NBA fantasy draft: Choosing groups that includes prime Lakers, Nets stars

There will likely be a good quantity of star energy on the Lakers and Nets this season.

In complete, the 2 groups enter the 2021-22 season with 13 gamers who’ve been named an All-Star not less than as soon as of their NBA careers. The Lakers have a mixed 57 All-Star picks on their roster, which simply so occurs to be probably the most in NBA historical past. The Nets, in the meantime, have a mixed 44 All-Star picks, placing them behind solely these Lakers and the 2010-11 Celtics (56) on the all-time record.

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Since a lot of the gamers on the Lakers and Nets are now not All-Stars, we determined to carry a fantasy draft that includes the prime variations of these 13 gamers.

The place did three-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months Dwight Howard land? What about 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony? Which certainly one of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook was first off the board?

Let’s discover out…

Draft order

Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles) received the No. 1 decide, and Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_) received the No. 2 decide. We did a snake draft, so the order flipped after every spherical.

Whereas there are 13 All-Stars on the Lakers and Nets, you will discover that 14 gamers had been chosen. The additional decide was added with a purpose to have an equal variety of gamers on every roster. The fantasy basic supervisor who obtained the final decide within the draft was allowed to pick any participant at present on the Lakers or Nets.

Draft outcomes

1. LeBron James, Lakers (Workforce Rafferty)

2. Kevin Durant, Nets (Workforce Irving)

3. Russell Westbrook, Lakers (Workforce Irving)

4. James Harden, Nets (Workforce Rafferty)

5. Anthony Davis, Lakers (Workforce Rafferty)

6. Dwight Howard, Lakers (Workforce Irving)

7. Carmelo Anthony, Lakers (Workforce Irving)

8. Kyrie Irving, Nets (Workforce Rafferty)

9. Blake Griffin, Nets (Workforce Rafferty)

10. Rajon Rondo, Lakers (Workforce Irving)

11. LaMarcus Aldridge, Nets (Workforce Irving)

12. Paul Millsap, Nets (Workforce Rafferty)

13. DeAndre Jordan, Lakers (Workforce Rafferty)

14. Patty Mills, Nets (Workforce Irving)

Workforce Rafferty

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: James Harden

SF: LeBron James

PF: Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap

C: Anthony Davis, DeAndre Jordan

What’s to not like about this workforce?

Main the cost is LeBron James, a person whose profession is worthy of GOAT consideration. Sharing the backcourt with him is Kyrie Irving and James Harden. That is a whole lot of mouths to feed, however Irving and James had been principally unstoppable as teammates in Cleveland, and Harden has loads of expertise taking part in with different stars.

Not solely did he begin his profession on the identical workforce as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, however the Nets had been scary good with Harden, Durant and Irving on the court docket collectively final season. Plus, the three of them are basketball geniuses. I am fairly assured that they might make it work.

At middle, I went with Anthony Davis as a substitute of Dwight Howard. Dominant as peak Howard was defensively — that is your reminder that Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace are the one gamers in NBA historical past with extra Defensive Participant of the 12 months trophies — I like the flexibility Davis brings on each ends of the court docket.

Offensively, he provides me one other succesful shooter and a dynamic lob risk subsequent to Irving, Harden and James. Defensively, he is a rim protector who has the mobility to additionally defend the perimeter. Let’s simply hope Davis is cool with being a full-time middle.

Subsequent to Davis within the frontcourt is Blake Griffin. I in all probability need not remind you what peak Blake Griffin seemed like, however…

One thing tells me Harden and James would have a whole lot of enjoyable working pick-and-rolls with Griffin.

Off the bench are Paul Millsap and DeAndre Jordan, a duo with two All-Defensive First Workforce picks and one All-Defensive Second Workforce choice to their names. The very last thing I wanted was extra playmaking, so that they tie every part collectively properly for Workforce Rafferty.

Good luck stopping this workforce.

— Rafferty

Workforce Irving

PG: Rajon Rondo, Patty Mills

SG: Russell Westbrook

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge

C: Dwight Howard

At a fast look, it would seem like Workforce Rafferty would run away with this one, however do not depend my squad out.

With the No. 2 decide, Kevin Durant was the apparent choice as one of the vital gifted scorers in NBA historical past, however the No. 3 decide is the place issues received troublesome. There is a robust case to be made that I ought to’ve gone with James Harden, however Durant supplies sufficient scoring.

Including a multi-faceted expertise with the guts of a lion in Russell Westbrook, I basically made the identical resolution Oklahoma Metropolis’s entrance workplace needed to make again in 2012. OKC did not win a championship with Durant and Westbrook because the franchise cornerstones, however the Thunder had been a “Recreation 6 Klay” efficiency away from making a second NBA Finals look and, probably, an NBA title.

With my subsequent choice, I elected to shore up my frontcourt with the very best defender on this group in Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months and five-time rebounding champion. I do not assume AD needs something to do with prime Dwight.

In want of some taking pictures, I might have gone with Kyrie Irving, however I could not cross up on Carmelo Anthony, who averaged over 20 factors per recreation for the primary 14 years of his profession. Think about attempting to defend prime KD and prime Melo on the identical workforce. Good luck.

To spherical out my beginning 5, I elected to take Rajon Rondo, who would have a subject day feeding the 2 aforementioned bucket-getters, in addition to having Howard as a lob risk. Do not forget that Rondo was additionally a four-time All-Defensive Workforce member (two First Workforce picks) and a steals champion throughout his prime. He might lock up Irving.

After that, LaMarcus Aldridge appeared like a no brainer over Paul Millsap and DeAndre Jordan. I additionally had the wild-card decide, so I added some much-needed taking pictures to my backcourt in scoring guard Patty Mills.

Even when Workforce Rafferty seems to be like the favorite on paper, I like how we match up on the court docket.

— Irving