Biggest Draft Steals of the Last 10 Seasons
Mar 19, 2013 11:59:48 GMT -5
Post by aar on Mar 19, 2013 11:59:48 GMT -5
RULES: Had to have been selected outside of the lottery to qualify. Quincy Acy was dropped after the draft, so he will NOT appear on this list.
10) 2011 BBS Draft 19th Overall, New Orleans selects Tristan Thompson
THEN: Tristan Thompson PF 6'9'' 227 20 C+ D+ D B C+ A
NOW: Tristan Thompson PF 23 6'9'' 227 B+ D+ D A- B B
Selected just outside of the lottery, Thompson is the highest selected draft pick on this list.
Since being drafted, he has gone +7 and has turned into a solid frontcourt player.
The biggest knock on Thompson is his consistently low field goal percentage, which may be attributed to a high jumping rating.
His turnovers are pretty low and he averages double-digit rebounds, albeit on a poor rebounding team, so he is certainly an asset.
The big question is whether or not he’ll get much better. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal and may be given a max contract if he tests free agency.
9) 2013 BBS Draft 23rd Overall, Chicago Bulls select - Jeff Withey
THEN: Jeff Withey C 7'0'' 240 23 C+ C- D- B B- B
NOW: Jeff Withey C 24 7'0'' 240 C+ C- F+ B+ B B
He’s only gone +1 since he was drafted last season, but what matters is that he is a premier shot blocker who shoots high percentages and hits his free throws.
Play spotted his high intangibles and picked him up in a trade where most screamed bloody murder as he acquired the fleeting Bucks’ 2016 1st rounder, which will be the team’s contract year.
Withey averages 3.9 blocks per-36 minutes, which makes his output among the best in the league. He is in the top-10 among starters in per-36 blocks per game.
8) 2005 BBS Draft 25th overall, Memphis Grizzlies select Brandon Bass
THEN: Brandon Bass PF 6'8'' 240 20 B- C- C- B- C+ B
NOW: Brandon Bass PF 29 6'8'' 240 A- C- C B+ A- C
Bass is a high ratings, low output player who does everything well, but nothing spectacularly.
That said, it is hard to overlook his +10 surge since entering the league.
I think that Withey and Thompson probably have more value than Bass, but Bass was selected later and his ratings have evolved more, so he gets the slight nod over them.
The reason that Bass isn’t higher is because he’s undoubtedly hit his ceiling.
7) 2011 BBS Draft 21st Overall Orlando selects Josh Selby
THEN: Josh Selby PG 6'3'' 195 20 C+ B- C+ C D B
NOW: Josh Selby PG 23 6'3'' 195 B A- A- B+ D B
Since entering the league, Selby has absolutely exploded, going an ungodly +13.
The reason that Selby isn’t higher is because he still has yet to become a complete, effective player.
His percentages are solid, but not spectacular. His turnovers are very high for a shooting guard, which makes him barely serviceable at point guard and his rebounds are far too low for the shooting guard on a winning team.
That being said, Selby is a solid asset and probably will continue to grow into a B A A A- D C type player, which will make him exceptionally valuable regardless of his output.
I see Selby being very effective in an outside offense with high rebounding C/PF/SFs.
If he was selected lower, he’d be much higher on this list.
6) 2005 BBS Draft 28th Overall New Orleans Hornets selects Amir Johnson
THEN: Amir Johnson PF 6'9'' 210 18 C+ D+ D+ C+ C+ A
NOW: Amir Johnson PF 27 6'9'' 210 A C- C B+ B- D
Amir was selected with the second-to-last pick of the 1st round and has absolutely exploded since then, going +6 inside and +13 overall.
He is off to a slow start this season, but averaged 26 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg and 2.5 bpg on 48.7% shooting last season, which was the best of his career in nearly all of those categories.
In an inside offense, Amir is a killer asset to have and will likely be readily available come trade deadline time.
It’s quite crazy how far he has come given his starting ratings. More crazy is that he still has 3 ACs available. If someone pumped that into his strength and rebounding attributes, you could have a 25/12 player at your disposal.
5) 2009 BBS Draft 4th pick in the 2nd round the Dallas Mavericks select Dante Cunningham
THEN: Dante Cunningham SF 6'8'' 230 22 B- C- C- B+ C+ C
NOW: Dante Cunningham SF 27 6'8'' 230 A- C D+ A- B D
Cunningham has also gone +6 in his career, but is a top-5 player if you ask the GM of the Grizzlies.
Jokes aside, Cunningham does EVERYTHING well. He blocks, he steals, he handles the ball, he scores at a high clip. He’s not prolific at anything, but he is a guy who simply will not hurt your team under any circumstances and that’s why he’s so valuable.
Many have questioned whether Cunningham is a top-50 player and while his stats may indicate that he isn’t, he has proven to be a very effective player.
4) 2007 BBS Draft 26th pick in the 2nd round the Houston Rockets select Alando Tucker
THEN: Alando Tucker SF 6'6'' 205 23 B- C C- A- C C
NOW: Alando Tucker SF 30 6'6'' 205 A- C+ C- A C+ C
Tucker isn’t as valuable as Amir or Selby and has only gone +6 (in comparison to the others listed), but WHERE he was selected is what puts him in the top-5.
Only once in his career has Tucker averaged over 1 topg and that includes his career-best year where he put up 21/8 on 47.5% shooting and was an All-Star (unlike anyone mentioned previously on this list).
Tucker’s career has been outstanding considering where he was selected and is another steal that the Magic managed to scoop up at some point in time.
3) 2011 BBS Draft 25th Pick Overall, the Orlando Magic select Milan Macvan
THEN: Milan Macvan PF 6'9'' 260 21 C A- C C B- C
NOW: Milan Macvan C 24 6'9'' 260 B- A C- C B+ C
Since being drafted, Macvan has gone only +3, but has emerged as one of the rare outside shooting big man studs in sim history.
He blocks shots like a beast, grabs a ton of boards and shoots good percentages.
There is no big man in the league that is more valuable in an outside offense and Play had the foresight to select him very late into the first round.
So to recap, the Magic have stolen Selby and Macvan in the draft thus far and have acquired Tucker and Withey. More from them coming up later.
2) 2010 BBS Draft, 6th pick in the 2nd round, the Washington Wizards select Da'Sean Butler
THEN: Da'Sean Butler SF 6'7'' 225 22 C+ B+ D+ C C C
NOW: Da'Sean Butler SG 26 6'7'' 225 B+ A- C- C+ C+ C
Butler has gone +7 since being selected in the 2nd round and has become an all-around stud.
He is Daunte Cunningham on steroids. He does everything REALLY well, especially offensively.
As a rookie 2nd rounder, Butler averaged 22 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.2 spg and 0.6 bpg.
This year, he has taken his game to new heights, averaging career bests in ppg, rpg, bpg, topg, fg% and ft%.
A one-time All-Star, the sky is the limit for the 26 year old Butler. Butler still has two ACs left to burn as well.
1) 2005 BBS Draft, 12th pick in the 2nd round, the Orlando Magic select Cenk Akyol
THEN: Cenk Akyol PG 6'6'' 200 18 C+ C+ C C+ C- B
NOW: Cenk Akyol PG 27 6'6'' 200 B+ A- C+ A C C
I mentioned the Magic earlier and the reason why is because with Akyol being selected in the second round, Play ends up accounting for having acquired 50% of the players on this list, which is unreal. Kudos to Play.
Akyol has gone +14 since being drafted, which is absolutely absurd.
According to the recent article on the top-50 most valuable players, Akyol placed in 10th and rightfully so with his four All-League appearances and his incredible career average of 1.3 topg.
His numbers have been incredible throughout his career and considering where he was drafted, he was a lock for the top position.
Had Quincy Acy actually been KEPT by the team that drafted him, this would be his spot, but unfortunately for the Clippers, it wasn’t to be.
10) 2011 BBS Draft 19th Overall, New Orleans selects Tristan Thompson
THEN: Tristan Thompson PF 6'9'' 227 20 C+ D+ D B C+ A
NOW: Tristan Thompson PF 23 6'9'' 227 B+ D+ D A- B B
Selected just outside of the lottery, Thompson is the highest selected draft pick on this list.
Since being drafted, he has gone +7 and has turned into a solid frontcourt player.
The biggest knock on Thompson is his consistently low field goal percentage, which may be attributed to a high jumping rating.
His turnovers are pretty low and he averages double-digit rebounds, albeit on a poor rebounding team, so he is certainly an asset.
The big question is whether or not he’ll get much better. He’s in the last year of his rookie deal and may be given a max contract if he tests free agency.
9) 2013 BBS Draft 23rd Overall, Chicago Bulls select - Jeff Withey
THEN: Jeff Withey C 7'0'' 240 23 C+ C- D- B B- B
NOW: Jeff Withey C 24 7'0'' 240 C+ C- F+ B+ B B
He’s only gone +1 since he was drafted last season, but what matters is that he is a premier shot blocker who shoots high percentages and hits his free throws.
Play spotted his high intangibles and picked him up in a trade where most screamed bloody murder as he acquired the fleeting Bucks’ 2016 1st rounder, which will be the team’s contract year.
Withey averages 3.9 blocks per-36 minutes, which makes his output among the best in the league. He is in the top-10 among starters in per-36 blocks per game.
8) 2005 BBS Draft 25th overall, Memphis Grizzlies select Brandon Bass
THEN: Brandon Bass PF 6'8'' 240 20 B- C- C- B- C+ B
NOW: Brandon Bass PF 29 6'8'' 240 A- C- C B+ A- C
Bass is a high ratings, low output player who does everything well, but nothing spectacularly.
That said, it is hard to overlook his +10 surge since entering the league.
I think that Withey and Thompson probably have more value than Bass, but Bass was selected later and his ratings have evolved more, so he gets the slight nod over them.
The reason that Bass isn’t higher is because he’s undoubtedly hit his ceiling.
7) 2011 BBS Draft 21st Overall Orlando selects Josh Selby
THEN: Josh Selby PG 6'3'' 195 20 C+ B- C+ C D B
NOW: Josh Selby PG 23 6'3'' 195 B A- A- B+ D B
Since entering the league, Selby has absolutely exploded, going an ungodly +13.
The reason that Selby isn’t higher is because he still has yet to become a complete, effective player.
His percentages are solid, but not spectacular. His turnovers are very high for a shooting guard, which makes him barely serviceable at point guard and his rebounds are far too low for the shooting guard on a winning team.
That being said, Selby is a solid asset and probably will continue to grow into a B A A A- D C type player, which will make him exceptionally valuable regardless of his output.
I see Selby being very effective in an outside offense with high rebounding C/PF/SFs.
If he was selected lower, he’d be much higher on this list.
6) 2005 BBS Draft 28th Overall New Orleans Hornets selects Amir Johnson
THEN: Amir Johnson PF 6'9'' 210 18 C+ D+ D+ C+ C+ A
NOW: Amir Johnson PF 27 6'9'' 210 A C- C B+ B- D
Amir was selected with the second-to-last pick of the 1st round and has absolutely exploded since then, going +6 inside and +13 overall.
He is off to a slow start this season, but averaged 26 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.2 spg and 2.5 bpg on 48.7% shooting last season, which was the best of his career in nearly all of those categories.
In an inside offense, Amir is a killer asset to have and will likely be readily available come trade deadline time.
It’s quite crazy how far he has come given his starting ratings. More crazy is that he still has 3 ACs available. If someone pumped that into his strength and rebounding attributes, you could have a 25/12 player at your disposal.
5) 2009 BBS Draft 4th pick in the 2nd round the Dallas Mavericks select Dante Cunningham
THEN: Dante Cunningham SF 6'8'' 230 22 B- C- C- B+ C+ C
NOW: Dante Cunningham SF 27 6'8'' 230 A- C D+ A- B D
Cunningham has also gone +6 in his career, but is a top-5 player if you ask the GM of the Grizzlies.
Jokes aside, Cunningham does EVERYTHING well. He blocks, he steals, he handles the ball, he scores at a high clip. He’s not prolific at anything, but he is a guy who simply will not hurt your team under any circumstances and that’s why he’s so valuable.
Many have questioned whether Cunningham is a top-50 player and while his stats may indicate that he isn’t, he has proven to be a very effective player.
4) 2007 BBS Draft 26th pick in the 2nd round the Houston Rockets select Alando Tucker
THEN: Alando Tucker SF 6'6'' 205 23 B- C C- A- C C
NOW: Alando Tucker SF 30 6'6'' 205 A- C+ C- A C+ C
Tucker isn’t as valuable as Amir or Selby and has only gone +6 (in comparison to the others listed), but WHERE he was selected is what puts him in the top-5.
Only once in his career has Tucker averaged over 1 topg and that includes his career-best year where he put up 21/8 on 47.5% shooting and was an All-Star (unlike anyone mentioned previously on this list).
Tucker’s career has been outstanding considering where he was selected and is another steal that the Magic managed to scoop up at some point in time.
3) 2011 BBS Draft 25th Pick Overall, the Orlando Magic select Milan Macvan
THEN: Milan Macvan PF 6'9'' 260 21 C A- C C B- C
NOW: Milan Macvan C 24 6'9'' 260 B- A C- C B+ C
Since being drafted, Macvan has gone only +3, but has emerged as one of the rare outside shooting big man studs in sim history.
He blocks shots like a beast, grabs a ton of boards and shoots good percentages.
There is no big man in the league that is more valuable in an outside offense and Play had the foresight to select him very late into the first round.
So to recap, the Magic have stolen Selby and Macvan in the draft thus far and have acquired Tucker and Withey. More from them coming up later.
2) 2010 BBS Draft, 6th pick in the 2nd round, the Washington Wizards select Da'Sean Butler
THEN: Da'Sean Butler SF 6'7'' 225 22 C+ B+ D+ C C C
NOW: Da'Sean Butler SG 26 6'7'' 225 B+ A- C- C+ C+ C
Butler has gone +7 since being selected in the 2nd round and has become an all-around stud.
He is Daunte Cunningham on steroids. He does everything REALLY well, especially offensively.
As a rookie 2nd rounder, Butler averaged 22 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.2 spg and 0.6 bpg.
This year, he has taken his game to new heights, averaging career bests in ppg, rpg, bpg, topg, fg% and ft%.
A one-time All-Star, the sky is the limit for the 26 year old Butler. Butler still has two ACs left to burn as well.
1) 2005 BBS Draft, 12th pick in the 2nd round, the Orlando Magic select Cenk Akyol
THEN: Cenk Akyol PG 6'6'' 200 18 C+ C+ C C+ C- B
NOW: Cenk Akyol PG 27 6'6'' 200 B+ A- C+ A C C
I mentioned the Magic earlier and the reason why is because with Akyol being selected in the second round, Play ends up accounting for having acquired 50% of the players on this list, which is unreal. Kudos to Play.
Akyol has gone +14 since being drafted, which is absolutely absurd.
According to the recent article on the top-50 most valuable players, Akyol placed in 10th and rightfully so with his four All-League appearances and his incredible career average of 1.3 topg.
His numbers have been incredible throughout his career and considering where he was drafted, he was a lock for the top position.
Had Quincy Acy actually been KEPT by the team that drafted him, this would be his spot, but unfortunately for the Clippers, it wasn’t to be.
