StartersC - David Robinson (1995-96)
PF - Clifford Robinson (1998-99)
SF - Danny Green (2013-14)
SG - Clyde Drexler (1991-92)
PG - Magic Johnson (1990-91)
BenchF - Robert Horry (1999-00)
G - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2022-23)
G - Kris Dunn (2024-25)
Rotations C - D. Robinson (40), C. Robinson (8)
PF - C. Robinson (28), Horry (20)
SF - Green (28), Drexler (14), Johnson (6)
SG - Drexler (24), KCP (24)
PG - Johnson (34), Dunn (14)
FGA Per PlayerAs Magic teams do, we focus on pushing the ball off makes and misses, and we've given Magic the perfect running mates in D-Rob and Clyde who are both devastating transition finishers. Cliffy is another athlete who gets a boost from playing alongside Magic, while Green is a lethal weapon trailing the break for threes. In the halfcourt, we have one of the GOAT offensive hubs in Magic; he can score for himself off the dribble and in the post, but more importantly his ability to create easy looks for others at the rim will maximise both D-Rob and Clyde, not to mention opening things up for shooters like Green, KCP, Cliffy, and Horry. Defensively, D-Rob controls the paint, allowing our rangy wings and guards who can play more aggressively on the perimeter. Green, Dunn, KCP, Cliffy, and Horry give us great perimeter size and versatility, allow us to keep Magic out of unfavourable matchups.
Matchup- Initial assignments will be Green-CP3, Clyde-Harden, Magic-Butler, Cliffy-Dirk, D-Rob-Chandler. Magic on Butler isn't amazing, but I'm not sure where Butler fits on a team with two ball-dominant spread pick-and-roll spammers, and we also have D-Rob as a backstop at the rim. Dunn and KCP give us two more excellent options to throw at Harden and CP3.
- D-Rob should be in position to have big series here. Chandler is a very good backline leader but too thin to prevent D-Rob from getting wherever he wants to go.
- CP3 on Clyde is also a clear size mismatch in our favour, especially young CP3 who didn't have the physicality and savvy he developed later on to deal with bigger players.
- Ness has more stars, but I feel like our superior fit closes the gap considerably. Harden and CP3 worked with a late prime CP3 taking on a secondary role, and even then it was generally both guys alternating control of the offense. I don't think either of these versions are maximised here, and Butler's place is even harder to figure out. We have a clear hierarchy with Magic as the unquestioned leading man (and IMO the best player in the series), flanked by two superstars whose games complement his perfectly.
Good luck Ness.
