The Deep Bench
C Aaron Gray
PG Sebastian Telfair
SG/SF Ronnie Brewer
…LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE DEEP BENCH!!!
The Guys Who Will Actually Play
The Kid – Mo Harkless (SF)
Key stats (note -all stats per36 for last season unless otherwise noted): 11.4 pts, 6 reb, 1.6 stl, 1.1 blk
Primary Role: Athleticism, wing D, corner 3s, garbage buckets, protecting minutes from Ronnie Brewer.
The Hustler – Nick Collison (PF/C)Key stats: .624 TS%, .158 Win Share/48, 9.4 pts, 7.6 reb, 2.8 ast, 1.2 stl, believes in himself 100%
Primary Role: High-effort play, rebounding, two-way efficiency, Intangibles.
The Option – Jarrett Jack (PG/SG)Key stats: 15.7 pts, 6.7 ast, 3.7 reb, 15.9 PER, .115 WS/48
Primary Role: Playmaking, 3 guard lineups, backing up Kobe and Hill. Will play a lot at 2 when Kobe can't.
Le STAT – Amar’e Stoudemire (PF/C)Key stats: 21.8 pts, 7.7 reb, 1.1 blk, .637 TS%, 22.1 PER, .191 WS/48
Primary Role: Dominant bench scoring, post play, pick + roll O, rejuvenation
The Enforcer – Metta World Peace (SF/PF)Key stats: 13.2 pts, 5.3 reb, 1.7 stl
Primary Role: Defense, Physicality, Amiable Insanity. Part-time starter.
The Probably Still 20-25% Amazing - Vince Carter (SG/SF)Key stats: 18.7 pts, 5.7 reb, 3.3 ast, .406 3pt%, 17.8 PER, .137 WS/48
Primary Role: Floor spacing, Scoring, secondary playmaking, 3pt shooter, occasional bench spark. Regular starter.
The Big Man – Omer Asik (C)Key stats: 12.2 pts, 14.0 reb, 1.3 blk, 54.1% FG, 31% DRB%, .108 WS/48
Primary Role: Rim protection, pick+roll D, rebounding, screens (
seriously), efficient finishing on O.
The Point – George Hill (PG)Key stats: 14.8 pts, 4.9 ast, 1.1 stl, .368 3pt%, 16.6 PER, .177 WS/48
Primary Role: Pick and roll D, ball-handling, secondary playmaker, floor spacing.
The Leatherman – Paul Millsap (PF)Key stats: 17.2 pts, 8.4 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.5 blk, 1.2 stl, 19.8 PER, .154 WS/48
Primary Role: All-around solid, smart play. Being criminally underrated. Basically,
Josh Smith with good shot selection. Confusing S+M community with nickname.
The Man – Kobe BryantKey stats: 5 championships.
Primary Role: Go get the 6th.
Everybody’s favorite non-Celtic, Kobe Bryant doesn’t just have 5 rings, 7 conference titles, 31,000+ pts, 220 playoff appearances, a ferocious work ethic and will to win, supreme conditioning, striking good looks, and final edit on all press conferences. He also has the best team around him since his championship years. The first ones.
The Coach – Eric SpoelstraKey stats: Last 2 NBA Championships, Last 3 Finals. Voted "Dreamiest Pro Coach Alive" by Teen Vogue magazine*. One of the smartest, hardest working coaches out there, who builds around talent as well as any coach in the league.
*list compiled prior to Brad Stevens hireDrafting Philosophy I already had Kobe when I took over, so my main priority was building a team that worked well with him. And what works well with the greatest winner of his generation is a roster full of guys who know how to win. It’s not a coincidence that you see so many high WS/48 stats up there; like any stat it has its limitations, but I consistently sought out guys who played smart, efficient, winning basketball, and their advanced stats typically reflect that.
I also looked for players who not only shone in the numbers, but who had experience in the real game – the past playoff success that is so crucial in an exercise like this. 8 of my top 9 players have been rotation players in a conference finals, and if Brewer supplants Harkless it’ll be 9 out of the top 10. There are few shiny flavor-of-the-week names on this team, no “think of his potential!” or “someday stardom” guys that so often fall short. Instead, we have savvy, effective veterans at or near the peak of their abilities who have climbed the mountain before and want to get there again.
From elite defenders to versatile, do-everything talents at guard and forward to top rebounders to an arsenal of bench weapons, the Orlando Kobes can stand toe-to-toe with absolutely any team in the league, overwhelming opponents with versatile lineups, throttling D, efficient O, and an excellent, deep bench. And come the Fake Playoffs, a lot of teams are gonna find out all about it.
Rotations I hate specifying minutes because there are so many factors to consider, but here are some frequent situational lineups for us:
Starters (no Kobe): Hill/VC/MWP/Millsap/Asik
Starters (Kobe returns): Hill/Kobe/VC (sometimes MWP)/Millsap/Asik
Buckets: Jack/Kobe/VC/Millsap/Amar’e
Shutdown: Hill/Kobe/MWP/Millsap/Asik
Small-ball Defense: Hill/Brewer/Kobe/MWP/Asik or Collison
Crunch-time ahead: Hill/ Kobe/MWP/Millsap/Amar’e
Crunch-time behind: Hill/Jack/Kobe/Millsap or Carter (depending on deficit)/Amar’e
Closeout (FTs to clinch): Hill/Jack/Kobe/Carter/Amar’e – all 80+% from line.
There’s a lot more I could say, but this is probably more than enough for now. Please post questions at any time and I'll be happy to answer all of them after 1 PM today.