RealGM

Rank each of these four players in terms of who you think will be best-to-worst in three years

Booker, Jackson, Ayton, Doncic

Ayton, Booker, Jackson, Doncic.

Ayton, Jackson, Booker ,Doncic.
(I might rank Doncic ahead of Booker if the difference in his neutral defense/playmaking outweighs Booker's edge in volume scoring/pure shooting and Booker remains a net negative player by most metrics)

What's best? Best individual stats? Best team impact?

Booker - not fair considering he’s the only one that has played in the NBA at a high level in stretches
Ayton - I think he’ll be a Sun so it’s a great fit for him. I believe he’s coachable and his b-ball knowledge will eventually catch up to his talent level
Doncic - far worse athletically than JJ but I’m putting him in front based on polish
JJ - see above. I think he’ll always be a below average shooter despite his other gifts

bigfoot wrote:Rank each of these four players in terms of who you think will be best-to-worst in three years

Booker, Jackson, Ayton, Doncic

That's very hard. Overall team impact? It really depends on so many factors including where the guy we don't take ends up and what kind of coach he has.

But overall stats can be empty so I suppose considering thinking both sides of the ball makes it interesting. And Booker has a massive head start with the league.

I think due to Booker's massive head start, he will be ahead for awhile, and sometime around that three year mark, those others may approach him, and the rookies would likely pass him after about 4 years in the league unless Booker becomes a plus defender. In the long run I'd probably still put Booker ahead of Jackson. If Jackson learns to shoot, all bets are off.

So much depends on whether Booker becomes a plus defender.

lilfishi22 wrote:What's best? Best individual stats? Best team impact?

Best all-around, offense, defense, making teammates better. In other words, will Booker become a decent defender, Jackson a three point shooter, Ayton a defensive menace to go with his offensive game, does Doncic's game translate to the NBA, etc. So if you can only build around three of them which three would you want.

That's still too wide of a spectrum so I'm just gonna consider team impact with 3 more seasons of development. All the cells in my body is telling me not to rank Ayton/Doncic above NBA players since they haven't played a game but for fun, I will.

1. Ayton - I don't think his defense is super poor and I'd say in 3 seasons he's still not an anchor but he'll be serviceable as a rim protector. Offensively, he'll be dominant down low but will still be figuring out on expanding his range. Big men generally take longer to reach their potential. I think he'll get ROY in his first season because of his raw individual stats
2. Doncic - I think in 3 seasons he'll be accustomed to NBA pace, he'll have an NBA shooting range/stroke and he'll be making plays at a high level and elevating his team mates. Defensively he'll still be below average. Depending on how we surround him, I think he could easily be #1 on this list.
3. Booker - He still won't be there defensively in 3 seasons but I think his offense will get so good, he'll be a comfortable positive impact
4. Jackson - I see him as an 18/7/3 type player with solid defense. Elite role player and has 3rd option type offense.

1. Booker
2. Ayton
3. Doncic
4. Jackson

Doncic, Booker, Ayton, Jackson.

I think Jackson is a bench player on a good team. A guy who can bring energy as a 6th man. Not a fan of guys who can’t shoot.