2023-24 Season Draft CHAMPIONSHIP - Snakebites** vs. flaco

[Fadeaway_J]

Here is a quick list of what you need in your writeup.

1. Specific years for each player on your team
2. Rotations and minutes for each player
3. Reasoning as to why your team will win and/or why people should vote for you.

Do not vote in this thread until both managers have submitted their writeups. Please ensure you give a rationale for your vote; votes with no explanation will not be counted.

If writeups aren't posted within 24 hours, we will vote solely based on the players they have drafted (and any rotations they have posted on their roster page).

**First to 3 votes wins the championship.**

[flaco]

Best of luck, Snake!



Rotations
PG: Fred VanVleet (38) / Jordan McLaughlin (10)
SG: Anthony Edwards (38) / Keon Ellis (10)
SF: Paul George (38) / Keon Ellis (10)
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (22) / Jonathan Isaac (26)
C: Al Horford (32) / Giannis Antetokounmpo (16)

Offense
Giannis and Ant are options #1A and #1B respectively. George is option #2. Everybody else spreads the floor. FVV and Horford provide secondary shot creation. Giannis surrounded by reliable 3pt shooters should be unguardable. He recorded career highs in efficiency this season becoming the first player in NBA history to average 30-10-5 on over 60% shooting.

Defense
Horford may drop or switch. Giannis may roam, drop, switch or fight through. Wing D should be strong with 6 versatile/switachable defenders on the roster. FVV and McLaughlin are my POA defenders. They go over / fight through the pick forcing Steph to put the ball on the floor and either take the long 2 of the dribble or attack the basket against Horford/Giannis/Isaac. All players on the roster are plus defenders, to say the least. Giannis is a former DPOY. Isaac led the league in Defensive Estimated Plus Minus this season.

Depth
A few words on Keon Ellis since he's untested in our games. He became a starter for the Kings after Kevin Huerter suffered a season-ending injury. Never looked back ever since. Started in both of their play-in games. He's 41.7% 3pt shooter on 72.4% 3PAr and a terrific defender recording a DBPM of +2.1.

Star power
While LeBron and Steph are mega stars, they are well past their prime at 39 and 36 years old respectively. Accolades-wise, Giannis is a lock for the all-NBA 1st team. Ant will almost certainly make the 2nd team. LeBron and Steph are expected to make the 3rd team. Snake has more star power, but I'd argue I got the 2 best players in the series based on their performance this season. Giannis is hands down the best PF in the league. Ant is arguably the best SG. This is the 2023-24 draft, not an all time draft.

FGA
Giannis Antetokounmpo 18.8
Paul George 16.7
Anthony Edwards 19.7
Al Horford 6.4
Jonathan Isaac 4.9
Jordan McLaughlin 3.0
Keon Ellis 4.1
Fred VanVleet 13.9

Total: 87.5

[Snakebites]

PG: Steph Curry 19.5 FGA
SG: Derrick White 11.5 FGA
SF: Jalen Williams 14.0 FGA
PF: Lebron James 17.9 FGA
C: Rudy Gobert 8.1 FGA

B: Nickeil Alexander-Walker 6.6 FGA
B: Dean Wade 4.3 FGA
B: Dereck Lively II 5.4 FGA

Curry (37)/White (11)
White (26)/Alexander-Walker (22)
Williams (36)/James (12)
James (27)/Wade (21)
Gobert (35)/Lively (13)

Alrighty let’s do this.

I won’t beat around the bush here, I believe in my team here. I think that even at their age Lebron and Steph are the best tandem in this game and that their synergy with Lebron’s passing and Curry’s still GOAT level shooting ability is seamless. In general I think my team is extremely well built around the player Lebron is now.

Flaco says this is a 23-24 draft, not an all time draft, but that cuts both ways. Horford is a shadow of his former self and his recent playoff record is inconsistent at best. Paul George is no longer a high end defender- all three of my rotation wings are better defensively than him at this point. My supporting cast all fits like a glove and they’re all in their primes. And Flaco’s depth is also weaker than mine in the general sense- that’s where he pays for Giannis/Edwards/PG.

I don’t have an ideal man defender for Giannis but man to man has never really been how Giannis had been stopped- my team defense and rim protection are first rate and I think I can outproduce flaco from beyond the arc too.

Giannis will have his hands full whatever his assignment is here too- he either needs to guard someone who’s a threat from beyond the arc or he has to play the center role. He’ll be effective but without a weak offensive player in my 1-4 spots it’ll be harder for him to be the help defender he’s always suited to be.

[Dr Positivity]

This is closer than I thought since I had assumed Lebron/Curry with Gobert/White/Williams was an unstoppable train in this pool talentt and fit wise, but I think Gobert over old Horford can be the difference. Vote Snakebites.

[Fadeaway_J]

LeBron should be making 2nd team over KD so don't get me started on accolades

I have these two as the strongest teams in the draft when you combine star power, fit, and balance. Where Snake gets the edge for me is the back half of the rosters. I'd have J-Dub and White comfortably above FVV and Horford as fourth and fifth starters, and while Isaac provides tremendous per-minute impact, I think he's overextended from both a skill and durability perspective playing 26 mpg. McLaughlin is a spot minutes/garbage time guy at this level. Those shaky minutes will tell in a close series.

Vote: Snakebites

[wackbone]

Pretty much echo everything that Fade said. Jalen Williams proved to be a significant drop in this draft and White and Gobert are excellent complimentary pieces in this pool.

Vote: Snakebites

[Fadeaway_J]

Snake wins!

[flaco]

Swift and painless. Congrats, Snake! Well deserved victory!

[Snakebites]

GG Flaco

Luck played a role here, as it does most of the time for the winner. This was one of those games where I got exactly what I needed at every single pick.