BALL BRO TEAM USA DRAFT:
With Team USA basketball camp happening recently, we decided to do a draft of a pool of players from the official USA roster. The original roster had 35 names which you can find here. We took out some notable names like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Chris Paul and whittled it down to 30 guys so that each team would have a squad of ten players. We drafted in Snake order between the three of us. Here, we will outline our teams and give some brief thoughts about our roster.
Draft results:
Team Chatman:
STARTERS:
G — James Harden
G — Klay Thompson
F — Gordon Hayward
F — Kevin Love
C — Anthony Davis
BENCH:
G — Kyle Lowry (6th man/ Harden back up)
F — Draymond Green (Defensive/intensive spark)
C — Andre Drummond (rotation player)
F — DeMar DeRozan (rotation player)
F — Tobias Harris (Role player)
Why my team is the best:
I, quite easily I believe, have the best starting line up of shooters. They all shoot 45% or above from the field. They all also shoot 34% or above from 3-point land, with Harden and AD being the only ones under 40%. This elite shooting stretches the floor and opens the paint for good rim attackers like Harden and Davis. And our bench is just as deep with shooting capability. We also have a good mix of players who can create their own shot and players who can spot up. With Harden at the helm, those spot up shooters will definitely benefit as The Beard draws defensive attention, opening up the kick out. On defense it’s no surprise that Harden and Love are a little exploitable but, looking at the rest of the roster, we have defenders who work great in systems and great solo defenders who can work to contain these other great players. I also feel that I have the best balance on my team. The other teams have too many players who require the ball in their hands. That will disrupt their roles on the court. For my team, there’s never too many ball handlers on at one time, which means players are able to find a more comfortable fit on the team. And Draymond is getting in the heads of the other team’s best players (aside from Kawhi most likely), because they all have fragile egos.
Team George:
STARTERS:
G — Victor Oladipo
G — Khris Middleton
F- Paul George
F — Jimmy Butler
C — Kevin Durant
BENCH:
G — Kemba Walker (6th man)
G — Isaiah Thomas (No burn lmao)
G — John Wall (Rotation player)
F — Harrison Barnes (Depth piece)
C — DeMarcus Cousins (Rotation player)
Why my team is the best:
First, I have the best overall player in Kevin Durant. No one in the history of the league (yall may think this is a hot take but it’s true) could ever score like he can. KD’s a walking bucket. He’s also now an impactful defender. Secondly, my starting lineup fits together the best. With my squad, we can switch 1–5 and have capable shooters at each position. PG and Jimmy Butler are two of the best perimeter defenders in the league and the other guys are no slouches either. PG and KD are elite shooters and everyone else is knockdown. No other team has the combined defensive and offensive power that my team does. Lastly, I have capable guys off the bench that can break down the defense and get a bucket when needed. The one weakness that my starting five has is that there is no one true creator. KD and Jimmy can do it some but probably not for a full game. I can throw Kemba, IT, or Wall in there for creator purposes and they’ll be protected with elite defenders and shooters around them. I was very cognizant of fit when choosing my team and because of that, I’ll destroy the each of the opposing teams. Vote Team George. We’re the best team here and it isn’t close.
Team Luter:
STARTERS:
G-Russell Westbrook
G-Damian Lillard
F-Kawhi Leonard
F-Blake Griffin
C- Deandre Jordan
BENCH:
G- Bradley Beal(6th man)
C- Myles Turner(When Hack-a-Deandre happens)
G- CJ McCollum (Rotation player)
G- Devin Booker( Westbrook back up)
G- Eric Gordon(Rotation player)
Why my team is the best:
I have the best two-way player in the league in Kawhi Leonard. He’s by far the best perimeter defender in the league. He’ll be able to shut down the best threats on the other teams. I also have Russell Westbrook who is the best point guard on the roster. I love The Brodie and his activity on offense and defense will be a huge plus for this team. The Russ and Deandre/Myles Turner pick and roll can be deadly and it gives me real Steven Adams/Brodie vibes. Dame is a bucket and probably the best shot maker from the guard position out of all the thirty players that we could choose from. I’m sure you guys saw how the Pelicans trapped Dame in the playoffs and slowed him down significantly, but because the talent of these teams, that won’t be possible. These games will probably be close and I have the clutch edge, everyone knows that’s Dame’s time. I have depth on the bench with a two-way center in Myles Turner and shot makers in Beal, McCollum, Booker, and Gordon. McCollum and Gordon both play off the ball on their respective teams, so it would be a natural fit for them to do it in this setting as well. DeAndre Jordan will swallow boards on the offensive and defensive end and Blake’s versatility offensively will help him to be a great fit. Blake can help facilitate the offense, because, outside of Westbrook my team could be lacking in creating for others. Everyone can create for themselves, because these players are so elite, but you can never have enough easy baskets. Overall, I think have the best team and you should vote Team Luter.
