ESPN's NBARank Player Ratings (Pistons)

[tmorgan]

Because I'm bored and there's really nothing going on until October, I thought I'd start a thread tracking the Pistons' rankings. If you haven't paid attention, which is certainly understandable, they update these things periodically and then reveal them from the bottom to the top. So far:

#36 Josh Smith (-5)
#42 Greg Monroe (+7)
#54 Andre Drummond (+223)
#70 Brandon Jennings (-9)
#173 Rodney Stuckey (-70)
#216 Will Bynum (+28)
#234 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (debut)
#242 Jonas Jerebko (-36)
#245 Chauncey Billups (-135)
#257 Kyle Singler (+150)
#313 Charlie Villanueva (-51)
#366 Tony Mitchell (debut)
#388 Josh Harrellson (+15)
#397 Luigi Datome (debut)
#421 Peyton Siva (debut)

I'm wondering if Datome even makes this list -- guys that haven't played in the NBA yet are on the list (such as Siva), but I'm not sure about international players, even if they are on a roster.

UPDATE: Well, that question was quickly answered. Gigi Datome checked in -- with a little extra respect by not getting dumped in the bottom 100.

UPDATE: Jorts! Nice to see him getting a little respect with a bump. We could do worse for our 3rd C, and he could definitely see minutes if Dre is in foul trouble or we're trying an interesting set of players.

UPDATE: Was expecting Tony Mitchell next, and there he is. Solid spot for a 2nd rounder, indicating his raw skills and potential. His future in terms of impact is wide open -- could be anything from a two year washout to a legit NBA starter down the line.

UPDATE: CV was indeed next. For those advocating for B-Easy, note that NBARank agreed with my assessment, as Beasley came in at #378. Just a waste of talent.

UPDATE: Singler checks in higher than Jerebko, which I find quite interesting. 150 spot bump is pretty huge, though. He's probably going to play 15-20 minutes this year as a 2 and a 3.

UPDATE: Well, I was way off. Chauncey next, followed quickly by Jerebko. Seems Chauncey lost a lot of ranking respect with his recent injury issues. Certainly justifiable. Also didn't realize Jerebko was that high last year (#206). That's legit 7th man territory, which I guess made sense at the time. Wonder if he'll even get enough playing time to stay on the radar this year...

UPDATE: KCP pretty much got dissed. Lowest ranking top 10 pick except Alex Len.

UPDATE: Bynum checks in as the highest rated Piston not in the starting five (assuming Stuckey starts). I expect to see Stuckey in the mid-high 100's, Jennings around 100, and the starting frontcourt all at 80 or better.

UPDATE: About what I expected from Stuckey. He's peaked, both in reputation and in numbers. He'll need to prove a bunch of people wrong and come back and have a big year if he wants to continue to land contracts in excess of the MLE.

UPDATE: I thought Jennings would check in sooner, but I didn't know he was actually higher (#61) last time they did this. Let's hope he plays like a top 50 player this year.

UPDATE: Drummond's got to be hard to rank at this point. This high seems pretty generous, and at the same time might not be high enough. Jumping from #277 to #54 in a year is pretty amazing.

UPDATE: Almost complete -- Monroe checks in at #42, up 7 from last season despite a down year in efficiency.

FINAL UPDATE: And we're complete with JSmith at #36. No players in the top 35 (for now... here comes DRE!) is a bit disappointing, but four in the top 70 is well above-average and speaks to the strength of our core.

[tmorgan]

Still bored... thought I'd try and predict the order of the remaining 11 on our roster.

Feel free to give it a shot!

Monroe
Smith
Drummond
Jennings
Stuckey
Billups
Caldwell-Pope
Singler
Bynum
Jerebko
Villanueva

[dVs33]

The SI list has been released if you're bored.

I forget the exact ratings but Smoove is in the 30s, moose is in the 50s, drummond is in the 60s and Jenningss is in the 90s

[Clarity]

Josh is rated too high & Monroe is rated wayyyy too low.

[DetroitDon15]

There is absolutely no need for posts like this. This is the 2nd time now with a pointless gif. If you have nothing to contribute to a particular discussion find a different one that you do have something to contribute to. - roc

[tmorgan]

EDIT: Appreciated modding.

[zeebneeb]

Josh is rated too high & Monroe is rated wayyyy too low.

I disagree. Smith has always been underated his whole career.

[Clarity]

Josh is rated too high & Monroe is rated wayyyy too low.

I disagree. Smith has always been underated his whole career.

not really, up until now Josh has been a low bball IQ player who will wow you with an athletic play in 1 min & then turn around & make you wonder if a brain actually exists in his head the next.

I have hope & faith he will get better here though.

[Clarity]

...

[tmorgan]

According to the mostly silly (but available) NBARank, the Pistons now have quality depth. 10 Pistons are in the top 300, exactly their share with 30 teams in the NBA.

We're not going to have our share of top 30 players yet, unless Monroe or Smith gets a higher rank than I think they deserve. Next year, though, I could definitely see Drummond up there.

[WillTheThrill12]

CV, Stuck and JJ are too high.

[HotelVitale]

Josh is rated too high & Monroe is rated wayyyy too low.

I disagree. Smith has always been underated his whole career.

Why do you say Smith has been underrated? I'm not disagreeing( at least not until after I hear your argument. ) but was curious why you thought that.

[sc8581]

Josh is rated too high & Monroe is rated wayyyy too low.

I disagree. Smith has always been underated his whole career.

Why do you say Smith has been underrated? I'm not disagreeing( at least not until after I hear your argument. ) but was curious why you thought that.

He's been in the league 9 years coming straight out of high school and still has a career PER close to 20 while making the playoffs 6 consecutive seasons and being a standout defensive presence. His offense might be inefficient but his game as a whole certainly is not, he's more of a difference maker than he's given credit for that's for sure.

[HotelVitale]

I disagree. Smith has always been underated his whole career.

Why do you say Smith has been underrated? I'm not disagreeing( at least not until after I hear your argument. ) but was curious why you thought that.

He's been in the league 9 years coming straight out of high school and still has a career PER close to 20 while making the playoffs 6 consecutive seasons and being a standout defensive presence. His offense might be inefficient but his game as a whole certainly is not, he's more of a difference maker than he's given credit for that's for sure.

I always thought most NBA folks thought he was pretty good but not great. A great athlete who's never used his talents quite as well as he could but still a good asset. After all, he's just finishing a $60m contract, and just got handed another one. And it's not like the media has treated him like a fringe starter--ESPN has ranked him in the 30s and 40s the last few years. This despite his being 70th in PER and 250th in win shares per minute last year.

He's also the type of player that PER can overrate. PER gives lots of weight to steals and blocks, which every fantasy player knows Smith gets plenty of. It also doesn't penalize at all for boneheadedness--Smith's biggest flaw--and it's not too tough on TOs and FT%, the two biggest stat flaws in Smith's game. (Also, his career PER is 18.4, which is a key difference from 20. Though he's probably been around 20 if you set aside his first few years when he was a teenager.)

Given his various talents, I would say he's rightly regarded as a good player that shouldn't be a team's first or second option but can be a great two-way third guy. Do you think that's too harsh?

[sc8581]

PER also doesn't take into account how good a player is defensively or how those blocks and steals happen, if a guy has a career PER of 18.4, he's one of the better defenders in the league and versatile, there shouldn't be any question if that player is worth $14 million per year IMO.

[Hood President]

Why do you say Smith has been underrated? I'm not disagreeing( at least not until after I hear your argument. ) but was curious why you thought that.

He's been in the league 9 years coming straight out of high school and still has a career PER close to 20 while making the playoffs 6 consecutive seasons and being a standout defensive presence. His offense might be inefficient but his game as a whole certainly is not, he's more of a difference maker than he's given credit for that's for sure.

I always thought most NBA folks thought he was pretty good but not great. A great athlete who's never used his talents quite as well as he could but still a good asset. After all, he's just finishing a $60m contract, and just got handed another one. And it's not like the media has treated him like a fringe starter--ESPN has ranked him in the 30s and 40s the last few years. This despite his being 70th in PER and 250th in win shares per minute last year.

He's also the type of player that PER can overrate. PER gives lots of weight to steals and blocks, which every fantasy player knows Smith gets plenty of. It also doesn't penalize at all for boneheadedness--Smith's biggest flaw--and it's not too tough on TOs and FT%, the two biggest stat flaws in Smith's game. (Also, his career PER is 18.4, which is a key difference from 20. Though he's probably been around 20 if you set aside his first few years when he was a teenager.)

Given his various talents, I would say he's rightly regarded as a good player that shouldn't be a team's first or second option but can be a great two-way third guy. Do you think that's too harsh?

I watched every game Smith has played as a hawk. He has multiple flaws like every other players but the one MAJOR flaw that people care about is that he shoot too many jumpers for a guy who can't shoot good. Other than that every other flaw is kinda irrelevant. I just think a lot of people don't like smith because of his sometimes questionable court demeanor.

He is a very good scorer in the paint
Finds the open man in behind the arc
Good passer/unselfish
Runs the fastbreak
Very good defensive player

Is smith a 1st option on a championship team? No. Is he a 2nd option ?yeah but strictly depends who the first option is but at worst he is a 3rd option. 4/$54 for smith is very good.

[tmorgan]

Interesting, to me, to see Will Bynum rank so highly (#235 or better). Guess he gets a lot of respect for his occasional instant offense outbursts.

[Italians in NBA]

I do not know anything about Tony Mitchell, but he is a kid signed with a late pick. Datome is the MVP of the Italian championship and one the best European shooters. Only a not serious ESPN sportswriter can rank Tony better than Gigi.

It seems to me that they, about Datome's basketball's skills, know nothing more than his name.

[hoophabit]

I do not know anything about Tony Mitchell, but he is a kid signed with a late pick. Datome is the MVP of the Italian championship and one the best European shooters. Only a not serious ESPN sportswriter can rank Tony better than Gigi.

It seems to me that they, about Datome's basketball's skills, know nothing more than his name.

It's probably best not to take these rankings too seriously. Usually, they're based on how the player did last year in the league. I think you're pretty much right about familiarity playing a role in the ranking of these two rookies. Mitchell was seen as a possible lottery pick prior to a down sophomore year at West Texas, and looked pretty good in summer league. Datome is kind of an unknown here. Further, Mitchell is longer and more athletic. Clearly, Datome is a gifted shooter and we all have high hopes for him. I think the writer is serious, but just knows more about Mitchell who has had a lot more exposure in this country. You can be sure all Piston fans are hoping Datome pops up in the rankings next year. Thanks for your reports and insight on Datome though, it was much appreciated during the euro tournament.

[pistontr]

so, we have only 4 players in top 200