the league as developed as Williams, but he does bring in the potential to be a great inside scorer, decent jump shooter and can hit his free throws. It’s not common to see a big man come into the league with an A range in free throw shooting and an A in inside potential, so it’s an added bonus for a team to take advantage of those points. Waters will be a good rebounder, especially on the offensive boards, but you wish his defensive rebounding was at an A, too. Where Waters has room to grow is on post defense. He will need a lot of time to develop as he’s currently at 21 in post defense. Even with great gains in training camp, say +7 on average, he’s still 6 training camps away from hitting 60 there. The Magic have been stockpiling points, and if they wanted, they could certainly speed up the development process. A big question for the Magic to answer is “Will Waters and Hawkins be a good start to build towards another championship ring?” Waters is a long-term project, so it’s up to GM false9 to decide if he’s willing to wait that long for Waters to grow.
#5. Indianapolis Pacers: Dylan Smock – PG – 6’3 – 205lbs – 19 years old
At pick #5, we begin to see a shift into the third tier of players, after the first consisting only Norsworthy, and the second with Oyler, Alfonso and Waters. However, this third tier of players are solid and will be good #2 piece to pair with another star. With the 5th pick in this (s)mock draft, I have the Pacers selecting freshman Dylan Smock. Smock does just about everything well you need from a PG. He can score from inside and outside, has great handles and can move the ball, decent size and decent athleticism with some room to grow. The C in perimeter defense can be bumped to a B immediately to really round out Smock. There are other wing players here that make sense for the Pacers if and when they decide to move on from Harris and Middleton, but GM Pauly is a patient GM and grows his talent, and with Smock he may see the potential of a really good PG for the future. At 6’3, 100 quickness, 100 stamina and balance in all scoring areas, Smock is definitely a player worth the investment and patience to see grow.
#6. Toronto Raptors: Truman Wrenn (to be renamed Kylo Ren) – SF – 6’6 – 210lbs – 20 years old
Toronto fans will be excited to welcome Truman to pair up with Bolton and Joffrey.
#7. Los Angeles Lakers: Lino Brookins – SG – 6’8 – 238lbs – 19 years old
The Lakers are in a tough position here. With the last blue potential player remaining, I feel the Lakers select Brookins and attempt to trade him right away. Yes, he does have a D in both inside and 3P shooting, and his stamina is terribly low, but Brookins has great height, quickness and jump that makes him a versatile player to plug in wherever he’s needed. If you don’t plan on training him, stay away from Brookins, but if you decide you want a tall, versatile defender with decent athleticism that can be trained up to be a potential All Star, Brookins can be worth the risk. The Lakers have a good problem in that they have so much talent that they can’t even insure all their talented young players, let alone train them. With Williams and Gustave on the wings, it is hard to see Brookins get much playing time, but Brookins can potentially be traded for a PG if the Lakers GM feels he’s close to competing.
#8. Philadelphia 76ers: Dennis Vowell – C – 6’10 – 240lbs – 20 years old
The 76ers, while not in the top 3, land a huge get. Already in the Eastern Conference Playoffs with a ridiculous young team, the 76ers are able to add to their youth with Dennis Vowell, a center with A’s in defensive rebound, post defense, and blocks, and can also score from inside with a B potential there. While his athleticism leaves a lot to be desired, notably his 29 stamina, there’s one thing Vowell does well that Alfonso and Waters need help with, and that’s not foul. The 76ers with Ben Simmons have already dealt with enough in terms of players being foul prone, and having a big defensive anchor who doesn’t foul pays bigger dividends than given credit for. With so much youth to insure and train, Vowell will be the odd man out for insurance and probably won’t get trainings to help with his lack of athleticism or offensive rebounding, but with one great training camp Vowell can potentially be a valuable bench player immediately. For the 76ers, this is too good to pass up.
#9. Charlotte Bobcats: Robert Roby – SG – 6’4 – 206lbs – 19 years old
Due to the large amount of talent at the top, a guy like Robert Roby falls to the Charlotte Bobcats, a player I have listed as that player we get in every draft that is one blessed TC away from being a super star. His skill set seems normal, with B’s in inside, jumpshot and steals, nothing really jumps out as spectacular. However, his 100 in jump screams “potential All Star”. For a SG, he’s a bit slow at 68, but this can be improved. It’s really up to GM Darth to pay off the tax bill so he can begin building Roby up into the player he can become, but if there’s one thing we know in this league, it’s that elite athleticism can turn an average player into a good player. In college, Roby took a free throw for every two shots attempted. That rate is amazing and if it translates to this league, Roby is an offensive weapon that teams would not want to defend against, especially defenders who are foul prone.
#10: Los Angeles Clippers: Bill Garcia – SF – 6’5 – 214lbs – 19 years old
The new chapter has started for the Clippers. Kevin Durant was traded, and Chet Dooley is running the show. Unfortunately, with each pick the talent pool becomes more shallow, but the Clippers will be able to draft Bill Garcia, a similar player to the previously selected Robert Roby. Like Roby, Garcia has a couple of B potentials in inside and post defense, and C’s in everything else but defensive rebounding and blocks. His many C’s can be a blessing, as it gives the Clippers options to build him up the way they would want to. At 6’5, Garcia is really a SG, and his quickness and jump (both at 89) is the main attraction. Just like others, Garcia can become a great player, but a team needs to invest in him. His 20 in stamina is awful, but the rest of his athleticism ratings make up for it. We don’t know much about the actual impact of stamina, but I think we can all agree being near the teens is poor. Luckily, training camp often helps with stamina with small bumps, and in 4 seasons it’s realistic to think he can be near the 50 mark with paid trainings by the time he hits RFA. Will his quickness and jump overshadow his skillset and stamina for GMs?