Purple Reign: A Quick Analysis of SLOE's Next Big Things
Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 7:46 am
As another PBSL season comes to a close, all eyes turn towards the offseason, and more importantly, to the draft, where 
Is that two PPPs (purple-potential players)?!?
Well, despite what you may think, it actually hasn't been all that long since a PPP showed up in the draft. In fact, the last two PPP draftees also came in pairs, as back-to-back #1 picks. In 2029, Jordan Johnson was taken by the (now sadly defunct) Golden State Warriors, and the following year, in 2030, Delmar Lopez was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he still plays now and is beginning to come into his own. That draft produced Before then, you'd have to go back all the way to 2021, when Bjorn Ironside was drafted (#1 of course) by Toronto. So if you think the league hasn't seen a marked increase in the number of PPPs over the last decade... you're wrong. 2030 alone has produced three (Lopez, Yandell, and Rodriquez). Anyway, to my knowledge, this is the first time in sim history that two PPPs have been available in the same draft. Which one should go #1? Let's see.
Dorian Whitley
At 19, Whitley is the younger of the two by roughly two years (Thompson turns 21 right before the draft, Whitley doesn't turn 20 until next year). Standing at 6'6", Whitley's main attributes are shooting, shooting, and shooting, with a little dunking on the side to keep things interesting. Featuring As across the board in INS, JPS, 3PS, and a perfect 100 in Free Throws in addition to 95 JMP, Whitley will immediately come into the league as an emerging scorer. However, it's going to be a long time before he'll be able to do anything else. Likely due to his age, Whitley has absurdly low ratings everywhere else skillwise, with no currents over 26 except for STL (42), and only two B potentials (HND & DRB). In comparison, Delmar Lopez, who boasted a similar (though slightly less impressive) offensive stat spread, had 5 currents over 26 and 3 B potentials, with no F potentials either (Whitley has one in PSD). And while you would think that Whitley's F in PSD doesn't matter, we then have to look at Whitley's athleticism, which is pretty great outside from one glaring flaw...70 QKN. That's firmly on the low end of SG speed, and to some (JNR) it might not even qualify. And while logic says "Oh, he's young. It'll improve," well...there are some physical attributes that you can count on to consistently increase over time. QKN is not one of them. Delmar came into the league with 81 QKN. He now has a whopping total of 84. For a more relevant example Jordan Johnson, who was already a bit of an oddball talent to begin with, came into the league with 73 QKN, where he remains at today. For a PPP who can't be trained, a QKN flaw can be devastating, and essentially limits their potential usage in terms of gameplanning. Now I know that this is strange criticism coming from someone who starts 70 QKN Quintin Kidd at SG, but Kidd's statline and skillset is so ridiculously stacked that he can handle the handicap. His other assets neutralize his limitations. Whitley, barring extreme growth, projects to be a volume scorer who can only slightly defend on the perimeter, a true SG through and through...only about 5-10 points slower than even your average 2-guard. And as of now, he has no other assets to lord over lesser opponents. So instead of the uber-SG you'd want him to be, his ideal position/role might just be as an SF shooter. And as we saw with Ironside (who was at least a quick, quality defender with size to boot), a pure scoring purple isn't the kind that can lead your team to title contention without serious (as in another, more well-rounded purple and a solid B/B star) help.
Jerry Thompson
Well, now. Not much to say here. Thompson pretty much is the uber-SG prospect that you'd hope Whitley would become. While nowhere near the overwhelming scorer that Whitley is, as his A/B/B/C offensive potential and 85 JMP doesn't even compare to Whitley's elite ability, it's far from average, or even merely good. It's everything else that makes Thompson a can't-miss prospect. The clear standout is his A/A wing defense potentials, with 57/58 currents. These days it seems like wing defenders come with one or the other, so the fact that he has both, and can contribute immediately, is just great. 65/A HND also makes him a relatively safe ballhandler to start, and 91 QKN is elite for a 6'5" 2-guard. Everything else not mentioned is at a level where if it improves, amazing, if it doesn't, it won't hurt him. 43/C PAS is pretty noteworthy, as even a slight bump up to 50 makes him a serviceable combo guard. Same thing with 33/C PSD, at 40-45 he might be able to play a bit of SF in a pinch, where his speed would make up for his lack of size, strength, and post defense. And speaking of strength, that's an area of weakness at a 30 current. However, STR is one of the ratings that tends to go up (even by a point or two) pretty often over time, and I'm not too sure on how the rating affects guards, so who knows. To close out, I'd honestly go as far to say that as an overall prospect, Thompson is flawless. Well, unless you're running a high 3pt Usage offense, and if that's the case, then just trade me the pick, I'll take good care of him.
Final Verdict
In all honesty, I thought and hoped that it would be closer than this when thinking about doing this article. Thompson is the clear #1 by a mile. He's just too solid and well-rounded as both a current talent and future prospect. In contrast, Whitley's QKN is the death knell to an already suspect statline that combines few outstanding potentials with incredibly low currents. We've seen rapid growth before, but Whitley would have to exceed, not reach, his current ceiling in order become a true difference-maker. In closing, Thompson is a guy who reminds me of Duren and West, Whitley is a guy who you might want to consider not insuring. That alone makes the choice between the two pretty clear in my eyes.
Is that two PPPs (purple-potential players)?!?
Well, despite what you may think, it actually hasn't been all that long since a PPP showed up in the draft. In fact, the last two PPP draftees also came in pairs, as back-to-back #1 picks. In 2029, Jordan Johnson was taken by the (now sadly defunct) Golden State Warriors, and the following year, in 2030, Delmar Lopez was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, where he still plays now and is beginning to come into his own. That draft produced Before then, you'd have to go back all the way to 2021, when Bjorn Ironside was drafted (#1 of course) by Toronto. So if you think the league hasn't seen a marked increase in the number of PPPs over the last decade... you're wrong. 2030 alone has produced three (Lopez, Yandell, and Rodriquez). Anyway, to my knowledge, this is the first time in sim history that two PPPs have been available in the same draft. Which one should go #1? Let's see.
Dorian Whitley
At 19, Whitley is the younger of the two by roughly two years (Thompson turns 21 right before the draft, Whitley doesn't turn 20 until next year). Standing at 6'6", Whitley's main attributes are shooting, shooting, and shooting, with a little dunking on the side to keep things interesting. Featuring As across the board in INS, JPS, 3PS, and a perfect 100 in Free Throws in addition to 95 JMP, Whitley will immediately come into the league as an emerging scorer. However, it's going to be a long time before he'll be able to do anything else. Likely due to his age, Whitley has absurdly low ratings everywhere else skillwise, with no currents over 26 except for STL (42), and only two B potentials (HND & DRB). In comparison, Delmar Lopez, who boasted a similar (though slightly less impressive) offensive stat spread, had 5 currents over 26 and 3 B potentials, with no F potentials either (Whitley has one in PSD). And while you would think that Whitley's F in PSD doesn't matter, we then have to look at Whitley's athleticism, which is pretty great outside from one glaring flaw...70 QKN. That's firmly on the low end of SG speed, and to some (JNR) it might not even qualify. And while logic says "Oh, he's young. It'll improve," well...there are some physical attributes that you can count on to consistently increase over time. QKN is not one of them. Delmar came into the league with 81 QKN. He now has a whopping total of 84. For a more relevant example Jordan Johnson, who was already a bit of an oddball talent to begin with, came into the league with 73 QKN, where he remains at today. For a PPP who can't be trained, a QKN flaw can be devastating, and essentially limits their potential usage in terms of gameplanning. Now I know that this is strange criticism coming from someone who starts 70 QKN Quintin Kidd at SG, but Kidd's statline and skillset is so ridiculously stacked that he can handle the handicap. His other assets neutralize his limitations. Whitley, barring extreme growth, projects to be a volume scorer who can only slightly defend on the perimeter, a true SG through and through...only about 5-10 points slower than even your average 2-guard. And as of now, he has no other assets to lord over lesser opponents. So instead of the uber-SG you'd want him to be, his ideal position/role might just be as an SF shooter. And as we saw with Ironside (who was at least a quick, quality defender with size to boot), a pure scoring purple isn't the kind that can lead your team to title contention without serious (as in another, more well-rounded purple and a solid B/B star) help.
Jerry Thompson
Well, now. Not much to say here. Thompson pretty much is the uber-SG prospect that you'd hope Whitley would become. While nowhere near the overwhelming scorer that Whitley is, as his A/B/B/C offensive potential and 85 JMP doesn't even compare to Whitley's elite ability, it's far from average, or even merely good. It's everything else that makes Thompson a can't-miss prospect. The clear standout is his A/A wing defense potentials, with 57/58 currents. These days it seems like wing defenders come with one or the other, so the fact that he has both, and can contribute immediately, is just great. 65/A HND also makes him a relatively safe ballhandler to start, and 91 QKN is elite for a 6'5" 2-guard. Everything else not mentioned is at a level where if it improves, amazing, if it doesn't, it won't hurt him. 43/C PAS is pretty noteworthy, as even a slight bump up to 50 makes him a serviceable combo guard. Same thing with 33/C PSD, at 40-45 he might be able to play a bit of SF in a pinch, where his speed would make up for his lack of size, strength, and post defense. And speaking of strength, that's an area of weakness at a 30 current. However, STR is one of the ratings that tends to go up (even by a point or two) pretty often over time, and I'm not too sure on how the rating affects guards, so who knows. To close out, I'd honestly go as far to say that as an overall prospect, Thompson is flawless. Well, unless you're running a high 3pt Usage offense, and if that's the case, then just trade me the pick, I'll take good care of him.
Final Verdict
In all honesty, I thought and hoped that it would be closer than this when thinking about doing this article. Thompson is the clear #1 by a mile. He's just too solid and well-rounded as both a current talent and future prospect. In contrast, Whitley's QKN is the death knell to an already suspect statline that combines few outstanding potentials with incredibly low currents. We've seen rapid growth before, but Whitley would have to exceed, not reach, his current ceiling in order become a true difference-maker. In closing, Thompson is a guy who reminds me of Duren and West, Whitley is a guy who you might want to consider not insuring. That alone makes the choice between the two pretty clear in my eyes.