My Annual Last Saturday in June #Pickem
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As has been the tradition for many decades now, it is time for my Annual Last Saturday in June #Pickem (ALSiJ#P, for short). Thanks to everyone that has been following throughout the years and to everyone that thought that this was the year I would buck tradition. Maybe next year, hater.
Build your team with $15
Yes ok, I will do it.
PG Eric Bledsoe $2 (Remaining: $13)
How much do you think Reggie Jackson thinks Reggie Jackson is worth on this graphic? $9? $12? All $15?? It's neither here nor there as I'm taking Bledsoe. He followed up last year's campaign of averaging 16/5/6 on 48/33/75 shooting and making First Team All-Defense by going for....15/5/5 on 48/35/81 shooting and probably playing better defense. Let the record show that guard defense only matters when you do not have it.
SG Evan Fournier $1 (Remaining: $12)
Doing some more bargain bin shopping and looky here! Harden/Beal weren't considered because I'm saving my big dollars to spend elsewhere. This left DAR, LeVert, and Fournier vying for the second spot on my team. Of the three, Fournier was comfortable the best shooter this season (best shooter from 2P, 3P, and FT), the least bad defender and the cheapest. He can also work as a secondary ball-handler on this bitching team I'm building. Fournier is the choice.
SF Kawhi Leonard $4 (Remaining: $8)
Kawhi has as many Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards (two) as he does First Team All-NBA selections. I'm not sure what that means but holy shit, you're telling me I can get that guy for $4? I'm going to do it. You know how good Kawhi Leonard is at basketball, but did you know he's equally dominant at hiding his profession from his family?
When it's all said and done and Kawhi has long been retired, this is what I'll remember about him. Not the FMVPs with multiple teams or The Shot over Philly. I'm going to remember his daughter asking him why he's always wearing his that silly garb all the time. Kawhi's family has no idea what he does for a living. He's one of us.
PF Anthony Davis $4 (Remaining: $4)
This was my toughest call and it came down to which Kentucky basketball alum I decided to put here what kind of frontcourt mate I could pair with my team. I was tempted to cheat here and put Davis as a center so I could pair Kawhi-Giannis-AD together and laugh maniacally as teams failed to even inbound the ball. I will not do it. But I wanted to do it.
C Nikola Jokic $4 (Remaining: $0)
I want this to be clear: I'm going with the Jokic in the picture above. The one that weighs north of three bills, not this slim, fashionable imposter we've seen lurking on the internet lately (Get well soon, Joker). What a team. Bledsoe and AD have the Kentucky connection. Jokic and Fournier can bond over not being born in this country. Kawhi doesn't need human interaction to sustain himself. It's the perfect mix.
Bledsoe brings the ball up and passes to Jokic at the top of the key. From there, Joker can try to hit a cutting Bledsoe or Fournier spotting up in the corner. Or he can just give the ball to Kawhi Leonard or Anthony Davis and have them score upwards of 25 PPG. This feels like the ideal team for Jokic. He can score 16-18 PPG, grab double-digit rebounds and throw full-court outlet passes to whomever he chooses. I think my team is good.
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Who you got?