JBL Power Rankings - Pre-Season Edition

JBL Power Rankings – 2019 Pre-Season

With the JBL Auction less than 3 weeks away and the NBA pre-season beginning, I thought it was a good time to look at the JBL rosters and see who is in the best shape heading into the 19/20 JBL season. 

Obviously, those established teams with as many as 5 players (4 keepers and 1 rookie) will likely be rated higher than those teams with less players. For a team like French Lick, the defending Champ, who has won 3 of the last 4 titles and who has 5 players coming back (33% of his roster is already set) – they are going to be very highly rated. 

So, with that said, let me dive right in. Here are your Power Rankings in 3 distinct tiers (A, B, C).

Grade A teams: French Lick, Chilliwack, Idaho

French Lick
As mentioned above, French Lick is the envy of the JBL these days. 3 titles in the last 4 seasons. A loaded roster coming back for the 19/20 season. He’s got Mitchell Robinson as a cornerstone piece to this franchise for many years to come. He’s got 4 keepers who would all go for much more at Auction so he’s got ‘value’ on his side already. And for French, a known Celtic lover, he’s got his boy Tatum on the cheap as well. Nothing better than winning fantasy pools while having guys from your favourite team on board. This team is already well balanced but you know Hildy will be looking for ATO during the Auction as he’s light in ATO right now. All that being said, this French Lick squad is once again the favourite to win it all in 2019/20. The rest of us all have our work cut out to knock him off his pedestal.

Chilliwack

It’s been 6 years since the Wack won his last JBL title, but this year’s squad is poised to make a run. He’s got Towns and Adebayo at huge discounts and was lucky enough to nab the #2 rookie pick and selected potential superstar Ja Morant with his pick. The Wack knows how to JBL, no doubt about it. This 4-time champ will be well prepared come Auction night and I expect him to be laser focused on building a title contender. This is KAT’s last year before he goes back to Auction so Benny needs to make sure he takes full advantage of his discounted price. This Wack team could be knocking on French’s door if he drafts right. Of course, the 5 year trend in the Wack has not been very good. But, because Benny is a former champ, member of the Elite Champions Club, my best mate, I’m excited to see if he can win another title and catch Mr. Woo for 2^nd place all time.

Idaho

Yet again, Idaho has proclaimed this is the year that he takes home the JBL Title. He’s getting closer every season. Last year he was 2^nd. Year before that he was 3^rd. So he’s moving in the right direction. With Ben Simmons and DeAndre Ayton on board, Tuna has 2 massively discounted players on his roster already. They are both studs and the cornerstones of the franchise. He’s also got Kanter and Allen on board for rebounds. I’m sure Idaho was disappointed to see DeAndre Jordan land in Brooklyn as it takes the shine off Allen’s potential breakout season. Nevertheless, Allen has value and with Kanter’s boards as well this is a very BIG roster to start the Auction. Adding the #3 rookie pick RJ Barrett to the fold completes the big 5 for Idaho going into the season. Barrett is a complete wildcard in my book. There will be nights where he goes off and there will be nights where he looks lost. Regardless, Idaho is poised to make a run at his 1^st ever JBL title. To join the elite JBL Champions Club would be a very rare feat indeed. Can he do it? Can Idaho actually do it?

Grade B teams:  Bangkok, Norfolk, Juan de Fuca, Maui, Golden, Brussels

Bangkok

We all know about Bangkok’s big offseason move to trade Zion to Seoul for 3 established players and the #4 rookie pick. What could have been a lengthy rebuild towards chasing a title in a year or two has been accelerated into ‘win-now’ mode in Bangkok. With Mitchell, Siakam, and Turner on board, the Kok already has some seriously category builds going on. Adding in a rookie like Hunter, who should play right away, fits the build for Bangkok to compete this season. Knowing that the good Doctor is not going to be ordering the Kok around his own house also gives me belief that Rick can focus on the draft and not on getting another scotch and some peanuts for his house guests. The Kok has a similar build to French so far and needs to get himself some ATO at Auction. Will Rick look to go big and acquire a big name or will he build around a bunch of mid-tier players? There are a lot of options here for Rick and I’m excited to see what the Kok does if he’s a contending team. 

Norfolk

The good Doctor will apparently be drafting from a wedding venue in Toronto on the night of the draft. Hopefully he’s able to find someone to bring him his scotch on demand like he did when drafting at the Kok’s house. This is year #7 for Norfolk and he’s coming of best ever 5^th place finish. On top of that, he’s bringing back 3 excellent players in Bradley Beal, Trae Young and Domantas Sabonis. It’s very well balanced 3-some and he’s added a potential gem in Jaxson Hayes. He could be the Pelicans starting Center in the very near future. The key for Norfolk will obviously be the draft and if he’s able to spend the time needed while he’s at this wedding. The Auction is such a massive building block for JBL teams so let’s see if Norfolk can get it all sorted out. With a strong draft, Norfolk could definitely be in the hunt for a money spot this coming season.

Juan de Fuca

Juan is the answer to a great trivia question. Outside of Golden, French, Seoul, and Chilliwack, name the last JBL team to win the title. That’s right, it’s Juan de Fuca, in the 99/00 season. That’s 19 years ago now!! Juan comes into the 19/20 season with a very balanced 5-man roster. He’s got scoring with Lavine and Randle. He’s got ATO with Brogdon and Augustin. He’s got a rookie, Hachimura, who should get a lot of minutes. And he’s got a history of strong performances in the JBL. As you can see from the chart below, he’s got 8 money-spot finishes in the last 15 years. Look for Juan to get some blocks at Auction and as always, look for Juan to get some Raptors on that roster. Juan will be right there contending for a money spot again in 2019/20. Count on it.

Maui

Here come the Ribs. One of the OG’s in the JBL, this is year 29 for Trev and he’s finished in a money-spot in 5 of the last 6 seasons. This year, Maui brings back 4 keepers and 1 rookie as he heads to Auction. How will Porzingis do paired with Doncic in Dallas? This is year 5 for the Unicorn and he’s been a big reason why Maui is a contender in years past. Maui also has holdover rookie picks in Bagley and Isaac on the squad this season. Both of them look ready for bigger roles and could be fantasy darlings this season. Maui also secured Jarrett Culver in this year’s rookie draft and he could be a starter in Minnesota before it’s all said and done.  And Maui will ride Caris LeVert one more season in Brooklyn as well. With KD injured for the season, LeVert could have a nice campaign with Kyrie by his side. Like other squads, Maui is light in ATO and will likely be looking for some point guards at Auction.  With a strong draft, Maui can be shooting for another money finish or maybe even a JBL title.  And as most of you know, if you want a player, best get him at Auction, cause once he’s in Maui, it’s unlikely he’ll be leaving. 

Golden

Johnny is back to chase a 12^th JBL title. The 18/19 JBL season was Golden’s worst finish since the debacle of 2010. I believe that was the Vegas Draft and my attempt at a Gay Love team (Rudy and Kevin). Golden brings back 3 players (Fox, Harrell, and Gilgeous-Alexander) on decent contracts and I’m excited to see SGA in OKC. Picking rookie Brandon Clarke was based solely on people smarter than me saying that he would be a good player in the NBA. Plus, he was born in Vancouver so that gives me 2 Canadians already. Is another Johnny theme team in the works? Golden clearly needs some rebounds at Auction and will be looking to spend all of his Auction money this season (as opposed to years gone by where I’ve left a lot of money on the table). Will Golden be contending for another JBL title? History says yes. 

Brussels

The Muscles rebuild is in full effect. Last season he grabbed Doncic with the 2^nd overall rookie pick. Then he traded for Jaren Jackson Jr to give him 2 stud rookies to build around. Now, in this year’s rookie draft, he may have landed another gem in Darius Garland. Could Brussels be building something big here? It all depends on what Timmy does at Auction. And of course, it also depends on whether he can manage his Free Agent dollars. In year’s past, Brussels is out of money before Christmas and has to ride it out for a few months. Like other teams, ATO and 3PT% will be a priority if he wants to build a balanced team. Word is Brussels is creating his own War Room for the Auction so there are fewer distractions. Could this be the year that Brussels competes for a money spot? It’s been a dark 5 year period for Brussels as you can see. Come on Timmy. I’m cheering for you. 

Grade C teams:  Arctic, Seoul, Vancouver

Arctic

You might think this is a little harsh for Arctic to be here in the ‘C’ category. This ranking is more based on the amount of money Arctic has left for Auction and the unknown on whether Arctic will be making player selections or if he will engage his Auto-Pilot to complete the draft. If I knew for certain that Crikker was going to be drafting his own roster, then I would move them to the ‘B’ list. If he auto-drafts, who knows what this roster will look like when the Auction is over. With Westbrook, Harden and Russell on board already, the Arctic is loaded with scoring. The %’s are going to be an issue but he could work on those depending on who he drafts (or auto-drafts). The biggest issue for the Arctic is having just $107 bucks for 11 players. It’s very do-able, but I would have more faith in this squad if Crikker was behind the wheel instead of Steady Eddy the auto-pilot. 

Seoul

Again, maybe a harsh grade for the 5-time champion but this is more of a product of him having just 1 player to start the Auction. Also, I have to factor in sleep deprivation since Phil is a new Daddy. Will he be able to stay awake for the entire draft? Will he be able to avoid petting Barkley the whole night? Will he stay focused and not play NBA2K? There are a lot of variables to factor in here with Seoul.  I love that Woo traded his entire roster for Zion. That takes balls. I would also wager that Zion doesn’t finish the season in Seoul. Will he be able to build a contender around Zion? He might. Woo’s last 5 years has just one money spot finish. Will his reliance on Tendex rankings bring him back to glory? I love the wildcard that is Philly Woo. 

Vancouver

This will be year #6 for the Jizzlies squad. They are bringing back Kemba and Hardaway Jr while they also added one of my Blazers, Nassir Little, at the rookie draft. I think Kemba will be very good in Boston while I have my doubts about Hardaway in Dallas. The Auction will be key for this franchise and whether they can compete in 19/20. They need good players. Plain and simple. In their short history, it’s been a tough go. Their history looks a lot like the other Vancouver franchise and their short time in the NBA. It only takes a few smart picks and some luck to be right there in the JBL race. Let’s see if this is the year for them to make a move up the standings.

Incomplete Grades – Cali, Bellingham

I love that the JBL has 2 expansion teams. Albeit, Cali does have prior JBL experience from a few years back. It’s always nice to have new owners who are passionate about fantasy hoops. With now 14 JBL franchises, it places extra emphasis on Auction night and ensuring you get a solid roster to start the year. It also gives Idaho two new teams to bombard with trade offers. History shows that expansion teams struggle in the JBL. However, with an Auction draft you can build a roster however you like and with some clever Free Agent signings and shrewd trades, you just never know.  Best of luck to our new expansion friends, I’m excited to have you on board.