Expanding Era Draft SF1 - Square* vs. lilroddyb

[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. 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).

**First to 3 votes advances.**

[Square]

Team Square

Roster
G Jamal Murray '23: 20/4/6, 45/40/83 shooting (Playoffs: 26/6/7 on 59 TS% and +5 BPM), NBA Champ
G Brent Barry '06: 12/5/4/1/1 per 36, 45 FG%, 40 3P%, +3 BPM
G/F Thabo Sefolosha '12: 5/3/1, 44 3P%, 2nd in league in DRAPM
G/F Andre Iguodala '17: 10/6/5/1/1 per 36 on 53/36/71 shooting, +3 BPM, NBA Champ
G/F Khris Middleton '20: 21/6/4, 50/42/92 shooting, 2.4 3PM/G, +4 BPM, All-Star
F Michael Porter Jr '21: 19/7 on 54/45/79 shooting, 2.8 3PM/G, 66 TS%, +3 BPM
F Paul Millsap '19: 13/7/2/1/1 on 48/37/73 shooting, +2 BPM
C Shaquille O'Neal '01: 29/13/4/3 (Playoffs: 30/15/3/2), 57 FG%, All-NBA 1st, All-D 2nd, Finals MVP, NBA Champ

Picks, FGA:

Spoiler:

1. Shaq 19.2
2. Middleton 15.3
3. Murray 16.0
4. Iguodala 5.5
5. Porter Jr. 13.4
6. Sefolosha 3.7
7. Millsap 9.5
8. Barry 4.7
Total FGA: 87.3

Rotation:
G Murray 38 / Barry 10
G Iguodala 30 / Barry 10 / Sefolosha 8
F Middleton 38 / MPJ 6 / Sefolosha 4
F MPJ 28 / Millsap 20
C Shaq 38 / Millsap 10

About Team Square:
Given the constraints of this draft, the concept here was how to build a Shaq-focused team without the traditional star wing to pair with him. I think it ended up pretty nice. The main ideas of this team are:

• Built around Shaq: The Big Aristotle is the main offensive engine here, and the supporting cast is designed around making his game as easy and efficient as possible, even more than his real life teams (which sometimes featured teammates who wanted the limelight or less-than-ideal spacing).
• Multiple championship-level playmakers: Murray and Middleton were each the lead perimeter playmaker for a championship offense. Both can handle in pick and roll, shoot off the dribble or off the catch, and make plays for others. Both are comfortable playing secondary roles to unconventional big men, and both fit perfectly with Shaq. We also have an additional explosive scorer in MPJ who never needs to handle the ball and two more creative championship ballhandlers in Iguodala and Barry.
• Shooting: Shaq is unguardable when surrounded by shooters, and we didn’t skimp there: every single non-Shaq player on the roster is dangerous from 3 (MPJ 45%, Sefolosha 44%, Middleton 42%, Murray 40%, Barry 40%, Millsap 36%, Iguodala 36%). Murray and Middleton are awesome shooters on and off the ball, and Porter’s 3 threes a game on 45 3P% is insane. Every Shaq double is an impossible gamble against this squad.
• Size, athleticism, defense: No player under 6’4” on the roster, and no weak defensive links to pick on. A stable of elite defensive wings in Iggy, Middleton, and Sefolosha. A strong defensive big in Millsap. And Shaq at his defensive peak cleaning up near the rim.
• Depth: No crappy throw-ins. All 8 guys played important minutes on champs or contenders. Millsap is a strong starter-caliber player off the bench, and Barry and Sef are excellent bench pieces.

vs. lilroddyb:
Cool team from roddy, but I don’t think this is the right matchup for him.

First off, a team with no center is going to have a tough time handling Shaq. Giannis is great, but Giannis doesn’t play center in real life because his team can’t afford to have him worn out battling bigs all game. Now he’s going to guard Shaq? Seems unlikely to go well. David Lee is just gonna get bulldozed.

We also have a ton of shooting and playmaking to attack weak defenders like Kyrie, JR, and Lee. Though less important than Shaq, I want to point out that roddy also has no good answer for Murray, who has cooked Kyrie before. (https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/kyrie-irving-throws-ball-deep-into-stands-because-jamal-murray-tried-to-score-50)

On the other end, I think we have pretty good answers for roddy’s unconventional attack. Millsap will get a lot of time on Giannis and should do fine with his strength, Iguodala can have some time, and yes, Shaq will guard him in drop at times too, being a one-man wall. I’d say that the minutes we play with Millsap/Shaq together especially make a pretty good combo against Giannis, one strong guy guarding him and another huge rim protector.

For the rest, Murray on Kyrie, Iguodala on Ginobili, Middleton on Posey, Porter on Horry poses no major problems for us. Murray is a good defender with size, but if Kyrie heats up, we can move Iguodala on him and Middleton onto Ginobili, with Murray easily guarding Posey or GP2.

I also gotta say that I think Giannis having to guard Shaq defensively will have a major effect on his energy level on offense (which is why the Bucks don’t use him this way).

Lastly, I don’t know if this is a criticism or just something that strikes me as odd, but it does seem weird to spend so many fga on Lee and JR and then bring them off the bench so you can start two real-life 25 mpg bench players for 36 mpg each. I guess the worry is that Lee and JR are bad defenders, but, well, yeah.

[Fadeaway_J]

C: Giannis Antetokounmpo 38 min / David Lee 10 min
Pf: Robert Horry 36 min / David Lee 12 min
Sf: James Posey 36 min / Jr Smith 12 min
Sg: Manu Ginobili 36 min / Gary Payton jr 5 min / Jr Smith 5 min
Pg: Kyrie Irving 38 min / Gary Payton jr 10 min

2005 Manu Ginobili 10.5
2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo 18
2016 Kyrie Irving 16.6
2002 Robert Horry 5.7
2008 James posey 5.6
2022 Gary Payton jr 4.8
2013 David Lee 14.7
2016 Jr Smith 11

tfga: 86.9

[lilroddyb]

C: Giannis Antetokounmpo 38 min / David Lee 10 min
Pf: Robert Horry 36 min / David Lee 12 min
Sf: James Posey 36 min / Jr Smith 12 min
Sg: Manu Ginobili 36 min / Gary Payton jr 5 min / Jr Smith 5 min
Pg: Kyrie Irving 38 min / Gary Payton jr 10 min

2005 Manu Ginobili 10.5
2021 Giannis Antetokounmpo 18
2016 Kyrie Irving 16.6
2002 Robert Horry 5.7
2008 James posey 5.6
2022 Gary Payton jr 4.8
2013 David Lee 14.7
2016 Jr Smith 11

tfga: 86.9

Good luck Square

offense

offense is build around the trio of Giannis, Manu and Kyrie Irving. I think they fit really well together. Giannis thrives with spacing around him and all of my guys are great to decent threepoint shooters outside of David Lee. Kyrie has had his up and downs during his career but can play great as an offball player next to an dominant playmaker ( Lebron and Luka ) so he should fit well next to Giannis and Manu.

Defense

All my guys are great defenders outside of Kyrie and David Lee I guess

defensive matchup

Giannis/ David Lee and Horry on Shaq
Horry on Michael Porter jr
James Posey on Middleton
Manu on Iggy
Kyrie on Jamal

overall

Shaq will be a problem for sure and he should have a good series but on the defensive end I think he will struggle. Shaq is good rimprotector but not good guarding the pick and roll and the open space. Michael Porter is really bad defender imo and Jamal nothing special as well. I think my team can put them in really bad position with only Iggy and Middleton being good defenders in the starting lineup.

Horry used to play alot more minutes in the playoffs during his career and in the chosen season he played 37 minutes per game, I guess adding the extra one minute is maybe a bit much

Posey was backup to Pierce/ KG I'm fine with giving him more minutes

[durantbird]

I prefer Roddy's team in a vacuum, but he has a Shaq problem. I'd definitely start Millsap over MPJ (in general and here specifically), but Square just has the better tools to contain Roddy.



Vote square

[Dr Positivity]

I like roddy's perimeter too much more than Square's, Shaq eats but the Giannis matchup is also tricky. Vote roddy.

[Snakebites]

I think that roddy asks too much of Giannis here, and I broadly have more faith in Shaq as a first option.

Just the wrong matchup for Roddy.

Vote Square

[JimmyPlopper]

I don't dislike Giannis against Shaq necessarily, but I do if he is the biggest guy that your team has to put against Shaq. It just seems like Shaq would require at least a double team at all times, would tire out Giannis, getting him in foul trouble. If Giannis is not covering Shaq, David Lee is going to be eaten alive by him. Kind of agree with Snake that its not a good matchup for roddy's team. Vote Square

[Fadeaway_J]

Square advances