NBA all-decade 'pick' up teams

[Ed Monix]

Just for fun I thought I would make up a 5 v 5 pick up game tournament comprised of the best players at each draft selection over the past decade (2010-2020).

Obviously these selections are based on my opinion thus I have given an alternative for each team.

Who would win???

Team 1st pick:

Karl-Anthony Towns
Anthony Davis
Zion Williamson
Anthony Edwards
Kyrie Irving

Alternatives: Ben Simmons, Deandre Ayton

Team 2nd pick:

James Wiseman
Marvin Bagley III
Brandon Ingram
Victor Oladipo
Ja Morant

Alternatives: D'Angelo Russell, Lonzo Ball

Team 3rd pick:

Joel Embiid
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Bradley Beal
Luka Dončić

Alternative: LaMelo Ball

Team 4th pick:

Kristaps Porziņģis
Jaren Jackson Jr
Aaron Gordon
Patrick Williams
De'Andre Hunter

Alternative: Dion Waiters

Team 5th pick:

Jonas Valančiūnas
DeMarcus Cousins
Isaac Okoro
De'Aaron Fox
Trae Young

Alternative: Kris Dunn, Darius Garland

Team 6th pick:

Nerlens Noel
Jonathan Isaac
Buddy Hield
Marcus Smart
Damian Lillard

Alternative: Onyeka Okongwu

Team 7th pick:

Julius Randle
Lauri Markkanen
Harrison Barnes
Jamal Murray
Coby White

Alternative: Ben McLemore, Killian Hayes

Team 9th pick

Andre Drummond
Frank Kaminsky
Gordon Hayward
Rui Hachimura
Kemba Walker

Alternative: Deni Avdija

Team 10th pick

Zach Collins
Paul George
Mikal Bridges
CJ McCollum
Justise Winslow

Alternatives: Austin Rivers, Cam Reddish

Team 11th pick

Myles Turner
Domantas Sabonis
Klay Thompson
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Malik Monk

Alternatives: Doug McDermott, Cameron Johnson, Devin Vassell

Team 13th pick

Kelly Olynyk
Markieff Morris
Devin Booker
Zach LaVine
Donovan Mitchell

Alternative: Tyler Herro

Team 14th pick

Bam Adebayo
Marcus Morris
Michael Porter Jr.
T. J. Warren
Cameron Payne

Alternatives: Denzel Valentine, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith

Team 15th pick

Giannis Antetokounmpo
Sekou Doumbouya
Kawhi Leonard
Kelly Oubre Jr
Cole Anthony

Team 19th pick

John Collins
Tobias Harris
Saddiq Bey
Kevin Huerter
Avery Bradley

Alternative: Gary Harris

*Malik Beasley misses selection due to being in jail

Team 27th pick

Rudy Gobert
Larry Nance Jr
Pascal Siakam
Kyle Kuzma
Bogdan Bogdanović

Alternative: Robert Williams III

Team 30th pick

Kevon Looney
Kyle Anderson
Jimmy Butler
Kevin Porter Jr.
Desmond Bane

Alternative: Josh Hart

[gouki88]

Team 3rd pick is so far ahead of the rest. It actually has two guards, two forwards and a big, as well as having probably the highest concentration of talent. Especially crazy because team 4th pick is so bad.

I like that you left off the 8th pick. That one has been weirdly horrible. Pretty sure the last All-Star pick 8 was Vin Baker

[Ed Monix]

Team 3rd pick is so far ahead of the rest. It actually has two guards, two forwards and a big, as well as having probably the highest concentration of talent. Especially crazy because team 4th pick is so bad.

I like that you left off the 8th pick. That one has been weirdly horrible. Pretty sure the last All-Star pick 8 was Vin Baker

Yeah I am with you on Team 3rd pick.

As for the 8th pick, I went through each draft and it was surprising how bad those selections were and then in comparison the 27th pick produces 2 All-Stars.

[Ed Monix]

It would be funny if the Celtics got Bradley Beal via free agency to form a Big-3 with Tatum & Brown.

They could be called, The Three Threes or The Big 3rd? I can already see a t-shirt with the phrase 'three is a magic number' and their cartoon bobbleheads underneath haha.

[trickybilly]

Iverson
White Chocolate
Swaggy P
Sheed
Shaq

Sorry, I thought this was "pick up" in Rucker park sense. I think my picks speak for themselves, although, one could sub in Tim Duncan for Shaq, to be the avuncular guy that breaks up fights. Swaggy P as the annoying irrational confidence guy is also replaceable.

Sheed, and Jayson Williams need to stay though, obviously.

[Moranis]

starting Edwards over Simmons just seems strange to me at this point.  Maybe Edwards ends up with the better career, but Simmons seems like a near perfect compliment to Irving (i.e. he makes up for all of Irving's short comings defensively, while Irving makes up for almost all of Simmons short comings offensively).

And man is that 8th pick bad.  Sexton is ok, but after that Ross and KCP are the 2 next best players (at least at this point).  Just awful.

[Roy H.]

#1 causes some matchup problems for #3, but #3 would still be the heavy favorite.

[Ed Monix]

#1 causes some matchup problems for #3, but #3 would still be the heavy favorite.

#11 would be a surprisingly tough match up for #1, especially if you swapped out Monk for Vassell. Obviously no-one is stopping Zion, but defensively he'd be dead attempting to chase Klay around the perimeter.

Domantas Sabonis
Myles Turner
Klay Thompson
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Devin Vassell

[tazzmaniac]

2010 - 2020 is actually 11 years not a decade.   2020 should be dropped. 

Team #3 is a heck of a team.   They'd even have a nice bench.  Favors, Kanter, Otto Porter and R.J. Barrett.  Okafor is the only weak link. 

[Ed Monix]

2010 - 2020 is actually 11 years not a decade.   2020 should be dropped. 

Team #3 is a heck of a team.   They'd even have a nice bench.  Favors, Kanter, Otto Porter and R.J. Barrett.  Okafor is the only weak link.

How daaaaarrrrre you point out a factual inaccuracy (which I should have obviously never missed)...with such a cogent & concise manner lol

[nickagneta]

Because getting a hit in the 2nd round is so difficult I thought, why not look at Team 2nd Round:

Draymond Green
Khris Middleton
Isaiah Thomas
Jerami Grant
Bojan Bogdanovic

Alter: Malcolm Brogdan

Nice little team, but again you're looking at 330 picks.

[Jvalin]

Because getting a hit in the 2nd round is so difficult I thought, why not look at Team 2nd Round:

Draymond Green
Khris Middleton
Isaiah Thomas
Jerami Grant
Bojan Bogdanovic

Alter: Malcolm Brogdan

Nice little team, but again you're looking at 330 picks.

Where's Jokic? 

Alternatives: Brogdon, Crowder, Satoransky, Joe Harris, Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell, Ivica Zubac, Dillon Brooks, Gary Trent Jr, Josh Richardson, Pat Connaughton (among many others)

Team undrafted wouldn't be half bad either.

PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Duncan Robinson
SF: Derrick Jones Jr.
PF: Robert Covington
C: Christian Wood

Alternatives: Kendrick Nunn, Facundo Campazzo, Alex Caruso, Seth Curry, Bryn Forbes (about to become a champ), Luguentz Dort, Kent Bazemore, Royce O'Neale, JaMychal Green, Chris Boucher, Maxi Kleber, Daniel Theis, Dewayne Dedmon

[nickagneta]

Because getting a hit in the 2nd round is so difficult I thought, why not look at Team 2nd Round:

Draymond Green
Khris Middleton
Isaiah Thomas
Jerami Grant
Bojan Bogdanovic

Alter: Malcolm Brogdan

Nice little team, but again you're looking at 330 picks.

Where's Jokic? 

Alternatives: Brogdon, Crowder, Satoransky, Joe Harris, Dinwiddie, Montrezl Harrell, Ivica Zubac, Dillon Brooks, Gary Trent Jr, Josh Richardson, Pat Connaughton (among many others)

Team undrafted wouldn't be half bad either.

PG: Fred VanVleet
SG: Duncan Robinson
SF: Derrick Jones Jr.
PF: Robert Covington
C: Christian Wood

Alternatives: Kendrick Nunn, Facundo Campazzo, Alex Caruso, Seth Curry, Bryn Forbes (about to become a champ), Luguentz Dort, Kent Bazemore, Royce O'Neale, JaMychal Green, Chris Boucher, Maxi Kleber, Daniel Theis, Dewayne Dedmon

Missed him. He would take Bojan's place, of course. Good catch. TP.