NBA 2K15: Five Under the Radar Teams to Use
The draft has come and gone, and we are now fully in the throes of NBA free agency, which, though it probably won’t be transformative for the league as a whole, should see at least 1 star player (most likely Carmelo Anthony) switch teams, shifting the balance of power ever so slightly.
However, we’ll deal with the seismic changes in the league if and when they come. For now, we can look ahead to some teams that may not contend for a real-life NBA championship, but can make their way solidly into that select group of teams that is a ton of fun to play with in NBA 2K15.
5. Utah Jazz
The Jazz still have to figure out what they’re going to do with Gordon Hayward, but they’re an interesting guard-heavy team with some freak athletes in the form of Jeremy Evans, Derrick Favors, and new addition Dante Exum. They are attempting to retain Hayward, and have apparently reached out to Trevor Ariza, so they should have some shooting to complement their guards and inside presence. The number of capable guards on the team provide the opportunity for some funky lineups in NBA 2K15, like a potential Burke-Burks-Exum-Hayward-Favors tandem that would have crazy speed and positional flexibility outside of Burke. Or, a freaky long lineup of Exum-Burks-Hayward-Favors-Kanter. They are currently lacking outside shooting, which could be a problem if defensive AI in 2K15 is improved over 2K14, but as it stands this could be a fun team to get up and down the court with.
4. Phoenix Suns
Look, Phoenix is probably not going to get LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony, even though it is potentially the best fit for either of those players. The Suns just aren’t on the radar of the superstars, and that’s okay for the purposes of this column. The Suns feature tons of positional flexibility, with Gerald Green, PJ Tucker, new addition TJ Warren and either Morris twin capable of manning the forward spots and Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, Tyler Ennis and Green able to switch around the guard spots.
The Suns can go hyperspeed with a lineup featuring Bledsoe-Dragic-Ennis-Green and one of the Morris Twins or they can go huge with last year’s lottery pick Alex Len, both Morris Twins, TJ Warren, Green and one of their guards. Or, if they really want to have fun, a PJ-TJ-MM-MM-GG lineup features a weird set of initials. Phoenix may have a few too many redundancies with low ceilings to really be a top-tier team, but they have a fun style and a bunch of cool players.
3. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks will probably be chosen a lot in NBA 2K15 online play if only to play with #2 overall pick Jabari Parker, but the real reason to choose the Bucks is their freakishly-long lineup possibilities. Their likely starting lineup will feature Brandon Knight, OJ Mayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Parker, and either John Henson or Larry Sanders, and there are good backups all over the roster. Kris Middleton is a 42% 3 point shooter at 6’8″, Ersan Illyasova, despite a mediocre season last season, shot 45% from 3 in 2012–2013 and is himself 6’10”, and you’ll always have one of Sanders or Henson at your disposal to patrol the paint. The Bucks can become team Dhalsim with Knight-Antetokounmpo-Parker-Illyasova-Henson and still have Middleton, Sanders and Mayo as the first 3 off the bench.
Of course, the big hole in the lineup is at point guard, where Brandon Knight isn’t going to excite many. He hasn’t had a great start to his career, even though he scored 18 points per game last season. However, excluding him from the lineup entirely might be possible in 2K15, which would, depending on how wild you feel like getting, could open up Giannis at point guard and make a potential Bucks lineup something like Giannis-Parker-Middleton-Henson-Sanders for optimum defense, or you could insert Illyasova in for one of Henson or Sanders as a power forward.
2. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks nearly shocked the world last season by beating the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs before losing a late lead in Game 6 and getting crushed in Game 7 on the road. In that playoff series they emphasized shooting over everything, attempting an absurd 230 3 pointers in 7 games. A year later, they add Al Horford (19 and 8 last season) who’s coming back from a torn pectoral that cut his season short and Adeian Payne, a 6’10” Swiss-Army Knife who played inside and outside for Michigan State last year, scoring 41 points on only 15 shots in an NCAA tournament game against Delaware. Payne played multiple positions at Michigan State, and shot 43% from 3 while also collecting 7 rebounds per game.
The Hawks have the potential to be an excellent team in both real life and NBA 2K15. Jeff Teague is a quality point guard, and lineups with him, Kyle Korver, Payne, Paul Millsap and Al Horford provide the kind of flexibility offensively that should terrorize opposing defenses. Mike Scott is a lanky shooter off the bench, and DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic could spell a starter and provide even more shooting. They don’t quite have the lineup flexibility of other teams and they won’t be the most athletic team in the world, but that starting 5 is the best one we’ve discussed so far. You could also use Scott’s tattoos to tell your opponent how you feel about them.
1. Charlotte Hornets
This is going to be THE team in NBA 2K15. Besides the cool uniforms and great new floor, the Hornets are going to be a lot of fun to use. They were the only team to draft 2 of my “rookies to be excited for” and both should be a major part of any lineup choices. PJ Hairston is a knock-down shooter who carried North Carolina before being dismissed from the team, and big man Noah Vonleh has huge upside. Both are big guys (Hairston is 6’6″ and 230 lbs while Vonleh is 6’10” 240) who can shoot and play alongside Charlotte’s more established veterans. A lineup featuring Kemba Walker-Hairston-Michael Kidd-Gilchrist-Vonleh-Al Jefferson has ball handling, shooting, defense, length, and post play to match up with just about any other team in the league.
The bench is decent, with Gary Neal and Gerald Henderson providing additional offense, and Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo providing some inside presence. This team made the playoffs last year with Josh McRoberts playing 30+ minutes per game, and he is now an aferthought, at least in 2K15. Anyone who remembers Starter jackets will find themselves drawn to the Hornets, who were once the coolest team in the league.
These are of course just a handful of teams that aren’t necessarily top tier but who will nonetheless be fun to use in NBA 2K15, and sneaky-good for online play. I’ll probably lean more on the Hornets if just for the cool factor, but these should be viable teams in NBA 2K15 online play.
Originally published at www.goodgamebro.com on July 3, 2014.
