Another idea, perhaps controversial, would be to pull Jordan out of the lineup. Pairing Jordan with big men who might clog up the paint, like Duncan and Olajuwon/Shaq, could limit his ability to penetrate and score/pass. If you went with the "Super Big Men" lineup with Duncan and Olajuwon/Shaq, then it may be better to have Klay Thompson at the SG position instead of Jordan, to space the floor and give you 3-point shooting. So a further revision might look like: John Stockton Lebron James or Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson Kevin Durant Tim Duncan Hakeem Olajuwon Controversial in that it excludes Jordan, but good luck scoring or rebounding against that team... and you've got three solid 3-point shooters who are all exceptional defenders. It's hard to find a role for ball-dominant players like Jordan/Lebron, when their shooting percentages aren't as good as other players. Could Lebron morph into a defensive stopper if we could conserve more energy on the offensive side of the floor? Probably... and he'd also probably shoot at a higher clip if he's seeing open looks because the defense must honor the other players. But maybe this is overthinking it and a you could simply start with Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Shaq and then throw in a facilitator and a stretch 4 and that team could beat the team above more than 50% of the time. Hack-a-Shaq would have to be employed against them down the stretch. 2008 Chris Paul 1990 Michael Jordan 2008 Lebron James 2005 Dirk Nowitzki / 1984 Larry Bird 2000 Shaquille O'Neal
I thought about Lebron, but the problem with Lebron is, he's generally always had a high usage, and wants to run the offense at all times. I want a more democratic offense, where more people touch the ball during possessions, than letting everything run through 1 guy. It makes my team less predictable and can attack from multiple angles. With these scenarios people just combine a bunch of high usage players and 30 ppg scorers. but some guys are better when they get 30 ppg vs. when they have to get maybe only 15 ppg. in terms of scoring hierarchy, its gonna be. 1: Jordan 2: Hakeem 3: Kawhi 4: KG 5: Payton Lebron may be a better 1st option than Kawhi but i think Kawhi is a better 3rd option than lebron, because i think kawhi is a better off-ball player lower usage player, and a more consistent 3 point shooter (and mid ranger shooter) than lebron.
PG: Michael Jordan SG: Klay Thompson SF: KD PF: LeBron C: Kevin Garnett All five of them are good/great defenders. KG is one of the most mobile big men defenders on the perimeter and the combination of KG/KD/LeBron gives you enough rim protection to stay alive. Jordan and KD are the isolation masters that can get you a bucket at the end of a game or when the shot clock winds down. Klay Thompson is the ultimate floor spacer that is low maintenance, doesn't need the ball in his hands, and can get absolutely scorching hot to take over a game. LeBron will take on the bulk of the ball handling/play making duties as a point forward and can lead the break with Jordan/KD on the wings. KG is a versatile big that can stretch the floor a bit and is an underrated passer.
I forgot all about Klay. Stockton Thompson Bird Duncan O'Neal If I could reuse players from OP's team: Stockton Jordan Bird Duncan Hakeem
