Pick by Pick Grades for the S2 HLA Draft

1. San Francisco Quakes: Darth Jor El, C: A+. Simply put, Jor-El was the best player available. Moreover, he addresses a number of key needs for the Quakes—as an Interior Force at the center position, he promises to shore up what was the league’s most porous defense last year, and as one of the most HLA-ready players available, he will easily step in to replace the departed Tyrone Jackson. It may have been an obvious pick, but it was a home run nonetheless.

2. Miami Tides: Lamarr Chambers, F: D. Chambers is a fine player for certain, but he is undeniably the wrong pick to make at #2. Miami needed a center to replace the departed MVP candidate Eddie Dale, and at this point, Pierre Brodeur, Tone Show and even Zach Vega are still on the board. Moreover, Chambers’ archetype, 3 Level Scorer at the forward slot, both contrasts with their incumbent star (Cacio Way) and fails to address a major need. He will help right away, but this is a reach and a confusing pick at best.

3. Houston Cosmos: Pierre Brodeur, C: A. Brodeur really fell into the Cosmos’ lap here after not going #2, and I suppose they had to take him. He will immediately replace the relatively subpar and offensively limited Ed Higgins in the starting lineup, and his readiness for HLA play fits in nicely with Houston’s desire to win now. That said, I would have liked to see them take Joey Bas here, as the guard has a higher ceiling and provides more offensive upside at a position where the Cosmos have very little. Nonetheless, Brodeur will be a star, for sure.

4. St. Louis Archers: Xavier Severenade, F: C-. I really do like Severenade as a player. He will be a solid player for years to come, and as a very HLA-ready player, he has a chance to do special things in his first year. But where does he fit next to Hanamichi Sakuragi and Piotr Vesely, and does he really have the tools to succeed around him? I don’t have a lot of faith in Jasper Calandra or Leeroy Smith as long-term pieces, and really would have preferred to see Joey Bas here. Severenade has legit ROTY potential, but it is limited on the Archers, and so is he, as of now at least.

5. San Diego Surf: Joey Bas, G: A+. Finally, someone takes Bas off the board. Bas will slide right in next to Ben Allen at the guard slot, and he’ll benefit from playing next to bona fide stars in Thomas Shoffner and Eddie Dale. He is still somewhat raw, but has the potential to contribute both right away and down the line for years to come. This was a complete home run for the Surf and my favorite pick of the draft thus far.

6. New York Empire: Jon Rahm, G: B. Rahm, as a sharpshooter, is sure to replace the departed Ben Allen at the starting guard slot, and his baseline 6/10 shooting (with 10 potential) means he figures to do so relatively smoothly. Rahm projects to be an effective hired gun, providing prolific offense for years to come, and he projects as a defensive neutral, potentially a slight plus. He is at present, however, a poor defender and average offensive player, and he is more raw than a number of players still left on the board. Nevertheless, he fills a need for the Empire.

7. Los Angeles Stars: Tone Show, C: C+. Show is one of the most ready-to-play players in this draft, and he will help an up-and-coming Stars team get closer to true contention. He also is sure to provide desperately needed outside shooting from day one, and he will contribute to their strong defensive identity. With all that said, with Sebastien Trident still on the roster, I’m not really sure where he fits in for them, and I don’t know how much of a need this fills. I would have preferred them to take a guard to replace the departed Jasper Calandra IV and slot in next to Polan Stronk, as I believe Jacob French is one of the worst starters in the league. Finally, I am not in love with Tones myself—a center who can’t shoot inside and can’t rebound is going to struggle without the right sets being run for him. It will be interesting to see how he develops in a strangely suited environment.

8. Boston Charms: Clement Hamel, F: D+. Hamel projects to be a defense-first forward, with extraordinary dribbling and passing skills for a forward. He will certainly be a defensive improvement over the departed Hanamichi Sakuragi, but I frankly believe that he will be so much of an offensive negative that he will overall be a detriment to the Charms. He cannot shoot, dunk or rebound, and these are must-have skills for a forward in today’s HLA. I don’t like this pick and would have preferred Jaylen Silver or Kwazy Iceberg for them here.

9. Portland Roses: Justin Taylor, F: C-. Taylor will be tasked with replacing Thomas Shoffner, a tall order. His inside ability is already far greater than that of many HLA veterans, and he will certainly enjoy catching lobs from Vun Brunson from years to come. However, his shooting and rebounding are lackluster at best, and his defense, though high potential, is at present unreliable. He is a raw project, with a medium ceiling. Drafting a forward was the right decision, but why not Jaylen Silver? Or why not a center like Zach Vega to back up Jamon Alexander? Or why not Kwazy Iceberg, a guy who can contribute right away? This pick confuses me.

10. Chicago Blues: Rajah Rose, G: A. One of the best shooters in the draft, Rose, though raw, will aid the Blues’ comeback defense right away by providing a reliable scoring threat off the bench. Rose has incredible control of the ball for a rookie, and is able to dunk already out of the guard slot. He may become one of the best offensive players in the league in a few years. He is, of course, a big negative on the defensive side of the ball, and is a poor passer at best, rendering him a catch-and-shoot player only, but he will contribute positively to the Blues nonetheless. Sleeper pick for ROTY.

11. San Francisco Quakes: Jaylen Silver, F: B. Silver is an excellent pick for the second round, and it’s really a marvel that he did not go earlier. He projects to be a strong defense-first forward, but he will provide some valuable offense as well, particularly while catching lobs from Percy Snow. It will be interesting to see where he fits in next to Daws 20 and Samuel James, but he and Jor-El make SF’s frontcourt much more formidable.

12. Miami Tides: Zach Vega, C: A. The Tides are quite lucky that Vega fell this far—he is certainly the center of the future for the Tides. It would have been preferable to pick Brodeur, of course, but getting Vega at #12 is certainly nice consolation. He is HLA ready, and provides much more offensive upside than his predecessor, the departed Eddie Dale. He also projects to be a decent all-around player, with average defense and above average offense. I think he is a steal at this slot, and will contribute to Miami right away.

13. Houston Cosmos: Gozie Nwosu, F: C-. The Cosmos clearly felt it paramount to replace Piotr Vesely with another defense-first forward, and that’s exactly what Nwosu is. He will be a good-to-great defender in a few years, but he is absolutely not the right pick for Houston here. They would have done better to select someone like Kwazy Iceberg, who can contribute steady offense to a win-now team right away, or to wait until free agency to pick up a forward. I would have preferred they take a guard, frankly, as a Mendes-Sinclair backcourt is clearly not a contending one.

14. St. Louis Archers: Yeetus McGeetus, C: B-. McGeetus will serve as an apt backup from day one, supporting Tyrone Jackson at the center slot. He may already be one of the best defenders in the league. That said, his offensive potential is limited, and one wonders if he will ever be anything more than a backup. He’s a decent pick at #14, but I think there may have been better players yet available.

15. San Diego Surf: Kwazy Iceberg, F: A-. The Surf clearly want to win right away, and Iceberg fits right into that style of play. At 27, he is probably the most HLA-ready of any of the draftees, and figures to provide great passing and shooting value from the 4 immediately. A lineup of Allen-Bas-Iceberg-Shoffner-Dale will be among the best in the league. Even so, Iceberg is not going to get much better than he is now, and it’s possible San Diego is selling itself short by mortgaging future potential for present winning. Time will tell how good of a pick this is, but Iceberg is a sneaky ROTY dark horse and a quality contributor as is.

16. New York Empire: Fred Fredericks, G: C+. Fredericks will be a fine player, a great backup guard and potentially a starter at some point, with the potential to do more if his offense develops properly. But I don’t know where he fits on this Empire team. With Carl Joseph, John Anderson, Rusty Parent, Jon Rahm and now Fredericks on the roster, the Empire are flush with guards and short on forwards. Moreover, their strategy is confusing—Fredericks is a raw backup at present, hinting towards a rebuild, but Jon Rahm, Carl Joseph and Cedric Hardwicke all will help the Empire win now. Fredericks and New York are likely looking at another year of mediocrity.

17. Los Angeles Stars: Kyron Hickman, G: A+. Probably my favorite pick of the second round thus far. Hickman is the perfect complement to Polan Stronk, and will be a huge offensive upgrade over Jacob French. Hickman is also ready to contribute right away. He provides great value at #17 and I am really stunned Fredericks went before him. Make no mistake, Hickman will help the Stars.

18. Boston Charms: Syndor Drago, G: B. Drago is a sharpshooter, and one can never have too many deadeyes on a roster at the same time. He also projects to be a decent defender down the road, and could possibly usurp Kyle Mason at the starting guard slot somewhere down the road. He’s a great pick for #18, but maybe not for the Charms, who really need some more help at forward.

19. Portland Roses: Mikey Williams, G: B+. Williams will help the diminishing output of the aging Koality Game right away, and his offense is among the best in the rookie class. He’s a good pick for a team like Portland, which clearly wants to contend now, and he still has a decent amount of upside. Can Portland really contend now, however? That is a different question. Williams will be a great offensive player for years to come, a guy who can create his own shot, which is a tremendous skill even if he lacks others, particularly on the defensive end. That much is certain.

20. Chicago Blues: Jason Garcia, G: C+. Garcia is the best shooter in this draft by a wide margin, a guy who can hit from anywhere on the floor, which is something every team, particularly defending champions, is loathe to have. He should allow the Blues to cut ties with Andrew Heldt as well, as he has decent upside as a potential two-way guard. But he is really redundant with their previous selection of Rajah Rose, and it’s really surprising that the Blues didn’t get anyone at forward considering their lack of forwards at present. Garcia will do great things with the Blues, but I think they have bigger needs.