Our colleague Ron Mexico has to be congratulated for putting together a competent team. Alas, no team is perfect, and in a competition such as this, it is my duty to seek out weaknesses in the opponent’s camp. I strive to do this while still being intellectually honest.
The point guard matchup features two outstanding young players: Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball. Both are excellent. LaMelo is the one who looks to have the potential to be transcendent. Look at his highlights on YouTube. He’s a wizard with the ball, among the most amazing ball handlers I’ve ever seen. LaMelo gets the edge.
I concede that Jayson Tatum has a higher ceiling than CJ McCollum at the 2 spot. It should still be a fascinating battle.
At the 3, Paul George is a perennial defensive player and all star. Brandon Ingram is still trying to find his spot. Paul George has the edge here.
At the 4, Anthony Davis is past his injuries that slowed him down last year. He is an MVP level player who can do it all on offense and defense. Pascal Siakam is very good, but no where near that level.
At the 5, Embiid is of course outstanding, but Bam Adebayo has extended his range last season. He’s still not a reliable 3-point shooter, but he does so many other things well that this is close and another fascinating battle. He always shows consistently high, near fanatical motivation, passes, moves, blocks shots. This will be a war.
With the benches, despite John Wall’s talent, he is a ball hog, inefficient at this point in his career too. In contrast I deliberately chose some unselfish players who do so many little things right for my bench, such as Tyrese Haliburton and Jaden McDaniels. I think I will have better teamwork on the bench that will translate to better productivity.
All in all, in a 7 game series, I would expect Team David Hume to defeat Team Ron Mexico 4-2. A good battle it should be, and I look forward to your verdict.
