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).
26.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 2.3 bpg, .503 FG%, .333 3P%, .846 FT%, 72 3P (1.2 pg), .610 TS% - NBA Champion - NBA All-Star - All-NBA First Team - All-Defensive First Team
PF - LeBron James (2019-20)
Spoiler:
25.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 10.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.5 bpg, .493 FG%, .348 3P%, .693 FT%, 148 3P (2.2 pg), .577 TS% - Led the NBA in apg, AST% (49.1) - NBA Champion - NBA Finals MVP - NBA All-Star - All-NBA First Team
Rotations C - Davis (26), Williams (22) PF - James (36), Davis (12) SF - Battier (36), Green (10), James (2) SG - KCP (30), Green (14), McMillan (4) PG - Irving (37), McMillan (11)
FGA Per Player
Spoiler:
LeBron James - 19.4 Anthony Davis - 17.7 Danny Green - 7.0 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 7.3 Shane Battier - 5.9 Robert Williams - 6.0 Nate McMillan - 4.3 Kyrie Irving - 19.7
Total: 87.3/88.0
We're essentially defaulting to the alignment that the 2020 Lakers would break out when it was winning time, with AD at the 5, LeBron at the 4, and a bunch of quality defensive role players around them. In doing so, we've addressed that roster's main weaknesses: the lack of another elite shot creator besides LeBron (Kyrie) and so-so outside shooting (Kyrie again, along with Battier). As was their dynamic in Cleveland, LeBron still functions as the lead decision-maker, while Kyrie can focus primarily on scoring while also being able to absorb some of those playmaking responsibilities. Whichever one of them has the ball, AD will thrive as a play finisher (as will Timelord off the bench).
Defensively, this team has the entire package: KCP and McMillan at the point of attack; Green, Battier, and LeBron as switchable wings; and two dominant rim protectors in AD and Timelord. As a bonus, AD is the rare big who can excel both as an orthodox drop big and switching onto smaller players. Kyrie is the only weaker defender in the rotation, but we have plenty of ways to cover for him, and he at least has good size for his position.
Matchup - Initial assignments will be Kyrie-Smart, KCP-Klay, LeBron-Brown, Battier-Tatum, AD-Horford. Outside of Kyrie, we feel comfortable switching pretty much any matchup, and we will shift Kyrie out of the action ahead of time if we see him being targeted. Between AD, LeBron, and Battier, our collective defensive IQ should keep us out of too many unfavourable matchups. - Flaco has a number of quality perimeter defenders, but he isn't well equipped to deal with the rim pressure applied by the LeBron-AD spread pick-and-roll. Horford is solid, but that's never been what he does best defensively, and at 35 it's asking a lot for him to protect against both LeBron driving and AD rolling to the rim and/or crashing the offensive glass. Frye isn't providing much rim protection off the bench either. - We have superior offensive talent among our star trio; LeBron > Tatum, Kyrie > Brown, AD > Klay. While Klay does give the Celtics core a boost with his shooting, he doesn't resolve their lack of a true primary creator at the highest levels.
Rotations PG: Marcus Smart (36) / Alex Caruso (12) SG: Klay Thompson (36) / Alex Caruso (12) SF Jaylen Brown (36) / Jayson Tatum (12) PF: Jayson Tatum (24) / Robert Horry (24) C: Al Horford (36) / Channing Frye (12)
Offense We run a 5-out offense. All 8 players on the roster are volume 3pt shooters. We spam the Tatum-Horford PnP/PnR and we shoot tons of threes. If the shots go in, we are heavily favored against any team. Brown provides rim pressure with his slashing game. We set picks to hunt the Kyrie mismatch. He's a clear weak link on D. Tatum is the de facto PG in the half court. We regularly run off-ball actions for Klay. Smart/Horford set off ball picks for Klay to maximize his shooting ability.
Defense Game plan is rather simple: My bigs drop. The POA defender goes over / fights through. Everybody else switches. All starters are plus defenders, to say the least. No weak links to attack. The 12 mins Timelord and AD play together are a bit problematic in terms of spacing allowing us to either drop or double on LeBron. Fade has the edge on top-end talent, but also has a notorious chemistry killer in Kyrie. Wouldn't be surprised if Kyrie messed up his own team yet again.
FGA 2015 Klay Thompson 16.9 2022 Jayson Tatum 20.6 2022 Jaylen Brown 18.4 2022 Marcus Smart 10.1 2022 Al Horford 8.2 2023 Alex Caruso 4.3 1999 Robert Horry 3.8 2016 Channing Frye 5.0
Combining the Lebron/Davis and Lebron/Irving combos is pretty tough to beat in this pool, and I think I needed more of an offensive guard on flaco's team. Vote Fade.
