In case you missed the preview, this is my attempt at building a team capable of winning 82 games. One thing I considered is that in today’s league, teams are gradually shifting towards smaller, more athletic lineups in favor of the more traditional big man dominated offense and defense.
The Starting Lineup
F – LeBron James
The best player in the NBA might be vital to creating the best team in the NBA. Needless to say, as the best player in the NBA, the rest of this team will be catered to his playing style.
F – Kevin Durant
Durant is easily the next best player in the NBA, but he’s not here necessarily because he is the second best, but more because his playing style happens to complement LeBron exceptionally well. This starting frontcourt lacks a true power forward, but the combination of LeBron’s strength and Durant’s length should be good enough to disrupt most power forwards in the league. Besides, which power forwards will be able to keep up with LeBron and Durant?
C – Joakim Noah
Although technically not an All-Star, there is a strong chance that Joakim Noah will be selected to the All-Star game once that time comes around, so he takes my third All-Star spot.
Joakim Noah is playing out of his mind right now. Stepping up his role in scoring and rebounding, averaging an impressive 4.4 assists per game from the center position, while averaging 2.1 blocks a game and 1.4 steals a game. On top of this he is one of the top interior defenders in the entire NBA. He is also athletic enough to run the floor with guys like LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Joakim Noah is currently making a strong case for being the second best center in the NBA, and if you wanted to argue that he is the best centre in the league this season, I will listen to your argument, because it is probably valid.
G – Jason Kidd
Part of the beauty of having LeBron James on your team is that he can get out on the open floor and run. Fastbreaks start with rebounding, and having one of the top rebounding point guards with elite vision in the open court can cause some serious damage. At this point of his career Kidd is just a spot up shooter, and he is doing a fantastic job, making 2.2 threes a game on 44.3% shooting. Kidd also brings tremendous experience and knowledge to this team (most minutes played by any active NBA player) and knows just about everything there is to know on an NBA floor.
G – Tony Allen
Is Tony Allen the best perimeter defender in the NBA? He has a strong case for it. He leads all shooting guards in steals per game, and has been known to shut down players much bigger, faster, and stronger than him. He is the perimeter version of Tyson Chandler, someone who just disrupts an offense with his presence.
Bench
Sixth Man – Klay Thompson
A sixth man role brings an instant spark off the bench. Klay Thompson is averaging 3.3 three pointers a game in the month of December, and will provide more than a spark with such a great passing start unit. He has good size, can play and guard all the perimeter positions decently well.
G – Eric Bledsoe
Perhaps I’m cheating, choosing perhaps the best reserve point guard in the league, but Eric Bledsoe is another guy who is perfect off the bench of a good team. He makes a great tandem with Jason Kidd and is just pure energy and positive impact off the bench. He can run the pick and roll efficiently, play good defense, grab rebounds, and come up with big plays down the stretch. He is also entertaining to watch, which is a bonus.
F/C – Nene
One of the few big men in the league who you can actually dump the ball to down low and expect some offense, Nene would be huge off the bench for this team. He is also a good defender, and you can honestly do a lot worse for a rebounder than Nene. Nene can match up decently well with most power forwards and center’s in today’s game, and even though this team should be forcing other teams to adjust to the forward tandem of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, having a more traditional power forward will help down the stretch because of the versatility.
C – Marcus Camby
At a tender age of 38, Marcus Camby won’t be giving you 30 productive minutes a game, but he is still one of premier rebounders and shot-blockers in the league in limited minutes. He also has the experience, which makes him a tad more reliable than guys like JaVale McGee in key games. Give him about 10 minutes a game, switching in at center when Noah is tired/in foul trouble, and you have a great 9th man.
The final depth chart looks like
PG – Kidd/Bledsoe
SG – Allen/Thompson
SF – James
PF – Durant/Nene
C – Noah/Camby
Does this team go 82-0? I certainly think it does. Feel free to give your feedback on this team, or even construct your own. The rules are a maximum of three All-Stars (two starters max), the rest of the starting lineup can be NBA starters, your sixth man can be an NBA starter, and the rest of the rotation has to be NBA bench players.
