Chasing Magic Over The Years

[800wins]

With Fbb being super Point Guard friendly, and with me joining at the perfect time to get a franchise player at that position, I wanted to take a look back at the top prospects to enter the league at the position and evaluate them AS PROSPECTS. I wasn’t here to gauge the hype. Notes, draft position, and letter grades are what I’ll be looking at to make these rankings I settled on the following criteria to generate a pool of the top prospects from 81-93:
1. Amazing or Great Potential. I went with this as it’s generally hard to be considered a top prospect without falling under one of these categories
2. Drafted in the Top #10. How good of a prospect can one be if drafted lower ?

Just Missed the Cut:
16 Rod Strickland C+ C C+ C+ D A – #9 overall in 88. Barely qualified on both criteria as great potential isn’t anything to sneeze at, but it’s still a step behind most of these guys. Notes indicate he may never stretch the floor so his outside rating may not improve much.

15 Leon Wood C C+ B+ C D A - #9 Overall in 84. The scoring ratings are the first red flag, as it doesn’t look like he’ll ever provide much scoring. C defense also makes it unlikely to develop to an above average level. The pure ratings, and amazing potential would indicate there should’ve been a case for him being higher. Notes don’t look too promising as phrases such as “competitive fire” and “natural leadership” look like filler phrases instead of ones with substance

14 Johnny Dawkins C+ C B C+ D A - #8 overall in 86. His notes didn’t really indicate any red flags. Ability to knock down the open shot eludes to a decent jump shot rating. Excellent passer, that’ll struggle with turnovers let’s you know his handle rating needs work despite the B rating

13 John Stockton C C+ B- C+ C- A - #4 overall in 84. Hard to put someone with this name recognition and drafted this highly in a strong draft this low on the list. The first reason he isn’t higher is great potential on a list full of guys with mostly Amazing. Secondly, his C inside severely limits his scoring potential. Promising notes, but certain limitations put him behind some of these other elite prospects.

12 Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf C C+ B+ C+ D A - #7 Overall. This was very tight between him and Stockton. Stockton went higher, in a stronger draft, and is +2 rebounding but Abdul-Rauf has a +2 advantage in ball handling and amazing potential compared to great for Stockton. Notes indicate a well rounded defender, with no mention of TO issues which may mean a good handling rating.

11 Derek Harper C C+ B- B- C- A - #2 Overall in 83. Very similar profile to the last 2 guys, but The main thing that gave him the edge was notes indicating he has the potential to develop into a 20PPG scorer. That makes me think his scoring ratings are right on the edge of a higher letter grade. Great handles also are a good sign as well as his ability to get steals

These guys were all great prospects, but just missed the cut of being one of the top 10 point guard prospects since the leagues inception. With these top 10, I’ll post their notes as well as my reasoning for their positioning:

Top 10 PG Prospects of ALL-TIME

10. Terrell Brandon B- C- C+ B- D A #4 Overall in 91
Brandon is a unusual prospect, a small crafty point guard who runs at full speed and drives the ball really well. Solid ball handler. If Brandon can continue to improve his passing abilities and perimeter defense, he could be an ideal pick for some in this draft. Amazing raw potential

The main thing that sticks out about him, is also the only reason he’s not higher. C- outside, with zero mention of a good jump shot is an ugly sight. I like scoring point guards, and he’ll still be able to do that but may limit the kind of offense you can run

9. Mookie Blaylock B- C+ C+ C+ D A #7 overall in 89
Mookie is a scorer. Fits more into an inside or balance focal offense. Excels at getting to the paint. Good crossover. Plays at a great pace. Crafty ball handler. Will have to watch his turnovers early on though. Defensively, he can get steals. Brings the same intensity as he does on offense. More than anything else it’s his court vision and uncanny feel for the game that makes him a high level prospect. Amazing potential

It was hard for me not to put him higher on this list. This just shows how great all these guys were as prospects. One of his knocks is the fact that he slipped to #7, I don’t know how that happened but showed a certain level of hype was missing about him. The notes are promising but missing some of the indicators of guys just ahead of him.

8. Pooh Richardson B- C B C+ D+ A #5 overall in 88
Good shooter and creator who projects as franchise-caliber point guard. Explosive, bouncy athlete who can finish above the rim. Improving passer, but room to develop generating his own offense. Can run an outside or inside offense. Great ball handler. Defensively, he can lock down opponents but may not show up in statistics. Amazing potential

The glaring knock on him is the C outside rating. Notes indicate promise for his outside rating so although that’s preventing him from being higher, his strengths such as the glaring athleticism put him in this position. A key word such as franchise caliber point guard is something you want to see in notes

7. Gary Payton C+ C+ B- B D A #3 overall in 90
Payton is a clear favorite to go top three in the draft. He had some ups and downs during his college career but his immense talents were on full display. Great ball handler. Good at attacking the rim. Ball hawk defender. Nicknamed the glove for his in the face defense. Great at playing transition ball and hits the open man. One of the quickest players in the class. Amazing at driving the ball. Amazing potential

Hard to only have the Glove at 7 as he was truly an elite prospect. Great ball hawk and knowing his history might be a guy who routinely averages 3+ steals. C+ C+ scoring ratings are troubling and the only reason he isn’t higher. So good at attacking the rim though, that it was mentioned twice. His quickness will be a huge asset and also good for development.

6. Kenny Smith C+ C+ B- B- D+ A #6 overall in 87
Smith is a crafty scoring guard with great handles and nice range. He’s developing as a ball hawk defender. Still needs work as a playmaker. Will fit in with a more ball dominant shooting guard. He won’t be on the most assist leaders but if your looking for a starting point, Smith is your guy. Amazing potential

This is clearly a guy elevated by the notes. You get everything you want to hear such as scoring guard with great handles and nice range. Developing as a ball hawk indicates ability to generate turnovers, and a knock on his assist is something I see as a positive as it clarifies that B- handle grade having more to do with actual handle rating instead of passing. Personally I don’t know how he fell to 6 in the draft, but this is the type of guy that you want to have.

5. Kevin Johnson B- C+ B- C+ D+ A #5 overall in 87
A powerful combo guard who can get to the rack and overpower opponents in the lane. Has lead guard skills and can play the shooting guard position. Great passer. Solid ball handles. Teams may want to play him at shooting guard early in his career to avoid early rookie mistakes. Amazing potential

Ushered in the new age of explosive, driving PG’s. Him and Kenny Smith will be forever linked, being drafted back to back. The first reason I gave him the edge was the fact he went higher. Secondly, his advantage inside vis harder to gain ground on then Smith’s advantage on defense. Everywhere else is a wash, but he stars off as a stronger passer but weaker ball handler. The strength indicated in notes is good for his scoring potential and development as athletic traits give you an advantage in TC.

4. Tim Hardaway C+ B- C+ B- D A #1 overall in 89
Hardaway is another guy with the potential to be a big time scorer in DASL. Can overpower just about any defender. He’s simply too much for defenders to handle and can get his shot off at will. Could very well be the best point guard in this draft class. Hustles back on defense. Has the quickness to blow by defenders. Great jump shot. Has the potential to grow as a three point shooter. Amazing potential

Going number one automatically adds a level of hype to a guy. Notes give you exactly what you want with words such as big time scorer and the fact that he can overpower almost any defender and has a quickness advantage will go a long way. What do you do with a guy whose stronger and quicker then most of his matchups ?

3. Isiah Thomas C+ C B B D+ A #1 overall in 81
Scouts consider him to be the number one prospect in the draft. Recruited by Bob Knight to player for the Hoosiers. Thomas quickly proved his skills as a player and became a favorite with both Knight and Indiana fans. His superior abilities eventually caused Knight to adjust his coaching style. Amazing play maker. Great ball handling skills. Amazing passer. Defensively, he is a ball hawk who uses his toughness to intimidate opponents. Amazing potential

How is the great Isaiah Thomas, the first extremely hyped can’t miss prospect bin league history only 3rd ? The only reason is the C+ C scoring ratings. You may say it’s due to a different era and time in the league, which is true. With that said it’d be tough for me to draft him over either of these guys ahead of him. Notes make you salivate with words such as superior, amazing, great, and intimidate..

2.Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway B C+ B C+ C- A #1 Overall in 93
Penny’s best asset is his court vision, passing and playmaking. His offense outweighs his defense. Teams may want to move him to SG to utilize his scoring abilities. While being a great passer, he could be turnover prone early in his career. Can steal the ball using his length and athleticism. Could definitely be a potential All DASL team player. Amazing potential

The first thing that stands out about Penny is his size. B inside and B handling both aren’t commonly seen in prospects and to have them both is something we’ve never seen from a prospect. Letter grades don’t shows any weaknesses, as C+ outside and defense are below average but also two categories that you can see young guys develop. Athleticism is mentioned which is huge for this caliber of prospect, and a good steak rating is a boost. Turnover issues will be an issue as indicated in the notes, but potential to be an All DASL League player is HUGE praise which added to the hype. Positional versatility is a bonus

1. Kenny Anderson B- B- B- B D A #2 overall in 92
KA has the skills to be an elite point guard. Uncanny scoring abilities. DASL hasn’t seen a better rated point guard coming out the draft. Scouts think Anderson is rated higher than Isiah Thomas. Good deep ball. Great mid range game. All around defender. Good handles. Overall, in any other draft Anderson would probably be the top pick. Amazing potential

How is a guy that didn’t even go 1st overall in his own draft get the top spot ? Well Shaquille Oneal doesn’t come out every year. One of the first lines in the notes clearly stated that DASL had never seen a better rated PG coming into the league. This automatically catapulted him ahead of anyone that came prior. A prospect with NO weaknesses in letter grades or notes. It was a tough call between him and Penny with Kenny being -1 inside -1 handling but +1 outside +2 defense. The edge was ultimately decided by notes as Penny had a known turnover issue, while nothing of the sort was indicated for Kenny. It may be a long time until we see a prospect at the position of this caliber.

Magic Johnson has been the gold-standard at the position winning 3 championships, and making 9 ALL DASL 1st Teams which is unprecedented. Will any of these prospects catch his greatness ? Time had run out for some, and only time will tell for others. Either way that'll be a nearly impossible task

[dd10snoop28]

Magic is the best MJ
Mitchell is the most clutch MJ
Michael is the worst MJ with no championships w/o clinging to coattails of Sampson. He's got a chance with the rockets now tho.

good analysis for those trying to digest what notes mean.

[offtheheezy]

oh yeah Mitchell Jordan didn't even have an honorable mention! Even though he's better than everyone . Besides the real MJ and Fat (aka the Grizz PGs)

[jibbajabba614]

Fat Lever had good notes. Mitchell Jordan, he was a high schooler, so I gave him potential but gave him the C averages grades. He just kept having good TC’s. Steph Jackson in DASL 1.0

I would put Derek Harper and Stockton in top ten over Mookie and Brandon. Both were top PG prospects, just never lived up to the hype.

Overall, Kenny Anderson being top prospect since Magic is pretty disappointing.


Good article

[800wins]

Fat Lever had good notes. Mitchell Jordan, he was a high schooler, so I gave him potential but gave him the C averages grades. He just kept having good TC’s. Steph Jackson in DASL 1.0

I would put Derek Harper and Stockton in top ten over Mookie and Brandon. Both were top PG prospects, just never lived up to the hype.

Overall, Kenny Anderson being top prospect since Magic is pretty disappointing.


Good article

Mitchell is one of the best PG's in league history from the looks, but as mentioned wasn't looked at as a top prospect. Fat missed the criteria as he only had good potential and guys had to have great or amazing to make the list.

[dd10snoop28]

yes, Mitchell is the GOAT of PG's that don't suddenly have their best seasons at age 45.

[lukeyrid13]

Magic is the best MJ
Mitchell is the most clutch MJ
Michael is the worst MJ with no championships w/o clinging to coattails of Sampson. He's got a chance with the rockets now tho.

good analysis for those trying to digest what notes mean.

The real MJ went to 2 finals with the Blazers and 1 more with the Rockets and had like 7 straight 50 win seasons and top 2-3 seeds in the West

[offtheheezy]

Magic is the best MJ
Mitchell is the most clutch MJ
Michael is the worst MJ with no championships w/o clinging to coattails of Sampson. He's got a chance with the rockets now tho.

good analysis for those trying to digest what notes mean.

The real MJ went to 2 finals with the Blazers and 1 more with the Rockets and had like 7 straight 50 win seasons and top 2-3 seeds in the West

The two fake MJs can battle it out while the "real" MJ with 3 rings and multiple 1st seed in the West seasons looks on

[Oregon Ownage]

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[800wins]

Anfernee Hardaway

Inside Scoring
3 Pt Shot
Handling

[Oregon Ownage]

Anfernee Hardaway
3 Pt Shot

Done

Outside went from B- to B