HH Roundtable: Boston Celtics and NBA2K

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The weekly Hardwood Houdini Roundtable is back

With the beloved NBA2K basketball video game being released this week, we had to dive into that a little. 2K has become a staple for any basketball fan. Running a franchise or playing MyCareer continues to be fun every year, and 2K is starting to rival Madden as the top sports video game fans need to get every year.

We also got our first question submitted to us this past week. We’d love to answer more of your questions in the future. The information to submit a question is below and we’ll answer any question regarding the Boston Celtics or about the NBA in general.

If you have a question that you want us to answer, email it to Jkarll66@gmail.com or tweet us @HoudiniCeltics.

This week, the three questions we answered are:

1) Which Player Should Get the Final Roster Spot?

2) Which Team is Your Favorite to Play as in NBA2K?

3) Who is Your First Pick in an NBA2K Fantasy Draft?

Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Karl Machata: Which Player Should Get the Final Roster Spot?

Jeremy Karll: It comes down to R.J. Hunter and James Young. Demetrius Jackson signed a four-year deal with guaranteed money in his rookie year, so there’s little chance that Boston will cut ties before his rookie season to keep both Young and Hunter. A lot of people want Ben Bentil, however Bentil only signed a non-guaranteed deal, therefore there is probably an agreed assumption that he’ll end up playing in Maine this season with a chance to make the roster next season. I would choose R.J. Hunter just because we haven’t seen enough to fully assess his ability. James Young has shown nothing through two years and Brad Stevens turned to Hunter over him in the playoffs last year, too. It’d be ridiculous to cut your 2015 first round pick for your 2014 first round pick when neither has shown much in the NBA.

Ian Riaf: Ben Bentil should get the final roster spot. Last year the Celtics struggled a lot on offense and Bentil is instant offense. Whether he plays in the D-League for half the year or sits on the bench he has what it takes to make it in the NBA. He can play anywhere from small forward to center in today’s NBA. While he struggles on the defense he is exactly what the Celtics need in terms of offensive output. Look for Bentil to make the roster as the Celtics desperately need offensive instinct.

Dan O’Shea: James Young. Demetrius Jackson, Jordan Mickey and Ben Bentil are better off developing in the D-League instead of keeping seats warm in Boston, leaving this as a two person battle between Young and R.J. Hunter. Hunter does fit the Celtics’ biggest need as a shooter, but struggled in his first season in the pros. Letting him work on getting his groove back will benefit Hunter in the long run. As for Young, he has to make the roster. If they send him to the D-League for a third season, they’re essentially admitting he’s a bust. This is the last run for Young, and he has to make it count.

Derek McVay: Whoever earns it. To me, it’s going to comes down to James Young and Demetrius Jackson. Whomever performs better training camp and in the preseason will earn that last spot. With three point guards already, I don’t see a lot of minutes available for Jackson if he were to make the team, and the Celtics really lack wing scorers, which is what they had hoped Young would be when they drafted him. He is running out of opportunities, but he’s still just 21-years-old. I think Young should get it because of the lack of depth on the wing, but at some point, he has to show Boston he deserves to stick around. This is likely his last opportunity to do that.

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Which Team is Your Favorite to Play as in NBA2K?

JK: You can’t choose the Golden State Warriors this year, it’s just unfair. If I want to prove how good I am while beating a friend then I choose the Philadelphia 76ers. Robert Covington is a beast from three and Jahlil Okafor is a great post-up scorer. As far as franchise mode, give me the Minnesota Timberwolves. Playing with Karl-Anthony Towns is a lot of fun and they have solid wing scorers and shooters, as well. Plus, I shoot a lot with my point guard in the game so having Kris Dunn as a rookie makes them even more intriguing. Besides, they have a lot of potential but aren’t great, so you won’t blow every team out.

IR: Personally I love playing with Patty Mills for some reason. There is something beautiful about his shot, so the San Antonio Spurs with Patty Mills starting at the two guard would have to be my top choice. Then followed by the Celtics because I love hounding people on defense with Avery Bradley.

DO: If we’re excluding the Golden State Warriors cheat code, the top team to play with is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Starting a franchise is the best thing to do in 2K, and there’s no team you’d rather start with right now. They might not be the most talented, but there’s something fun about playing with young talent like Andrew Wiggins and Karl Anthony-Towns. Throw in solid rim protection from Gorgui Dieng, the dual threat of Ricky Rubio and Kris Dunn at point guard, and Zach LaVine dunking all over everyone silly enough to stay in the paint, there’s no team more fun to play with.

DM: I don’t really have a favorite team. I’ll use the Celtics if I’m playing the franchise mode, but if I’m going head to head, I like to change it up. If I’m playing with a buddy, we’ll typically do three random teams, and then choose from those three. For the sake of this article though, I really like using the Portland Trail Blazers.

Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Who is Your First Pick in an NBA2K Fantasy Draft?

JK: I don’t like to post-up a lot and driving in the lane usually results in a turnover or a missed layup for me. I love to shoot threes, therefore no one is better than Stephen Curry. If 2K actually gave him unreal range then it might be unfair to play with him. Although, in past years pulling up for a three time after time has always been my go-to with him. If not Curry, probably Damian Lillard just because I love scoring with point guards.

IR: LeBron James of course. He will always do something positive even if he doesn’t shoot well on a given night. His stats are simply amazing and something most of us look past. For a sneaky second or third round pick Nikola Vucevic is an underrated pickup who I have always selected and has always puts up great numbers. He is a rebounding machine, good free-throw shooter, and he takes very high percentage shots. That is a winning formula in fantasy.

DO: It’s still LeBron James. I don’t care if you can shoot from the moon with Steph Curry or light it up for 40 with James Harden, there’s no one I’d rather play with than LeBron. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of every player, even though he’s slightly older than the players mentioned above. I’d count my championships before I even began wondering when the King was hanging up his sneakers.

DM: Russell Westbrook. LeBron James is the easy answer because he possess the highest overall ranking, but he’s also four years older than Westbrook. I’m trying to build a dynasty here, so I’ll take the younger talent. Westbrook is a walking triple-double and can hurt you from all over the floor offensively. I like to control guys who can get to the basket. Plus, there also won’t be many, if any, point guards that will line up across from him with the ability to defend him, or slow him down.