NBA 3-on-3 GOLF: Building the best Team Under PAR

The Game is simple: Build a 3v3 NBA team Within a combined age Limit.

Still a little confused? Here’s an example. Let’s say the “par” is 100. Your goal is to build an NBA team, to the best of your ability, only relying on players’ ages. So if the par is 100, you could pick one 19 year old and two 40 year olds. Or three 33 year olds. Or one LeBron.

As long as your team’s total age is under par, you’re good.

Also, one last rule, I will not repeat players I’ve already drafted to other teams. Mainly for fun.

So with that in mind, let’s build the best teams birthdays can buy.

Team 1: Par 72

There’s a lot of ways you can go about building these teams. Obviously, it’s usually a good idea to get the best player you possibly can. So that’s where I’m starting. While I think the argument for best player in the NBA is actually pretty close right now, I’m still giving the nod to 28 year old Giannis Antentokounmpo. Giannis is just an absolute wrecking ball on both sides of the floor, and has managed to stay remarkably healthy over the course of his career so far. I feel great about him as the anchor of my team.

So, for those like me that needed a calculator to do 72-28, that leaves me with 44 combined years left to finish out my roster. But remember, I have to be UNDER 72, so really that means I have 43.

Now this is where things get interesting. I could try to take another “older” guy at 24 (Jayson Tatum, for example), and then just finish my team with the youngest player in the NBA, 19 year old Jalen Duren. But I want value from all three picks, so I’m not going to do that.

So instead, I’m going to take the best player from the 2022 NBA Draft (by far) in Paolo Banchero. Paolo is 20, as of November 2022, and is already lighting the league on fire as a rookie. At the time of me writing this, he’s averaging 21 points per game, shooting 44% from the field, and rounding out with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. I can’t stress how good he’s looked, especially as a rookie. It’s notoriously hard to dominate as a rookie, but if the season ended today, Paolo would finish with a higher scoring average than rookie Carmelo, LeBron, and KD.

And would you look at that. 23 years left to work with. You know who just so happens to be 23. Luka m*****f***ing Doncic. I don’t think I even need to do any explanation here. Luka is in competition right this second with Giannis to be the best player in the league, and I’m still getting him on this team even after drafting the guy I ranked over him. Luka adds some needed shooting and playmaking to this team, and keeps the ball out of Giannis’ hands in the final two minutes, addressing one of the few weaknesses of Giannis’ game. On fast breaks, Luka can catch his breath while Paolo and Giannis terrorize transition defenses, and then in the half court, the Luka P&Rs with the two bigs would lead to absolute devastation. This is unquestionably the best team you can build under a par of 72, and I’m taking that to the bank.

FINAL TEAM: Giannis Antentokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Paolo Banchero
COMBINED AGE: 71

Team 2: Par 69

First of all, lol, 69. Second of all, that par of 72 felt a little too easy. I think lowering the bar even further will help to make some tough choices. That, and of course the fact that I can’t take guys I’ve already drafted. Sorry Luka, you’re not making the roster this time.

For this team, I knew it would be almost impossible to have anyone even over the age of 25. Nikola Jokic at 27 was tempting, but leaving just 41 years to fill out my other two slots does limit the team a good amount. Especially with Paolo off the table, it was just not going to happen.

So instead, I’m starting this team with the best player under 25, and looking directly at the Memphis Grizzlies fan base when I say this: Jayson Tatum. I mean, what more do you want from this 24 year old. Besides a championship, lol. Sorry. Me, the warriors fan, has to get one in. But seriously, Tatum has grown his game every year, going from a fringe top 10 guy, to clear top 10, to pushing top 5 and a leading contender for MVP. In a year where scoring is up across the league, Tatum is scoring almost 4 points more per game than last year (!!!!), as well as shooting better, rebounding better, and attempting more free throws. His defense is also elite, and he’s stepped up as a passer. If he starts shooting 40% from 3 again, the league is doomed. Anyway, pretty easy choice for me to start this team.

That leaves me with 44 more years to work with. This was hard, as there are some amazing 24 year olds, particularly young guards Trae and Shai. But the 20 year old pool is light, and to be honest, there’s one guard I want even more than those guys. I’m sorry OKC! Anyway, for another 40 days, I get Tyrese Haliburton as a 22 year old. Haliburton is so, so so, soooooo so so so good. Haliburton went 12th in the 2020 draft, and there’s at least 10 teams kicking themselves for not taking him. In a move that shocked the entire NBA, the Sacramento Kings moved on from Haliburton to clear more space in their guard rotation and add Sabonis, but to absolutely no one’s surprise, Haliburton has blossomed with more minutes and responsibility. As of today, he’s averaging 20 points and 10 assists, which would be a historic pace to keep (only 9 players have ever done it). He’s also shooting 48/40/88, dangerously close to the coveted 50/40/90 club of elite shooting seasons. He’s remarkably efficient and clearly fun to play with. With Tatum to carry the scoring load, Haliburton could focus on what he does best: passing the ball to Tatum, and taking high quality 3’s when they send the double team.

Well, I have 22 years left, and one name is calling to me LOUDLY. Zion Williamson is 22, and when healthy, arguably one of the best 10 players in the entire league. The problem is the “when healthy” seems to not come quite as often as you’d like, especially as the fantasy GM of this 3 player team. So while I would not fault a single soul for taking Zion here, especially on a team lacking some size, I’m going to leave a little bit of meat left on the bone and take the best 21 year old in the league instead. That’s right, I’m taking James Wiseman. Lol, did I get you? I’m actually taking Anthony Edwards, the only player from the 2020 draft you could argue was a better pick in the top 12 than Haliburton. Edwards has had to deal with a lot in his first few years in the league, including watching his team be on the losing end of arguably the worst NBA trade in history. (For real, does Utah do Gobert for Kessler straight up right now?). The chemistry has been awful, and poor conditioning in the offseason has made for a quiet start this year for Edwards. That said, he’s still giving you 24 points per game on pretty decent shooting numbers, and of course, he’s box office gold. Not that that matters, but it doesn’t hurt. We’ve also seen him take his game to new heights in the playoffs, and I do think he truly believes he’s the best player in the NBA.

That rounds out this team. We’re a little short on size, but with Haliburton and Edwards at guard and Tatum as our 3, I kinda think you could just put (insert Plumlee brother here) in the front court and it wouldn’t matter.

FINAL TEAM: Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards
COMBINED AGE: 67

Team 3: Par 75

Alright, last team. The higher par here will open myself up to players I haven’t been able to consider before, but I think there’s a pretty obvious place to start.

My first pick, which took me about 3 seconds to land on, is 27 year old Nikola Jokic. Not only is the age a huge plus here, leaving me with 47 more years to work with, but I’m getting the 2x (about to be 3x unless the voters are cowards) reigning MVP and an offensive supernova. I don’t think it’s really possible to put into context just how valuable Jokic is for the Nuggets offense. They’re the number one team in the West as of today, with Jokic leading the way averaging 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Haha. Like what. He’s averaging a 25 point triple double. He’s shooting a comical 63% from the floor, as well as 37% from 3 and 81% from FT. He routinely makes a pass once per game that creates noises from my mouth/body I am unable to control. He’s just a freak, man. There’s no one like him. And best of all, he makes every single teammate exponentially better on offense, and in an exercise like this, that’s a huge plus. Anyway, that’s enough ranting, but it’s an easy choice of Jokic here for me.

I thought about a lot of guys for this next pick, particularly thinking about who I’d want to pair with Jokic. Steph/KD were tempting, but at 34, impossible to pick. In fact, given that the youngest player I could take is 19, that meant I couldn’t consider anyone over 28. Shai, Jaylen Brown, and Donovan Mitchell were all super tempting. Shai I LOVE, but for whatever reason, I don’t love the idea of him and Jokic playing together. Mitchell and JB were also great players to look at, but at 26, just a teeeeeny bit rich for my blood. So anyway, I’m taking 24 year old Ja Morant here. I’m not sure if this is the right pick, to be completely honest, but Ja is super young, giving me a little more flexibility with that last pick, and best of all he’s still getting better. While he’s gotten off to a slowish start shooting this season, Ja’s assists and free throws are up, and the Grizzlies are right behind the Nuggets in the race for the West’s one seed. Also just selfishly, I would love to see what Jokic/Ja could do on the same offense, especially with some back door cuts for Ja and Jokic throwing the lobs. The creativity with passes would be off the charts in this offense, and as for pure fun factor, Ja elevates this team more than anyone else could.

Down to 23 year olds, and we’ve been here before. Would it be crazy for me to take Jordan Poole? Yes. Do I want to? Yes. To be honest, there were a few directions to go here. I think Zion once again is probably the right choice, and a team with Jokic, Zion, and Ja would be maybe the most entertaining assembly of players ever, but I’m a GM looking to win, not sell seats, and I can’t help but worry about having two high flyers that risk injury every time they jump off the floor. Actually, who am I kidding, it’s Zion Williamson here. I’m a Zion truther, and I have to stick to my guns. THAT SAID. I was going to take Franz Wagner. But I’ll get to that in a second. Zion (when he plays) is giving you 26 points per game on 60% shooting, which paired with Jokic would make for the most frighteningly efficient front court the league has seen in a long time (ever?). He’s only 22, and with the ball in his hands he’s already one of the most lethal single possession options the league has right now. It’s definitely a risk going Zion here, but in my made up world, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

In another lifetime, where injury concern is king, I might shift this team to be Franz (21) and then Donovan Mitchell. The balance of scoring from all three levels with Jokic would be really nice, and Mitchell could take 30 shots a game for all those guys care. But again, that’s not my first choice.

FINAL TEAM: Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson
COMBINED AGE: 73