How's That Draft Class?

All the pundits are saying that this has been the least productive NBA class in awhile. Injuries have decimated some top names and incompetence and inopportunity have waylayed most of the rest. I thought I’d take a look at our “lottery” picks, the top eight non-playoff teams, and who they drafted. Plus grades, of course.

1. Ben McLemore (Half Man Half ImAsian)
Oliver’s team is off to a fast 7-4 start, and looks to be headed to the post-season. Their prized 2014 rookie Ben McLemore, the prize for their 2013 Toilet Bowl win, isn’t exactly the reason for their success. McLemore, touted as NBA ready and seen as an instant contributor, has been stuck playing only 25 minutes a game for the Kings. His averages of 8.0 PTS, 2.9 REB, 1.2 3PT on 36.0 FG% isn’t exactly inspiring. Stuck behind Marcus Thornton in the rotation, it doesn’t look like McLemore will get the chance to break out this season as his minutes seem restricted. Little Ben is averaging a paltry 4.9 PTS in his last fifteen games, ouch.
Grade: C-


2. Victor Oladipo (MoRRie’s Pogiboys)
Alvin’s team has drifted to the bottom of the Voltron standings due to injuries to big men Anthony Davis and Brook Lopez. The good news is that Oladipo is playing some solid minutes, 30.7 a game, and is contributing across the board with 13.2 PTS, 4.2 REB, 3.6 AST, 1.5 STL, 0.9 3PT, and 0.7 BLK. His FG% is low and his TO are high, but that’s to be expected of any rookie. With second round pick and fellow NBA rookie Otto Porter Jr. totally floundering, having Oladipo in the Rookie of the Year race must be very soothing for Pogi. More importantly, is this franchise headed toward a third straight Toilet Bowl finals!?!
Grade: B+

3+4. Michael Carter-Williams & Jimmy Butler (Jedi Knights)
The Knights already have three wins so far this season, tying their win total from last year. A lot of the credit for that success must go to their great draft picks at #3 and #4 overall. MCW started off the season with a bang, and despite some injury woes, has played 26 games to the tune of 17.5 PTS, 7.0 AST, 5.8 REB, a league leading 2.7 STL, plus 1.0 3PT and 0.7 BLK a game. Sure his FG% is 41.4% but that’s fine. Carter-Williams is the far and away fantasy R.O.Y. favorite and he gives this team an electric guard to build around. As for Butler, much was expected of him in a breakout year but he’s struggled with injuries and inconsistency. His best contribution right now is 1.8 STL per game, as his 12.1 PTS, 4.1 REB, 1.0 3PT are merely average. Plus he’s shooting 38.1 FG%. Butler will get plenty of touches and opportunity to up his numbers however, as Derrick Rose is out for the season and Luol Deng just got moved to Cleveland. Jedi Knights had a hell of a draft!
Grade: A-

5. Cody Zeller (Eron, Joven and Chandler)
Fourth overall NBA pick Cody Zeller currently sits on our free agency pile, ready to be picked up by anyone. In his 16.9 minutes of play, he’s averaging 5.1 PTS, 3.9 REB, and um, well, whatever. He’s had only one double digit scoring game in his last thirteen games and his high for rebounds is seven. The good news is he’s shooting 36.9 FG%. Oh wait… EJC, the current Transformers division leader after two down years, never even put Zeller in a game, and cut him way back on November 19th. Since then Cody has rotated through four other franchises already -- So Buckets, Funk Coalition, Beast Brawlers, and Squirtle Squad. If you want to give Zeller a swirl, he’s VERY available. But you’d better check out this video first.
Grade: D-

6. Anthony Bennett (Funk Coalition)
If you thought Zeller was a bust, how about a #1 overall NBA pick averaging 10.4 minutes a game and “producing” 2.4 PTS and 2.2 REB. Bennett was mocked for not hitting a field goal until his fifth NBA game. He’s also currently shooting 26.9 FG%. We would laugh but as the Bennett owner, this is not funny. It hasn’t been Bennett's fault that Funk is 3-8, but he's shown no signs of life whatsoever. Why is Notorious S.U.C.K. even on a roster still? Jon must really be desperate.
Grade: F

7. Brandon Knight (Beast Brawlers)
Before the season, we thought it was a pretty savvy gamble for Thien to draft Knight, who was slated for a starting position in Milwaukee. After dealing with some early season bumps, Knight has emerged to average 19.8 PTS, 4.9 AST, 4.7 REB, 1.5 3PT, 1.5 STL on 44.0 FG% for his last month. Not bad! While his season long stats aren’t nearly that good, Knight has been a steady contributor for Voltron leading Beast Brawlers. While Knight may not have the upside of some of the rookies, he’s still only in his third season and could remain the Bucks’ starter for some time. Wonderful value pick.
Grade: B

8. Trey Burke (Fob Stars)
After starting off 0-3, Jimmy’s team has gone 4-4 and righted the ship pretty well. In related news, Burke came off injury to start his NBA career in late November. While there were some questions about Burke’s athleticism and fit at point guard, he’s proven his skeptics wrong and is averaging 13.3 PTS, 5.3 AST, 3.3 REB, 1.5 3PT during his rookie year. His shooting is putrid at 38.8 FG% but his TOs are pretty low for a rookie point guard, at just 1.9 per game. While he’s still struggling with lingering injuries, it’s clear that Burke was a steal at #8 in the SlamNation draft.
Grade: B+