Who Defines the 2016-17 Season?

[Jesse]

PLAYERS THAT DEFINED THE 2016-17 SEASON

Every season, the SLN landscape shifts. Sometimes it is subtle. Other times, much more blatant.
Even if teams remain the same, the FBB gods are infamously fickle. Players evolve…they get worse. Our expectations of them can change rapidly.

This season, here are the biggest X-Factors that have defined this season and will continue to define this year as we get to the playoffs:

Rudy Gay – It would be easy to choose Joel Embiid, but the Knicks immediate trajectory was accelerated by Rudy Gay’s random ascension into superstardom. Long frustratingly overpaid and inefficient, Rudy’s shooting ticked up just enough to catch up to the rest of his game. Without him, the Knicks would be waiting out other contenders and ready to go all-in next season. With him, Nav has been strategic enough to put his team in contention come playoff time.

Deron Williams – This is a similar story to the one we just told about Rudy Gay, but Deron’s rise has happened more gradually. This year is a natural coming out party. A player who was unplayable at times early in his career (I was his biggest hater due to his horrid stock: TOV ratio), Deron’s handles and steals have improved juuuuuust enough to make him a very valuable player. His offense is just that good. He has been a key to a sensational Pacers team.

Yaroslav Korolev – The 100 potential God. Korolev started with straight C’s across the board, but is an example of what potential can do when the FBB dice rolls go your way. Korolev improved gradually over 5-6 Training Camps and has emerged into a quasi-star. I have a suspicion he has under-the-hood defensive juju because it is one of the only answers that could explain why Toronto has manufactured great defenses for consecutive years.

Paul George – The Celtics have a very good team, but it’s PG’s inability to sustain efficient offense that has kept this squad from evolving into a legitimate title threat. Paul has backslid. When combined with his mediocre handles, we’ve reached a point where it is clear a guy like Korolev may bring more to the table than a big name guy like P-G

Dwyane Wade – This guy is still incredible. I traded him 3 (!?) seasons ago…trying to get ahead of what should have been inevitable decline…but no. He is aging like fine wine. The Heat are a rather anonymous contender, but Wade gives them a punching chance against pretty much anyone in the playoffs. He is the best at his position in the league.

Kawhi Leonard – A similar story to Paul George. The Magic made several big-balls moves to jumpstart a retooling franchise, and trading the #1 pick for Kawhi was the biggest one at all. Even after a super camp, his shot has not come along – and he profiles more of a #3/#4 on a really good team. That has limited the ceiling…and the floor…of a team that had some competitive hopes going into the season.

Kyrie Irving – Let’s be honest: he will define every season. Kyrie’s antics were finally enough for the Pistons to throw-in the towel. After failing to play early in the season, RB (fairly) concluded that he was too much hassle for too few games. Now: a rebuild (retool) is on its way.

…..Gilbert Arenas? Kobe Bryant? Amar’e Stoudemire? Brooooo… This is somehow worse than the Drew Gooden Cavs, The writing is on the wall and LeBron has gotta be moved at some point. Next year, he will be 33-years-old with $84M left on his deal. That is probably the last season he will command top-10 value.

James Harden – A turnover prone player who has improved his handles enough to ascend fully into superstardom. Giannis and KAT have easy paths to greatness. Now that Harden has moved past any hurdles that could have caused him to be a bust, we all need to look out for the Wolves for the forseeable future.

Boban Marjanovic – Boban. The league’s sexiest man desires to never pass (his decline from F+ to F handles means he has 5 passing, which is an FBB cheat code) and his transcendent strength, inside, and jumpshot has paired well with a big-focused offense and enabled an old Kings team to at least have some fun.

Tyus Jones – What a draft pick! I have no idea how Tyus Jones got volume, but the dude is slashing at 16/8/4 in 30 minutes with tons of steals and great handles. He’s like a perfect PG as a rookie. That’s nuts. It also enabled Jordo to flip TP at the perfect time.

Luol Deng – The Jameer Nelson trade was the splashy move that will likely secure the Jazz the title, but the Luol Deng signing was the x-factor that brought this team together. Deng made a modest gain in TC, and took off in Utah’s system. He’s a great defender who boards and handles the ball. A big butt and a very underrated player.

CJ Miles – Holy sweet moses, CJ Miles. The Grizzlies are supposed to be rebuilding, which turns out to be impossible when a SG is averaging 30/7 on efficient splits. He doesn’t necessarily fit the team’s current timeline, but he is a very good player who probably now has much more value to the rest of the league.

Monta Ellis – The Champions! If not for our own team, I hope the Nuggets win the title every season – just because these colors are sexy, hot, and beautiful on the eyes. Monta Ellis is still a superstar (he has an even higher TS% than last year), but a slight decline in volume, paired with a poor TC and a big contract, may have made Denver less flexible and pliable to a potential midseason trade that could have cemented this team as contenders. Despite being defending champs, the Nuggets face uphill battles against either Utah or Minnesota.

Nikola Jokic – The most interesting and perplexing player in the league who serves as a microcosm for the Suns entire roster. Very fun to look at…always thinking of the possibilities…constantly in high demand…but is it…good? I desperately want Jokic to dominate b/c FBB leagues always underrate him, but his lack of rebounding and high passing make it a bit of an uphill battle…even if he is a sick scorer already. I am pretty optimistic about Jokic, just as I am with the Suns roster, but the team’s .500 record can be explained away by the team’s polarizing star.

[SWAMP STEVEN]

FROM THE SWAMP: Anthony Davis is refining his fingernails with one of those old school pencil sharpeners. How did he even acquire such a thing?!

[Joe]

:/

[Tyler]

This is a fun article!

[Josh]

go jesse

[Joe]

Grade: 500RP

Quality content bonus: 100RP