2023-2024 mid season draft R1 - durantbird vs Larry_Russell (durantbird advances)

[Dr Positivity]

Here is a quick list of what you need in your writeup.

1. Specific years for each player on your team
2. Rotations and minutes for each player
3. Reasoning as to why your team will win and/or why people should vote for you.

Do not vote in this thread until both managers have submitted their writeups.

If writeups aren't posted within 24 hours, we will vote solely based on the players they have drafted (and any rotations they have posted on their roster page).

**First to 3 votes advances**

[durantbird]

PG: Tyrese Haliburton - 15.8 - 40% 3
SG: Paul George - 17.2 - 39% 3
SF: Kawhi Leonard - 17.1 - 45% 3
PF: Evan Mobley - 11.3 - 40% 3
C: Jarrett Allen - 9.9

Bench: Royce O'Neale - 6.6 - 36% 3
Bench: Kyle Anderson - 5.1
Bench: Anthony Black - 3.7 - 37% 3

86.7/88

Tyrese Haliburton 38 / Anthony Black 10
Paul George 38 / Royce O'Neale 10
Kawhi Leonard 34 / Royce O'Neale 14
Evan Mobley 28 / Kyle Anderson 16 / Kawhi Leonard 4
Jarrett Allen 38 / Evan Mobley 10

vs

PG: SGA (38) / Quickley(10)
SG: White (38) / Quickley (10)
SF: Jones (38) / Williams (10)
PF: Barnes (38) / Williams (10 )
C: Horford (28) / Kessler (20)

Matchup:
- Defensive assignments: George vs SGA, Haliburton vs Herb, Kawhi vs White, Mobley vs Barnes, Allen vs Horford.
- We are set perfectly to defend against their team. We have a great defensive bunch to defend against SGA, giving him different looks from George, Kawhi, O'Neale, Black and Anderson, and he needs to deal with a top tier rim protection from Mobley and Allen. Mobley is actually a great perimeter defender, so I think he will handle fine with Barnes. Smallest guys on our team are Haliburton at 6'5'' and O'Neale at 6'4'' where the latter has the frame of a forward, so we'll be highly switchable and hard to play against.
- Larry has nice deepness, but for this kind of supporting-guys caliber bunch, I'd expect a more significant 2nd option than Barnes, or a better 3rd option. Which I think gives us a clear top end talent advantage with Haliburton, George and Kawhi leading the way, and a 5 All-Star caliber guys starting lineup, and 3 useful bench guys all brining defense and shooting, with Anderson also bringing additional playmaking. We also highlight a proven chemistry of both Kawhi-George and Mobley-Allen.
- I like Horford, but it is a lot to expect from him at 37 to be the leading rim protector with a wing at the 4, we are much better equipped with our rim protection.
- Allen is one the best pick-n-roll guys in the league, the Hali-Allen and Hali-Mobley pick-n-roll, supported by George and Kawhi spacing the floor and creating their own shot, should be unguardable.

[Larry_Russell]

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 20.1
31.1ppg, 5.5rpg, 6.5apg, 2.2spg, 1bpg, 37% on 3.3-3pta
2nd in MVP Race, #1 ppg, #1 total points, #1 spg, #1 total steals, FTA, OWS, WS, WS/48, #2 total points, All Star

SG: Derrick White 11.7
15.5ppg, 4rpg, 4.7apg, 1spg, 1.2bpg. 40% on 6.7-3pta
Only player with 50+ steals, 50+ blocks, 100+ threes. 0TOVs in Cruch with 56/50/100 line and +34 net rating

SF: Herb Jones 7.9
11ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, 0.8bpg, 41% on 3.5-3pta
Should be a lock for all defense, DPOY Candidate

PF:Scottie Barnes 15.8
20ppg, 8.1rpg, 6apg, 1.2spg, 1.5bpg, 35.5% on 5.1-3pta
All Star

C: Al Horford 6.2
8ppg, 6.7rpg, 3apg, 0.6spg, 1bpg, 41% on 4-3pta


PG/SG: Immanuel Quickley 12.2
15.5ppg, 3.1rpg, 3.8apg, 0.6spg, 40% on 5.8-3pta


SF/PF: Patrick Williams 8.3
10ppg, 4rpg, 1.5apg, 1spg, 0.8bpg, 40% on 3.5-3pta


C: Walker Kessler 5.8
8.5ppg, 7.5rpg, 1apg, 0.5spg, 2.8bpg
2nd in bpg

PG: SGA (38) / Quickley(10)
SG: White (38) / Quickley (10)
SF: Jones (38) / Williams (10)
PF: Barnes (38) / Williams (10 )
C: Horford (28) / Kessler (20)

88/88

We will defend straight up and do an amazing job at that.

All my guys are high in stocks, and will pressure the opposing team non stop.
Speed, switchability and the ability to have barnes double off mobley will be big for me. There are no weak point defensively to try and exploit.

Offensively we are going to attack as well. No disrespect to georges defensive abilities, but SGA is going to absolutely cook him.

And the spacing around will open the door for him to do so. Allen and Mobley, if they dont stick to their counterparts, will be giving up 3s off the catch and shoot to horford and barnes.

My second guy scottie will punish mobley on the outside in causing mismatches for my shooter as well.

Off the bench I have another lethal scorer in quickley who has no equal to slow him, and a tim protector big body whonis splitt8ng time with Al in the front court. A big screen setter who is 2nd in the league in blocks per game.

Team basketball, everyone has a roll, everyone can shoot/defend/handle/pass and create.
Sga is my clear #1 and everyone else can be a number 2 based on matchup/need

[Dr Positivity]

Closer than I thought since Larry's team is deeper and I'm not sure if Haliburton's offense will be as effective playing beside Kawhi and two bigs, but I feel Larry's offense outside of SGA might be a bit lacking as I don't trust Barnes scoring in this role quite yet, and I wish he found a better use for those field goals than Patrick Williams. Vote durantbird.

[Fadeaway_J]

Yeah, Larry is a lot more comfortable with Barnes as a #2 than I am at this point in time. His depth is better, but that's undercut by Quickley being a guard, which means he can only have so large of a role with SGA and White starting. While I agree with Dr that this isn't the setup I'd expect to maximise Haliburton, it works as rich man's Cavs with a much stronger perimeter alongside Allen and Mobley defending the interior. Don't see Williams as being worth 8.3 FGA either.

Vote: durantbird

[flaco]

I think db has the advantage in terms of both talent and fit. SGA and Barnes need the ball in their hands to maximize their effectiveness. I'm usually low on 2-big lineups due to suspect perimeter D, but Mobley is very mobile for his size. He's one of the few bigs who can defend the perimeter. Haliburton in round 3 was an absolute steal. I consider him nearly as good as SGA. He makes everyone around him better without being overly ball dominant allowing Kawhi and George to flourish. Biggest weakness on db's team is he lacks an explosive POA defender. SGA is 6'5'' though. I'd expect db's wings to match up decently against him.

Vote: durantbird

[murphyslamz]

Vote: durantbird

Larry_russel has tremendous perimeter defence but I feel like there is just to much 2way star talent for DB to lose

[Dr Positivity]

durantbird advances

[Larry_Russell]

Well, that experiment was pretty outstandingly hated.

Stick to the norm builds from now on.
Lost a first to 3 vote win 0-4.