Best Teams to Play with & Rebuild in NBA 2K20 w/ Challenges

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2. Brooklyn Nets

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Talking about the Celtics, I said “11 years of championship drought sounds acceptable.” Well, Brooklyn Nets is a perfect illustration of this, given that their last championship was on 1976. For the first time since 2003, the Nets have such a dominant roster. It is your challenge to utilize their aspiring Big 3 to bring the championship back in New York. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant has to win multiple MVP awards so that he can get involved in the GOAT (Greatest of All Times) discussion alongside Jordan, LeBron, and Kobe.

• Starting Lineup:

  • Kyrie Irving

  • Spencer Dinwiddie

  • Joe Harris* (Kevin Durant will miss the rest of the season due to his Achilles injury)

  • Taurean Prince

  • DeAndre Jordan

• 6th Man: Jarrett Allen

 

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3. Dallas Mavericks

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Between 1998 and 2004, the Mavericks had a mysterious-but-promising duo in its roster: Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. Despite the duo’s excellence in the league, it brought Dallas no good because the Mavericks became impatient and traded Nash before Nowitzki reached its peak. 15 years later, the Mavericks have such a duo again: Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. You are challenged not to make the same mistake with the Mavericks GM back in 2004, have patience, and win numerous championships in Dallas. While dominating the league with that European duo, make sure at least one of them becomes an MVP. 

• Startling Lineup:

  • Luka Doncic

  • Seth Curry

  • ​D. Finney-Smith

  • Maxi Kleber

  • Kristaps Porzingis

• 6th Man: J. J. Barea

 

Bonus Challenge: You most probably know the inspiring life-story of the league’s recent MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo: Struggling with poverty back in Nigeria, chasing his dreams, making it to the league all the way down from Greece, experiencing the most incredible development of the NBA history… Well, his little brother Kostas Antetokounmpo plays for Dallas Mavericks. Just a reminder: Kostas is at the beginning of his development yet. You can challenge yourself to focus on Kostas’ progress so that he can transform into a monster and win the MVP award as well.

 

4. Los Angeles Lakers

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When Michael Jordan put an end to his career, the GOAT discussion was shelved by his recital. Then, a high-school guy came into the league. In his first year, the 18-year-old rookie took 4 shots that did not come close to the rim. They all “airballed.” The Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz in the 1997 Western Conference semi-finals. The game-defining plays he had always dreamed about turned into a nightmare, leaving him with a humbling rookie moment that impacted the rest of his 20-year career. Later on, this boy turned out to be Kobe Bryant: one of the greatest ever, a 5-times NBA champion.

Kobe’s legacy was followed shortly after by LeBron James. LeBron’s motto was #JustAKidFromAkron. He got drafted by his hometown franchise- Cleveland Cavaliers. When he finally brought a championship home in 2016 against the record-holder Dream Team Golden State Warriors, the Ohio-kid verified his spot in the GOAT discussion. 

LeBron is now playing alongside a superstar- Anthony Davis- in Los Angeles. Playing for a title-contender franchise means a lot to LeBron because he is about to become 35 years old, with a few years left until his retirement. He presumably wants to consolidate his position in the GOAT discussion through winning as much titles & awards possible. Your challenge is to make LeBron the absolute GOAT by the end of his career, while outranking the Celtics in terms of the titles won (currently 16).

• Starting Lineup

  • Avery Bradley

  • Danny Green

  • LeBron James

  • Anthony Davis

  • JaVale McGee

• 6th Man: Kyle Kuzma

 

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5. New Orleans Pelicans

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Unquestionably, Duke University has sent many prominent athletes to the NBA such as former Boston teammates Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum. Yet, none of them have been said to have as higher ceilings as “Zion Williamson.” Putting on a show with his insane athleticism in NCAA, Zion seems ready to take over the league. After Anthony Davis got traded to the Lakers in exchange of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hard, and unprotected first-round picks; the Pelicans sparkles with its young core. Rebuilding New Orleans Pelicans is not an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy challenge, but it is definitely worth the hustle.

• Starting Lineup

  • Lonzo Ball

  • Jrue Holiday

  • Brandon Ingram

  • Zion Williamson

  • Derrick Favors

• 6th Man: JJ Redick

 

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6. New York Knicks

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    The NBA’s most unfortunate community is the Knicks, for sure. Imagine hoping that your team will sign superstars each year yet ending up with trash rosters. After many failed attempts of rebuilding, NYK fans were pretty excited about this off-season. Why? Well, they had a damn high chance of acquiring the #1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. If they were lucky, they could select Zion Williamson with the #1 pick. Besides, two of the greatest superstars in the league- Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving- were free agents. Honestly, such a Big 3 would win the title hands down. Guess what? None of these but the worst-case scenario became a reality. The Knicks still has one of the weakest rosters in the league with no hope for play-offs. 

    Another story behind the Knick’s regrettable off-season is that New York Knicks selected R.J. Barrett with the #3 pick in the NBA Draft. Ironically, R.J. Barrett played as a Blue Devil alongside Zion Williamson last year. We are familiar with seeing the Duke-duo friendly and playful all the time, but let’s face the reality: There is a covert competition going on between these guys. Perhaps, R.J. Barrett would become the face of the 2019 Draft class with the #1 pick if Zion was on another roster. R.J. Barrett taking over the league and ascending the throne while bringing Zion down… Sounds like a solid challenge to me. 

• Starting Lineup:

  • Frank Ntilikina

  • RJ Barrett

  • Marcus Morris

  • TAJ Gibson

  • Julius Randle

• 6th Man: Dennis Smith Jr.