Post by IanBoyd on Mar 13, 2017 0:17:07 GMT -6
Ranking the top 25 players in the league under the age of 25. Based on a combination of performance, potential as well as my personal opinion.
25 - 15: Solid Role Players & Good Looking Prospects
25.
Josh Jackson SF 22 6'8'' 203 B- A- B- A- B B
Good young wing for the Celtics, averaging 20 ppg, shoots excellent FT% and gets his fair amount of steals, will need up improve his overall efficiency from the field and shot blocking to become a plus player.
24.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk SG 22 6'8'' 191 C+ A- C A- C A
The only 2nd round selection to crack this list, the Ukrainian sensation is getting his chance to shine in a tanking year for the Suns, averaging over 20 ppg and getting his fair share of steals and blocks. Excellent size for a shooting guard eligible wing, needs to improve FG% moving forward.
23.
Derek Anderson SG 23 6'5'' 194 B- B+ B- B C B
One of the few (perhaps only) bright spots for the Clippers, averaging over 17 ppg while playing alongside an established star in Harold Miner. Solid grades across the board, hopefully yawn can put some upgrades in to improve his efficiency at the long ball and increase his shot blocking.
22.
Miles Bridges SF 22 6'6'' 215 A- B+ C B+ B+ B
Playing in his first TMBSL minutes after 2 years of being stashed overseas, one of the best young shot blocking wings in the league at 2.5 per game. FG% not yet up to par to be a starting wing on a contender, also needs to get the TOs under control.
21.Dennis Smith Jr PG 22 6'2'' 190 B B- A- B+ C B
A nice young point guard prospect that has started showing signs of a breakout year in pre-season, a big concern is his apparently high jumping as indicated by his participation in the previous two dunk contests, still needs a ton of improvement in the 3 ball as well as ball security.
20.
Adonal Foyle C 22 6'10'' 250 B- D D- A- B+ B
Arguably the best pure d/r big among the youngsters in the league, rejecting close to 4 shots while attempting less than 3.5 shots a game and as a bonus, is already grabbing over 10 boards a game. You can't ask for more in a defensive big man. Only blemish in his game is the turnovers and the atrocious free throw shooting.
19.
Jarrett Allen C 21 7'0'' 229 C+ D+ C- A- B+ A
Your standard model of efficiency for a d/r big. good shot blocking, low turnovers, hates shooting the ball. As an added bonus, is fairly efficient from the free throw line and even nabs close to 1 and a half steals a game. Will need big time improvements in rebounding in the future to contend with the elite d/r bigs of the league.
18.William Gates PG 21 6'0'' 195 B- B+ C+ C+ C- A
Running mate to Svi in the back-court for the Suns, having a decent rookie season so far, scoring at 21 ppg and knocking down a decent amount of 3-pointers. Needs to improve his ball handling to be a future star in the league.
17.
Mikki Moore PF 22 6'11'' 225 C+ C- D A- B+ A
Another d/r big in the teens of the rankings, rated ahead of d/r bigs such as Adonal and Jarrett Allen because #Nebrasketball. Even though Mikki Moore has yet to average the amount of blocks his ratings has been hinted at by 20s. those numbers should average out given time. Likely recipient of many future eric min bids.
16. Darko Milicic C 22 7'1'' 260 B+ C C A- A- A
One of the best young d/r bigs in the league, averaging close to 4 blocks per game and grabbing more rebounds than players his age tend to, excellent at the foul line. Will need big time TC luck in his inside scoring to become a viable two-way big.
15.
Jamal Murray SG 21 6'4'' 207 B B- B- B C A
The sole asset left in the wake of the great Trailblazer tear-down of Off-Season 3045. Currently looks like a viable future 3rd option on the perimeter for a contender. Doesn't yet appear to have the defensive numbers in steals and blocks to be able to fill the shoes of Baylor and Arenas. Still needs improvements in all wing related attributes.
14 - 10: Potential Future Stars
14. Brandon Ingram SF 20 6'10'' 200 B- A- C B+ B- A
One of, if not the tallest SG eligible wing in the league, there's a lot to like about Ingram's all around game in terms of rebounding, steals and blocks. However, he's yet to have a break out game to silence his critics that have labeled him a bust after 1 season of being buried on the bench for a tanking team. Corey Maggette syndrome is a concern moving forward for Ingram's apparently low shooting volume, also still need improvements in efficiency.
13.
Chris Kaman C 24 7'0'' 265 B C D A- A- C
Not much to say about the former Hawk. One of the best defensive bigs and on the verge of becoming a legitimate 2-way center. Kaman still has all his upgrades available to push him to reach Benoit Benjamin tier with some improvements in rebounding and a shade more efficiency at scoring in an outside offense.
12.
Ben Simmons SF 20 6'11'' 245 A- C B+ B A- A
Efficiency has normalized a bit after the sensational Larry Kenon-esque rookie season. But as a trade off, Simmons has started attempting a few 3s here and there, showing perhaps signs of breaking through the C outside barrier that has been the bane of wings like X-man. Still needs a ton of work in shot blocking, but the potential is there for him to be one of the best hybrid forwards in the league.
11.Jayson Tatum SF 22 6'8'' 209 B A C- B C+ A
Approaching top 10 territory, the 3rd year Duke player has developed into a quality all-around SG eligible wing, putting up 22 points a game on efficient percentages while sharing the perimeter with a 30 ppg SF in Marvin Wiliams. With the turnover issues from his rookie season now seemingly fixed, Tatum now needs to improve his secondary attributes such as stealing and shot blocking to break through the ceiling of 2nd banana so many young wings in TMBSL fall victim to.
10.Markelle Fultz PG 21 6'5'' 195 B+ B+ B A- C A
Fultz has teetered between "possible future MVP" and "TJ Ford tanking all star" for the last few seasons. However, if pre-season's numbers are to be believed, the former #1 pick has seemingly shaved his turnovers by close to 1 per game and could be well on his way to getting the TOs to manageable levels ala Prince Rogers Nelson. Should he ever get the handles to league average levels, Fultz could very easily reach his ceiling of a future MVP.
9 - 6: Likely All Stars & All Leaguers
9.Lonzo Ball PG 22 6'6'' 190 C+ A A+ A- C+ B
Appeared well on his way to become one of the elite point guards in the league before hitting a bit of slump in the third season. Forms the tallest back court in the league with the 6'10'' Ingram and leads the league in steals per game at 3.4 (not eligible for leader boards due to injury). The sky is still the limit for Lonzo, the efficiency issues should take care of itself once Bruns decide not to ask his C+ A point guard to run an inside focused offense like he did at the start of the year.
8.
Chris Bosh C 22 7'0'' 250 B+ C+ C- A- A- C
0.8 turnovers a game with his volume and usage, the only word to describe it is transcendent. Bosh's handles more than makes up for his slight dip in FG% this season. Should he return to career norms in efficiency, a case can be made for Bosh being the best two way big in the league. Will likely command a max contract as his rookie deal expires this year.
7.
Keith Van Horn SF 22 6'10'' 225 B- A- D+ B- B+ A
A poor man's Larry Bird has been used to describe the rookie small forward of the Bobcats. KVH has thus far checked all the boxes you want to see out of a rookie wing player. With Odin as the GM, upgrades won't be a concern for Keith in his development. The big question heading into the future is how much of his volume can be kept up when he's not subjected to the "who else gonna shoot" phenomenon that tanking teams are often in, lest we forget that Linas Kleiza once averaged over 27 ppg for a tanking team.
6.
Dirk Nowitzki C 24 7'0'' 240 B- A- C B B+ C
One of only a handful of bigs capable of handling a primary scoring role in an outside offense, Dirk's skill set allows his team the freedom to not gimp their offense to accommodate the luxury of a 2-way big man is invaluable. Currently having a down season shooting the ball a bit, but when at his career norms, Dirk is the most efficient offensive center in the league.
5 - 3: Potential Superstars
5.Chauncey Billups PG 21 6'3'' 202 B- B+ C B+ C+ A
A string of rookies to start the top 5. With the panic of being a TJ Ford redux apparently overblown, Mr. Big Shot in his rookie season has flashed signs of potential to be a future superstar at the point. Billups' biggest upside is his willingness to shoot the ball, attempting over 20 shots a game despite being only the 3rd scoring option. However, while his handles might not be TJ Ford tier, Chauncey is still far from being the efficient floor general a contending team needs their star point guard to be.
4.Tracy McGrady SF 19 6'9'' 215 B+ B- C+ B- B- A
The #1 overall pick and the only teenager in this list comes in at the 4th spot. Despite not getting any increases in his scoring categories during the first TC yet, T-Mac has been amazingly efficient with his shot selection, both as a starter and in his current backup role with also close to a steal and block per game during his starting run. The sky is the limit for Tracy, we could be looking at a future scoring leader in the making.
3.
Tim Duncan C 22 6'11'' 255 A- C C A A A
On pace to break the 40+ year record of Marvin Webster's double doubles in a single season, Timmy is already leading the league in rebounding and top 3 in shot blocking as a rookie. Even with 0 upgrades, Duncan is already nearly a finished product. With a few SCs and RCs to tone down the turnovers and improve his free throw shooting, Duncan could enter 2.0 Bynum territory and terrorize post players for the next decade and a half.
2 and 1: Jesus Christ wtf man these guys are fucking unfair
2.
Rashard Lewis SF 24 6'11'' 240 B A C A B A
38 points, nearly 10 rebounds, close to 2 steals and blocks a game, no turnover issues and 50% from the field with a massive 6'11'' frame to boot. Rashard Lewis is pretty much the ideal TMBSL wing and likely a guaranteed future Hal of Famer. A case could be made for Shard as being the best player not just under 25 but in the entire league, the only reason he isn't at the top is because of #1...
1.
LeBron James SF 22 6'9'' 255 A B B- A- B+ B
The King, the chosen one. He is become death, the destroyer of sim worlds. 31/11 with what can only be described as a "stupid" 1.5 steals and 3.9 blocks a game while shooting 49% from the field, and he is somehow defying all sim logically conventions and doing it while playing power forward. You're looking at the best all around player any iteration of TMBSL has ever seen outside of perhaps maybe Magic Johnson. Imagine if Lebron was PG eligible...Nick Diaz who?
25 - 15: Solid Role Players & Good Looking Prospects
25.
Josh Jackson SF 22 6'8'' 203 B- A- B- A- B BGood young wing for the Celtics, averaging 20 ppg, shoots excellent FT% and gets his fair amount of steals, will need up improve his overall efficiency from the field and shot blocking to become a plus player.
24.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk SG 22 6'8'' 191 C+ A- C A- C AThe only 2nd round selection to crack this list, the Ukrainian sensation is getting his chance to shine in a tanking year for the Suns, averaging over 20 ppg and getting his fair share of steals and blocks. Excellent size for a shooting guard eligible wing, needs to improve FG% moving forward.
23.
Derek Anderson SG 23 6'5'' 194 B- B+ B- B C BOne of the few (perhaps only) bright spots for the Clippers, averaging over 17 ppg while playing alongside an established star in Harold Miner. Solid grades across the board, hopefully yawn can put some upgrades in to improve his efficiency at the long ball and increase his shot blocking.
22.
Miles Bridges SF 22 6'6'' 215 A- B+ C B+ B+ B Playing in his first TMBSL minutes after 2 years of being stashed overseas, one of the best young shot blocking wings in the league at 2.5 per game. FG% not yet up to par to be a starting wing on a contender, also needs to get the TOs under control.
21.
Dennis Smith Jr PG 22 6'2'' 190 B B- A- B+ C BA nice young point guard prospect that has started showing signs of a breakout year in pre-season, a big concern is his apparently high jumping as indicated by his participation in the previous two dunk contests, still needs a ton of improvement in the 3 ball as well as ball security.
20.
Adonal Foyle C 22 6'10'' 250 B- D D- A- B+ BArguably the best pure d/r big among the youngsters in the league, rejecting close to 4 shots while attempting less than 3.5 shots a game and as a bonus, is already grabbing over 10 boards a game. You can't ask for more in a defensive big man. Only blemish in his game is the turnovers and the atrocious free throw shooting.
19.
Jarrett Allen C 21 7'0'' 229 C+ D+ C- A- B+ AYour standard model of efficiency for a d/r big. good shot blocking, low turnovers, hates shooting the ball. As an added bonus, is fairly efficient from the free throw line and even nabs close to 1 and a half steals a game. Will need big time improvements in rebounding in the future to contend with the elite d/r bigs of the league.
18.
William Gates PG 21 6'0'' 195 B- B+ C+ C+ C- ARunning mate to Svi in the back-court for the Suns, having a decent rookie season so far, scoring at 21 ppg and knocking down a decent amount of 3-pointers. Needs to improve his ball handling to be a future star in the league.
17.
Mikki Moore PF 22 6'11'' 225 C+ C- D A- B+ AAnother d/r big in the teens of the rankings, rated ahead of d/r bigs such as Adonal and Jarrett Allen because #Nebrasketball. Even though Mikki Moore has yet to average the amount of blocks his ratings has been hinted at by 20s. those numbers should average out given time. Likely recipient of many future eric min bids.
16.
Darko Milicic C 22 7'1'' 260 B+ C C A- A- AOne of the best young d/r bigs in the league, averaging close to 4 blocks per game and grabbing more rebounds than players his age tend to, excellent at the foul line. Will need big time TC luck in his inside scoring to become a viable two-way big.
15.
Jamal Murray SG 21 6'4'' 207 B B- B- B C AThe sole asset left in the wake of the great Trailblazer tear-down of Off-Season 3045. Currently looks like a viable future 3rd option on the perimeter for a contender. Doesn't yet appear to have the defensive numbers in steals and blocks to be able to fill the shoes of Baylor and Arenas. Still needs improvements in all wing related attributes.
14 - 10: Potential Future Stars
14.
Brandon Ingram SF 20 6'10'' 200 B- A- C B+ B- AOne of, if not the tallest SG eligible wing in the league, there's a lot to like about Ingram's all around game in terms of rebounding, steals and blocks. However, he's yet to have a break out game to silence his critics that have labeled him a bust after 1 season of being buried on the bench for a tanking team. Corey Maggette syndrome is a concern moving forward for Ingram's apparently low shooting volume, also still need improvements in efficiency.
13.
Chris Kaman C 24 7'0'' 265 B C D A- A- CNot much to say about the former Hawk. One of the best defensive bigs and on the verge of becoming a legitimate 2-way center. Kaman still has all his upgrades available to push him to reach Benoit Benjamin tier with some improvements in rebounding and a shade more efficiency at scoring in an outside offense.
12.
Ben Simmons SF 20 6'11'' 245 A- C B+ B A- AEfficiency has normalized a bit after the sensational Larry Kenon-esque rookie season. But as a trade off, Simmons has started attempting a few 3s here and there, showing perhaps signs of breaking through the C outside barrier that has been the bane of wings like X-man. Still needs a ton of work in shot blocking, but the potential is there for him to be one of the best hybrid forwards in the league.
11.
Jayson Tatum SF 22 6'8'' 209 B A C- B C+ AApproaching top 10 territory, the 3rd year Duke player has developed into a quality all-around SG eligible wing, putting up 22 points a game on efficient percentages while sharing the perimeter with a 30 ppg SF in Marvin Wiliams. With the turnover issues from his rookie season now seemingly fixed, Tatum now needs to improve his secondary attributes such as stealing and shot blocking to break through the ceiling of 2nd banana so many young wings in TMBSL fall victim to.
10.
Markelle Fultz PG 21 6'5'' 195 B+ B+ B A- C AFultz has teetered between "possible future MVP" and "TJ Ford tanking all star" for the last few seasons. However, if pre-season's numbers are to be believed, the former #1 pick has seemingly shaved his turnovers by close to 1 per game and could be well on his way to getting the TOs to manageable levels ala Prince Rogers Nelson. Should he ever get the handles to league average levels, Fultz could very easily reach his ceiling of a future MVP.
9 - 6: Likely All Stars & All Leaguers
9.
Lonzo Ball PG 22 6'6'' 190 C+ A A+ A- C+ BAppeared well on his way to become one of the elite point guards in the league before hitting a bit of slump in the third season. Forms the tallest back court in the league with the 6'10'' Ingram and leads the league in steals per game at 3.4 (not eligible for leader boards due to injury). The sky is still the limit for Lonzo, the efficiency issues should take care of itself once Bruns decide not to ask his C+ A point guard to run an inside focused offense like he did at the start of the year.
8.
Chris Bosh C 22 7'0'' 250 B+ C+ C- A- A- C0.8 turnovers a game with his volume and usage, the only word to describe it is transcendent. Bosh's handles more than makes up for his slight dip in FG% this season. Should he return to career norms in efficiency, a case can be made for Bosh being the best two way big in the league. Will likely command a max contract as his rookie deal expires this year.
7.
Keith Van Horn SF 22 6'10'' 225 B- A- D+ B- B+ AA poor man's Larry Bird has been used to describe the rookie small forward of the Bobcats. KVH has thus far checked all the boxes you want to see out of a rookie wing player. With Odin as the GM, upgrades won't be a concern for Keith in his development. The big question heading into the future is how much of his volume can be kept up when he's not subjected to the "who else gonna shoot" phenomenon that tanking teams are often in, lest we forget that Linas Kleiza once averaged over 27 ppg for a tanking team.
6.
Dirk Nowitzki C 24 7'0'' 240 B- A- C B B+ COne of only a handful of bigs capable of handling a primary scoring role in an outside offense, Dirk's skill set allows his team the freedom to not gimp their offense to accommodate the luxury of a 2-way big man is invaluable. Currently having a down season shooting the ball a bit, but when at his career norms, Dirk is the most efficient offensive center in the league.
5 - 3: Potential Superstars
5.
Chauncey Billups PG 21 6'3'' 202 B- B+ C B+ C+ AA string of rookies to start the top 5. With the panic of being a TJ Ford redux apparently overblown, Mr. Big Shot in his rookie season has flashed signs of potential to be a future superstar at the point. Billups' biggest upside is his willingness to shoot the ball, attempting over 20 shots a game despite being only the 3rd scoring option. However, while his handles might not be TJ Ford tier, Chauncey is still far from being the efficient floor general a contending team needs their star point guard to be.
4.
Tracy McGrady SF 19 6'9'' 215 B+ B- C+ B- B- AThe #1 overall pick and the only teenager in this list comes in at the 4th spot. Despite not getting any increases in his scoring categories during the first TC yet, T-Mac has been amazingly efficient with his shot selection, both as a starter and in his current backup role with also close to a steal and block per game during his starting run. The sky is the limit for Tracy, we could be looking at a future scoring leader in the making.
3.
Tim Duncan C 22 6'11'' 255 A- C C A A AOn pace to break the 40+ year record of Marvin Webster's double doubles in a single season, Timmy is already leading the league in rebounding and top 3 in shot blocking as a rookie. Even with 0 upgrades, Duncan is already nearly a finished product. With a few SCs and RCs to tone down the turnovers and improve his free throw shooting, Duncan could enter 2.0 Bynum territory and terrorize post players for the next decade and a half.
2 and 1: Jesus Christ wtf man these guys are fucking unfair
2.
Rashard Lewis SF 24 6'11'' 240 B A C A B A38 points, nearly 10 rebounds, close to 2 steals and blocks a game, no turnover issues and 50% from the field with a massive 6'11'' frame to boot. Rashard Lewis is pretty much the ideal TMBSL wing and likely a guaranteed future Hal of Famer. A case could be made for Shard as being the best player not just under 25 but in the entire league, the only reason he isn't at the top is because of #1...
1.
LeBron James SF 22 6'9'' 255 A B B- A- B+ BThe King, the chosen one. He is become death, the destroyer of sim worlds. 31/11 with what can only be described as a "stupid" 1.5 steals and 3.9 blocks a game while shooting 49% from the field, and he is somehow defying all sim logically conventions and doing it while playing power forward. You're looking at the best all around player any iteration of TMBSL has ever seen outside of perhaps maybe Magic Johnson. Imagine if Lebron was PG eligible...Nick Diaz who?
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