With the end of our NBA DFS 2K Bracket featuring historic rosters comes a new form of video game simulations and contests brought to you by FanDuel. For the month of April, we will be using NBA 2K20 to simulate the NBA playoffs that would have started this month were it not for the suspension of the season. The playoff sim continues tonight with another doubleheader.
As with the Throwback 2K Tournament, we’re giving away prizes with Daily Contests where you are asked to predict aspects of the day’s simulated game(s). Get the most correct answers and you’ll be eligible to win loads of prizes! Today’s winner will receive $200 cash! Enter now (and every day) by clicking on the following link:
Tonight’s NBA DFS playoff simulation slate features the two four-five matchups with the Pacers travelling to the Heat and the Thunder taking on the Jazz. Stream kicks off at 7 p.m. EST.
The Teams
Indiana Pacers
Starters:
PG – Malcolm Brogdon
SG – Victor Oladipo
SF – T.J. Warren
PF – Domantas Sabonis
C – Myles Turner
This was supposed to be somewhat of a lost season for the Pacers given Victor Oladipo‘s catastrophic injury last season, but thanks to the acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon and the ascent of Domantas Sabonis, they managed to essentially equal last season’s performance. They finished with about the same winning percentage, earned the fifth seed for the second year in a row and maintained similar offensive and defensive efficiency. In fact, the return of Oladipo was almost a detriment to the season as they went 7-6 with him this year. Oladipo’s struggles are represented in his 83 2K rating, which is down from his 87 to start the year. By contrast, Sabonis has jumped from an 81 to an 85, so they still have the necessary star power if Oladipo fails to contribute.
Starters:
PG – Kendrick Nunn
SG – Duncan Robinson
SF – Jimmy Butler
PF – Derrick Jones Jr.
C – Bam Adebayo
Miami was always going to be a playoff team after the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, but they had a few other pieces emerge that made them a fringe East contender. For one, Bam Adebayo became a defensive anchor and an offensive weapon, averaging 16 and 10 and making the All-Star team. Then there were rookies Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro providing double-digit scoring. Then, out of nowhere, Duncan Robinson took off as one of the best shooters in the league, taking over eight 3’s a game and making 45 percent of them. With that young firepower and Butler as the alpha dog, Miami finished with the sixth-best offensive rating. Perhaps there were more expectations as far as wins go — they sit 12 back of top seed Milwaukee — but the Heat could make some noise in the playoffs with all the shooting and scoring options at their disposal.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Starters:
PG – Chris Paul
SG – Luguentz Dort
SF – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
PF – Danilo Gallinari
C – Steven Adams
The Thunder were done. No one was left from the great team of the early ’10s; even Russell Westbook had packed his bags. All the Thunder had was a young maybe star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an aged star no longer great in Chris Paul and a few recognizable role players. Well, that band of misfits all hit their apexes at the exact same time and now the Thunder are a legitimate threat in the West. Paul is still a superstar, anchoring everything without putting up exceptional numbers. Dennis Schroder and Danilo Gallinari both had arguably the best year of their respective careers and Gilgeous-Alexander may be better than anyone thought. Those three all averaged over 19 points a game and Paul added another 17.7. Their advanced metrics are not spectacular, but the Thunder are just a couple games back of the three seed and have a lot of ways to get buckets.
Utah Jazz
Starters:
PG – Mike Conley
SG – Donovan Mitchell
SF – Royce O’Neal
PF – Bojan Bogdanovic
C – Rudy Gobert
Utah’s 2020 season stands as one of the most memorable in recent NBA history, and unfortunately not for on-court play. The diagnosis of Rudy Gobert, and later Donovan Mitchell, with coronavirus brought the NBA season and the entire sports world to a halt. So in convoluted way, the 2019-20 Jazz are the reason we are doing NBA 2K sims of the 2020 playoffs.
On the court this year, the Jazz were the same competitive team they have been the last four years. No one thinks about them because they play in a small market and their best player is a defense-first center with limited offensive game, but they have now been either the fourth or fifth seed in the West for four straight seasons. The addition of Mike Conley was supposed to be more impactful than it ended up being, but with Gobert holding down one end of the floor and Mitchell the other, Utah finished three games behind the Clippers for the second seed. They were top-11 in offensive and defensive rating and Bojan Bogdanovic broke out as a 20-point scorer in his age-30 season. Overall, the Jazz do not have the myriad of offensive weapons, but they play excellent team ball on both ends of the floor and they are exceptionally well coached.
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FanDuel Plays
High Price
Chris Paul – G – $11,500
Paul is the highest-rated point guard on this slate and the only point who is his team’s primary ball handler, so he gets first dibs. While Paul is not as appealing as, say, Damian Lillard in similar circumstances, he has strong assist upside. And that is not just because of Paul’s passing abilities; he has the benefit of multiple shooters and finishers that he can set up. Paul’s 3-point rating of 80 is solid in itself, so he could conceivably get to a double-double tonight.
Donovan Mitchell – G – $11,500
We are operating with the Devin Booker theory here. Mitchell is not technically Utah’s point guard, but he is far and away their highest-volume shooter and top-rated offensive player. Booker dropped 30 earlier in this tournament in a similar team situation. As such, I am looking for Mitchell to push 15 to 20 shots in order to pay off his price. It is a bit of a tall ask since Utah has a few more scorers than Booker did, thus more ball distribution, but Mitchell has a decent 3-point rating (80) and solid penetration ability, and I still expect him to be Utah’s leading scorer.
Rudy Gobert – F – $11,000 or Bad Adebayo – F – $11,000
I am torn between Gobert and Adebayo in this spot. They are the same price with similar play styles and they will both make their marks with peripherals. I am leaning Gobert a bit because I prefer his blocks upside and his only strong competition for rebounds in his game will be Steven Adams. But Miami has much less size, so Adebayo may monopolize rebounds on his team. Plus, with much of the Heat’s offense built around jump shooters, Adebayo may have more putback opportunities. I will have a little of each in lineups, but if I can only go with one, Gobert gets the slightest edge for me.
Mid Tier
Dennis Schroder – G – $9,000
Yes, I started with Chris Paul up top and Schroder may pull some fantasy production away from him, but the Thunder are starting Luguentz Dort at shooting guard. There is no way they won’t play Paul and Schroder together for long stretches. And both guys can play off ball and work as jump shooters and finishers, so while it would be an undersized duo, they could actually enhance each other’s fantasy output. Schroder is the Thunder’s second-best shooter after Gallinari and he will have the ball in his hands a lot when he is on the floor. For 2K sims, that is a perfect combination.
Myles Turner – F – $9,000
Turner is only a 79 overall and may be fighting Sabonis for rebounds, but he is starting at center for the Pacers and he has a real ceiling with his shot blocking ability. I do not expect him to score much. However, a Hassan Whiteside-lite line of six points, seven rebounds and two or three blocks is certainly on the table, and he is not a major boom/bust swing given his modest price tag.
Danilo Gallinari – F – $9,500
As a stretch four with an 84 3-point rating, most of Gallinari’s production is going to come from scoring. That said, with Paul and Schroder handling the ball, I would expect numerous catch-and-shoot or slashing opportunities for Gallinari. He is Oklahoma City’s second-highest-rated player (tied with Adams and Gilgeous-Alexander). Generally, I would expect Gallinari = to take the third or fourth-most shots for the Thunder, but would it be a stretch for him to take the most? And he is a near-20-point scorer at only $9,500. That could be a massive bargain.
I would also consider Bogdanovic here. He is a 20-point scorer in 2020 and has an 85 rating, though I am surprised his overall rating is so low at 81. That is the only reason I went with Gallinari over him. Still, Bogdanovic has fewer barriers to entry in the Utah offense, so he could easily outscore Gallinari.
Low Price
Duncan Robinson – G – $7,500
Tyler Herro – GÂ – $7,000
This whole bottom tier is about low-priced sharpshooters. Robinson and Herro both sub-$8,000 are strong value since either could hit double-digit points with just a few shots. Robinson’s game was entirely built around 3-point shooting; over 80 percent of his points came on 3’s this year, and he was a 44.8 percent shooter from deep. Herro, meanwhile, was also a solid shooter at 39.1 percent, but he has a slightly more rounded offensive game, leading to 12.9 points per. They both have high 3-point ratings — Robinson 87, Herro 83 — and should factor into Miami’s rotation. Again, given their offensive styles, they only need to hit a couple shots for a quality return.
Doug McDermott – G – $5,500
In the same vein, we have McDermott but with a considerably lower price. In 2020, McDermott played 20 minutes a game, took over four 3’s and holds the team’s seventh-highest overall 2K rating, and yet he is the 11th-highest-priced Pacer. At an 88 3-point rating, McDermott is the best shooter on this slate and his solid overall rating indicates to me that he will get minutes. I am not expecting him to score 15 points or anything, but with a few 3’s, he could be a borderline slate breaker.
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