Best of luck, Dr P!
RotationPG: Gary Payton (38) / Michael Cooper (10)
SG: Michael Cooper (28) / Aaron McKie (20)
SF: Jayson Tatum (38) / Larry Bird (10)
PF: Larry Bird (28) / Robert Horry (20)
C: Robert Parish (36) / Andrew Bogut (12)
OffenseThe big 4 of Payton-Tatum-Bird-Parish should complement each other well. The first three are 3-level scorers. Parish lacked 3pt range, but had a reliable mid-range jumper. Cooper, McKie and Horry stretch the floor. Parish sets hard picks for my ball handlers including Larry and Tatum. I assume Shaq never switches these picks, meaning Larry/Tatum will have loads of open looks from the perimeter. We know for a fact Bird-Parish had great synergy in real life having won 3 rings together, 1 of them in their selected season. When Payton rests, Bird-Tatum are the de facto PGs in the half court.
DefenseParish/Bogut drop. They both have the size to at least try to slow down Shaq. Parish is widely considered a top 15 Center of all time. I'd argue Bogut is one of the best backup bigs in our games. He was a regular starter for a team that reached the Finals in his selected season and recorded a DBPM of +3.2. On-ball D should be elite with 2 DPOY winners in Payton and Cooper. Those two plus McKie are my POA defenders. McKie was a terrific defender in his own right as evidenced by his DBPM of +2.0. Wing D should be strong with 6 switchable defenders on the roster including Payton who can hold his own against taller opponents on switches. The presence of Rodman allows Bird to double on Shaq. He was an exceptional help defender thanks to his BBIQ.
FGA1986 Larry Bird 19.6
2023 Jayson Tatum 21.1
1996 Gary Payton 15.8
1986 Michael Cooper 7.4
1999 Robert Horry 3.8
1986 Robert Parish 11.9
2016 Andrew Bogut 4.0
1997 Aaron McKie 4.4
Total: 88.0