2007 Rookie Draft Peak Grades

Name Position INS OUT HAN DEF REB
Adam Morrison SF C B- C- C- C-
Al Horford C C+ B C B+ C+
Al Thornton SF C+ C D+ C C-
Alando Tucker SG C C+ D+ C- C-
Allan Ray SG C B C- C- D+
Amir Johnson PF C+ C C- B- C+
Andrea Bargnani PF C+ B D+ C C
Arron Afflalo SG C+ B+ C C C-
Blake Ahearn PG C- B- C- C- D
Brandon Bass PF C+ C D C C
C.J. Watson PG C B C B- D+
Carldell Johnson PG C- C C C D
Courtney Lee SG C+ B+ C B- D+
Craig Smith PF C C- D C- C
Daniel Orton C C D+ D C C
Danilo Gallinari SF C+ B+ C- C C
Dee Brown PG C C C C D+
Deron Williams PG B- B A C+ C-
Derrick Byars SF C C D C- C-
Derrick Rose PG A- B- A- C+ C-
Devin Ebanks SF C C D+ C C
Devin Green SF C C D+ C C-
Dominique Jones SG C C C C C
Dwayne Jones C C D D- C B-
Earl Clark PF C C+ D+ C+ C
Gary Neal SG C B+ C C- D+
Hamed Haddadi C C- D+ D C B-
J.J. Barea PG C B B C C-
James White SF C+ C+ D+ C C-
Jeff Ayres PF C C D C C+
Jeff Green SF B- B C- C+ C
Jeremy Richardson SG C B- D C- D+
Jermareo Davidson PF C C- D- C C
Jerryd Bayless PG C B C C+ D+
Joel Freeland C C C- D C B-
John Lucas III PG C B C C D+
Jordan Williams C C D+ F+ C C+
Josh Boone PF C D- D- C C+
Justin Dentmon PG C C C C D
Kemba Walker PG B- B+ B C+ C-
Kyle Lowry PG C+ B+ B+ B+ C
Kyrylo Fesenko C C D D- C C+
Lance Allred C C- C- F+ D+ C-
Larry Owens SF C C D+ C C-
Luigi Datome SF C C+ D C C-
Luke Zeller C C C- D- C- C
Marc Gasol C B- C+ C B+ C+
Marco Belinelli SG C B+ C- C D+
Mardy Collins SG C C C- C C-
Maurice Ager SG C C D+ C- D+
Mickael Gelabale SF C C+ D+ C C-
Mike Hall SF C C D C- C
Mirza Teletovic PF C B D C C
Nick Calathes PG C C C B- C-
Nick Fazekas PF C C- D- C C+
Nicolas Batum SF C+ B+ C+ B- C
Oleksiy Pecherov C C C+ D- C- C
Omari Johnson PF C C C- D+ C-
Patrick Christopher SG C C D C- D
Patrick Ewing Jr. SF C C D+ C C-
Paul Davis C C C- D- C C
Randolph Morris C C D+ D C C
Rashad McCants SG C B C- C D+
Rodney Carney SF C C+ D C C-
Rudy Fernandez SG C B+ C C C-
Russell Westbrook SF A- C+ A+ B- B-
Ryan Hollins C C C- D C+ C
Ryan Reid PF C- D+ D- D+ C
Saer Sene C C D+ D- C C+
Salim Stoudamire PG C B C- C- D
Sean Williams C C D+ D- C+ C
Shavlik Randolph PF C D+ D- C B-
Walter Sharpe PF C D+ D- C- C
Will Conroy PG C C- C- C- D+
Wilson Chandler SF B- B C- C+ C

Going to get out in front of one thing: Russell Westbrook is listed as a SF because FBB will cap PG rebound ratings at 50 and SG rebound ratings at 60, while small forwards have no rating caps.

Change Log:
Al Horford INS: C+ -> B-
Al Thornton REB: C- -> C
Andrea Bargnani INS: C+ -> B-
Arron Afflalo DEF: C -> C+
Brandon Bass DEF: C -> C+
Brandon Bass REB: C -> C+
Deron Williams OUT: B -> B+
Earl Clark INS: C -> C+
J.J. Barea HAN: B -> B-
Marc Gasol OUT: C+ -> B
Mirza Teletovic OUT: B -> B+
Nicolas Batum OUT: B+ -> B
Nicolas Batum DEF: B- -> B
Rodney Carney DEF: C -> C+
Rudy Fernandez OUT: B+ -> B
Ryan Reid INS: C- -> C

I would argue that Dwayne Jones and Amir Johnson should have the same rebounding - dunno if it means buffing Amir or nerfing Dwayne.
I am a big Belinelli fan, I believe he has an argument for low A- peak 3pt shooting. I also think C defense is too high for him.
For Sean Williams I know he had a short career and peaked as a rookie basically but I think for that peak he was probably a high b- defensively.

Marc Gasol was a career 36% 3pt shooter on pretty good volume in the latter half of his career, he shot about 3-4 per game every year, and never dipped below 34%, peaking at 41% in the last season of his career. Should be a B- at least, if not a B Outside. He was also pretty well known as a good passer, and averaged about 4 assists in his prime, so his HAN should be upped to a C+.

Al Horford averages 8 rebounds per game for his career, and at his peak he averaged 10. Should be a B REB grade, not a C+.

Al horford needs a higher in/out, I’d say B-/B- at least, he has always been a solid post scorer and especially in the back half of his career has been a good shooter.

Horfords in should be a B-/B and his handle should be a C+/B- Han. He has always been a great passer and an elite one among bigs.

I would argue:
Al Thornton to a C+ OUT
Andrea Bargnani to a C- DEF
Aaron Afflalo to a C+ DEF
Brandon Bass to a C+ REB
C.J Watson to a C+ DEF
Kemba Walker to a C DEF
Nick Calathes to a C+/B- HAN (the attribute that actually landed him a spot in the league)
Nicolas Batum to a B OUT
Rudy Fernandez to a B OUT and C+ DEF
Ryan Hollins to a C+ REB

And yes I do care that much about Nick Calathes

Horford C+ handles B- rebound PF starter eligible
Afflalo fringe B- defense
If CLee’s defense is high due to quickness his handles should be C+, same for Watson if his quickness is high he should be a C+ handles (or nerf their defense a bit)
Earl Clark would be a 7+ rebounds guy if he ever got starter minutes, should bump to C+ peak boards
Gasol was a very good FT shooter and developed a 3pt shot, should be a mid B- peak outside shooter

Al Horford B-Inside/B-Outside/B- Rebounding

It’s hard to rate him because of the change in play style he’s made over the course of his career, but his early years he was a really good rebounding/traditional big in ATL (9+RPG in 5 of his first 6 seasons) I think C+ rebounding, is geared more towards later in his career.. if we’re looking at those first 7 seasons he’s easily rated at B/B+ (8-10rpg) .. the last 9 seasons I’d say C/C+ is definitely a fair rating for production (6-7RPG) so a B- would be a fair even ground IMO. As for scoring a little of the same, the drop in outside just to balance the inside bump ? Maybe fringe for both?


Arron Afflalo C+ Defense

Strictly by comparison I’d say he’s a better (or just as good of a) defender than Randy Foye / Tyrese Evans / Carlos Delfino who have all been C+ peaks in past drafts


Danilo Gallinari C Handle

Never been a playmaker (for others) but has always had a knack for scoring. C- handle, I think relegates him to a 12-13 ppg guy this league, when he’s had 4 19ppg (injury riddled lol) seasons irl

Horford def needs a boost on side scoring and handling
Gallo probably a C Handling
Marc at a B inside

Something about peak Lowry's defense being a B+ and Russ being a B- feels weird of a gap.

- Brandon Bass needs a boost in his defense. He was tasked with guarding both Bron (2011) & Melo (2012) for Boston in the playoffs and I found this quote as well for one of those years:
“Sure, having KG alongside aided his numbers, but Bass proved to be a stout one-on-one defender, allowing a mere 0.673 points per play, which ranked in the 95th percentile among NBA players, according to Synergy Sports data. Opponents shot a mere 31.8 percent against Bass, who thrived as a post defender despite often giving up size by masking that with his athleticism.”

- I’d also boost Batum’s peak defense to at least a B. He’s one of the few guys in the league that can effectively guard positions 1-4 and it doesn’t feel right to me that guys like Danny Granger & Renaldo Balkman have the same peak rating as him

Al Horford: Inside B-, Outside B-, Rebounding B-
He was always a solid rebounder in his Hawks days and an inside presence. B outside seems a little high I'd bump that down to B-.

Aaron Afflalo to a C+ Def
Afflalo was always a good defender especially in his Nuggets days, to compare him to Lee in this draft feel he deserves at least a C+.

Brandon Bass to a C+ Def
Same with Brandon Bass, C seems a little low for him, could use a slight boost to C+.

Danilo Gallinari to C Handling
C- handling seems a little low for Gallinari, not a big assist guy but still was a solid enough passer and never had a season where he averaged over 1.6 TPG.

J.J. Barea Hands to B-
B hands seems a little high to me for Barea, I'd maybe push it down to a B-.

Jeff Green Inside to C+
His scoring ratings seem a little high to me, never really that much of a scorer, guessing his inside is boosted a bit though because of his athleticism.

Marc Gasol Hands to C+
Was always a really good passer, feel he could use a slight boost to C+

Jul 2, 2023 9:33:05 GMT -5 leflop said:

I would argue that Dwayne Jones and Amir Johnson should have the same rebounding - dunno if it means buffing Amir or nerfing Dwayne.
I am a big Belinelli fan, I believe he has an argument for low A- peak 3pt shooting. I also think C defense is too high for him.
For Sean Williams I know he had a short career and peaked as a rookie basically but I think for that peak he was probably a high b- defensively.

- Amir Johnson / Dwayne Jones: I will stand by Dwayne Jones' rebounding rating because the dude was an absolute monster on the glass. If anything, the B- is me nerfing him for not having a prolonged NBA career. I'm fine with bumping Amir Johnson up to a B- grade.
- Marco Belinelli: I don't believe he deserves the same A- grade that guys like Redick, Korver, etc. got. He's a step below them to me.
- Sean Williams: Similar to Hassan Whiteside with a very high Blocking rating but bad fundamentals.

Thanks for the gripes.

Feels like Rudy Fernandez should be bumped down to a B outside. B+ feels pretty generous.

Adam Morrison looks completely useless besides his outside scoring. I would argue you could rate his defense and rebounding as a C since he was a guy that got injured and that changed the trajectory of his career.

Afflalo could be bumped to C+ defense. He was a decent defender.

Jul 2, 2023 15:03:53 GMT -5 redauerbachsghost said:

Marc Gasol was a career 36% 3pt shooter on pretty good volume in the latter half of his career, he shot about 3-4 per game every year, and never dipped below 34%, peaking at 41% in the last season of his career. Should be a B- at least, if not a B Outside. He was also pretty well known as a good passer, and averaged about 4 assists in his prime, so his HAN should be upped to a C+.

Jul 2, 2023 15:18:26 GMT -5 redauerbachsghost said:

Al Horford averages 8 rebounds per game for his career, and at his peak he averaged 10. Should be a B REB grade, not a C+.

- Marc Gasol: Addressing the HAN grade first, since we went through this last year with Joakim Noah. It is going to be damn near impossible to get a Center (not named Nikola Jokic) above a C HAN grade. I promise you he can pass. As for his OUT grade,
yes, he developed into a good outside shooter at the end of his career, but that's as his inside game started to become less effective. I'm fine with upping him to Horford-level here and making a more modernized version of him, but that's going to come at the price of some of his Inside Scoring rating (still B- grade).

- Al Horford: I'm sorry, but 8 rebounds per game as a starting big man is not good. For context here, David Lee's "peak" (3-5 year period where they're at their best) was around 10-11 rebounds per game, and he got a B grade. Horford has a weird trajectory for his career where depending on his role and teammates, he wasn't asked to rebound as much and his numbers dipped. One could argue that this period of time was also Horford's prime. Even if I consider earlier years, the later years still have to matter. I'll give him a bump, but for now I'm standing with a C+ grade.

Thank you for the gripes.

Jul 3, 2023 10:38:12 GMT -5 licensedbullshark said:

Al horford needs a higher in/out, I’d say B-/B- at least, he has always been a solid post scorer and especially in the back half of his career has been a good shooter.

Jul 3, 2023 10:44:30 GMT -5 licensedbullshark said:

Horfords in should be a B-/B and his handle should be a C+/B- Han. He has always been a great passer and an elite one among bigs.

- Al Horford: Again, you can't have both the Inside of his early career and the Outside of his later career. This would create a far better offensive player than he ever showed in his career. As for HAN grade, same with Gasol above. I promise he can pass.

Thanks for the gripe.

Jul 3, 2023 12:19:06 GMT -5 nickmolyvia said:

I would argue:
Al Thornton to a C+ OUT
Andrea Bargnani to a C- DEF
Aaron Afflalo to a C+ DEF
Brandon Bass to a C+ REB
C.J Watson to a C+ DEF
Kemba Walker to a C DEF
Nick Calathes to a C+/B- HAN (the attribute that actually landed him a spot in the league)
Nicolas Batum to a B OUT
Rudy Fernandez to a B OUT and C+ DEF
Ryan Hollins to a C+ REB

And yes I do care that much about Nick Calathes

- Al Thornton: If Al's ratings were just based on his rookie season, I would definitely see an argument for C+ OUT grade, but his shooting percentage and volume both cratered after his rookie season.
- Andrea Bargnani: I'm fine with a C grade here, he's got decent enough shot-blocking numbers to get out of the C- territory.
- Arron Affalo: I'm fine bumping to C+ DEF, but worth noting that since his Stealing/Blocking ratings are so low, he's never going to appear as a good defender on Index even though he might be one. Tayshaun Prince was another example of this as a prospect.
- Brandon Bass: Fine upping REB grade to a C+ on the very low end.
- C.J. Watson: Any particular reason? C.J. Watson was always a solid defender, and he was a steals merchant also which probably buys him a letter grade in FBB's system.
- Kemba Walker: I know in the last few years he's definitely been a bad defender, but I'd argue he was above passable with the Hornets.
- Nick Calathes: A lot of respect for Calathes who had a great international career, but his NBA passing numbers are on par with a very high C grade in this file. He has B- DEF grade, which should be able to land him a spot on a team.
- Nicolas Batum: Batum is a very low B+ OUT grade (one point away from dropping), but I do think he deserves to stay up.
- Rudy Fernandez: Saw this got griped again later, so I will save my decision for then.
- Ryan Hollins: 6.7 rebounds per 36 as a Center? He was bad.

Thanks for the gripes.

Jul 3, 2023 12:39:57 GMT -5 raidernation said:

Horford C+ handles B- rebound PF starter eligible
Afflalo fringe B- defense
If CLee’s defense is high due to quickness his handles should be C+, same for Watson if his quickness is high he should be a C+ handles (or nerf their defense a bit)
Earl Clark would be a 7+ rebounds guy if he ever got starter minutes, should bump to C+ peak boards
Gasol was a very good FT shooter and developed a 3pt shot, should be a mid B- peak outside shooter

- Al Horford: Already addressed.
- Courtney Lee / C.J. Watson: I think both belong at C HAN grade.
- Earl Clark: I think C is a fair grade.
- Marc Gasol: Already addressed.

Thanks for the gripes.

Jul 3, 2023 18:26:04 GMT -5 dez said:

Al Horford B-Inside/B-Outside/B- Rebounding

It’s hard to rate him because of the change in play style he’s made over the course of his career, but his early years he was a really good rebounding/traditional big in ATL (9+RPG in 5 of his first 6 seasons) I think C+ rebounding, is geared more towards later in his career.. if we’re looking at those first 7 seasons he’s easily rated at B/B+ (8-10rpg) .. the last 9 seasons I’d say C/C+ is definitely a fair rating for production (6-7RPG) so a B- would be a fair even ground IMO. As for scoring a little of the same, the drop in outside just to balance the inside bump ? Maybe fringe for both?


Arron Afflalo C+ Defense

Strictly by comparison I’d say he’s a better (or just as good of a) defender than Randy Foye / Tyrese Evans / Carlos Delfino who have all been C+ peaks in past drafts


Danilo Gallinari C Handle

Never been a playmaker (for others) but has always had a knack for scoring. C- handle, I think relegates him to a 12-13 ppg guy this league, when he’s had 4 19ppg (injury riddled lol) seasons irl

- Al Horford: Already addressed.
- Arron Afflalo: Already addressed.
- Danilo Gallinari: His Passing rating is low like you mentioned, he has a very good Handling rating for a forward (especially if you consider him more of a 4).

Thanks for the gripes.

Jul 4, 2023 11:11:12 GMT -5 stunna said:

Horford def needs a boost on side scoring and handling
Gallo probably a C Handling
Marc at a B inside

Something about peak Lowry's defense being a B+ and Russ being a B- feels weird of a gap.

- Al Horford: Already addressed.
- Danilo Gallinari: Already addressed.
- Marc Gasol: Already addressed.
- Kyle Lowry / Russell Westbrook: Which do you think is wrong? Westbrook has always been a very polarizing defender with all the physical tools to be elite, but an absolute space cadet off the ball.

Jul 5, 2023 11:08:14 GMT -5 shellystrick4l said:

Feels like Rudy Fernandez should be bumped down to a B outside. B+ feels pretty generous.

Adam Morrison looks completely useless besides his outside scoring. I would argue you could rate his defense and rebounding as a C since he was a guy that got injured and that changed the trajectory of his career.

Afflalo could be bumped to C+ defense. He was a decent defender.

- Rudy Fernandez: I'm fine with lowering him to a B OUT grade.
- Adam Morrison: He was a negative player even before he got hurt. I'll boost his fundamentals a tad, but his DEF grade has to stay a high C- considering he has no Stealing or Blocking ratings to really speak of.
- Arron Afflalo: Already addressed.

Thank you for your gripes.

Jul 4, 2023 13:07:28 GMT -5 kdogg said:

- Brandon Bass needs a boost in his defense. He was tasked with guarding both Bron (2011) & Melo (2012) for Boston in the playoffs and I found this quote as well for one of those years:
“Sure, having KG alongside aided his numbers, but Bass proved to be a stout one-on-one defender, allowing a mere 0.673 points per play, which ranked in the 95th percentile among NBA players, according to Synergy Sports data. Opponents shot a mere 31.8 percent against Bass, who thrived as a post defender despite often giving up size by masking that with his athleticism.”

- I’d also boost Batum’s peak defense to at least a B. He’s one of the few guys in the league that can effectively guard positions 1-4 and it doesn’t feel right to me that guys like Danny Granger & Renaldo Balkman have the same peak rating as him

- Brandon Bass: Fine with upping his DEF grade to C+ level, he was more like Brandon Ass before these gripes.
- Nicolas Batum: I'm fine with upping his DEF grade to B level, but his build might be too strong now and I'll have to consider lowing his OUT grade to counter it, or something.

Thanks for the gripes.

Jul 5, 2023 6:24:41 GMT -5 will said:

Al Horford: Inside B-, Outside B-, Rebounding B-
He was always a solid rebounder in his Hawks days and an inside presence. B outside seems a little high I'd bump that down to B-.

Aaron Afflalo to a C+ Def
Afflalo was always a good defender especially in his Nuggets days, to compare him to Lee in this draft feel he deserves at least a C+.

Brandon Bass to a C+ Def
Same with Brandon Bass, C seems a little low for him, could use a slight boost to C+.

Danilo Gallinari to C Handling
C- handling seems a little low for Gallinari, not a big assist guy but still was a solid enough passer and never had a season where he averaged over 1.6 TPG.

J.J. Barea Hands to B-
B hands seems a little high to me for Barea, I'd maybe push it down to a B-.

Jeff Green Inside to C+
His scoring ratings seem a little high to me, never really that much of a scorer, guessing his inside is boosted a bit though because of his athleticism.

Marc Gasol Hands to C+
Was always a really good passer, feel he could use a slight boost to C+

- Al Horford: Already addressed.
- Arron Afflalo: Already addressed.
- Brandon Bass: Already addressed.
- Danilo Gallinari: Already addressed.
- J.J. Barea: I agree with this one and will lower HAN grade.
- Jeff Green: Yeah, I actually gave him a very solid Jumping rating based on his propensity to dunk on people, even late in his career. I'm fine lowering that a tad, but I think B- INS grade is still correct here.
- Marc Gasol: Already addressed.

Thanks for the gripes.

Lowry B- inside with mostly a strength upgrade

Bargnani:
defense C is okay with me, but I'd argue he was a top post defender and one of the worst perimeter and drive defenders.
I think his scoring deserves B- B+
Bigs don't get much volume, unless their inside is B- or higher. he needs it to match his career high in ppg imo

Adam Morrison is perfect. Guy was a scrub. Would lower Affalo’s inside to a C. His ratings feel like he’s a potential Larry Hughes situation. I think Bass is a B - inside guy. Guy had a great elbow jumper and could finish at the rim of two feet. Deron is good..maybe could push for a B + outside. Would reverse Jeff Green’s scoring ratings. Bayless is a B + outside guy. I think Lowry’s peak inside rating is too high. Think he was a C at best in that. Batum’s defense should be a B. He was a notorious 3/D guy in Portland and Charlotte imo. Think you could raise Sean Williams to a C+ inside rating. He was a damn good lob threat/paint finisher.

Sean Williams deserves a C+ inside based off what should presumably be really solid athleticism for a PF/C. He shot 51% in his career and was a 54% shooter during his admittedly short peak (rookie year) in which he averaged over 3 blocks and 11 points per 36.

Would argue that Wilson Chandler's REB grade should be a C+, he averaged 5-6 RPG at his peak, pretty decent for a shooting guard. Also his OUT should be downgraded to a B-, as he was a career 34% 3pt shooter and only went above 36% 3pt shooting in a season twice.

Mirza Teletovic, while he had a short career, was a high level 3pt shooter on good volume. should be a B+ OUT, especially if you keep Wilson Chandler at a B, as Teletovic was a significantly better outside shooter than chandler. I would also downgrade Teletovic's defense, he never averaged even 1 steal or block per game, maybe make it a C-.

Would up Rashad McCants's INS to a C+, his FG% close to the basket was about 60% in his (short) prime.

Brandon Bass should have a B- out, he was not a 3 pt shooter but had an elite midrange on the Celtics, at his peak he was the 2nd most efficent midrange scorer in the league.