Projected luxury tax teams (as things currently stand): Blazers, Heat, Nuggets (trading Faried would drop them under), Rockets (assuming Capela is re-signed), Raptors, Thunder, Warriors, Wizards
@DARGELOH My finalists are AD/Draymond/Horford and my winner would be Horford -- straw that stirs the drink on the #1-ranked defense, endlessly switchable, and individual performances against some of the toughest matchups (Giannis, Embiid/Simmons, Porzingis, etc.) have been insane all year
If you can't switch and competently cover 4 positions, you should not be the DPOY in this NBA. Embiid and Gobert rim protection instantly creates top 10 reg season D, but the most deadly playoff lineups are small ball units that spread you out and make these guys non-factors
@SamSheehan Yes, terrible take b/c it applies to almost every team. NBA rotations in general are dominated by guys picked before #15.
Look no further than the worst team. Even the Suns have 8 of these guys:
Chandler #2
Bender #4
Jackson #4
Len #5
Chriss #8
Payton #10
Booker #13
Warren #14
@kevinarnovitz Edge to Horford as culture-setter and centerpiece of league's top defense. Also been ridiculous in 1-on-1 matchups with some of most gifted offensive big men (Embiid, Porzingis, etc) in addition to switchability
Another incredibly vague rule that will be enforced unevenly because of its vagueness, resulting only in more fan confusion and controversy https://t.co/5rInrzeTRy
The NBA on the other hand has a team in the league office conducting research and thinking about rule changes throughout the year. They anticipate and quantify the likely impact before they roll anything out. Super proactive and deliberate approach