The Los Angeles and Brooklyn Nets are loaded with star expertise.
In whole, the 2 groups enter the 2021-22 NBA season with 13 gamers who’ve been named an All-Star no less than as soon as of their NBA careers.
As NBA.com’s Benyam Kidane recently detailed, the Los Angeles Lakers have a mixed 57 All-Star picks on their roster, which occurs to be essentially the most in NBA historical past. The Nets have a mixed 44 All-Star picks, placing them behind solely these Lakers and 2010-11 Boston Celtics (56) for essentially the most ever.
Since various the gamers on the Lakers and Nets are now not All-Stars, two members of our NBA.com Workers held a fantasy draft that includes the prime variations of the 13 All-Stars.
The place did three-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months Dwight Howard land? What about 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony? Which one in all James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook have been first off the board?
Let’s discover out…
Draft order
Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles) bought the No. 1 decide and Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_) bought 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 may discover that 14 gamers have been chosen, that manner every roster is made up of seven gamers. Whoever bought the final decide within the draft was allowed to pick anybody of their selecting who’s at the moment on the Lakers or Nets.
Draft outcomes
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Rafferty)
2. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (Workforce Irving)
3. Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Irving)
4. James Harden, Brooklyn Nets (Workforce Rafferty)
5. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Rafferty)
6. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Irving)
7. Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Irving)
8. Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets (Workforce Rafferty)
9. Blake Griffin, Brooklyn Nets (Workforce Rafferty)
10. Rajon Rondo, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Irving)
11. LaMarcus Aldridge, Brooklyn Nets (Workforce Irving)
12. Paul Millsap, Brooklyn Nets (Workforce Rafferty)
13. DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers (Workforce Rafferty)
14. Patty Mills, Brooklyn 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 group?
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 variety of mouths to feed, however Irving and LeBron have 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 group as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, however the Nets have 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 may make it work.
At heart, I went with Anthony Davis as an alternative 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 menace subsequent to Irving, Harden and LeBron. 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 heart.
Subsequent to Davis within the frontcourt is Blake Griffin. I in all probability need not remind you what peak Blake Griffin regarded like, however want you be reminded…
One thing tells me Harden and LeBron would have a variety 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 all the things collectively properly for Workforce Rafferty.
Good luck stopping this group.
— 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 plain choice as one of the proficient scorers in NBA historical past, however the No. 3 decide is the place issues bought troublesome. There is a sturdy 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 primarily made the identical resolution Oklahoma Metropolis’s entrance workplace needed to make again in 2012.
That did not lead to bringing a championship to the Thunder franchise, however they have been “Sport 6 Klay” away from making a second NBA Finals look and, presumably, an NBA title.
With my subsequent choice, I elected to shore up my frontcourt with the most effective defender on this group in Dwight Howard, a three-time Defensive Participant of the 12 months and five-time rebounding champion. Individuals appear to overlook how dominant Howard was from 2006 to 2014, and I do not suppose heart AD desires something to do with prime Dwight.
In want of some capturing, I may have gone with Kyrie Irving, however I could not go up on Carmelo Anthony, who averaged over 20 factors per sport for the primary 14 years of his profession. Think about attempting to defend prime KD and prime Melo on the identical group. Good luck.
To spherical out my beginning 5, I elected to take Rajon Rondo, who would have a area day feeding the 2 aforementioned bucket-getters, in addition to having Howard as a lob menace. Remember that Rondo was additionally a four-time All-Defensive Workforce member – two of which have been First Workforce picks – and a steals champion throughout his prime, able to locking up Irving in Workforce Rafferty’s backcourt.
After that, LaMarcus Aldridge appeared like a no brainer over Paul Millsap and DeAndre Jordan. I additionally had the wild card decide in having the ability to choose any member of the present Lakers or Nets rosters, wherein I added some much-needed capturing to my backcourt in scoring guard Patty Mills.
Even when Workforce Rafferty appears like the favorite on paper, I like how we match up on the court docket.
— Irving
The views on this web page don’t essentially replicate the views of the NBA or its golf equipment.
