After a considerable amount of time off from PCTI to focus on less important things, I thought now would be a good time to begin pre-draft chatter with a variety of posts. Let's begin the first of a two part post breaking down each player's stock in comparison to last year as the draft rapidly approaches.
Ben Wilson; Trending Down
Wilson has the fortune of having one of "His guy's" in Brian Eskildsen as one of the captains. Obsessing over Ben Wilson the basketball player is something that comes naturally to anyone in PCTI that attended the University of Tennessee, so there is a chance I end up standing corrected. However, neither Thompson nor Skillz have ever been the type to show love to the mainstream, so until Wilson proves he has not lost a step, look for his first drop out of the second round. I project Wilson going off the board in the third round, which is good value for a guy that can still explode offensively at any point. One could say that the addition of the photographer exposed a few weaknesses in Big Ben, so look for him to be a little more attentive defensively in IV.
Spotlight; Trending Up
The man they call Spotlight is going into his first career PCTI draft, so evaluating him in comparison to last year is not possible. Because of that, you must consider a few factors when trying to lock down where he will go and where his production suggests he should go. Spot Stick is a net positive player that shoots a good percentage, sees the floor nicely, keeps the offense moving, and crushes bad defensive players with his world renowned back cuts. Long story short, Spot is a solid role player that will help any team he plays on. The reason I think he is ultimately trending up is because two of his biggest fans are the one's playing the role as captains. No one has "His Guy's" more than Thompson, so I would think he will go out of his way to bring the emotional leader of Breaking Bad onto his squad, but Skillz love for him might say otherwise. Look for Spot to ultimately end up with Thompson, and look for him to rededicate himself to improving his rebounding in the offseason.
Ian Van Horne; Trending Down
The Bruiser was picked by one of his biggest fans early in round two in PCTI III. I expect Bruise, along with every one of his teammates from LFTK (Hold McKinney) to drop significantly going into IV. One of the biggest question marks going into this year's draft is where the two captain's have Van Horne on their big board, as he has very little experience playing alongside either. Bruise's best PCTI (II) was playing on the Skillz lead squad, so maybe that's where the future will lie. However, I'm guessing he ends up with Thompson, going a few rounds later but being named team co-captain, in a move by the nurse to try to motivate the Bruise coming into IV looking like he did in year two, and also hoping that he can regain the once decorated friendship between him and IVH.
Bryan McKinney; Trending Up
McKinney's last three performances have been all over the place as far as what he has done well and not so well, yet all three have netted him almost identical statistics. What B. Mac has going for him is the fact that his two biggest fans are both the captains. The budding friendship between Thompson and B. Mac is out of left field, but it appears to be one that is here to stay. Something about McKinney caught the eye of Skillz after year one, and he has not been shying expressing his affinity for what BM brings to the table. I expect him to go four picks earlier than he did last year, and in a leadership role as host, look for him to finally break out after three years as the breakout candidate.
Josh Pitto; Trending Up
Unfortunately, it appears to be the end of Pitto going the last pick in the draft. It's no secret that Skillz is a huge supporter, and now that Pitto and Thompson are no longer are arch enemies, it can't be guaranteed that he will fall into Skillz lap at the end of the draft anymore. Where he goes is a huge question mark as pure shooters are hard to come by. Look for Pitto to go anywhere from 7-10 picks earlier than last year stemming off his defensive efforts. I know that Thompson does not like sharing his guy's with anyone else, so I can't imagine him trying to snag the only player that is truly a Skilly guy.
Danny Krow; Trending Way Down
No one outside of Jeff Sabin would ever put that high of a value on the man they call Ca$h, so expect a drop of anywhere from 4-8 picks lower than last year. With two captain's that like guys that put the ball in the hole, don't expect either to jump at the opportunity to scoop up PCTI's lowest scorer by average three years running. Despite coming off a 3-on-3 championship with both Skillz and Thompson, don't expect that to factor into either's draft ratings.
Anthony Hopkins; Neutral
Everyone expected Hops boy Abe to jump three rounds earlier than necessary to grab him, completely underestimating the best drafter in PCTI history. Hops is a guy that gives you the exact same stuff every year; overrated but passionate defense, perfectly timed jumps on rebounds, and the uncanny ability to break the oppositions back. His high hoops IQ leads to very few negative plays, and finding a guy with good on court leadership and an obsession with playing his role perfectly is always valuable, so look for a similar draft position as last year, with similar results for whatever team he plays for. Look for him to go to Thompson's team because he is Joe's biggest on court basketball fan.
More to come later... Or maybe tonight if I'm bored.
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