2021 Historical Draft: How Does My Team Look?

[Moranis]

Thoughts on my team?

C - Marc Gasol
PF - Paul Milsap
SF - Dan Marjerle
SG - Reggie Lewis
PG - Steve Nash

You must have posted this while I was typing my last post. Lol.

I love the fact you put together such a high level team picking from the ninth position while coming into the game like just a day or more before we started. Kudos to you. Job well done.

1-4 I like the defense. Nash, is, unfortunately, Nash on defense. Luckily he is paired next to Lewis, a top notch defender, so should be hidden enough.

Question though. Who is your closer? Who is that go to guy?

Great closing question, lol...

My guess - so far - is that it'd be "Closer by Committee"....

I think Nash, Marc and Milsap could fill that role....even though I'm still looking at making some key additions through the draft  - especially with that 2nd pick next round.

Perhaps Reggie? he started to show some guts playing next to Larry...that epic CHI game in the early 90s where Larry went off (and Reggie was right behind him with 32 points of his own) showed me flashes of greatness with him....

I'm with Nick.  I think you have a lot of bridesmaids, but no brides (so to speak), and I think that is a problem especially in this sort of setting.  You can certainly have too many brides, but you really do need at least one, and I just don't see it, and I'm not sure even if you got your guy this late, he'd have the talent to really be the guy on the roster as there aren't many uber elite scorers left to draft.

[Celtic Fan Forever]

The Wizards through 5 rounds:

PG: John Stockton
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Michael Redd
PF: Dennis Rodman
C: Arvydas Sabonis

I like my balance so far. 3 elite defenders (Stockton, Klay, Rodman), 2 elite playmakers (Stockton/Sabonis), and 4 guys that can all space the floor while Rodman does the dirty work inside.

I also love the idea of a Stockton Sabonis pick and roll/pop game, and both guys are so incredibly talented at making plays for others. I expect Redd and Klay to get a lot of open shots. And Redd can put the ball on the floor and create for himself as well.

[Darth_Yoda]

I will open it up. Here is my current roster:

Phoenix Suns

Starters
PG: (Devin Booker)
SG: Reggie Miller
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: DeAndre Jordan

Bench
Devin Booker

I think since Giannis will be doing a ton of ball-handling and playmaking from the point forward position, it could be possible to have Booker start as Booker can play both off ball opposite The Freak and as another ball handling playmaker. But most likely, Devin is my Sixth Man.

Thoughts?

I like your team, but I think you need a good Point guard who can defend and give some easy points. Have 2 in mind that would fit you perfectly, imo.

[Darth_Yoda]

The Wizards through 5 rounds:

PG: John Stockton
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Michael Redd
PF: Dennis Rodman
C: Arvydas Sabonis

I like my balance so far. 3 elite defenders (Stockton, Klay, Rodman), 2 elite playmakers (Stockton/Sabonis), and 4 guys that can all space the floor while Rodman does the dirty work inside.

I also love the idea of a Stockton Sabonis pick and roll/pop game, and both guys are so incredibly talented at making plays for others. I expect Redd and Klay to get a lot of open shots. And Redd can put the ball on the floor and create for himself as well.

Really like your team. Easy to work off building with Stockton, imo.

I would look to add some front court scoring if it was me, but I am no Brian Collangelo

[Darth_Yoda]

Thoughts on my team?

C - Marc Gasol
PF - Paul Milsap
SF - Dan Marjerle
SG - Reggie Lewis
PG - Steve Nash

You must have posted this while I was typing my last post. Lol.

I love the fact you put together such a high level team picking from the ninth position while coming into the game like just a day or more before we started. Kudos to you. Job well done.

1-4 I like the defense. Nash, is, unfortunately, Nash on defense. Luckily he is paired next to Lewis, a top notch defender, so should be hidden enough.

Question though. Who is your closer? Who is that go to guy?

Great closing question, lol...

My guess - so far - is that it'd be "Closer by Committee"....

I think Nash, Marc and Milsap could fill that role....even though I'm still looking at making some key additions through the draft  - especially with that 2nd pick next round.

Perhaps Reggie? he started to show some guts playing next to Larry...that epic CHI game in the early 90s where Larry went off (and Reggie was right behind him with 32 points of his own) showed me flashes of greatness with him....

Naw mate,

You have a closer, imo.

Nash

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2012/3/4/2843788/phoenix-suns-steve-nash-is-the-nbas-best-late-game-shooter-since-2000#:~:text=take%20a%20breath.-,If%20you%20look%20at%20the%20last%2012%20years%20in%20composite,(Ast'd%20rate).

If you look at the last 12 years in composite, across the entire NBA, Steve Nash actually ranks third in the NBA in clutch shooting* in terms of field goal percentage and first in 3-pt% while having the lowest overall percentage of those shots being set up by someone else (Ast'd rate).

Nash was lethal in clutch moments

[Somebody]

Houston Rockets

Starters:
PG: Terry Porter/Gus Williams
SG: Jimmy Butler
SF: Bob Dandridge
PF: Draymond Green
C: Rudy Gobert

Bench:
Terry Porter/Gus Williams

The team is obviously very defensively slanted with every player being at least an above average defender, so my thought process is to start Porter or Gus based on matchups: I'll start Porter against teams who start small guards so he can bully them and go playoff Terry while Gus will start against teams with bigger guards and do what he did so well in the late 70s/early 80s as a scoring PG who could play on or off the ball and drive offences against tough defences if needed. Think my defence will be really tough to score on so I'll be grinding games out, which my perimeter players excel at (Dandridge and Gus were the offensive figureheads of defensively slanted title teams while Butler led Miami to the finals last season in a similar manner).

Thoughts?

It's a very good defense but I question your ability to outscore opponents. There will be quite a few high level offenses that also have very good defense.

I question the decision to give up a top 5 player in this draft in Kawhi. Titles are built on elite guys. I am just not sure you have that elite go to guy to win games.

Yeah the offence isn't exactly going to set the world on fire. But I do think that I have the pieces to make it serviceable enough to be really competitive in this draft: Butler and Dandridge are some of the best non-Kobe/Kawhi wings available in this draft on offence (Dandridge's work in '79 was very underrated and you guys should know how good Butler was this year in leading the Heat to the finals) while Gus and Porter were really good in the playoffs (Gus in particular had monster runs for the Sonics during his prime and won a title with them as their go to guy). Draymond is a great glue guy to set screens, space the floor and distribute when they're moving off the ball to get them better angles to attack while Gobert is an elite offensive rebounder (not Moses/Rodman level, but he's still one of the best offensive rebounders in this draft due to his size and length) who can generate a healthy amount of second chances.

And yeah I kind of regret it now with how well Jvalin is building his squad. But I do think that this team should be very strong in this draft with elite defence and stronf offence - just feel that the players I have fit really well together and there have been elite offences built around that off-ball, passing heavy style without loads of on-ball talent (eg. 2004 Kings, early 2010s Spurs, etc).

[Somebody]

Thoughts on my team?

C - Marc Gasol
PF - Paul Milsap
SF - Dan Marjerle
SG - Reggie Lewis
PG - Steve Nash

You must have posted this while I was typing my last post. Lol.

I love the fact you put together such a high level team picking from the ninth position while coming into the game like just a day or more before we started. Kudos to you. Job well done.

1-4 I like the defense. Nash, is, unfortunately, Nash on defense. Luckily he is paired next to Lewis, a top notch defender, so should be hidden enough.

Question though. Who is your closer? Who is that go to guy?

Great closing question, lol...

My guess - so far - is that it'd be "Closer by Committee"....

I think Nash, Marc and Milsap could fill that role....even though I'm still looking at making some key additions through the draft  - especially with that 2nd pick next round.

Perhaps Reggie? he started to show some guts playing next to Larry...that epic CHI game in the early 90s where Larry went off (and Reggie was right behind him with 32 points of his own) showed me flashes of greatness with him....

Naw mate,

You have a closer, imo.

Nash

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2012/3/4/2843788/phoenix-suns-steve-nash-is-the-nbas-best-late-game-shooter-since-2000#:~:text=take%20a%20breath.-,If%20you%20look%20at%20the%20last%2012%20years%20in%20composite,(Ast'd%20rate).

If you look at the last 12 years in composite, across the entire NBA, Steve Nash actually ranks third in the NBA in clutch shooting* in terms of field goal percentage and first in 3-pt% while having the lowest overall percentage of those shots being set up by someone else (Ast'd rate).

Nash was lethal in clutch moments

Nash was a fearsome isolationist - his isolation PPP according to synergy was comparable to Kobe's throughout the mid-late 2000s.

[Jvalin]

I will open it up. Here is my current roster:

Phoenix Suns

Starters
PG: (Devin Booker)
SG: Reggie Miller
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: DeAndre Jordan

Bench
Devin Booker

I think since Giannis will be doing a ton of ball-handling and playmaking from the point forward position, it could be possible to have Booker start as Booker can play both off ball opposite The Freak and as another ball handling playmaker. But most likely, Devin is my Sixth Man.

Thoughts?

I absolutely loved your first 2 picks. I believe Giannis is the best player in the draft. Reggie is a perfect fit next to him. Would have opted for Peja over Granger, but that's just me. Peja is a better shooter. Granger is a better all around player. Booker was my backup option in case I missed out on Middleton. Good value pick and great fit next to Giannis.

Don't like the DeAndre pick tbh. I see at least 4 Centers available on the board who are probably better than him. More importantly, I believe he's a bad fit next to Giannis on the offensive side of the ball. He scores the vast majority of his points with dunks and putbacks, which means that he clogs the paint for Giannis. If I were you, I would have opted for a stretch big man or even a versatile swing who can shoot the 3. For instance, Cliff Robinson would have been a terrific fit in your team!

[nickagneta]

I will open it up. Here is my current roster:

Phoenix Suns

Starters
PG: (Devin Booker)
SG: Reggie Miller
SF: Danny Granger
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: DeAndre Jordan

Bench
Devin Booker

I think since Giannis will be doing a ton of ball-handling and playmaking from the point forward position, it could be possible to have Booker start as Booker can play both off ball opposite The Freak and as another ball handling playmaker. But most likely, Devin is my Sixth Man.

Thoughts?

I absolutely loved your first 2 picks. I believe Giannis is the best player in the draft. Reggie is a perfect fit next to him. Would have opted for Peja over Granger, but that's just me. Peja is a better shooter. Granger is a better all around player. Booker was my backup option in case I missed out on Middleton. Good value pick and great fit next to Giannis.

Don't like the DeAndre pick tbh. I see at least 4 Centers available on the board who are probably better than him. More importantly, I believe he's a bad fit next to Giannis on the offensive side of the ball. He scores the vast majority of his points with dunks and putbacks, which means that he clogs the paint for Giannis. If I were you, I would have opted for a stretch big man or even a versatile swing who can shoot the 3. For instance, Cliff Robinson would have been a terrific fit in your team!

I think Jordan fits well. I won't be using him to score an abundance of points as he will be mostly screening for others with the occasional rim run depending on matchup. DeAndre is on the team for his defense and rebounding. I wanted an elite rim protector that had the strength and toughness to combat the big strong centers in this draft but be athletic enough to hinder some of the more finesse centers this game provides. A younger Jordan can do that making his fit defensively infinitely more important than his offensive fit.

Besides, I expect to be playing Giannis at the 5 in small ball lineups, so I kinda already have that athletic, stretch 5 for when the team goes small. So your suggestion about getting a stretch 4/swing guy is spot on and something I planned and have targeted for my Monday selections.

[GreenFaith1819]

Thoughts on my team?

C - Marc Gasol
PF - Paul Milsap
SF - Dan Marjerle
SG - Reggie Lewis
PG - Steve Nash

You must have posted this while I was typing my last post. Lol.

I love the fact you put together such a high level team picking from the ninth position while coming into the game like just a day or more before we started. Kudos to you. Job well done.

1-4 I like the defense. Nash, is, unfortunately, Nash on defense. Luckily he is paired next to Lewis, a top notch defender, so should be hidden enough.

Question though. Who is your closer? Who is that go to guy?

Great closing question, lol...

My guess - so far - is that it'd be "Closer by Committee"....

I think Nash, Marc and Milsap could fill that role....even though I'm still looking at making some key additions through the draft  - especially with that 2nd pick next round.

Perhaps Reggie? he started to show some guts playing next to Larry...that epic CHI game in the early 90s where Larry went off (and Reggie was right behind him with 32 points of his own) showed me flashes of greatness with him....

I'm with Nick.  I think you have a lot of bridesmaids, but no brides (so to speak), and I think that is a problem especially in this sort of setting.  You can certainly have too many brides, but you really do need at least one, and I just don't see it, and I'm not sure even if you got your guy this late, he'd have the talent to really be the guy on the roster as there aren't many uber elite scorers left to draft.

I do believe I've done the best I could so far - to build a capable, competitive modern team - given my draft spot.

The "Alphas" I saw available may have had the ability to score but were lacking in areas that would've presented weaknesses elsewhere..

The last thing I was going to do was draft someone with a big name but was going to present problems later on in trying to cover for him.

[nickagneta]

The Wizards through 5 rounds:

PG: John Stockton
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Michael Redd
PF: Dennis Rodman
C: Arvydas Sabonis

I like my balance so far. 3 elite defenders (Stockton, Klay, Rodman), 2 elite playmakers (Stockton/Sabonis), and 4 guys that can all space the floor while Rodman does the dirty work inside.

I also love the idea of a Stockton Sabonis pick and roll/pop game, and both guys are so incredibly talented at making plays for others. I expect Redd and Klay to get a lot of open shots. And Redd can put the ball on the floor and create for himself as well.

My favorite backcourt in the game. They are both my type of players. Love it well done.

I really don't like Redd at SF as he was a pretty standard definition of a SG and even guarding SGs his whole career, he wasn't the best defender. So I think he would struggle at that position playing the type of talent this draft has at SF. I think Redd makes an excellent 6th man though.

Sabonis is tremendous but he was so SLOW in the NBA. In this type format, I think Sabonis struggles defensively. With defensive issues at both center and SF, I don't see Rodman being able to hide both guys on that side of the court.

Rodman is a monster. Love him. Like the team as a whole. A couple of good pucks on Monday to address my issues would go a long way, IMHO.

[Who]

G: Mark Price
G: Drazen Petrovic
F: Julius Erving
F: Larry Nance
C: Shawn Kemp

2 shooters & 3 dunkers

So the idea here is something along the lines of those Nash - Marion - Amare Phoenix Suns with Price - Nance - Kemp in place of those three players. Uptempo run and gun basketball. Lot of PnR action. Then I got Doc and Drazen on the wings.

Doc is our best overall player but Price is probably our best offensive player with Doc and Drazen in close support. Kemp the 4th option and Nance the 5th. So a perimeter orientated attack. I wanted to keep the paint open for Doc so he could attack the rim rather than clog the paint. That was my main goal offensively. And to have a heavy emphasis on transition. The small ball was a last minute adjustment.

So we are going to try and run some of these big guys off the floor. We'll give up some hoops due to our lack of size but I believe we'll add more offensively than we give up defensively with our speed & spacing.

[Darth_Yoda]

G: Mark Price
G: Drazen Petrovic
F: Julius Erving
F: Larry Nance
C: Shawn Kemp

2 shooters & 3 dunkers

So the idea here is something along the lines of those Nash - Marion - Amare Phoenix Suns with Price - Nance - Kemp in place of those three players. Uptempo run and gun basketball. Lot of PnR action. Then I got Doc and Drazen on the wings.

Doc is our best overall player but Price is probably our best offensive player with Doc and Drazen in close support. Kemp the 4th option and Nance the 5th.

So we are going to try and run some of these big guys off the floor. We'll give up some hoops due to our lack of size but I believe we'll add more offensively than we give up defensively with our speed & spacing.

I think, our 2 teams would be the best game to watch in person.

[Jvalin]

The Wizards through 5 rounds:

PG: John Stockton
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Michael Redd
PF: Dennis Rodman
C: Arvydas Sabonis

I like my balance so far. 3 elite defenders (Stockton, Klay, Rodman), 2 elite playmakers (Stockton/Sabonis), and 4 guys that can all space the floor while Rodman does the dirty work inside.

I also love the idea of a Stockton Sabonis pick and roll/pop game, and both guys are so incredibly talented at making plays for others. I expect Redd and Klay to get a lot of open shots. And Redd can put the ball on the floor and create for himself as well.

My favorite backcourt in the game. They are both my type of players. Love it well done.

I really don't like Redd at SF as he was a pretty standard definition of a SG and even guarding SGs his whole career, he wasn't the best defender. So I think he would struggle at that position playing the type of talent this draft has at SF. I think Redd makes an excellent 6th man though.

Sabonis is tremendous but he was so SLOW in the NBA. In this type format, I think Sabonis struggles defensively. With defensive issues at both center and SF, I don't see Rodman being able to hide both guys on that side of the court.

Rodman is a monster. Love him. Like the team as a whole. A couple of good pucks on Monday to address my issues would go a long way, IMHO.

I was super high on the Wizards after the first 4 rounds. The Redd pick kind of killed my excitement tbh. Thing is, I can't think of an obvious pick at SF instead of Redd. I have a guy in mind that would have been an intriguing fit for the Wizards, but he's a less talented player than Redd.

I guess Celtic Fan Forever wanted to draft the best player available on the board that could play the SF position. Don't like Redd at SF either, but it is what it is.

[Who]

G: Mark Price
G: Drazen Petrovic
F: Julius Erving
F: Larry Nance
C: Shawn Kemp

2 shooters & 3 dunkers

So the idea here is something along the lines of those Nash - Marion - Amare Phoenix Suns with Price - Nance - Kemp in place of those three players. Uptempo run and gun basketball. Lot of PnR action. Then I got Doc and Drazen on the wings.

Doc is our best overall player but Price is probably our best offensive player with Doc and Drazen in close support. Kemp the 4th option and Nance the 5th.

So we are going to try and run some of these big guys off the floor. We'll give up some hoops due to our lack of size but I believe we'll add more offensively than we give up defensively with our speed & spacing.

I think, our 2 teams would be the best game to watch in person.

Both teams have an ABA feel to them. Smaller at forward. Multiple ball-handlers and creators. Lots of running and exciting open court play.