NBA 2K - Georgiafan's 3 year realistic rebuilds / remasters

[georgiafan]

Midseason Report Card

Here is a mid season report card from all the players that have seen a lot of playing time. We have rounded up/down to make it easier to read. The shooting stats are FG/3/FT%

Name Ja Morant
Stats 23 PPG, 4 REB, 10 AST, 50/37/87% (33 min)
In Season Rating Changes Playmaking A to A+, (+1 ovr)
Grade A+

You can't ask anything else from the 3rd year player after making his first all star team. He has fixed his 3 point shooting and is averaging double digit assists. He is scoring 23 a night while shooting 50% from the field. If he keeps this up he could be in the MVP race next year and will get a max extension.

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Name Chris Mullin
Stats 18 PPG, 3 REB, 4 AST, 1.6 STL 45/44/70(33 min)
In Season Rating Changes Inside Scoring B- to B, Mid Range B+ to A-, 3 A- to A (+1 ovr)
Grade A-

The sharp shooting rookie has done what he was suppose to hit 3 pointers at a 44% clip. He has showed improvement in practice as well so justifying being taken 2nd overall. The improvements with rebounding, assist and defense will come in time.

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Name Brandon Clarke
Stats 17 PPG, 10 REB, 1 AST, 1.0 STL, 1.5 BLK 51/42/76 (32 min)
In Season Rating Changes 3 A- to B+
Grade A-

His stats have dipped a bit from the first of the season as the 3rd option you can't ask much else from him. 17 and 10 with top notch shooting splits for a PF. He isn't a great defender, but can guard the perimeter a little bit.

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Name Jaren Jackson
Stats 14 PPG, 7 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1.7 BLK 50/42/83 (27 min)
Grade B+

It seems like he is playing better this year despite the stats not blowing you away. He has improved his 3 point shooting and he easily could be starting over Clark. His minutes per game is a little lower then we would like.

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Name Jonas Valanciunas
Stats 13 PPG, 13 REB, 2 AST, 0.5 STL, 1.7 BLK, 53/27/81 (30 min)
In Season Rating Changes 3 B- to B, Post D B to B+, REB A+ to A (-1 ovr)
Grade A

The big guy is playing well in his contract year and all signs point to a extension with him. His 13 rebounds per game is top 5 in the league and his post defense has been solid. He does have a bit of a post up game. While he doesn't close games he is a important piece and should get a pay increase this summer.

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Name Desmond Bane
Stats 9 PPG, 2 REB, 2 AST, 0.5 STL, 44/41/78 (18 min)
Per 36 Stats 17 PPG, 4 REB, 3 AST
In Season Rating Changes
Grade B-

We might me a little harsh on Bane we just expected more from him and now he may never get out of the bench role. He is shooting the ball well from 3 he just doesn't do much else.

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Name Gheorge Stefan
Stats 8 PPG, 1 REB, 3 AST, 0.7 STL, 43/38/91 (14 min)
Per 36 Stats 18 PPG, 3 REB, 8 AST 1.6 STL
In Season Rating Changes Inside Scoring B- to C+, 3 B- to B+
Grade A-

The fan favorite 5'9 rookie PG isn't getting a lot of playtime yet has impressed. The 19 year old is already closing some games out. His shooting has been the biggest surprise and its already gotten better since opening night. His speed has been a asset in fast breaks and playing help defense. He has struggled on offense at times and as you would expect gets his shot blocked a lot. He is still figuring out how to use his mid range shot which is his best way to score.

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Name John Konchar
Stats 7 PPG, 4 REB, 2 AST, 0.5 STL, 44/45/70(16 min in 23 games)
Per 36 Stats 16 PPG, 8 REB, 5 AST
In Season Rating Changes
Grade B+

The 3 point specialist has done just that shooting 45% from 3. If your comparing his per 36 minutes to Bane he comes out on top in rebounds and assist. He is now getting consistent minutes and is making a case for even more.

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Name Justice Winslow
Stats 5 PPG, 3 REB, 2 AST 32/37/63 (14 min in 46 games)
Per 36 Stats 12 PPG, 8 REB, 5 AST
In Season Rating Changes Mid Range B- to C+, Playmaking B- to C+, Perm D B- to B (+1 ovr)
Grade B

Its hard to put a grade on Justice who fills up the box score with rebounds and assist. He has improved as a defender, but isn't getting blocks and steals. His shooting % is also rough at 32%. He is in a contract year and Memphis has a ton of cap space so we are expecting to lock him up till a deal about 10 million per year.


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Name Kyle Anderson
Stats 4 PPG, 4 REB, 2 AST 63/38/1000 (12 min in 12 games)
Per 36 Stats 12 PPG, 11 REB, 5 AST
In Season Rating Changes Mid Range A to A-, Post D B to B- (+1 ovr)
Grade N/A

He is basically insurance incase Winslow gets hurt as they do similar things. Memphis was able to hold on to him past the trade deadline and is a fantastic versatile veteran to have on your team. This is the final year of his contract and if the roster space is there likely gets brought back on a 1/2 year deal maybe 5 million or so per year.

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Name De'Andre Melton (13 min in 28 games )
Stats 4 PPG, 2 REB, 3 AST, 0.8 STL, 35/26/74
Per 36 Stats 11 PPG, 6 REB, 7 AST, 2.2 STL, 1.1 BLK
In Season Rating Changes Playmaing A to B+
Grade B+

He is one we didn't expect to grade this high until we looked at the stats. Yea the shooting % aren't good, but that's not his game. His per 36 stats are impressive especially his steals and blocks. He has been in and out of the rotation all year and with Thybulle its more complicated to play him. He is under contract for next year and should be back. Your not going to get a lot from him in a trade and he is so valuable to have around as a combo G off the bench that can defend and make plays. Don't be surprised to see him make the playoff rotation as he is the teams 2nd best defender.


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Name Willy Cauley Stein
Stats 3 PPG, 3 REB, 1 AST, 38/0/67 (13 min in 8 games)
Per 36 Stats 8 PPG, 11 REB, 3 AST, 1.8 STL, 2.2 BLK
In Season Rating Changes Reb B+ to B
Grade N/A

Not a lot of playing time for the vet big Memphis has keep him fresh incase a injury happens.

[georgiafan]

5 Most Interesting Teams If Bubba Moves

Now its time for one of the most fun articles I have written. With the recent rumors swirling around that Bubba Davis will leave Memphis after next year. We are going to take a look at 5 of the most interesting teams that he might want to join. We won't get into the cap space side of things just some broad brush strokes for major issues. Its mostly just a brief overlook to see how the young core of teams look as obviously things can change a lot by next summer.

5. Knicks

Spoiler

We forgot to include the roster pic for them we are just going to roll with it as they likely look more diffrent then anyone by the end of next year. Mitchell Robinson has been playing out of his mind for 2 years now. If NY was a top seed he would be in the MVP race and will get the max when the time comes. J.R O'Neal is as good as any rookie in this class averaging 17, 6 and 7 and can shoot and play defense. They are rumors going around they could sign Kyrie Irving this summer. They have a decision to make on Julius Randal who is a FA he is averaging 19 a game. They have plenty of cap space to sign him the problem is he is blocking Obi Toppin. It doesn't look like R.J and Knox will ever reach their full potential. They are currently fighting for the 8th seed.

4. Hornets

Spoiler

If you want a mix of youth and veterans with a challenge then Charlotte might be your best bet. Ball has yet to develop into the star everyone expected at 20 he still has plenty of time. They have Devonte Graham locked up for a while and Rozier will be a FA. Hayward likely will still be around then he has been good not great. They have three more recent 1st round picks in Bridges/Monk/ Washington that have all just been ok. So its hard to see all 3 of them and Rozier being here for the long haul. A bright spot they do have is this years lottery pick Hot Rod Williams who is averaging 11 &11 with 2 blocks. They currently have the 4th worst record in the league so will be able to add a top 5 type player to the young core.

3. Kings

Spoiler

Fox is a superstar and the big question with him is how long will he take losing before he ask for a trade? He is currently injured for 4-6 weeks and they are jammed up with a lot of teams at the bottom of the west standings. We project when its all said and done they will have a top 5 pick. Haliburton is talented and improving despite no major on the court success. Him taking over for Fox will be a good test. He has to much talent to be a backup so we would project him to be a starting SG alongside Fox. Hield has had back to back big years, but he is 29 so it could be in their best interest to trade him while they can get a 1st plus something else. Barnes wasn't traded, but likely will at some point over the next 12 months. They have a very fun C in 7'7 Manute Bol which could be play a real factor in this. Bagley is played well and is due a contract extension this summer. They need some wing depth.


2. Pistons

Spoiler

Don't ask us how the Pistons have quickly one of the brightest futures in the league. They are shocking everyone as the current 7th seed. It will be fun to see where they end up as a few games separate them getting the 5th seed and top 10 pick. Hayes isn't a superstar yet, but he is about to be one. He is 6'5 he could play either G spot. Fournier has been a excellent offseason pickup scoring 22 a night. Many thought Grant would be traded now he likely sticks around with them playing so well. Bey is having a breakout year in his 1st year starting as a stretch 4. They have the definition of old school player in Charles Oakley who is averaging 13 rebounds a game. He could be the best rebounder in the game by next year. They also finally have Griffin's 38 million contract coming off the books so will go shopping this summer. Their starting lineup is set so if they make the right additions they could be set for years to come. They may not need any help by next summer.

1. Magic

Spoiler

They are already one of the best defense teams in the league and i would say easily the best young defense team in the league. That's because of Issac and Okeke as wing defenders. They both need to get better on offense so that could present a fun challenge. Gordon is going to be a FA and they shopped him at the deadline, but couldn't find a deal they like. Since they aren't going to do better then him in the FA market this year you might as well resign him. They have a nice trio of G's in Cole Anthony, Fultz and Terry Porter. I don't expect any of them to be all stars, but could all are solid players. Porter's development could the key after a good rookie year. They have some questions at C with Vucevic entering the last year of his deal and being 31. They still don't know what they have with Bamba. They are currently 5 games out of the 8th seed so its looking like a lottery pick. We would project them to have their eye on a C. They don't have as much future cap space as others on the list.

[marshdaddy]

Couple questions/thoughts. What are Jaren’s per 36 numbers? Would love to see him getting the same minutes as Clarke and seeing what that looks like.

Have you thought of going big instead of small? Morant, Mullin, Clarke, Jackson and Valanciunas? Yeah defense on the perimeter might be tough, but their numbers all point to effective floor spacing on the wings. Feels like you’d dominate the glass.

Speaking of numbers, is Mullin really averaging 40% from the free throw line?

In terms of up next, I like Sacramento. Fox and Halliburton is a good backcourt and Manute Bol is a nice wrinkle. Wonder what the market would fetch for Bagley, plus a top 5 pick would be huge depending on the draft class.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[georgiafan]

Quote: Originally Posted by marshdaddy

Couple questions/thoughts. What are Jaren’s per 36 numbers? Would love to see him getting the same minutes as Clarke and seeing what that looks like. Have you thought of going big instead of small? Morant, Mullin, Clarke, Jackson and Valanciunas? Yeah defense on the perimeter might be tough, but their numbers all point to effective floor spacing on the wings. Feels like you’d dominate the glass. Speaking of numbers, is Mullin really averaging 40% from the free throw line? In terms of up next, I like Sacramento. Fox and Halliburton is a good backcourt and Manute Bol is a nice wrinkle. Wonder what the market would fetch for Bagley, plus a top 5 pick would be huge depending on the draft class. Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Oops that was a typo mullin is shooting 70% from the FT line.

I haven’t tried that lineup but I will definitely do that. Clark had C- perimeter defense with A-athleticism so that should be good enough on defense at the 3 for spurts. It might allow to post him up some as well with him being 6’8.

I have all 3 of my big men set at 30 minutes JJJ is just getting less for some reason I guess because he isn’t starting. After you said that I just changed it to give him 2 more so maybe that helps him not get robbed of the 3 minutes. His per 36 stats are 19 points, 9 board, 1.2 steals, 2.3 blocks. Now that I look at it that’s up from last year by a lot. I’ll screenshot some stuff and post a article going deeper on it tomorrow.

Yea kings would be a good as they have a star player and 2 other starters. Yet they aren’t just loaded with a young core full of future stars. They also have some moves to be made with heild and whatever comes from Barnes. Bagley will get close to the max or close to it.

For some reason it got changed to auto scout for the draft class I’m using so I’m behind on that part. I’m going to use this year for a down draft class as I don’t want them all to be loaded. It’s 88 draft class so you have Manning, Charles smith, Richmond, Seikaly, Chapman, Strickland, Marjerle, Hersey Hawkins, Smits, Maxwell, Del Negro, Shaw, Perdue and Kerr. I struggled with finding a draft class and wanted to stick in this era. I also want to save some of the fun 80’s one for next year.

[georgiafan]

Should Jaren Jackson Start ?

When your enjoying the kind of year Memphis is with a new young core you don't want to do anything different until you have to. Its still fair to ask the question should Jaren Jackson be starting or playing more ? He currently is getting 27 minutes per game which is 3 less then Clarke and Jonas. When asked for comment Bubba said "we always plan to play all 3 guys the same minutes sometimes things happen and the starters play a little more. The plan going forward is to get Jaren more minutes."

We wrote a article early in the year saying Clarke was 3rd member of the young core and turns out that may not be enterally true yet. Here are the per 36 minute stats with all 3 averaging less then 2 assist.

JJJ - PPG 18.8, REB 9.3, STL 1.3, BLK 2.3 - 49/42/85
Clark PPG 18.9, REB 11.6, STL 0.9, BLK 1.6 - 50/41/76
Jonas - PPG 15.1, REB 16.1, STL 0.6, BLK 2.0 - 53/26/80

Jaren and Clarke have similar stats with Jaren getting more blocks while Clark gets more rebounds. Jonas is a different type of player and is grabbing a incredible 16 rebounds per 36 minutes one of the best in the game at that. Jaren struggles at rebounding still and that's not something you can just overlook. Memphis currently ranks 2nd to last in rebounds so starting him at the C would only make that more of a issue.

When you look at the per 36 stats from last year you will see Jaren is much improved across the board in points, rebounds and all 3 shooting stats. If your going just off the overall grade then his is the 2nd highest on the team. If your looking at what the scouts call badges it goes Jonas 15, Clarke 10 and Jaren 7.

It's not a issue now and Jaren admits he wants to win 6th man of the year which he has a real chance at doing. When you look at the new perimeter centric offense then Jaren and Clarke starting together is a dream on the offense side. Its going to be hard to keep him out of the starting lineup for long. What say you ?

[georgiafan]

Grizzles vs Pelicans

We picked this game to highlight as its a potential 1st round matchup and Ingram is a good test for Thybulle. Going into this game Memphis had won 9 straight and 15 of 17 with 7 of them coming after the all star break.

With the trade earlier in the year of Ball they handed the PG job over to the young Kira Lewis. It was obvious that he can't guard Ja who in 10 minutes had 10 points and 6 assist. The first quarter ended up 12. With 3 minutes to go in the 2nd Memphis switched to a big lineup playing Clarke at 3 with Jaren and Jonas at the 4/5. When the move was made they were up 9 and ended the half up 16. So the suggested lineup worked.

Thybulle was matched up on Ingram and guarded him tight. It worked as Ingram was 3 of 16 at the half. The 3rd quarter ended with Memphis up 15. Things didn't go well in the 4th and New Orleans had came back quickly. Lewis hit back to back 3's and with 3 minutes to go in the game had the lead by 1.

Then Memphis went on a 7-0 run after that Stefan hit a layup, Ja scored then Mullin hit a huge 3. Just like that with 1:35 to go Memphis was back up 6. With under 40 seconds to go and up they ran everyone's favorite play "floppy". Mullin hit the 3 and the lead was 6. Coach Jenkins stuck with the "cigar lineup' despite the late run and it ended up paying off for a narrow win.

Thybulle played amazing defense and showed why the trade was made for him. Ingram finished the game with a dreadful 5 of 24 from the field and 16 points. The young Lewis played well scoring 30 on 11 of 23 shooting. Zion scored 23 with not much else in the stat column so you will live with that.

Ja was unbelievable 36 point, 15 assist and even had 5 rebounds. Mullin wasn't far behind him after a red hot start got quiet until the two late 3's. He finished with 30 points. All 3 big guys controlled the boards and I think that's Jaren career high. Stefan went to the FT line 12 times hitting 10. The bench wings didn't shoot well.

[marshdaddy]

Glad the big lineup worked. Definitely seems like it would be matchup dependent, like I don't know that I'd throw it out there against AD and LeBron, but against the right opponent I think it can thrive.

[georgiafan]

Quote: Originally Posted by marshdaddy

Glad the big lineup worked. Definitely seems like it would be matchup dependent, like I don't know that I'd throw it out there against AD and LeBron, but against the right opponent I think it can thrive.

It was a small size, but yea it worked and that aren't a great team to try it against since they had a scorer at the 3. Ja was even tired during it so I sit him for the last minute of the 3. I'll def try it out again.