Donut Draft R1 - flaco vs Laimbeer*

[durantbird]

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. Please ensure you give a rationale for your vote; votes with no explanation will not be counted.

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).

We'll be using a AI vote when a matchup seems stuck, at least 24 hours since its opening. AI vote counts for a single vote.

**First to 3 votes advances**

[Laimbeer]

David Robinson ( 1995 ) 18.4 - MVP (1)
Draymond Green ( 2017 ) 8.0 - World Champ, DPOY (1)
Royce O'Neale ( 2021 ) 5.5 - All-D votes, 38.5% on 3.9 3PA
Stephen Curry ( 2021 ) 20.5 - MVP (6)
Luka Dončić ( 2017 ) 18.3 - World Champ, MVP (6)



Andrei Kirilenko ( 2007 ) 6.0 - DPOY (13), 2.5 blks per 36
Luc Mbah a Moute ( 2016 ) 3.0 - All-D votes
Reggie Miller ( 2004 ) 7.4 - 40.1% on 4.2 3PA

87.1

David Robinson (38) / Andrei Kirilenko (10)
Draymond Green (38) / Andrei Kirilenko (10)
Royce O'Neale (36) / Luc Mbah a Moute (8) / Reggie Miller (4)
Stephen Curry (28) / Reggie Miller (20)
Luka Dončić (38) / Stephen Curry (10)

Good luck, flaco.

Offensively we're a juggernaut. Luka/DRob P&R is nightmarish and Steph will absolutely feast off-ball. Draymond can provide secondary playmaking. Reggie Miller is a game changer off the bench. Dame chasing Steph is a rough match-up.

It's important to note how inept their interior is offensively. Ben is a non-factor and Rasheed was not a three point threat at this stage, averaging just 12 points per game. This allows DRob and Draymond to wreak havoc with their GOAT-ish help defense. DRob/Ben, Draymond/Rasheed, Doncic/Tatum, O'Neale/Jordan, Steph/Dame. The Tatum matchup is rough, but again we'll a ton of help and I suspect Mike and Dame will not be standing aside to watch Tatum go iso. I'm also not seeing a lot of synergy in a perimeter that's having to carry the load.

Better fit and depth with Reggie and AK47 take this for us.

[flaco]

Best of luck, Laimbeer!



Rotations
PG: Damian Lillard (38) / Jon Barry (10)
SG: Michael Jordan (38) / Thabo Sefolosha (10)
SF: Jayson Tatum (38) / Thabo Sefolosha (10)
PF: Rasheed Wallace (28) / Jonathan Isaac (20)
C: Ben Wallace (38) / Rasheed Wallace (10)

Offense
We run a PnR-heavy offense. The big 3 of Dame, MJ and Tatum are reliable ball handlers and facilitators. Even Tatum at 6'8'' is regularly running the PnR for Boston. Sheed can either roll or pop. Ben sets hard picks to facilitate the ball handler and rolls to the basket. He was an elite screener thanks to his unparalleled physical tools. Unfortunately, we don't have access to screen assist numbers from the 00s. I bet he was among the league leaders, if not the league leader. He's hardly a non-factor cause the screener doesn't necessarily have to be a shooter. Lillard and Tatum excel at volume 3pt shooting off the dribble in the PnR. Ben's screen assists would make them unguardable. Luka and Steph have nowhere to hide on D.

Defense
Sheed and Ben anchored an elite defensive team in Detroit. Their proven synergy should establish a strong defensive identity. They are supplemented by a long, mobile big in Isaac forming a formidable PF-C defensive combo throughout the duration of the game. Wing D is equally strong with plenty of versatile/switchable defenders, including Ben and Isaac who can switch on pretty much anybody. MJ, Thabo and Tatum share POA duties. Lillard pre-switches and peels off to the corner. Most teams have an off-ball specialist lurking in the corners. I'd expect Royce O'Neale to play that role on Laimbeer's team.

FGA
1991 Michael Jordan 22.4
2024 Jayson Tatum 19.3
2006 Ben Wallace 5.7
1999 Rasheed Wallace 9.7
2012 Thabo Sefolosha 3.7
2019 Damian Lillard 19.2
2024 Jonathan Isaac 4.9
1996 Jon Barry 3.0

Total: 87.9

[durantbird]

I think I would've tried Draymond on Tatum, Luka on him is a major mismatch. But I don't tend to determine my vote on strategy issues like that. Luka Steph DRob produce a similar level of offensive talent but I think Laimbeer's depth wins the day.

Vote Laimbeer

[Fadeaway_J]

Even for this twist, I feel like MJ-Tatum-Dame is maybe a step too far as a high-usage perimeter trio, especially since I don't find their skills or playstyles to be all that complementary. Laimbeer's trio seems like a better bet to find some offensive synergy. Draymond's fit with Luka is iffy, but he works well with Steph (obviously), D-Rob, and Reggie off the bench. More importantly, that defensive combination with D-Rob is legitimately terrifying.

Vote: Laimbeer

[MadNESS]

I knew right away that this wasn't the real version of Rasheed. To me that blows flaco's whole team up.
Jordan is going to dominate, but so will Steph, Luka and Robinson.
I like both builds, minus the players who aren't in primes here.

vote Laimbeer.

[durantbird]

Laimbeer advances