JWoo's Top NDL Prospects: 2010-11 edition (migrated over)
Posted: February 9th, 2024, 8:30 pm
I'm taking it upon myself to start raising NDL AWARENESS in article form moving forward.
Behold, the first installment of my totally arbitrary but very thoughtful analysis of the top prospects in the NDL this season. I will take many factors into consideration but ultimately just want to highlight some of these guys. I'm going to break them up by position group and I'm not gonna do an actual ranking, but we are here to show love to these hard working boiz who will one day don SLN jerseys if they are lucky. We'll go top five by loose position groupings.
Guards
Eric Bledsoe, Iowa Wolves | 33.8 25.8 6.0 5.8 2.1 0.4 3.1 .467 .822 .406
I thought Bledsoe was one of the better stash picks from last year's draft, and he put together a nice rookie year in the NDL — those turnover numbers seem ok from someone who was billed as more of a combo guard anyway, and it looks like he's going to be able to score well enough to stick in the big leagues, with a C+/B+ inside/outside rating. He's probably blocked big-time by all of Pankin's guards, but could be nice trade bait for Pankin to upgrade his frontcourt moving forward. Think he was a good grab at 16th overall and will probably have at least one more NDL season of non-diminished gains ahead.
Jonny Flynn, Texas Legends | 39.6 27.1 4.4 9.0 2.3 0.1 2.9 .480 .750 .409
Flynn has put together two good NDL campaigns, although his gains will be diminished this off-season. His ratings (C B B B D) aren't great, but he is showing A potential and figures to have another good camp or two in him. He feels like more of a trade piece for Hoff now that Jamal Crawford is on a long-term deal and that backcourt is crowded, and I'm cautiously optimistic about Flynn's upside, but he looks to have a pretty balanced scoring profile based on his splits. Because his rebounding stinks, he's probably a one-position guard - either a low-end starter or good backup long term, barring some huge camps.
Gerald Henderson, Motor City Cruise | 37.8 26.8 6.9 4.2 1.8 0.2 3.2 .470 .813 .391
Henderson's turnovers are a bit problematic for a two-guard, but he's pretty solid all-around (B- B+ C- B- C-) and should be getting minutes in Detroit next season, by my estimation. He'll get full gains this year and looks like a viable two-way bench wing that could evolve into a starter if someone camps dem handles. He was the 14th pick in the 2009 draft, right ahead of guys like Danny Green, Flynn, Brandon Jennings and Hasheem Thabeet, and could wind up sneakily as a good player from this class.
Jodie Meeks, Sioux Falls Skyforce | 36.2 25.9 6.1 4.5 1.8 0.1 1.9 .467 .781 .405
A great second-round snag for Scoops in the 2009 draft, Meeks looks like he has a potentially viable bench wing skillset, with good handles, a nice outside shot, and two efficient, high-volume NDL seasons under his belt. He needs growth defensively and in his inside scoring, but he's quietly been pretty nice and deserves a shot with the Heat as they rebuild.
Anthony Morrow, Wisconsin Herd | 38.0 31.8 7.3 4.6 1.4 0.1 1.9 .497 .887 .410
Morrow is basically a supercharged Meeks, with less defense but a much stronger scoring package and B-/B+ scoring ratings. He's never going to be a good defender, but the way he bombs from three might give him a chance to be a nice specialist in SLN. His lack of turnovers coupled with efficiency and decent volume bodes well for him having a real career, and I'd expect to see him on the Bucks next season.
Honorable mention: Patty Mills, Wisconsin Herd
Forwards
Ryan Anderson, Stockton Kings | 37.5 31.7 10.6 3.6 1.3 0.2 1.6 .499 .869 .468
The MVP! Anderson played 91 games in SLN because he got traded midseason to the Kings, which definitely gave him a leg up on a certain Australian Canadian for the top awards, but Anderson will go out as one of the best NDL players ever, and have three years of full gains under his belt. I think the big question now is exactly how his skillset will translate in SLN. How much three-point volume will he have at power forward? Will he get absolutely lit up if you play him at SF? Can he piecemeal a bench 3/4 role? Luckily he's in good hands with Jesse, who I assume will figure out the answer to that question. The B- A- D C+ B- ratings profile is pretty cool, but we'll have to see how his rebounding, scoring volume and potential for steals translate next year.
Earl Clark, NAZ Suns | 36.2 12.7 11.0 3.2 1.3 1.3 1.8 .422 .670 .147
Clark's offense seems to be pretty ass, but those stocks are certainly interesting, and it's possible he could wind up as a poor man's Travis Outlaw at the next level. He's probably never going to shoot, which is good, but he'll probably need growth in the stock department and on the glass to justify being more than a cool extra bench big. Still a fun prospect who has the makings of a good defender.
Jeremy Evans, Raptors 905 | 36.1 18.7 11.1 3.5 1.2 1.9 1.7 .461 .697 .261
A huge reason we won the NDL tittle. If Evans hadn't missed 11 games in the last month of the season, I think he probably would have fared even better in the awards race - but suffice it to say he blew away my modest expectations for him when I picked him like 37th or whatever in last year's draft. I thought there was a chance he could be like Jonathan Bender - which, based on his ratings, seems possible - but what shocked me was the fact he actually had a really competent offensive season in the NDL, despite kind of shitty scoring ratings. We'll see what it amounts to in the end, but those stocks are really exciting, and he will end up getting rebounding camps to help prop him up toward viability. Not a bad showing for a converted small forward!
Joe Ingles, Raptors 905 | 38.9 34.3 8.3 4.9 1.9 0.0 3.5 .485 .814 .424
Number 1 in Canada's heart, playoff hero Joe Ingles will be suiting up for the big club next season and hopefully for a while. We've had many illustrious Raptors 905 legends, but only Joe has led us to titletown. He looks like he's going to be able to score in SLN, and his defense looks better than expected too (my man might have legit zero blocks, but seems to play decent perimeter defense). Still, those turnovers are a big wart I'm trying to figure out. His handles are likely getting a camp from me to help mitigate it, and he probably has passing and it's all definitely skewed by the massive amount of volume — but it would help his case as a potential option-level scorer if he can like, not throw the ball into the crowd every fifth play. Regardless, Joe is a legend and might have deserved MVP had Anderson not played 10 extra games.
Jonas Getwreckedbro, Grand Rapids Gold | 35.3 22.8 7.9 3.4 1.7 0.3 1.8 .465 .777 .379
Garrett Siler can't hold this guy's jock strap - Jonas has shot the ball pretty well in the NDL and looks like a potentially useful bench piece for the Nuggets in the long run. Not sure how well the efficiency will scale up with the B- outside shooting, but he'll be good enough defensively and on the glass to get spot minutes in SLN. A good snag for Denver I think.
Honorable Mention: Nemanja Bjelica, Santa Cruz Warriors
Bigs
BOBAN, Stockton Kings | 35.2 22.8 10.6 2.9 1.0 0.5 2.5 .506 .726 .381
The rumors are true, I scouted Boban last year, and let me tell you, this man is a load. Although the Kings were thwarted in the NDL playoffs, Boban looks poised to benefit from the gainz and become something like a Euro Zach Randolph in SLN. The turnovers and lack of stocks don't matter when you're having fun, and Boban has lots of fun. I think his efficiency will translate and he'll end up being a unique SLN player, but hard to say how high the ceiling is (other than the fact it's at least 7 foot 4).
Jordan Hill, Lakeland Magic | 36.3 28.6 11.5 2.8 1.9 1.1 2.1 .477 .743 .000
I get so many texts about this guy from Merv. I should have drafted him instead of Gigi Datome two years ago but alas. Hill looks like a legit bench big, with the big question just being how his turnovers and stocks scale into an SLN role. I think he'll have a shot at bench minutes and just needs another good camp or two, but he looks like a viable SLN butt indeed.
Taj Gibson, Sioux Falls Skyforce | 35.0 19.9 11.6 3.0 0.9 1.1 2.0 .420 .703 .182
I was a big fan of Taj IRL. Good news for him is Thibs won't shred his tendons to pieces in our fake universe. He doesn't look like much of a scorer and he isn't super stocky, but he has the makings of a Nick Collisonesque SLN player - someone you know is helping under the hood, but in a way that probably doesn't make it into the box score. I'd expect the Heat to give him some run next year and see what they have as part of their youth movement, considering he's already at B/B+ defense and rebounding. A good draft value where they got him.
Nikola Pekovic, College Park Skyhawks | 33.8 31.3 9.0 2.3 0.8 0.4 1.8 .527 .795 .000
The Wario to Boban's Mario, PEK led the best team in SLN to 66 fucking wins and scored nearly a point a minute. For the sake of SLN we need him to be good so Weilheimer gives us some fanfic. PEK will not play an ounce of defense, but Ashes famously once said on a podcast that he thinks he can have a real SLN career. If his rebounding can improve a bit more, why not?
Larry Sanders, Santa Cruz Warriors | 33.5 12.1 9.8 2.0 1.2 1.7 1.6 .466 .577 .000
The California weather has been kind to Larry's mental health, and he had a nice first season in the NDL - he can't make a free throw, but he seems to have a well-rounded set of big butt-coded abilities that should lead to an eventual role in the league. He was a good snag for Clint at No. 14 last year and seems like a future contributor in the play-defense-and-get-out-the-way sense that many of us appreciate.
Honorable Mention: Hasheem Thabeet, Anaheim Arsenal
Behold, the first installment of my totally arbitrary but very thoughtful analysis of the top prospects in the NDL this season. I will take many factors into consideration but ultimately just want to highlight some of these guys. I'm going to break them up by position group and I'm not gonna do an actual ranking, but we are here to show love to these hard working boiz who will one day don SLN jerseys if they are lucky. We'll go top five by loose position groupings.
Guards
Eric Bledsoe, Iowa Wolves | 33.8 25.8 6.0 5.8 2.1 0.4 3.1 .467 .822 .406
I thought Bledsoe was one of the better stash picks from last year's draft, and he put together a nice rookie year in the NDL — those turnover numbers seem ok from someone who was billed as more of a combo guard anyway, and it looks like he's going to be able to score well enough to stick in the big leagues, with a C+/B+ inside/outside rating. He's probably blocked big-time by all of Pankin's guards, but could be nice trade bait for Pankin to upgrade his frontcourt moving forward. Think he was a good grab at 16th overall and will probably have at least one more NDL season of non-diminished gains ahead.
Jonny Flynn, Texas Legends | 39.6 27.1 4.4 9.0 2.3 0.1 2.9 .480 .750 .409
Flynn has put together two good NDL campaigns, although his gains will be diminished this off-season. His ratings (C B B B D) aren't great, but he is showing A potential and figures to have another good camp or two in him. He feels like more of a trade piece for Hoff now that Jamal Crawford is on a long-term deal and that backcourt is crowded, and I'm cautiously optimistic about Flynn's upside, but he looks to have a pretty balanced scoring profile based on his splits. Because his rebounding stinks, he's probably a one-position guard - either a low-end starter or good backup long term, barring some huge camps.
Gerald Henderson, Motor City Cruise | 37.8 26.8 6.9 4.2 1.8 0.2 3.2 .470 .813 .391
Henderson's turnovers are a bit problematic for a two-guard, but he's pretty solid all-around (B- B+ C- B- C-) and should be getting minutes in Detroit next season, by my estimation. He'll get full gains this year and looks like a viable two-way bench wing that could evolve into a starter if someone camps dem handles. He was the 14th pick in the 2009 draft, right ahead of guys like Danny Green, Flynn, Brandon Jennings and Hasheem Thabeet, and could wind up sneakily as a good player from this class.
Jodie Meeks, Sioux Falls Skyforce | 36.2 25.9 6.1 4.5 1.8 0.1 1.9 .467 .781 .405
A great second-round snag for Scoops in the 2009 draft, Meeks looks like he has a potentially viable bench wing skillset, with good handles, a nice outside shot, and two efficient, high-volume NDL seasons under his belt. He needs growth defensively and in his inside scoring, but he's quietly been pretty nice and deserves a shot with the Heat as they rebuild.
Anthony Morrow, Wisconsin Herd | 38.0 31.8 7.3 4.6 1.4 0.1 1.9 .497 .887 .410
Morrow is basically a supercharged Meeks, with less defense but a much stronger scoring package and B-/B+ scoring ratings. He's never going to be a good defender, but the way he bombs from three might give him a chance to be a nice specialist in SLN. His lack of turnovers coupled with efficiency and decent volume bodes well for him having a real career, and I'd expect to see him on the Bucks next season.
Honorable mention: Patty Mills, Wisconsin Herd
Forwards
Ryan Anderson, Stockton Kings | 37.5 31.7 10.6 3.6 1.3 0.2 1.6 .499 .869 .468
The MVP! Anderson played 91 games in SLN because he got traded midseason to the Kings, which definitely gave him a leg up on a certain Australian Canadian for the top awards, but Anderson will go out as one of the best NDL players ever, and have three years of full gains under his belt. I think the big question now is exactly how his skillset will translate in SLN. How much three-point volume will he have at power forward? Will he get absolutely lit up if you play him at SF? Can he piecemeal a bench 3/4 role? Luckily he's in good hands with Jesse, who I assume will figure out the answer to that question. The B- A- D C+ B- ratings profile is pretty cool, but we'll have to see how his rebounding, scoring volume and potential for steals translate next year.
Earl Clark, NAZ Suns | 36.2 12.7 11.0 3.2 1.3 1.3 1.8 .422 .670 .147
Clark's offense seems to be pretty ass, but those stocks are certainly interesting, and it's possible he could wind up as a poor man's Travis Outlaw at the next level. He's probably never going to shoot, which is good, but he'll probably need growth in the stock department and on the glass to justify being more than a cool extra bench big. Still a fun prospect who has the makings of a good defender.
Jeremy Evans, Raptors 905 | 36.1 18.7 11.1 3.5 1.2 1.9 1.7 .461 .697 .261
A huge reason we won the NDL tittle. If Evans hadn't missed 11 games in the last month of the season, I think he probably would have fared even better in the awards race - but suffice it to say he blew away my modest expectations for him when I picked him like 37th or whatever in last year's draft. I thought there was a chance he could be like Jonathan Bender - which, based on his ratings, seems possible - but what shocked me was the fact he actually had a really competent offensive season in the NDL, despite kind of shitty scoring ratings. We'll see what it amounts to in the end, but those stocks are really exciting, and he will end up getting rebounding camps to help prop him up toward viability. Not a bad showing for a converted small forward!
Joe Ingles, Raptors 905 | 38.9 34.3 8.3 4.9 1.9 0.0 3.5 .485 .814 .424
Number 1 in Canada's heart, playoff hero Joe Ingles will be suiting up for the big club next season and hopefully for a while. We've had many illustrious Raptors 905 legends, but only Joe has led us to titletown. He looks like he's going to be able to score in SLN, and his defense looks better than expected too (my man might have legit zero blocks, but seems to play decent perimeter defense). Still, those turnovers are a big wart I'm trying to figure out. His handles are likely getting a camp from me to help mitigate it, and he probably has passing and it's all definitely skewed by the massive amount of volume — but it would help his case as a potential option-level scorer if he can like, not throw the ball into the crowd every fifth play. Regardless, Joe is a legend and might have deserved MVP had Anderson not played 10 extra games.
Jonas Getwreckedbro, Grand Rapids Gold | 35.3 22.8 7.9 3.4 1.7 0.3 1.8 .465 .777 .379
Garrett Siler can't hold this guy's jock strap - Jonas has shot the ball pretty well in the NDL and looks like a potentially useful bench piece for the Nuggets in the long run. Not sure how well the efficiency will scale up with the B- outside shooting, but he'll be good enough defensively and on the glass to get spot minutes in SLN. A good snag for Denver I think.
Honorable Mention: Nemanja Bjelica, Santa Cruz Warriors
Bigs
BOBAN, Stockton Kings | 35.2 22.8 10.6 2.9 1.0 0.5 2.5 .506 .726 .381
The rumors are true, I scouted Boban last year, and let me tell you, this man is a load. Although the Kings were thwarted in the NDL playoffs, Boban looks poised to benefit from the gainz and become something like a Euro Zach Randolph in SLN. The turnovers and lack of stocks don't matter when you're having fun, and Boban has lots of fun. I think his efficiency will translate and he'll end up being a unique SLN player, but hard to say how high the ceiling is (other than the fact it's at least 7 foot 4).
Jordan Hill, Lakeland Magic | 36.3 28.6 11.5 2.8 1.9 1.1 2.1 .477 .743 .000
I get so many texts about this guy from Merv. I should have drafted him instead of Gigi Datome two years ago but alas. Hill looks like a legit bench big, with the big question just being how his turnovers and stocks scale into an SLN role. I think he'll have a shot at bench minutes and just needs another good camp or two, but he looks like a viable SLN butt indeed.
Taj Gibson, Sioux Falls Skyforce | 35.0 19.9 11.6 3.0 0.9 1.1 2.0 .420 .703 .182
I was a big fan of Taj IRL. Good news for him is Thibs won't shred his tendons to pieces in our fake universe. He doesn't look like much of a scorer and he isn't super stocky, but he has the makings of a Nick Collisonesque SLN player - someone you know is helping under the hood, but in a way that probably doesn't make it into the box score. I'd expect the Heat to give him some run next year and see what they have as part of their youth movement, considering he's already at B/B+ defense and rebounding. A good draft value where they got him.
Nikola Pekovic, College Park Skyhawks | 33.8 31.3 9.0 2.3 0.8 0.4 1.8 .527 .795 .000
The Wario to Boban's Mario, PEK led the best team in SLN to 66 fucking wins and scored nearly a point a minute. For the sake of SLN we need him to be good so Weilheimer gives us some fanfic. PEK will not play an ounce of defense, but Ashes famously once said on a podcast that he thinks he can have a real SLN career. If his rebounding can improve a bit more, why not?
Larry Sanders, Santa Cruz Warriors | 33.5 12.1 9.8 2.0 1.2 1.7 1.6 .466 .577 .000
The California weather has been kind to Larry's mental health, and he had a nice first season in the NDL - he can't make a free throw, but he seems to have a well-rounded set of big butt-coded abilities that should lead to an eventual role in the league. He was a good snag for Clint at No. 14 last year and seems like a future contributor in the play-defense-and-get-out-the-way sense that many of us appreciate.
Honorable Mention: Hasheem Thabeet, Anaheim Arsenal