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).
24.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg, 9.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.7 bpg, .623 FG%, .383 3P%, .822 FT%, 57 3P (0.8 pg), .701 TS% - Led the NBA in PER (31.5), TS%, OWS (11.2), WS (14.9), WS/48 (.308), OBPM (8.5), DBPM (4.5), BPM (13.0), VORP (8.8) - NBA Champion - NBA Finals MVP - All-NBA Second Team
PF - Evan Mobley (2024-25)
Spoiler:
18.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.6 bpg, .557 FG%, .370 3P%, .725 FT%, 85 3P (1.2 pg), .633 TS% - Defensive Player of the Year - NBA All-Star - All-NBA Second Team - All-Defensive First Team
27.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.6 bpg, .447 FG%, .395 3P%, .837 FT%, 320 3P (4.1 pg), .595 TS% - Led the NBA in 3P - NBA All-Star - All-NBA Second Team
FGA Per Player Nikola Jokic - 14.8 Evan Mobley - 12.8 Anthony Edwards - 20.4 OG Anunoby - 8.2 Kyle Lowry - 13.8 Nickeil Alexander-Walker - 6.6 Grant Williams - 5.6 Keon Ellis - 5.8
Total: 88.0/88.0
Our approach is built around positional size and physicality on both ends of the court. Jokic/Mobley/OG is a massive frontcourt, and our only "small" guard is Lowry who is famous for playing bigger than his height. Needless to say, everything revolves around Jokic's all-court dominance, and he can run two-man game with the explosive Ant and a still highly effective Lowry, both of whom can weaponise the pullup three to deadly effect. Mobley is a nice complement for Jokic as he can space the floor a bit and pass from the high post, but also benefit from Jokic's incredible interior passing to do damage in the paint. The spacing is elite with everyone on the roster being at least a good outside shooter. Defensively, we have plenty of athleticism and versatility to complement the more ground-bound Jokic, led by DPOY Mobley and excellent wings like OG, Ant, NAW, and Ellis.
Matchup - Defensive assignments are straight up. Our forward duo of Mobley and OG should make life very difficult for KAT and Butler. The fact that Embiid, KAT, Butler, and CP3 are all on-ball types who like to operate in the elbow area should make it a bit easier for us to shrink the floor and force them into less preferred shots. Lowry/NAW/Ellis can all fight through screens against CP3 and prevent him from waltzing into open midrangers. - 2020 Green is still a good team defender, but we don't believe he has the requisite athleticism and lateral quickness to stay in front of a guy like Ant. Given our level of spacing, we expect Ant to have a monster series attacking Green off the dribble.
PG: Chris Paul (2021: 12.6 FGA) SF: Danny Green (2020: 7.0 FGA) SF: Jimmy Butler (2020: 13.1 FGA) PF: Karl-Anthony Towns (2024: 15.3 FGA) C: Joel Embiid (2021: 17.6 FGA)
PG/SG: Fred VanVleet (2020: 14.3 FGA) SG: Royce O'Neale (2020: 5.1 FGA) C: Steven Adams (2025: 2.9 FGA = 3.0)
FGA: 88 / 88
PG: Chris Paul (38) / Fred VanVleet (10) SG: Danny Green (26) / Fred VanVleet (22) SF: Jimmy Butler (26) / Royce O'Neale (22) PF: Karl-Anthony Towns (36) / Jimmy Butler (12) C: Joel Embiid (38) / Steven Adams (10)
Defensive matchups: Paul on Lowry, Butler on Edwards (Some Green), Green on Anunoby, Towns on Mobley, Embiid on Jokic
Adding Paul and Towns to the Butler/Embiid combo should work well together, Paul is great to feed Embiid, while Towns stretching out Mobley's defense will be big for us, while we make Jokic work on D. I don't have a major issue with his starting lineup, but a difference is the bench where FVV is not that much worse than Lowry this season and can provide an annoying defensive matchup for Edwards, and O'Neale is as good as any of his bench players, while Adams proved he can still bang.
