The draft lottery
The lottery decides the top of the draft. It runs during the playoffs, on the date shown on the lottery page.
Who's in it: the eight teams with the worst regular-season records. Ties in record are broken at random when the draw runs. Before any games have been played nobody is in the pool, because every team is 0-0.
How many picks are drawn: three. Each pool team gets tickets, worst record most, and the draw picks the #1, #2 and #3 slots, one team at a time. Once a team wins a slot, all of its tickets come out of the drum.
By default, these are the chances at the #1 pick. They're also shown on the lottery page.
| Record rank | Chance at #1 |
|---|---|
| Worst | 31.5% |
| 2nd worst | 22.5% |
| 3rd worst | 16.9% |
| 4th worst | 11.2% |
| 5th worst | 7.9% |
| 6th worst | 4.5% |
| 7th worst | 3.4% |
| 8th worst | 2.2% |
After the three winners, every other team picks in order from worst record to best. That covers the pool teams that weren't drawn and all the teams outside the pool, down to the last pick of the round. So a pool team can't fall more than three spots below where its record put it.
Draft order and draft night
A rookie draft has two rounds by default, and every round uses the same order. Traded picks go to the team that owns them now. The draft board shows "via" for those.
Each pick has a clock. The commissioner sets how long it runs, and 24 hours is the default. AI teams pick right away. If your clock runs out, the league picks for you. It takes the highest player still available from your board (My List), so keep that list ranked. If your board is empty, the pick comes from the public consensus. The commissioner can pause the draft, and in an offline draft set up with no clock, the commissioner makes any picks that are left.
Players not taken in the draft become free agents. Tradeable picks are created for the next three drafts, so you can deal future picks too.
The draft class
Each season brings a new draft class. By default it has 60 prospects, and the commissioner can change the size. A generated class mixes player types: raw athletic bigs, ready-now shooters, pass-first points, defensive stoppers, boom-or-bust gambles, late bloomers, steady journeymen and end-of-bench fliers, among others. Some types are more polished now. Others are bets on the future. Leagues built on real history can use real draft classes, which the draft room tags as a real-history class instead of "Generated".
Every prospect clears a basic athletic bar for their position. You won't find a point guard who can't move.
You never see true ratings
Nobody in HoopSim sees a player's real ratings. Everything you see is your scout's read: your own roster, other teams' players, free agents and prospects. Depending on your league's display setting, grades show up as letters or as numbers. Either way, they're your scout's estimate.
Your head scout has two separate skills. One is reading what a player is today. The other is projecting how good they can become. Some scouts are strong at one and weak at the other. The Scout Hub describes yours in plain words, for example "reads current talent sharply" or "sees the long game". A better scout gives you a closer read from the start.
You know your own players best. When a player joins you by trade, signing or draft pick, your read on them sharpens right away. Reads on veterans carry into the next season.
Scouting prospects
Prospects are different: you only get your own read on the ones you assign a scout to. You have a limited number of scout slots, and a better scout covers more prospects at once. The draft room shows how many slots are in use. To follow someone new when your slots are full, drop a prospect you've already covered.
Reads get sharper over time. Every few weeks of league time your scout looks again, and each look moves the read closer to the truth. A prospect's page shows how far along the read is as Low, Medium or High confidence. The Scout Hub uses the scout's own words: "early read", "still figuring them out", "monitoring", "high confidence" and "locked". Prospect scouting pauses during the play-in and playoffs, so start early. Your scout doesn't need to see a player play; the regular looks are what sharpen the read.
The public consensus
For prospects you haven't scouted, you may see a consensus read. It's the public, league-wide estimate that everyone gets, and it's looser than any team's own scouting. Visitors without a team see consensus reads for every player. Treat it as a rough starting point, not a verdict. Nobody drafts with perfect information, AI front offices included.
Scout reports
Scouted prospects get a written profile with a headline, strengths, weaknesses, a pro comparison, a draft grade, a ceiling and a floor. It's written from your scout's read, so two teams can get very different reports on the same prospect. On your roster, your scout sends short notes after each look, flagging players who are trending up, slipping or holding steady. How sure the scout sounds depends on how good the scout is.
Medicals
Some players are more injury-prone than others, and you can't see it until you run a medical. You can run one from the Scout Hub on anyone: your players, free agents, trade targets and prospects (scout a prospect first). A medical rates durability in one of five grades: Iron Man, Durable, Average, Fragile or Glass. It's still a read, not a guarantee, but it's the only look you get at durability. Once revealed, the grade stays on file for your team.
Rookie deals
Draft picks sign automatically. First-round picks get four-year rookie-scale deals: the first two years are guaranteed, and years three and four are team options. The earlier the pick, the bigger the salary. Second-round picks get two-year deals at the rookie minimum. For options and qualifying offers, see Money.