NSL JAM

Basketball is a team sport traditionally played with five players on the court for each team. However, the more players you remove from the court, the more impactful you make the players and you can create some pretty memorable and exciting contests. With fewer players on the court, each player’s talent and fit with their remaining teammates is even more pivotal. Is it critical to have a big and a small, or is it more important to have your two most talented, dynamic players?



Who would represent your franchise if just three players were able to play?

To commemorate the 30^th anniversary of NBA Jam (disclaimer: not sure if historically accurate or how old the game is) gracing the shelves of stores and a revered place in pop culture, here is what the NSL franchises would look like in an NBA Jam setting.

Two starting players (and a sub, because I like the number three) will represent each franchise in this NBA Jam format. I will rate each team’s likelihood to make it through a similar bracket-style tournament to the previous contest in the NSL.

Do our current line-ups hold a candle to iconic original squads like Jordan and Pippen, Stockton and Malone, Mourning and Bogues?



ATLANTA – Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan (Montrezl Harrell)

BOSTON – Jayson Tatum, John Collins (Mitchell Robinson)

BROOKLYN – Kemba Walker, Andre Drummond (Willy Cauley-Stein)

CHARLOTTE – Luka Doncic, Caris Levert (Wendell Carter Jr.)

CHICAGO – Anthony Davis, Julius Randle (Kyle Kuzma)

CLEVELAND – Nikola Jokic, Malcolm Brogdon (Robert Covington)

DALLAS – Kristaps Porzingis, Trae Young (Gary Harris)

DENVER – Klay Thompson, Myles Turner (Goran Dragic)

DETROIT – Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin (Danilo Gallinari)

GOLDEN STATE – DeAndre Ayton, Jamal Murray (Jabari Parker)

HOUSTON – Karl Anthony-Towns, Josh Richardson (Otto Porter)

INDIANA – Victor Oladipo, Marvin Bagley (Eric Bledsoe)

LAC – Giannis, Draymond Green (RJ Barrett)

LAL – Russell Westbrook, Tobias Harris (Jonas Valancuinas)

MEMPHIS – Bradley Beal, Jaren Jackson Jr. (Enes Kanter)

MIAMI – Ben Simmons, DeAndre Jordan (Jonathan Isaac)

MILWAUKEE – Zion Williamson, Zach Lavine (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)

MINNESOTA – Stephen Curry, Steven Adams (Buddy Hield)

NEW ORLEANS – Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen (Ja Morant)

NEW YORK – D’Angelo Russell, Bobby Portis (Derrick Favors)

OKLAHOMA CITY – DeAaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen (Khris Middleton)

ORLANDO – Kevin Durant, Aaron Gordon (Kelly Oubre)

PHILADELPHIA – Rudy Gobert, Chris Paul (Pascal Siakim)

PHOENIX – Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge (Patrick Beverly)

PORTLAND – James Harden, Clint Capela (Bojan Bogdanovic)

SACRAMENTO – LeBron James, Jrue Holiday (Hassan Whiteside)

SAN ANTONIO – Paul George, Mike Conley (Al Horford)

TORONTO – Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum (Domatis Sabonis)

UTAH – Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins (Kyle Lowry)

WASHINGTON – Devin Booker, Jusuf Nurkic (Lonzo Ball)


So, what could win the tournament for you?

Without the structures of the traditional basketball format, it is just so much easier to score and much more difficult to defend. Not only is the lane so much more accessible for drives and post moves, there is a ridiculous amount of space for shooting.  With more space comes more time to survey for the right move. Also, it allows for greater opportunity for rebounds – which could either marginalise a great rebounder or make them even more impactful (I haven’t quite decided). As well as this, player scarcity on all of the teams means there are only so few matchup possibility each game – for better or worse.

STAR-POWER MATTERS

The more two-way talent and versatility that your best two players possess, the bigger discrepancy there will be between the teams in terms of what they can do on a basketball court. Players like Giannis, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Paul George and Anthony Davis, who are not only extremely talented and versatile, but are also big and athletic. They would see their teams go close to winning it all purely because of the pressure they would be putting on their opponent to keep up would be staggering.


SHOOTING MATTERS

Guys like Curry, Harden, Lillard, Irving, McCollum and Young would have so much space to work into dribble-shoot moves and zip and dart around the floor getting to their spots. These are the type of players that routinely make it look easy against five opponents – and now they only have to outplay two of them. There is such an opportunity for wide-open shots in this format because of the penchant for opposing bigs to want to stay at home and opponents trying to account for more coverage of the spaces in general. Small-ball teams could really exploit an advantage here on offense.


SIZE MATTERS

Big men and just big, physical guys in general have a huge opportunity to bully their way inside almost on every possession. With such limited protection of paint real-estate, bruising basketball is back. Think about the guys who just overwhelm with their combination of size, strength, speed and aggression - Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons, Julius Randle, Zion Williamson. Without a traditional defense to limit opportunity, these guys would feast at the basket.

CHEMISTRY MATTERS

For the most part, the more talented and versatile the best player on each team is, the better chance their trio has of advancing deep into the tournament. However, complimentary players and chemistry is the counter argument to this; two players each making themselves more complete and valuable based on which areas of their skillset are amplified and which are covered by their teammates. Think Kemba Walker and Andre Drummond, Chris Paul and Rudy Gobert or Nikola Jokic and Malcolm Brogdon.

Who are the most dangerous teams? Most fun? Who would win in an NBA Jam bracket tournament? Post your comments below and get the discussion going.