[NBA2k24 Expansion] Aloha! A Hawaii Honu Story

[R1zzo23]

Wemby Dominates, Could Not Be Denied in OT!

What looked to be an ugly, rock fight of a game early on turned into a classic in Honu history, albeit just seven games old. With sophomore phenom Victor Wembanyama (36 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast, 6 stl, 3 blk, 15-22 FG) in town, Hawaii was in for its biggest challenge against any one individual player yet this year.

The first quarter was all San Antonio as they outscored the Honu 32-16 with Wembanyama pouring in 23 points all by himself. It looked like he was on his way to an absolutely historic night. Luckily, the Honu defense began to buckle down on him, while bringing frequent double teams, and making others beat them. In the final three-plus quarters, Wemby only mustered up 13 additional points.



One of the biggest culprits of the rock fight was the Honu’s head honcho John Collins. After going 1-14 to open the game, Hawaii leaned on him down the stretch in hopes he found his groove. After a mid-range bucket over Jeremy Sochan, he then caught an alley-oop [pictured above] and hammered home a reverse jam to tie up the game!



After the Honu secured a long rebound on the next possession, Collins hit the gas and raced down the floor, beating Wemby in the foot race and being rewarded for his effort, catching a pass right down Main Street and dunking it for a two-point advantage.

On the ensuing possession, Wemby danced at the top of the key with Zach Collins doing everything he could to stay with him. Once he got the Honu big man to retreat just a single step, Vic rose up and drained a triple to put the Spurs up by one yet again. The two teams would then trade empty possessions, with the Spurs having a possession with the game clock winding down and a chance to really ice the game.



With Kris Dunn draining the clock, Wembanyama came up to set a screen before rolling hard to the rim. The Honu, who are not familiar with close game situations both as a franchise or even as individual professionals, found themselves in a gross miscommunication. Both Jae’Sean Tate and Nasir Little stay with the ball handler rather than the 7’4” freak rolling down the lane, leading to an easy dunk for a three-point advantage with under 10 seconds left on the clock.

After a time out, the Honu employed their best three-point shooting lineup hoping to find an opening and push this game into overtime with a late-game triple.



After catching into the corner with Devin Vassell draped all over him, Duncan Robinson waited patiently for Jaylin Williams to come seal off the defender with a hard screen before dancing around the arc and rising up for a three…AND KNOCKS IT DOWN! THE GAME IS GOING TO OVERTIME!

The excitement would end right there as the Spurs raced out to a quick 11-point advantage in the extra period, eventually outsourcing the home Honu 16-8 in OT and securing a 105-97 win. The Honu continue to be in search of the first win of their franchise’s history.

Honu Stats:
D. Robinson - 21 pts (7-10 3PT), 7 ast
J. Tate - 18 pts (6-10 FG, 3-5 3PT), 2 reb, 4 ast
Z. Collins - 17 pts, 7 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk
J. Collins - 13 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast
A. Sarr - 11 pts, 7 reb, 1 stl, 3 blk
J. Strawther - 9 pts, 2 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk
D. Banton - 6 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk
N. Little - 2 pts, 2 reb
B. Simmons - 7 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk

Current Record: 0-7

[RolePlayer]

Tough start to the year, however the roster is really exciting, John Collins is someone whose career hasn't lived up to it's potential so far in my opinion and I think Sarr is a very interesting prospect that could develop in so many ways.

Glad to have another expansion franchise on here, I'll be checking in.

[R1zzo23]

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

Tough start to the year, however the roster is really exciting, John Collins is someone whose career hasn't lived up to it's potential so far in my opinion and I think Sarr is a very interesting prospect that could develop in so many ways. Glad to have another expansion franchise on here, I'll be checking in.

I’m starting to get the hang of Collins. Once I get his jumper down more consistently (it is SUPER slow) I’m hoping to get more of a perimeter game going with him to keep the defenses honest and off balance.

Fun note: I am yet to hit a FT with Ben Simmons as I’m probably 0-15 from the line with him lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[studbucket]

LOL at the Ben Simmons note. I actually love that

[marshdaddy]

33 points on opening night and 13-13 on night two aren't bad ways to start for Collins. I'd take that.

[R1zzo23]

Honu Hunker Down for First Win in Franchise History!

It may have taken longer than the Hawaii fans would have liked but welcoming Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers yielded the team’s first win in franchise history! The Honu were able to jump out to a big lead behind a well-rounded team effort on both sides of the ball, only to cling on to dear life towards the end. Turnovers, shot clock violations and seven missed free throws in the 4th gave the 76ers every opportunity to steal this game on the Island, but the Honu did just enough to seal the deal.


The 6th overall pick of the draft, rookie Alex Sarr (11 pts, 5 reb, 1 stl) faced his greatest challenge yet in Joel Embiid (30 pts, 16 reb, 2 ast, 4 blk). A much more even fight in size compared to Victor Wembanyama a couple games ago, Sarr was able to “slow” Embiid down to just 30 points on 8-18 shooting, baiting the Philly big man into attempting five three-pointers, none of which he knocked down.


Some would say this team will go as John Collins (12 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk) goes, and as the defacto best player on the roster that would make sense. After a few stellar performances, Collins had a down game that ended in a Honu win. Playing with foul trouble kept him under wraps for most of the game, though rookie Tyler Smith (18 pts, 9 reb, 1 blk) found out what it is like to be put in the spin cycle as Duncan Robinson (21 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast) celebrated the dunk on the bench.


Getting involved on the offensive end, Ben Simmons (12 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl) pulled Drew Eubanks (5 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk) out on the perimeter and blew past him for a rare finish in the paint. Typically, teams have elected to just hack Simmons if he gets near the rim but Eubanks just didn’t have the foot speed to catch up.


What is becoming his go-to move on the block, Tyler Smith gets fooled as he was defending against the bully ball he got victimized on earlier in the game. Instead, Collins showcased great footwork and athleticism as he drains this turn-around jumper over the 6’11” rookie.


Learning to be the focus of the defense, John Collins again makes a huge play down the stretch, this time with the pass. As Killian Hayes (2 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl) digs down off of Dalano Banton (13 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk), Collins kicks it out to his jumbo guard who quickly relays it to the corner for Duncan Robinson to bury his sixth triple of the game, effectively putting the 76ers out of the misery!

Honu Stats:
D. Robinson - 21 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 6-10 3PT
Z. Collins - 14 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk
D. Banton - 13 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk
B. Simmons - 12 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl
J. Collins - 12 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk
A. Sarr - 11 pts, 5 reb, 1 stl

Current Record: 1-8

[Slyone14]

Subscribed and following. Loving this, hope you continue.