Creation Draft First Round Grades (Author - Joe)

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Grading the First Round Picks of the Creation Draft


We’re now past the midway point of our inagural season, so we’ve had a chance to see how a lot of the top players perform in a number of different scenarios, especially as teams change rosters (via signings and trades) and tactics (via their DCs). Some less heralded stars have unexpectedly risen to the top of the leaderboards (and their teams along with them), and some big names haven’t been quite what their GMs had hoped. Let’s take a look back and grade the first round of the creation draft based on what we’ve seen from these players so far.

Obviously, it’s tough to grade some of the young high-potential studs on deliberately tanking teams *cough* *Kobe* but I’m going to do my best to evaluate the picks based on what I see as their likely trajectory. I’m also trying to grade these holistically – that is, not only on the player’s performance, but on their performance relative to where they were taken in the draft. Let's do this.



Pick 1: Allen Iverson, Chicago Bulls



Grade: A-

Rationale: Much to Matt’s chagrin, The Answer has dragged the allegedly tanking Bulls kicking and screaming to an above .500 record and 3rd place in the Central, currently slated as the 6 seed in the East. His numbers are phenomenal from both a volume and efficiency perspective, and what’s more intriguing is that he appears to be a winning player (for now) despite leading the league in TOs. That said, he’s going to need to practice his ball handling. Talkin’ bout practice, not a game. Until I see that number tick below 3 per game after some camps, I’m going to have a hard time defending AI as the best possible option at number 1 overall.



Pick 2: Kobe Bryant, Boston Celtics



Grade: B+

Rationale: I’m going to be pumping Mamba on the boards as soon as he grows into his size 14s, and frankly I’m thrilled with his production for an 18 year old, but he’s not in the same tier as his rookie classmate AI in terms of his stats just yet. I love that he’s already relatively efficient from the field and only averaging 2.2TO as an option, but his 3PT shooting is going to have to come along if I continue to run an outside offense and funnel as many shots to him as I can. If he looks even a little bit like Jordan 5 seasons from now, I'll sleep well at night.



Pick 3: Kevin Garnett, Portland Trailblazers



Grade: A

Rationale: As a 20-year-old, Garnett is already dominant on both sides of the ball – and his offensive stats are actually likely deflated because Ben’s running an Outside offense with Garnett at the 4! Stocks come at a premium in this league, and rookie Big Ticket is already snagging almost 4 a game (while yelling SHIT OUTTA HERE loud enough to be picked up by every TV mic) against less than two turnovers and shooting quality percentage to boot. He would already be a perennial All-Star with his current stat profile, and he’s got 4 years of camps coming. I would be extremely surprised of KG didn’t end up with at least one MVP under his belt before the end of his career.



Pick 4: Shaquille O’Neal, Miami Heat



Grade: A+

Rationale: Looking back now, it’s hard to argue this guy shouldn’t have gone number 1 overall. At age 24, he’s third in the league in scoring, first in rebounding, seventh in blocks, and second in FG%. In true Shaqtus fashion, he is literally wrecking games. Those turnovers can likely be camped out a bit, but will his terrible FT shooting ultimately be an Achilles Heel for the Heat?

Nope. The answer is nope. Good luck fouling out all of your starting bigs against this behemoth and signing up some poor helpless shlub with B- defense to get teabagged repeatedly by the Diesel in the fourth quarter. Heat broadcasts are going to be rated NC-17 for that kind of violence.



Pick 5: Hakeem Olajuwon, Sacramento Kings



Grade: A+

Rationale: The Dream is probably the current frontrunner for the MVP, and in a lot of ways I think this is what KG’s upside looks like 7 or 8 years from now. He’s averaging an ABSURD 5.2 stocks a game, including being just outside the top 10 in steals despite playing center. His respectable FT% suggests he’s a solid jumpshooter and is likely hurting defenses in a number of different ways, no matter what kind of offense Jesse chooses to run (as a note, the team has been on a tear since switching to an Outside focus), which makes this guy different than a pure inside scorer like Shaq – you can surround him with talent of all shapes and sizes and he’ll get it done.


Pick 6: Michael Jordan, New York Knicks



Grade: A+

Rationale: I hate giving 3 A+’s in a row, but I’m kind of over a barrel when MJ gets taken with the SIXTH overall pick (yes, I know I picked before him and chose a guy whose upside is probably a shitty version of Mike. I felt like Nav needed all the help he could get). You don’t have to be Zach Lowe to figure out why this guy is the best guard in the league. He was obviously going to score the rock at an excellent clip, but what blows me away are the rebounding, assist and steal numbers, all of which are the top or near the top of all shooting guards. His weak spot was supposed to be 3PT%?? He took part in the All-Star 3pt shootout! I’m not seeing a whole lot of weak. I don’t think we can see it in the ratings, but the demoralizing, career-ending shit talk coming out of this guy’s mouth is probably alone responsible for a few extra Knicks wins this year. Muggsy, watch out when he comes to Sacramento.




Pick 7: Ray Allen, Washington Bullzards



Grade: A

Rationale: I thought this was a bit of a reach at the time, but rookie Jesus Shuttlesworth is playing like he’s got something to prove to his deadbeat dad Denzel. His volume is going to be elite with B- inside already (he’s only scoring 5 fewer ppg per 36 than MJ!!), and his efficiency is top notch – knowing this guy’s pedigree, I’d be shocked if he didn’t end up with close to 100 ratings in jumpshot and three-pointer by the time he reaches his prime. If his volume continues to improve while keeping his astounding 1.5 TO/g, there’s an argument to be made that this guy is going to be head and shoulders above Reggie Miller a few seasons down the line. I’d love to see his defense tick up in camps a bit, but that would just be a cherry on top.




Pick 8: Chris Webber, San Antonio Spurs



Grade: C-

Rationale: One of my personal all time favorites in real life, but SLN C-Webb is looking less like the guy who blocked shots by literally palming the ball out of the air and more like the guy who blew the National Championship by calling a timeout he didn’t have. He’s got three “years” of experience in the league (meaning only one more discounted camp before Jordo’s gotta pay the big bucks), and his stock to turnover ratio is barely above sea level. He’s got a little bit of volume but he shoots it at a below ideal clip in a league where star bigs are able to score efficiently, and his poor FT% belies shaky jumpshooting ability and a relatively one-sided game. He’s an above average rebounder and he’s still only 23 with A potential, so all hope is not lost by any means; but just like JR Smith in the bubble, this guy is way too high (on this list).




Pick 9: Antoine Walker, Detroit Pistons



Grade: C+

Rationale: Oh young ‘Toine – before all the trouble with the law and flushing all of his hundreds of millions in career earnings down the toilet, this guy was a ton of fun to watch. Unfortunately, sim Walker is looking an awful lot like real-life Walker – he’s got some gaudy scoring numbers for a 19-year-old, but he’s already shooting it way too much at a horrendous percentage and turning it over constantly like chocolate chip pancake that you don’t want to get too melty. His rebounding numbers are very encouraging (well beyond true PF Chris Webber’s), especially if he ends up playing the 3, but this is a guy for whom careful camping is going to matter a ton. Camp the wrong stuff and he could go from lopsided but promising to completely unplayable.




Pick 10: Penny Hardaway, LA Clippers



Grade: B-

Rationale: Penny is an interesting case here – like Webber, he’s already 3 years into the league (and thus coming up on his expensive camps), with a rating profile that’s pretty but not obviously a winning formula. He’s got a bit of volume, but his B outside rating is pretty evident in his shooting percentages. He’s clearly a solid jumpshooter but it looks like his shot selection isn’t fantastic. To make matters worse, his 3.4 TO per game are borderline untenable, even for a PG. With the right camps I think he could be an All-Star, but he may end up earning that honor at the 2 instead of the 1 with his player profile as it stands now. Will be curious to see how Bobby tries fitting him into different DCs.




Pick 11: Steve Nash, Utah Jazz



Grade: B

Rationale: The two-time real-life MVP (having robbed my guy Kobe at least once) has only played a handful of games this year due to injury, so I’m withholding judgment on his stats a little (although I’m pretty nonplussed). Ashes, in his infinite wisdom, designed these players perfectly, and I have a hard time envisioning that Nash is going to score enough to get himself into the top tier of PGs by the time he’s in his prime, even if scoring at this position seems relatively hard to come by. Unfortunately, the thing Nash does best is pass, and we have reason to believe that this is one of the least important skills in FBB, and can actually result in players turning the ball over more than you’d like. All that said, I think he’s going to be an absolutely lights out shooter and will probably be good enough to be second banana on a championship team.




Pick 12: Grant Hill, Vancouver Grizzlies



Grade: B

Rationale: If I’d written this a week ago, this grade might have been a C-, given how atrocious Hill’s handles looked through the first few sims. He’s calmed down a bit and has fallen back into the land of the living for a young fella, and the rest of his pretty rating set seems to be coming to fruition. He’s scoring with volume and efficiency, and his outstanding B+ rebounding at the swingman position sets him apart from just about every other SF in the league. His threeball could use a tune-up in camps along with his ballhandling, but I think the future is bright in Vancouver with Hill and Kemp cleaning the glass like Windex.



Pick 13: Stephon Marbury, Seattle Supersonics



Grade: C+

Rationale: I actually liked this pick a lot at the time, as Marbury’s sexy rating set at a position that seems scarce for talent seemed too much to pass up. I’ll go so far as to say I LOVED the pick through the first few sims, as he tore it up on both ends of the floor and looked like one of the highest impact teenagers in the league. However, just like a pair of his shitty $29 shoes, Starbury completely fell apart after about 15 games and took my heart with him. His scoring has fallen off a cliff as his percentages have taken a dive, and his turnovers are higher than ever at 4 a game. The fact that he’s 19 is encouraging, as his under-the-hood potential will continue to rise organically for the next year, but he needs a lot of work (and camp luck) to become a star.




Pick 14: Michael Finley, Toronto Raptors



Grade: B+

Rationale: Michael Finley’s game is as smooth as his set of ratings – no pluses or minuses to speak of. Well, that’s not fair – he may have been touted as a serviceable starter, but he’s scoring the rock at an excellent clip per 36 (23.4pts) and he’s doing it while keeping his turnovers within the realm of reason compared to some of his rookie classmates. He’s an exceptional shooter, as we can see from his 83% at the line, but that hasn’t quite translated into efficiency on the court just yet, although his numbers aren’t bad. Based on his pedigree, he feels like a guy who could make his way up to A outside by the time’s all said and done, and he won’t be a liability on defense, either. Quality two-way wings seem tough to find and Mike should be just fine(ley).



Pick 15: Eddie Jones, Atlanta Hawks



Grade: B+

Rationale: The merit of this pick was hotly debated in the Small Council during the draft, and as a proponent of it I’m glad to say it looks solid for the Hawks so far. From a pure production standpoint, he’s doing pretty much what folks expected – he’s getting 22 a game on good percentages and stealing the ball on D, but his handle is a little loose at times. I think a lot of folks thought of him during the draft as more of a “prime” player than a young gun, but EJ is only 25 with 3 years experience in the league! If you compare him to a lot of the other guys that have four full camps ahead of them, he’s far more polished a product (see Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber) and has essentially the same runway. I like that Jones grabs 6 boards a game, too, that seems well above average for the SG in this league and should give him the flexibility to play either wing spot depending on what the Hawks want to do with Horry.




Pick 16: Scottie Pippen, Philadelphia 76ers



Grade: A+

Rationale: Hands down the best small forward in the league, and would probably be the best wing player in the league if it weren’t for his old teammate slamming home freethrow line dunks in MSG. Scottie is playing angry, as if someone just released a documentary about his career completely minimizing and disparaging is contributions to a handful of rings. He might have some slippery fingers from the pregame cheesesteaks at Gino’s, but he more than makes up for his turnovers with his 2.5 thefts and 0.7 swats a game. Somebody get this guy a running mate over in Philly!




Pick 17: Alonzo Mourning, New Jersey Nets



Grade: A-

Rationale: ‘Zo may have cooled off a bit from his spicy start to the season, but at age 26 he’s looking like a baby version of his draft classmate the Big Aristotle. He’s pretty much Shaq with a bit less scoring and rebounding, but he’s got 4 full camps ahead of him. Also, Mikhail PRADkhorov has been running an Outside offense which likely deflates his scoring compared to a guy like O’Neal, so I have reason to believe he could put up even better numbers surrounded with more of an inside-focused team. There are only a handful of guys across the league that can single-handedly anchor your defense, and Mourning is definitely one of them. The Nets are cursed with an extremely tough division and have underperformed their talent IMO, but once the Knicks run out of Michael Jordan, ‘Zo and co should challenge the Shaqtus for the division title.




Pick 18: Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana Pacers



Grade: B

Rationale: I understand the thinking here, as Jermaine definitely has the pedigree to merit a first round selection, and I have a feeling longtime Pacers fan and Indy native Calvin was thrilled to make a homer pick. That said, this one’s looking a little less like a homer and more like a base hit into short left field. O’Neal is doing everything he should, scoring a little bit, rebounding a little bit, and blocking some shots. His per 36 numbers are excellent for an 18 year old, but he’s weirdly only playing 27 minutes a game as a starter! I suspect this is either because he’s slow, tends to foul a ton, or some combination of both. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he slipped a few more spots in the draft, but the fact that he’s a teenager definitely has a ton of allure. He’s got a pretty high floor with his current stat profile, but I just wonder if he’ll reach the ceiling of some of the league’s current stars.




Pick 19: David Robinson, Minnesota Timberwolves



Grade: A

Rationale: If ‘Zo is Baby Shaq, The Admiral is baby Hakeem. I love absolutely everything this guy does – he scores a ton from a lot of different spots, rebounds at an excellent clip, blocks shots, gets over a steal a game (this is a huge deal for big men), and plays a lot of minutes for a big (suggesting solid quickness and high discipline on defense). His turnovers are certainly high for my taste, but there’s no doubt that he’s a plus possession player when you factor in his stocks and rebounding. It’s real nice to have a guy that does so much scoring inside and also hits his free throws – this can be a huge difference maker in the playoffs, just like in real life. I don’t think D-Rob should have gone as late as he did, that’s for sure.




Pick 20: Jamal Mashburn, Houston Rockets



Grade: A-

Rationale: The notes said Mashburn is a lot like Finley, and the statistical comparison is very apparent – Nolan gets a higher grade because he snagged this fella all the way down at #20 rather than #14. What’s more, is Mashburn is *mashed* between two other scoring wings who demand the rock a good amount, and he’s still managing to get his even though there's only one ball. Despite being the youngest of the three, I’d argue that his TO efficiency makes him the most valuable of the trio. An excellent pick here; if his volume improves in camps I think he can be a top tier wing, no problem.




Pick 21: Reggie Miller, Charlotte Hornets



Grade: A+

Rationale: Probably the easiest grade of the first round. This guy PLUMMETED down draft boards because of his age and mediocre defense rating, but Reggie is quickly making us realize that when it’s Winning Time, who needs defense (with apologies to all the Knicks fans across the league). As Our Lord Ashes said, a little bit of volume combined with that A outside is going to overpower some of the elite shooters with scoring juice, particularly in a league bereft of much defensive talent at the wings. Reggie is shooting DUMB percentages while leading the league in scoring and the Hornets to the top of the Central. He’s going to be the standard against which Ray Allen, Glen Rice, Michael Finley, Kerry Kittles, etc. are measured. Good luck young fellas.



Pick 22: Damon Stoudemire, Golden State Warriors



Grade: A-

Rationale: Damon Stoudemire looks like what I’d hoped Starbury would look like; and Grant managed to snag this gem all the way down at 22. He’s got half the brand name and twice the stats. His shooting splits are well beyond what I’d expect from his age, even with just flat B outside. His jumpshot rating must already be close to A- with that FT%, which bodes super well for his growth as an efficient scorer. He’s averaging over 3 TOs which isn’t ideal, but he’s also playing more than 36 minutes a game, so take a peek at his per-36 stats to make an apples to apples comparison to some of the other star PGs across the league. Stoudemire is already a top 5 point god in my book, and the only direction for him to go is up.




Pick 23: Kerry Kittles, Cleveland Cavaliers



Grade: A

Rationale: Scary Skittles ain’t some weird promotional Halloween candy, he’s the genuine SLN article. He’s cooled off for the Cavs after a spicy hot start, but he’s looking like one of the steals of the draft down at pick 23. His 3 point shooting is absolutely top tier (among a player population that doesn’t do this very well for the most part), so I expect his true shooting percentages to be near the top of the league for many years to come. His B+ defense is also looking great as a rookie, as he’s clearing over two steals a game in addition to scoring 20ppg in less than 36 minutes. Ashes also mentioned he has good handles, so I foresee his 2.2 TO dropping quickly as he matures through camp – he should be a decidedly plus-possession player within a few years.




Pick 24: Dikembe Mutombo, Phoenix Suns



Grade: A-

Rationale: The defensive anchor of by far the most dominant team in the league dropped well behind some other real-life HOFers due to the one-sided nature of his game in real life, I expect. However, Mutombo’s efficiency on the defensive end is worth every penny of his big salary and every technical he gets for finger waving. He’s leading the league in swats by a considerable margin, while also holding the #4 spot in rebounding – I’d say when you consider those facts along with his outstanding 1.3 TO, he’s considerably more important to the Suns’ success than Ewing is. The only reason he’s not getting a flat A is that he shoots a LITTLE much at a below average percentage for my taste, but it’s a tiny nit for a guy who’s otherwise a possession monster.



Pick 25: Kevin Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers



Grade: B

Rationale: KJ is electric on offense, scoring as much as any PG and dishing out assists to accompany his above average rebounding and excellent percentages from deep. His loose handle and average defense give me a little bit of pause, but he does manage to get a couple of steals a game, so I think that’s successfully offset for the most part. That said, I thought the Lakers would be a lot better than their current record – I know they had some injuries at the wing position, but it makes me wonder if KJ is good enough to be the best player on a championship team. I love the recent moves by the Lakers to shore up their weaknesses, but I will be very curious to see how close that gets them to the true top tier of teams in the league.




Pick 26: Gary Payton, Denver Nuggets



Grade: B+

Rationale: The only player on this list who’s no longer on the team he was drafted by, the Glove wasn’t feeling the love in Denver and Kipke decided to flip him to Atlanta, where he’s been a solid edition to Weilheimer’s team. Statistically, he’s similar to KJ, with a little less scoring firepower and quite a bit more defense. The reason I like this pick a bit more than Johnson is that Payton is 28, so he’s got two handle camps coming to him to get that stock:turnover ratio above 1, whereas KJ can’t be camped. I do have a little bit of a similar concern, however – since coming to Atlanta, the Hawks point differential and winning percentage haven’t seen substantial boosts, though the team is scoring a little more. I expect Payton to make a bigger difference next season with +6 handles under his belt.




Pick 27: Jason Kidd, Milwaukee Bucks



Grade: B+

Rationale: J-Kidd is going to be a triple double machine, as he’s clearly the best rebounder in the game at the PG position even as a rookie. He’s got a long way to go on offense, both from a volume and an efficiency perspective, and his turnovers are quite high, though that’s to be expected from a rookie. If Ashes created him accurately, which I fully expect he did, his offense is probably not going to develop a ton organically without some dedicated camps, which means his ceiling may be a little less high than some of the other young guys in this draft. Still, I like that Derek gets himself a uniquely-shaped player with Kidd – him rebounding like a SF allows the Bucks to do some more creative things with their future lineups, like running small ball lineups with some outside scoring at the PF.




Pick 28: Tim Hardaway, Orlando Magic



Grade: B+

Rationale: GP may look a bit like KJ, but Tim Hardaway is virtually an IDENTICAL statistical player – same age, pretty much exact same scoring, rebounding and assist numbers, identical steals, blocks and turnovers, and all three percentages within 0.5% of eachother! Actually wild.

Anyways, if the Magic had taken Richmond with this pick rather than Timmy Homophobe and grabbed TH three picks later instead, I’d probably be giving this a flat A; but my assessment is the same as KJ, he’s a standout offensively but the turnovers are far from ideal and his uncampable age caps his upside. The pairing with Richmond, who’s even more efficient, is a nice luxury to have for Mitchell in Orlando. Hardaway gets a B+ because he was had three picks later than KJ.




Pick 29: Ben Wallace, Dallas Mavericks



Grade: A-

Rationale: With the last pick in the first round, Tarun snagged Big Ben Wallace, and paid a few bucks extra for the 20 headbands he has to wear on his tree trunk biceps every game. Tarun definitely expected to tank this year, but the absolute dumpster fire that is the Midwest division has resulted in a likely playoff birth for Dallas! Before the season, when I think we all assumed there would be verrrrry few bigs that would be factors on offense, Ben looked like the best possible option as a PF/C, as all he’d do is rebound and block shots without ever shooting. Ben will still likely end up looking something like Mutombo by the time he hits his prime (and that’s an outstanding outcome), but seeing how many bigs are able to do some damage on both ends, I’m not sure Big Ben is ever going to be a gamewrecker-level superstar. Still, his stats are promising – an almost 4:1 stock:TO ratio is already exceptional, even if his rebounding isn’t above average just yet. The pairing in the frontcourt with Bradley should be the best defensive PF + C combination in the league for years to come.



Hope you boys enjoyed! Feel free to comment, ask questions, challenge these grades, or make a butthurt pod with your revised rankings. Let the debates begin!