Which NBA team would be best at Capture The Flag?
I was having a bit of trouble thinking about which players and teams I wanted to write about. And then I saw this tweet, and my mind opened up:
Jackson Frank is an excellent writer. This is an excellent question. Let’s figure it out!
(We all know how to play Capture The Flag, right? There’s two teams of people on opposite sides of an open field, with a flag placed in each team’s territory. There’s a line in the middle, and if you’re tagged while on the other team’s side, you go to “jail.” Some seek out the other team’s flag; some stay and guard their own. The team that brings the other team’s flag back to their territory without getting tagged wins. Got it? Okay, good.)
The first team I thought of was the Lakers — who would surely finish last. As good of a leader LeBron is, I don’t believe in Dwight, DeAndre, or Carmelo to seek out the flag or defend their own. While Westbrook might be the best Capture The Flag player in the league, I don’t believe he has enough guys around him to help him get back to his territory safely.
Young teams — like the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Pistons — surely have an advantage. But do any of them have a veteran leader to organize their squad? I’m not sure the Thunder have any veterans at all. Derrick Favors and Mike Muscala are both 30 years old, but I can’t imagine them having enough locker room pull to right the ship. Same thing with the Pistons and Rodney McGruder. Memphis has two 28-year-olds on their roster — Steven Adams and Kyle Anderson. They’ve surely got one of the best teams out there.
Besides Westbrook, which other players in the league would be amazing at CTF? I think Luka would have the most fun. I think Chris Paul would be incredibly annoying about the rules. Kevin Durant and James Harden don’t seem like they would have much fun, and Kyrie would make up his own game within the game.
Looking across the league, I’ve narrowed it down to three teams: the young Grizzlies, the cohesive Hawks, and the militarized Heat.
I’ve already laid out what makes the Grizzlies such a dangerous team. They’re young. They have clear order on their roster. Xavier Tillman and Desmond Bane are wise beyond their years. Steven Adams would be an unstoppable force at guarding the flag. Ja Morant has all the tools to be the game’s best seeker. I’m all in on them as a top seed.
The Hawks have Trae Young, who could be an awesome seeker and also a great distraction to allow his teammates to clean up. John Collins is extremely versatile in this setting. Any of Reddish, Hunter, Bogdanovic, Johnson and Huerter are valuable pieces. A key sleeper in a game like this is Sharife Cooper, their second round draft pick from this year. We’ll be writing more about him soon.
My official pick for the best Capture The Flag team in the NBA is the Miami Heat. #HeatCulture is here, and they’re not going to lose a game like this. Think about it: Jimmy Butler. Kyle Lowry. Those are two leaders who will do anything to win. Jayson Tatum tried to capture Bam’s flag before, and it did not go well.
As far as role guys, PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris were specifically added to their roster for the purpose of shit-talking and getting in the opponent’s head. Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are specialists and chameleons — they’ll do whatever’s asked of them. Udonis Haslem is their secret weapon. They’re top-heavy as far as CTF goes, but they’ve got seven or eight guys who will work together and stop at nothing to get that damn flag.
Which team do you think would be best at Capture The Flag? Let us know.