2024-25 Season Draft SF1 - MadNESS* vs. wackbone

[Fadeaway_J]

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. Once the writeups are posted, I will add a poll, and the team with the most votes after 24 hours will advance. EACH MANAGER SHOULD ALSO VOTE FOR THEIR OWN TEAM IN THE POLL - IF YOU FAIL TO DO THIS, YOU ARE SIMPLY GIVING AWAY A VOTE. If the votes are tied, we will decide the matchup via AI vote.

You are not required to state or explain your vote, but you are free to comment in the thread if you want to.

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).

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[wackbone]

Jalen Brunson - 18.5 FGA - Likely All-NBA, 38.3 3P% on 6.1 att
Evan Mobley - 12.8 FGA - Likely All-NBA, DPOY Candidate, 37.0 3P% on 3.2 att
Domantas Sabonis - 12.8 FGA - Possible All-NBA 3rd, led league with 13.9 RPG, 41.7 3P% on 2.2 att
Dyson Daniels - 12.1 FGA - DPOY Candidate, 3.0 SPG (most since the mid 1990s), 34.0 3P% on 3.1 att
Jimmy Butler - 10.9 FGA - 2nd highest TS% and 3rd highest WS/48 of his career
Isaiah Joe - 7.9 FGA - 41.2 3P% on 6.3 att
Davion Mitchell - 6.4 FGA - 39.8 3P% on 2.9 att
Taurean Prince - 6.4 FGA - 43.9 3P% on 4.2 att

Total: 87.8/88 FGA

Rotations:
Jalen Brunson (38) / Davion Mitchell (10)
Dyson Daniels (32) / Davion Mitchell (10) / Isaiah Joe (6)
Jimmy Butler (34) / Isaiah Joe (14)
Evan Mobley (24) / Taurean Prince (24)
Domantas Sabonis (36) / Evan Mobley (12)

Writeup:
Helluva duo, Ness. Best of luck!

Defensively we will start with Daniels on Luka, Butler on Reaves, Brunson on KCP, Mobley on AD, and Sabonis on Gordon. Will also be a lot of minutes of Sabonis on Gobert and Prince on Gordon. Mitchell, Joe, and Prince are all good defenders off of the bench.

We have two clear defensive weaknesses in Brunson and Sabonis. However in this matchup I think it will be relatively easy to hide Brunson on any of KCP/Vincent/Caruso, none of which are particularly scary offensively. Additionally, and I think this is especially important, KCP was awful this season. Sure the Magic aren't as good as the Nuggets but they are also not the Wizards - KCP clearly had a terrible year. He is still a great defender but he offers very little offensive value.

Ness has two clear defensive weaknesses as well in Luka and Reaves. With both of them being perimeter players it makes things a bit harder to hide both of them. Sure, one can guard Daniels, but more than likely one of them will end up guarding Butler, who knows how to use his physicality against smaller defenders.

Ness has the two best players in Luka and AD who work well off of each other, without a doubt. And they are surrounded by a talented supporting cast. But I think the collective whole of my group is greater, especially when factoring in spacing, in which I have a massive edge, and which is a crucial element of these games with stacked teams.

3 Point Shooting Comparison, in order of %:
Prince - 43.9% on 4.2 att --------------------- Gordon - 43.6% on 3.4 att
Sabonis - 41.7% on 2.2 att -------------------- Reaves - 37.7% on 7.3 att
Joe - 41.2 3P% on 6.3 att --------------------- Doncic - 36.8% on 9.6 att
Mitchell - 39.8% on 2.9 att ------------------- Vincent - 35.3% on 4.3 att
Brunson - 38.3% on 6.1 att ------------------- Caruso - 35.3% on 3.1 att
Mobley - 37.0% on 3.2 att -------------------- KCP - 34.2% on 4.3 att
Daniels - 34.0% on 3.1 att -------------------- AD - 28.2% on 2.4 att
Butler - 30.8% on 1.9 att --------------------- Gobert - 0 att

The Luka-AD two man game would be elite, but I feel like Ness's offense would be considerably more potent with more and better outside shooting. Furthermore Luka is going to be hounded by Dyson Daniels for the majority of the game, a top 3 DPOY this season, with AD being guarded by Mobley for the majority of the game, another top 3 DPOY this season. We have one of the best Luka defenders AND one of the best AD defenders in the league on our squad, with similar physical traits and absolutely elite defensive talent.

[MadNESS]

PG: Luka Dončić (40) | Alex Caruso (8)
SG: Austin Reaves (19) | Alex Caruso (17) | Gabe Vincent (12)
SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (31) | Austin Reaves (17)
PF: Aaron Gordon (30) | Anthony Davis (18)
Cc: Anthony Davis (22) | Rudy Gobert (26)



Total: 88.0 | 88.0 FGA

Luka Dončić - 20.5 FGA
Anthony Davis - 17.8 FGA
Austin Reaves - 14.2 FGA
Alex Caruso - 5.8 FGA
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 7.1 FGA
Aaron Gordon - 9.7 FGA
Rudy Gobert - 7.1 FGA
Gabe Vincent - 5.8 FGA

Write Up:

GL Wack

Offense:
Luka and AD pick and roll with shooters everywhere. Would be impossible to defend in today NBA. Reaves, AG, KCP, Caruso, Vincent are all good shooters. Reaves in particular can score on his own and has shown all season he’s a great 2nd or 3rd option. My team has real chemistry. Gobert will also be a solid roll man with Luka for easy lobs. Options out of the initial pick and roll are limitless.

Defense:
AD sets the tone, KCP, Caruso, Gobert, AG and Gabe feed off of it. Luka will also defend the weakest perimeter player, not that he’s a bad defenders (see playoffs last year), but because I want him fresh for offense.

Vs. Wack

AD on Sabonis. AG on Mobley. KCP on Brunson (POA here). Luka on Daniels. Reves on Butler.
Gobert defends the paint when in. Caruso will see time Butler.

If you're looking at injuries for guys who played enough games to be drafted that is just dumb.
Everyone mentioned in his write up for missing games, is currently playing (except AD because Kyrie is out for the season or he would be).
Daniels and Sabonis are watching the play offs from their couch.

I have winners on my team.

Butler and Brunson need the ball to be effective. Both can't have the ball. My team is cohesive and everyone knows their role.

Everyone one of my role players (KCP, Caruso, even AG) would absolutely thrive in their roles with Luka, AD and Reaves.

Vote Ness and the Lakers....

[Fadeaway_J]

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Ready for votes. Ness and wack, please vote for yourselves.

[wackbone]

If you're looking at injuries for guys who played enough games to be drafted that is just dumb.

In full transparency, I was thinking about the other 2024-2025 draft (the Prediction draft). The one where some players will end up being on rosters with potentially 25 games played.

I mixed it up with this one. I am deleting that paragraph now.

[Fadeaway_J]

Ness advances

[wackbone]

GG Ness! Good luck in the finals!