CSL Drafts (by the numbers)

[secondroundbust]

Piggy-backing a bit off of the research I did for the GOAT article, and with it being a quieter time in season for those who won't be participating in the playoffs, I went through the past drafts of the CSL to take a look at how players careers have panned out.

Another article with very heavy accolade/award driven discussion, and those of course don't tell the full story of a players impact or career. But for this first-of-two part series, I took a look at draft positioning, and tried to see if certain draft slots yielded better chances of drafting a superstar with unlimited potential, or another role player grinding out a spot on your bench.

I decided to omit the 2029 and 2030 drafts, as players like Alex Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jovic, and Mark Williams most likely will receive some accolade or award within the next couple years, but would count against their draft slot as a miss in this exercise.

Obviously I'm overlooking big factors, such as which teams drafted them, as well as not incorporating players drafted before the CSL began, such as James Harden or Anthony Davis, this effects MVP percentages, etc. Let me know if there's someone I missed, or if there's any inaccurate information. Thanks!

First Overall Pick Zion Williamson/Ben Simmons/Kristaps Porzingis
- 9 All Stars 66% of selections
- 9 All-CSL Players 66%
- 2 MVPs 13% of selections
- 4 All Defense Team Members 26% of selections
- 0 DPOY's

No breaking news as the 1st overall pick gives you the best odds of drafting a superstar capable of achieving the coveted awards the CSL has to offer. Edwards, Garland, Wiseman, Payne, and Embiid are the five players who have so far missed out. This is also the only draft position that has produced 2 different MVP's. Will consensus Number 1 this year Wembanyama increase those odds?

Second Overall Pick Luka Doncic/Lonzo Ball/Dante Exum
- 7 All Stars 46%
- 4 All-CSL players 26%
- 1 MVP 6%
- 3 All Defense Team Members 20%
- 0 DPOY's

A small drop off for the 2nd overall pick. The lone MVP and best of the bunch being Luka Doncic, although I'm sure in most other drafts he probably would have gone 1st.

Third Overall Pick George DePaula/Milos Teodosic/Lauri Markkanen
- 7 All Stars 46%
- 4 All-CSL players 26%
- 0 MVP's
- 3 All Defense Team Members 20%
- 1 DPOY 6%

Matching the 2nd overall picks step for step in both All Stars & All-CSLs, it's the highest draft spot to produce a DPOY in DeAndre Ayton, who's won the award 5 times. But the first to not have an MVP selection. Both Markkanen and Ayton lead the way in All Star selections in this spot with 5 each.

Fourth Overall Pick Donovan Mitchell/Hassan Whiteside/Troy Brown Jr.
- 4 All Stars 26%
- 1 All-CSL Player 6%
- 0 MVP's
- 4 All Defense Team Members 26%
- 0 DPOY's

The lowest represented of the top 5 picks overall, but interestingly enough one of the better spots to draft a defender apparently, as it's 4 All Defense Players rival that of the top picks. A personal soft spot for myself, as both Hachimura and Ky Bowman were selected here. Troy Brown the most accomplished of the group as the only All-CSL selection, and has a chance to further cement that legacy going forward with Milwaukee.

Fifth Overall Pick Bol Bol/Jakeenan Gant/Jarrett Culver
- 5 All Stars 33%
- 6 All-CSL Players 40%
- 0 MVP's
- 4 All Defense Team Members 26%
- 0 DPOY's

A surprise contender for best draft spot, number 5 is also tied for the most All Defense selections, and has the second most All-CSL players in it's ranks, trailing only the number 1 spot. De'Aaron Fox the standout in this spot, leading the way with 9 All Star selections. This spot boasts a strong roster of high level guards on both sides of the ball, with Bol Bol being the only acclaimed 7 footer selected at 5.

Of the other spots in the drafts, the numbers started to tail off (as most drafts do.) 6 was the strongest remainder, with 6 All Stars being selected at that spot, as well as the only MVP to not be taken in the top 2 selections, that being Michael Porter Jr.

Shaquille Harrison was the lone 9th selection to achieve an award, with Dennis Smith Jr. and Jordan McLaughlin being the only representatives of the 11th and 13th spots respectively. The 12th selection has yet to produce any player to receive recognition with the mid-season/end of year awards, and once it hits the 20s, the players are sparse. Okaro White and Isaiah Taylor being the most decorated of that grouping at 22nd and 21st respectively. At least according to my numbers, no player selected in the 2nd round has ever been selected to an All Star game, or received an accolade thus far. But with such a strong draft this year, perhaps someone falls through the cracks that can blossom into a constant member of those teams.

After looking at the stats, it's no surprise that the winner of the lottery generally ends up with the best player, but the members of this upcoming draft, (as well as Nikola Jovic) will be looking to disprove that. In a year where the ultimate prize seems to unanimously be the towering French big man Victor Wembanyama, could a darkhorse be lurking in the rest of the lottery? Or even further down the order? Only time will tell.

Thanks for reading!

[KW]

Great analysis!

#6 has also been a sweet spot over the years, arguably better than 4 and 5

[hardenwithnod]

Good stuff, pretty wild that there has not been. A 2nd round pick that has gotten an all star selection or any accolades.

[Andrewu91]

It's been fun managing all those players.

[drumr]

Pretty cool and fun article! I wonder how well we archive things with the engine switches and stuff.

Anyone remember where Blake was drafted? Kinda surprised he hasn't been in any of these. When I joined he was a Porter type player and was a walking 24/12.

[KW]

Pretty cool and fun article! I wonder how well we archive things with the engine switches and stuff.

Anyone remember where Blake was drafted? Kinda surprised he hasn't been in any of these. When I joined he was a Porter type player and was a walking 24/12.

Blake was drafted in 2009 so he was already on his second contract by the time this league started

[bt]

Really interesting and good idea.

Be great to see these compared to how the NBA fares. I'm just guessing but I would think a lot more awards would come from all over the draft compared to it being pretty top heavy here.

[rh0xxy]

So happy we landed another future HOF GM here. You are doing great, bro. Keep it up.

Wish i had rebuild much earlier so i would had nabbed one of those crazy draft picks.

[blackice]

Pretty cool and fun article! I wonder how well we archive things with the engine switches and stuff.

Anyone remember where Blake was drafted? Kinda surprised he hasn't been in any of these. When I joined he was a Porter type player and was a walking 24/12.

Porter is a great building block, I think if you can find a defensive anchor and let go of some scoring attack your team will be more balanced but I can't deny your record and historical success. I just realized you'll have major caproom....