This is an article I’ve been meaning to write for a long time. The “dream team” I’ve assembled here isn’t a homage to my favorite players, rather, a manifestation of my basketball philosophy. I’ve constructed a roster that represents the style of ball I’d want my team to play as a coach or a general manager.
I’ll lay out the foundation of my philosophy here before naming the roster. Offensively, I’m very much a believer in the stereotypical modern NBA style of offense that emphasizes pick-and-rolls, off-ball split and cut actions and, of course, the three-point shot. We’ll be playing perimeter-centric hoops, but it will all stem from rim pressure. Getting paint touches off drives is the best way to open up shooters, especially when the guy driving is a real threat to score inside. We’ll be leaning heavily on my star (who I’ll reveal soon), but everyone around him accentuates his strengths and will be able to capitalize on the type of advantages I want to create. I’ll add that while three-point-maxing, Daryl Morey-style, is fun in theory, becoming reliant on the long ball is a dangerous game. Just look at those 2017-2020ish Rockets teams, or my Wisconsin Badgers. So, I want to focus on generating good looks from deep, not just chucking and hoping the numbers trend our way.
Defensively, my biggest priority is scheme versatility. I’ve watched more than enough Bucks basketball in the past five years to know relying primarily on one type of defense (drop coverage, in Milwaukee’s case) is a recipe to lose in the playoffs. That said, I sought out players who can wear a lot of hats on the defensive end and will be able to adjust schematically with no issues. I want to have counters for any type of offense we may face.
As much as I’d love to pair Victor Wembanyama with Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, I opted to build a realistic lineup, at least in terms of talent level. I didn’t consider salaries in the slightest, I wanted to have some fun here, but I don’t think a roster similar to this one would be impossible to have at all. It’s not significantly better than what OKC, Boston or Cleveland have right now.
Now that the framework of the ideology is in place, here is my dream 10-man rotation:
PG1: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Wanting Shai as my franchise guy doesn’t really need much explanation in a vacuum. You need a best-in-the-world caliber player to win a title, Shai is obviously that, and that’s why he’s here. But, I chose him over Jokic, Giannis, Luka or Wemby because he best fits what my ideal star would look like. I don’t want a small guard, and I don’t want a big man either because I don’t want to play post-up basketball. Shai is wing-sized, he can handle the rock and get his own bucket at every level at any time and he pressures the rim as well as anyone in the history of the sport. He’s going to open up shooters and torch defenses out of the pick-and-roll. He’s an impeccable decision-maker in my opinion, and I trust him more than Giannis or Luka to carry a heliocentric level of usage on a successful team. He just led OKC to a championship last June, and he’s going to do the same for my squad.
SG1: Desmond Bane
My second star is one of the most underrated players in the league right now. He’s been pegged as mainly a shooter, which is somewhat fair, because he certainly is elite from beyond the arc. But, at this stage of his career, Bane is almost better as a slasher and secondary playmaker than he is as a shooter, which is saying something. He’s a really effective driver and he can set guys up out of the P&R. He’s beyond capable of taking pressure off Shai for stretches, but he’s also a stupidly perfect pairing alongside him. The best way to slow Shai down is to sell out in the gaps and make him a passer, but defenses are going to have to think twice about helping off of Bane. Pick your poison!
SF1: Jaden McDaniels
One word sums up why I like McDaniels: versatility. He does it all on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he can be the main point-of-attack stopper, but he can also switch onto anybody and make plays as a weakside helper. Offensively, he’s developed into a strong shooter, but he can also score off the bounce if he gets run off the line. We’ve seen him produce at a high level on O in Anthony Edwards’ absence before, and I’d feel pretty good about scaling him up to be a full-time third option.
PF1: OG Anunoby
Anunoby and McDaniels would be an all-time-great pairing defensively on the wing. Anunoby is as versatile as anyone in the game on defense, and he would be the key to unlocking the type of scheme malleability I want to install in this team. He’s grown into a nice complementary offensive player too. He hits his spot-up threes and he can attack a closeout. If he was a bit better as a rebounder and passer, he would be the optimal modern forward.
C1: Nic Claxton (Jarrett Allen)
I went back and forth a good bit for the center position. Rim protection is the single most important and impactful defensive trait in my opinion. That’s why I almost picked Jarrett Allen here, because he can warden the paint stoically, but he also has some juice as a hedge and switch guy. Plus, he’s more dynamic than the average play-finishing center offensively. However, I ultimately landed on Nic Claxton because he is one of the most elastic defenders at the five in the league. I trust him on switches as much as any other guy of his size. Offensively, Clax will help us run some of the split-action stuff I mentioned earlier. He’s improved as a passer in the past couple years, and he can put the ball on the floor and drive with wing-like movement patterns from the high-post area. Claxton is also a quality lob threat in the pick-and-roll.
PG2: Collin Sexton
I love Sexton for two reasons. One, he’s way more efficient than the average backcourt microwave scorer. Two, he’s a tier-one competitor. He’s overqualified as a sixth man, but that’s the role he’s been placed in this season, so I’d use him as one, and I feel very confident in his ability to spark my offense off the bench. He gets downhill and touches the paint at a high rate, so between him and Shai, defenses won’t get a break from defending drives. I’d also coach him to increase his three-point attempt rate because his current volume (about four 3PA per game) doesn’t match his talent as a shooter.
SG2: Quentin Grimes
This team wouldn’t be complete without a real 3&D guy. Grimes is a reliable movement shooter and on-ball defender who can play alongside anybody off-ball. He can do some stuff off the bounce, too. Don’t forget his Mickey Mouse March 21.9 PPG run from last season.
SF2: Aaron Wiggins
Similar to Sexton, I also believe Aaron Wiggins is very overqualified for his role as an eighth man on the Thunder. He does everything you could want from a role-playing wing, from shooting and cutting to limiting turnovers and competing on defense. Plus, his on-ball scoring package is more polished than that of most guys of his make and model. The logic of adding Wiggins and Grimes is pretty simple: they’re the type of support staff who can thrive in any situation.
PF2: Dean Wade
Wade would act as an extension of Anunoby and McDaniels on the defensive end. He’s the best wing stopper that nobody talks about. This is a guy who always plays within his role and excels in it. I don’t think you could ask for much more from a 10th man as a playoff team.
C2: Day’Ron Sharpe (Moussa Diabate)
Once again, I struggled to land on a center here. My ideal backup big would be super low maintenance with a high motor and propensity for doing the little things. Moussa Diabate came to mind right away as an elite rebounder with the athletic prowess to move his feet on defense and catch lobs. But, after some more thought, I flipped to Day’Ron Sharpe, who statistically is just as good as, if not better than, Diabate as a rebounder while also offering some passing flair and more feel offensively overall. All told, two Brooklyn Nets make my dream team. Who woulda thought it?
So, that’s my NBA dream team. I just did a lot of yapping so I’ll close things out here. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my squad, as well as who would be on your dream team. Feel free to toss your thoughts at me on Twitter (X) @finleykuehl, I’m always on there talking ball. Thanks for reading!
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