Ranking NBA Contenders
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Lebron was the last big domino of the offseason. Let's assess the contenders now.
Since I started thinking about roster construction playing the old NBA Live games, my belief is that championship teams have to have two things 1) a great closing lineup and 2) an elite 6-man rotation. That means any 5 players of the 6-man rotation should form a coherent team.
| Rank | Team | Closing 5 | 6th man |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OKC | Hartenstein, Chet, Williams, Caruso, SGA | McCain (?) |
| 2 | Spurs | Wemby, Champagnie, Harper, Castle, Fox | Kornet |
| 3 | NYK | KAT, OG, Hart, Bridges, Brunson | Drummond |
| 4 | 76ers | Embiid, Bron, Brown, VJ, Maxey | Wade |
| 5 | T-Wolves | Gobert, McDaniels, Ant, Ayo, LaMelo | DiVincenzo |
| 6 | Nuggets | Jokic, Gordon, Johnson, Braun, Murray | ? |
| 7 | Pacers | Zubac, Siakam, Nesmith, Nembhard, Hali | Toppin (?) |
| 8 | Celtics | Tatum, George, Hauser, Pritchard, White | Robinson |
| 9 | Pistons | Duren (?), Collins, Robinson, Ausar, Cade | Joe |
| 10 | Cavs | Allen, Mobley, Strus, Mitchell, Harden | Schroeder |
| 11 | Warriors | Kristaps, Horford, Draymond, Jimmy, Steph | Podz |
Ok, maybe the Warriors aren't real contenders but I love that team!
I couldn't tell who OKC's 6th man is because there are like 5 excellent options.
The Spurs could be a lot better off after trading Fox because it would open a spot for Vassel. If the Heat could pick him up, they would jump onto this list. As is, they're backcourt is a mess.
We'll see if the Nuggets re-sign Brown or Watson. They need a better 6th man than they have right now.
The T-Wolves will have to play really small when Gobert's out. Ant's really strong and Jalen's really tall, so maybe they can manage.
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