Not Loyal, No Journeyman Draft - Semis - JimmyPlopper* vs durantbird

[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. 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).

[durantbird]

PG: Jalen Brunson 23' - 17.6
SG: Dwyane Wade 06' - 18.8
SF: OG Anunoby 20' - 8.2
PF: Karl Malone 99' - 16.3
C: Marc Gasol 13' - 10.9

Bench: TR Dunn 86' - 4.6
Bench: Caleb Martin 23' - 7.7
Bench: Matt Bonner 13' - 3.4

Rotation:
PG: Jalen Brunson 38 / Dwyane Wade 10
SG: Dwyane Wade 28 / TR Dunn 12 / Caleb Martin 8
SF: OG Anunoby 30 / Caleb Martin 18
PF: Karl Malone 38 / OG Anunoby 8
C: Marc Gasol 38 / Matt Bonner 10

87.5/88

Matchup:
- Defensive assignments: Brunson vs Majerle, Wade vs Hornacek, Anunoby vs SGA, Malone vs Davis, Gasol vs Lopez.
- We match up well defensively, especially with Wade/Anunuby/Dunn/Martin as a bunch of great defenders to throw at SGA. Malone/Anunoby are both good defenders against AD.
- Wade-Malone vs SGA-Davis is close though I think our duo has a little bit more offensive punch, but I think Brunson and Gasol have a clear advantage over Hornacek and Lopez, with the bench difference not enough to close the gap. Notice that Majerle here is in his Miami days where he was a role player. I trust Martin to be an x-factor off the bench on both sides, as he had a great playoff run in 23'.

[JimmyPlopper]

Draft
Round 1, Pick 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2024) - 19.8 FGA/G
Round 2, Pick 13: Anthony Davis (2020) - 17.7 FGA/G
Round 3, Pick 24: Brook Lopez (2021) - 9.1 FGA/G
Round 4, Pick 43: Jeff Hornacek (1996) - 10.7 FGA/G
Round 5, Pick 46: Dan Majerle (1998) - 6.1 FGA/G
Round 6, Pick 65: Jarrett Allen (2020) - 6.6 FGA/G
Round 7, Pick 68: Michael Redd (2003) - 11.8 FGA/G
Round 8, Pick 87: Cedric Maxwell (1987) - 5.9 FGA/G

87.7/88

Rotation
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36) / Jeff Hornacek (12)
SG: Jeff Hornacek (24) / Michael Redd (24)
SF: Dan Majerle (36) / Michael Redd (12)
PF: Anthony Davis (36) / Cedric Maxwell (12)
C: Brook Lopez (32) / Jarrett Allen (16)

My approach to this matchup starts with containing their primary scorers—Dwyane Wade, Karl Malone, and Jalen Brunson. Wade is their most dynamic offensive threat, so I’ll throw different defenders at him, using Dan Majerle’s size and physicality while keeping Brook Lopez and Anthony Davis ready to protect the rim. Malone is a bruiser in the post, but with Davis’s length and defensive versatility, I like my chances of making him work for his points. Brunson is crafty, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s length can bother him, and I’ll mix in some help defense to disrupt his rhythm.

Offensively, I see some clear advantages. Their backcourt defense is solid but not lockdown, so I’ll lean on Shai to attack Brunson in isolation and pick-and-rolls. Marc Gasol is a strong defender, but he isn’t the quickest, so running high screens with Anthony Davis can create mismatches and open up opportunities at the rim. My shooters—Hornacek, Majerle, and Michael Redd—can stretch their defense and punish them if they collapse inside. On the boards, I expect to hold my own with Lopez, Davis, and Jarrett Allen battling against Malone and Gasol. If I control the tempo, take advantage of my shooting depth, and keep Wade from completely taking over, I like my chances in this matchup.

Good luck db

[durantbird]

Matchup is open. Jimmy, please vote for yourself

[durantbird]

JimmyPlopper advances

[JimmyPlopper]

gg DB