San Antonio Spurs – Trade Robbers


Well, aren’t the bloody San Antonio Spurs up and about!?

Fresh off the back of closing two deals (one a good deal, the other one, a straight donation from one team to another in what has festered into my conscious as one of the worst deals I can remember, and I’ll touch on it again later), Nels and his star-studded roster march into the inaugural NSL season chock-full of confidence and swagger. In adding Beal and Noel to their already talented, win-now roster, they boast arguably the best collective 2k talent in the entire league, adding to the incumbent core of George, Conley, Horford and Lopez. Nels and his staff are spoiled for choice when it comes to impactful players and they just have to figure out their chemistry to become arguably the favourite for the NSL championship.

As I alluded to in the previous stanza, this team is primed for a title run and boasts four 2k players rated 85 or higher, which leaves all the other teams in the dust. Not only that, they have 4 players who while reside a tier below the star-powered core, are good players. Boasting such a treasure trove of talent and a savvy GM at the helm, a title is all but assured for San Antonio… ;)

The Starters

With the 13^th pick of the NSL Dynasty Draft, the Spurs made an easy decision and took the two-way stud Paul George. George has every attribute you would possibly want when selecting an elite 2k player; spring athletic, tall, long in his arms, great jump shot, all-NSL defensive ability, has developed his three point shooting into one of the best in the league at a large volume of shots and he can finish and slam inside. He is a cornerstone, 2k stud and pick 13 almost feels like a steal, but here we are – a league full of stars. Number 13, pick 13. The Spurs alpha dog is home.

(Disclaimer: I was wishing that George fell to me at #13)



During the pre-season, PG13 put up gaudy, MVP-like numbers – 28 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals, on glistening percentages.

Bradley Beal was acquired for a huge price if you ask GM Nels, but I would argue that getting a star for that offer is pretty good value. An untested rookie, an expiring big, an overrated young player and a future first rounder… I’d prefer Beal. Beal will be the best second-best player out of any team, and his offensive prowess will allow both him and George to avoid being double-teamed. Beal is a terrific finisher from all over the floor and he is an underrated passer and playmaker. Great size and athleticism, he will hold down the shooting guard spot for the next decade for the Spurs.

Rounding out the starting five for the Spurs are Mike Conley, Al Horford and Nerlens Noel.

(I mean, what the… that Noel deal is one of the worst, illogical and least inspired deals I have ever seen.)

Conley and Horford fell to value spots in the draft because of their perceived-bloated contracts. Conley and Horford will make almost 30M per season, each, but they are incredibly talented players who play with caution and within their own abilities, which is an underrated trait. Conley is a floor general-lite, a great two-way player with astute basketball intelligence and pacing. He rarely plays a bad game or looks flustered. Horford is a proven catalyst for winning and has played on successful teams throughout his career (without winning a championship).  He is jack-of-all trades type, not seeking out touches and shots but doing the unglamorous, intangible acts that lead to winning basketball.

And Nerlens Noel, despite him not having any value, is actually really good in 2k as a defensive specialist. The former top pick hasn’t had the career to date that he would have hoped for but he is very effective in the 2k-NSL world. He will rebound, block any ball that is thrown within his vicinity, he is cheap and he has a proven record for fantastic 2k production.

He is absolutely worth more than a 2022 late 2^nd rounder and an imaginary 2023 2^nd rounder. Like, worth a lot more. Like if he had asked any other GM I’m sure he would have gotten a lot more for him. Now, this could sound salty because after getting the deal, Nels baited me with direct messages all day gloating about how good the deal was, or maybe I just can’t understand at all why a team would move Noel for a return like that. Either way, this was a huge boon for the Spurs and a total head scratcher for the other party involved.

The Spurs bench

The Spurs also boast one of the best benches in the league, headlined by Brook Lopez, Derrick White and the breakout candidate OG Anunoby. Aside from that, they are pretty thin but it shouldn’t be an issue at all because of their quality, having multiple players to step in for injured or rested starters and they shouldn’t miss a beat. I really like the mix of their core players; they all compliment each other and have some versatility to their games, which bodes well for chemistry and having a variety of lineups and strategies that the team can roll with. However, their way in the red in terms of what they owe in tax fines and will hope they are winning to offset the cost. They need to pad their roster out with minimum guys and try and keep their luxury tax bill from being too outrageous.

Forecast

Despite residing in the brutal West, the Spurs shouldn’t have any issues finishing top four if they can build even reasonable chemistry. After the Dynasty draft gave every team similar investment in the league in terms of talent and value, having the 2k talent in the abundance that the Spurs do serves as a massive advantage when most teams only have one star at best and maybe a mid-to-low 80s rated player to support. This team, if they have the smarts and luck, will go close to winning it all.



Bastard.