9. Mikee1 (Durant, DAJ, Ewing, Marques Johnson, Terrell Brandon, Moreland, Gatling)
KD and DeAndre is a great duo but I think the next target should’ve been a point guard and not another C and SF. Mo Cheeks over Ewing would’ve made this team more appealing to me. I think there’s a lot to like about this team and a lot left on the table. This team was so close to being a strong contender but as it stands I’m going to say 38-44 wins.
I will take the over on 41.5 wins. Brandon vs Cheeks is an interesting debate- it could be argued that the opportunity cost of taking Cheeks (in your summary) would be missing out on Ewing. Instead, I was able to get a 55 EFG usage/FTA buzzsaw that defends on the interior and a very similar player to Cheeks two rounds later. I'm not sure which Cheeks season you like, but I like TB's cleaner, better passing with some 3's and pretty similar D thrown in. The downside is he shoots too much, taking shots from Durant and Ewing.
I will ultimately fail due to not enough passing and threes. Also, my defense isn't outstanding. 79 avg across the starting five.