[OC] Which U.S. President could field the best NBA team (based on players that were drafted during his time in office?)
Credit to the Goat Zandrick Ellison for the idea: https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/jlilh6/oc_which_us_president_could_field_the_best_nba/
Each president gets a team made up entirely of players drafted while he was in office. I put all 14 teams into Basketball GM and had them play a 78-game season, followed by best-of-seven playoff series.
The lineups listed below are the lineups I would use, although Basketball GM made its own rotation decisions during the simulation.
Here are the teams in chronological order:
(14) TEAM HARRY TRUMAN: 1947-1952
PG: Bob Cousy
SG: Andy Phillip
SF: Paul Arizin
PF: Dolph Schayes
C: George Mikan
Bench: Ed Macauley, Neil Johnston, Clyde Lovellette, George Yardley, Harry Gallatin, Bob Davies
Team strategy: Everything would run through Mikan inside, with Cousy organizing the offense and Arizin and Schayes providing as much spacing as a team from this era can reasonably provide.
There is real talent here, but they would have to adjust to a style of basketball that barely resembles the one they played. Truman was a huge underdog against Thomas Dewey in the election he won, and once again, he’s got an uphill battle.
(13) TEAM DWIGHT EISENHOWER: 1953-1960
PG: Oscar Robertson
SG: Jerry West
SF: Elgin Baylor
PF: Bill Russell
C: Wilt Chamberlain
Bench: Bob Pettit, Sam Jones, Hal Greer, Richie Guerin, Bailey Howell, Tom Heinsohn
Team strategy: This is probably the most physically overwhelming starting lineup in the tournament.
Oscar and West handle the ball, Baylor scores on the wing, and Russell and Wilt make it nearly impossible to score around the basket.
The obvious issue is spacing. Playing Russell and Wilt together would give them ridiculous defense and rebounding, but the paint could get crowded. Bob Pettit may be a better fit at power forward in certain matchups because of his shooting.
(12) TEAM JOHN F. KENNEDY: 1961-1963
PG: John Havlicek
SG: Dave DeBusschere
SF: Chet Walker
PF: Jerry Lucas
C: Nate Thurmond
Bench: Walt Bellamy, Zelmo Beaty, Gus Johnson, Tom Meschery, Terry Dischinger
Team strategy: Kennedy’s shortened presidency gives him the smallest player pool and weakest. Kennedy’s team has an alarming lack of shooters, although that may be better for JFK.
The team would have to win with defense, rebounding and physicality. Havlicek would be the main creator, while Lucas, Thurmond and Bellamy control the paint.
The problem is that almost everyone wants to operate inside the arc. This team would be difficult to push around, but also fairly easy to pack the paint against.
(11) TEAM LYNDON B. JOHNSON: 1964-1968
PG: Walt Frazier
SG: Dave Bing
SF: Rick Barry
PF: Wes Unseld
C: Elvin Hayes
Bench: Earl Monroe, Gail Goodrich, Willis Reed, Jerry Sloan, Lou Hudson, Bob Love
Team strategy: LBJ has a more normal and balanced roster than the earlier presidents.
Frazier and Bing form a strong backcourt, Barry gives them shooting and scoring, and Unseld and Hayes provide rebounding and interior strength.
They could also move Barry to power forward and add another guard if they needed more offense. That would probably be necessary against the modern teams because an Unseld-Hayes frontcourt would make spacing difficult.
(10) TEAM RICHARD NIXON: 1969-1974
PG: Tiny Archibald
SG: George Gervin
SF: Julius Erving
PF: Bob McAdoo
C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Bench: Bill Walton, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Dave Cowens, Pete Maravich, Jo Jo White, Maurice Lucas
Team strategy: There is nothing tiny about this roster other than the point guard.
Kareem would be the centerpiece, with Dr. J and Gervin attacking from the wings. McAdoo gives them a big who can shoot, which makes him a better fit than simply starting another traditional center.
The bench has Walton, Gilmore, Lanier and Cowens, because apparently Nixon collected centers the same way he collected enemies lists.
The team has enormous talent, but managing the spacing and finding minutes for all the big men would be difficult. Nixon would likely break in and steal the other team’s playbooks, so that could help them out.
(9) TEAM GERALD FORD: 1975-1976
PG: World B. Free
SG: David Thompson
SF: Adrian Dantley
PF: Alex English
C: Moses Malone
Bench: Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, John Lucas, Mitch Kupchak
Team strategy: Ford only gets two draft classes, but they produced a lot of scoring.
Free, Thompson, Dantley and English would all want the ball, while Moses cleans up everything around the basket.
They would be fun, but the fit is questionable. There are too many score-first players who prefer similar areas of the floor. Dennis Johnson may need to start just to provide some defense and structure.
(8) TEAM JIMMY CARTER: 1977-1980
PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Sidney Moncrief
SF: Larry Bird
PF: Kevin McHale
C: Jack Sikma
Bench: Bernard King, Kiki Vandeweghe, Marques Johnson, Maurice Cheeks, Walter Davis, Micheal Ray Richardson, Bill Laimbeer
Team strategy: Carter’s one term happened to include both Magic and Bird, which is generally helpful. I heard those guys were pretty decent.
Magic runs the offense, Bird provides shooting and secondary playmaking, Moncrief takes the toughest perimeter matchup, and McHale and Sikma give them a skilled frontcourt.
The team does not have the absurd depth of some later presidents, but the starting lineup fits together extremely well. Bernard King would also be a ridiculous bench scorer.
Nice guy Jimmy Carter finally caught a break.
(7) TEAM RONALD REAGAN: 1981-1988
PG: John Stockton
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Scottie Pippen
PF: Karl Malone
C: Hakeem Olajuwon
Bench: Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Isiah Thomas, Patrick Ewing, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman
Team strategy: Reagan has the deepest roster in the tournament.
Stockton and Malone already know how to play together. So do Jordan and Pippen. Hakeem gives them another elite scorer while also protecting the rim.
They could play big with Robinson or Ewing, go small with Barkley, add shooting with Miller and Mullin, or completely suffocate teams with Jordan, Pippen, Dumars and Rodman.
The only real concern is that the preferred starting five does not have elite three-point shooting. Fortunately, there are several Hall of Fame shooters sitting on the bench.
(6) TEAM GEORGE H.W. BUSH: 1989-1992
PG: Gary Payton
SG: Tim Hardaway
SF: Glen Rice
PF: Toni Kukoč
C: Shaquille O’Neal
Bench: Shawn Kemp, Steve Smith, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo
Team strategy: The plan is simple: give Shaq the ball and surround him with players who can shoot and pass.
Payton and Hardaway can both run the offense, Rice stretches the floor, and Kukoč gives them a versatile forward who can create for others.
They could become more physical by adding Kemp or Mourning, although that would hurt the spacing. Payton would take the toughest guard assignment while Shaq, Mourning and Mutombo control the paint.
(5) TEAM BILL CLINTON: 1993-2000
PG: Steve Nash
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Tracy McGrady
PF: Dirk Nowitzki
C: Tim Duncan
Bench: Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, Chris Webber, Vince Carter, Manu Ginóbili, Ben Wallace
Team strategy: Clinton may have the most balanced roster in the tournament.
Nash organizes the offense, Kobe and McGrady create shots, Dirk stretches the floor and Duncan anchors the defense.
They could replace Nash with Kidd if they needed more defense, use Garnett instead of Dirk, or bring in Ray Allen, Iverson, Pierce, Carter or Manu depending on the matchup.
Coach Clinton has a long history of scoring, but this team might actually be better at stopping other people from doing it.
(4) TEAM GEORGE W. BUSH: 2001-2008
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: LeBron James
C: Dwight Howard
Bench: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol, Amar’e Stoudemire, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo
Team strategy: This may be the best starting five in the tournament.
Paul controls the offense, Wade attacks the basket, Durant provides shooting, LeBron does everything and Dwight protects the rim.
They would be devastating in transition and could switch most actions defensively. The main concern is spacing when Wade, LeBron and Dwight all share the floor.
Bosh or Carmelo could come in whenever they needed more shooting.
(3) TEAM BARACK OBAMA: 2009-2016
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: James Harden
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Nikola Jokić
Bench: Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis
Team strategy: This offense would be nearly impossible to defend.
Curry stretches the floor, Harden creates from the pick-and-roll, Jokić runs the offense from the middle, Giannis attacks open space and Kawhi takes the toughest wing assignment.
The bench gives them an answer for basically any situation. Davis, Embiid and Gobert can handle physical centers. Butler and George improve the perimeter defense. Klay, Lillard and Kyrie add even more shooting.
The main problem is deciding who actually plays. There is enough talent here to accidentally create bad lineups simply by trying to fit too many stars onto the floor.
(2) TEAM DONALD TRUMP: 2017-2020 and 2025-2026
PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Luka Dončić
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Zion Williamson
C: Bam Adebayo
Bench: Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Tyrese Haliburton, De’Aaron Fox, LaMelo Ball, Cooper Flagg, Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa
Team strategy: Trump has more elite ball-handlers than he could possibly use.
Luka, SGA and Tatum can all run an offense. Zion provides interior scoring and Bam handles the defensive work.
The biggest issue would be getting everyone to accept smaller roles. Luka, SGA, Ja, Trae, Mitchell and Edwards are all used to controlling the ball.
The roster is also much deeper at guard than it is at center. The Luka-SGA-Tatum-Zion-Bam lineup probably gives them the best balance. I’m not sure the extent to which there would be a peaceful transfer of possession between all those ball dominant guards though.
(1) TEAM JOE BIDEN: 2021-2024
PG: Cade Cunningham
SG: Scottie Barnes
SF: Franz Wagner
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Victor Wembanyama
Bench: Alperen Şengün, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Jalen Johnson, Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Brandon Miller, Stephon Castle
Team strategy: Biden’s team is young, huge and versatile.
Cade would be the primary ball-handler, Barnes and Wagner would help create, and Mobley and Wemby would give them an absurdly long defensive frontcourt.
The main issue is shooting. A lot of the best players prefer operating inside the arc, and several of them have not reached their primes yet.
This roster would likely look much stronger five years from now.
Now for the simulation.
The 14 teams played every opponent six times, producing a 78-game season. The top eight made the playoffs, and every round was best-of-seven.
The regular-season standings were:
Reagan was clearly the best regular-season team. They finished eight games ahead of Obama and had a point differential of +16.5.
Kennedy went 3-75 and was outscored by 17.5 points per game, so apparently the New Frontier did not include three-point shooting. LBJ’s Great Society clearly didn’t include offense either as they were horrific as well. George HW Bush says, “Read my lips, no easy layups”, and just like his promise for no new taxes, the team’s rim defense is disappointing.
Magic Johnson won MVP after averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists for Carter.
Michael Jordan won Defensive Player of the Year.
Karl Malone won Sixth Man of the Year because Reagan’s roster was so stacked that Karl Malone apparently wasn’t good enough to start.
The first round started with Reagan sweeping Nixon. The scores were 138-104, 117-84, 108-92 and 111-100.
Nixon’s army of centers and cheating skills had no answer for Reagan’s depth and shooting. I guess there was an 18 minute gap in their defensive game plan, especially in game 1.
George W. Bush beat Carter in five. Carter won Game 1, but Bush won the next four. Three of the games were decided by four points or fewer, but LeBron, Durant, Wade and Paul were better late in games.
Clinton swept Trump, and it was ugly. Trump didn’t have Lamelo, but still.
Clinton had already gone 6-0 against Trump during the regular season. The sweep made them 10-0 against Trump overall. The Clinton name finally figured out how to beat Trump.
The average playoff margin was 32 points.
Obama beat Eisenhower in six.
Wilt averaged around 29 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks, while Bill Russell averaged nearly 5 blocks. Eisenhower tied the series 2-2 and briefly made Obama’s lack of physicality look like a serious issue.
Obama eventually adjusted and won the final two games.
In the semifinals, Reagan beat George W. Bush in five.
Bush stole Game 2, but Reagan won the next three by 19, 18 and 12 points. Jordan averaged 24 points and won series MVP.
Obama beat Clinton in six.
Obama won the first three games, Clinton won the next two, and Obama closed the series with a 121-111 victory.
That gave us the Finals matchup the standings had suggested all along: Reagan against Obama.
Reagan won Game 1, 115-90.
They won Game 2, 121-111, in a closer game.
However game 2 produced good news for Team Obama though as MJ is injured with a sore shoulder(out for 7 games, but he’ll be back after 3, because by default, players play through 4 days of injuries in the playoffs)
Obama takes advantage with a 117-112 gritty comeback win to stay afloat in the series.
But team Reagan has them on the brink after a 123-111 win in game 4, led by 20 from Wilkins, and an efficient 15 each from Malone and Reggie on the bench.
Team Obama hang on for the series saving road win, 104-102, really 104-99(before a garbage time Barkley deep 3 with 2.5 seconds left), both teams shot horribly, 47.1 efg% for Obama, 43.8 efg% for Reagan.
MJ is back for game 6 on the road, playing thru the shoulder soreness.
But it doesn’t matter as team Obama run away with it, it’s 99-73 near the end of the 3rd quarter, but team Reagan make the loss run less ugly at 122-111, but David Robinson is out for the series a sprained ankle. He leaves with a 6/6/6 line 6 points, 6 rebounds 6 blocks on 2-6 from the field, Harden stars with 20/7/9
So, it comes down to a game 7, with team Obama coming back from down 3-1 in Reagan’s home court.
Reagan won the first quarter 27–22 and the second 21–17, taking a 48–39 halftime lead.
Obama responded with a 38–30 third quarter, scoring only 1 less point in that quarter than they did in the first half.
Harden’s basket with 11:29 remaining gave Obama a 79–78 lead. It was Obama’s last lead of the series.
Reagan immediately responded:
Malone made two free throws. Mullin made consecutive baskets. Dominique Wilkins hit a three.
That was a 9–0 Reagan run, turning a one-point deficit into an 87–79 lead.
Reagan then extended the overall stretch to 20–8, taking a 98–87 lead with 5:39 remaining. That was the largest lead of the game. Obama fought hard from there though.
Obama eventually cut it to 108–104 with 1:51 remaining. Giannis then blocked Karl Malone and Clyde Drexler on consecutive Reagan possessions, giving Obama two legitimate opportunities:
Kawhi missed a three with 1:24 left.
Giannis drew a foul with 52.9 seconds left but missed both free throws in classic Giannis fashion.
Drexler then hit the dagger three, assisted by Jordan, with 34.5 seconds remaining.
Obama went 5⁄33 from three, once again a team doing their best impression of the 2018 WCF game 7. Obama’s players outside Harden, Kawhi and Lillard went a combined 0/18 from three. Curry was 0/6. Jokić, Embiid and Giannis were 0/8. Butler and Davis were 0/4. Once again, Harden can’t win the championship. This time, despite 22 on 7-15 from field, 6 assists, 5 turnovers, 5 fouls, he was blocked 4 times, and was a disgusting -18 in a 7 point loss in 37 minutes. So -18 in 37 minutes vs +11 in the 11 minutes he was off. Yikes.
Karl Malone won Finals MVP after averaging 15.7 points and shooting 29-30 from the free-throw line.
So the same player won Sixth Man of the Year and Finals MVP.
He was not good enough to start but was apparently good enough to win finals MVP, which is hilarious.
The final result (my power rankings):
I put Eisenhower over Trump despite Trump having the better regular-season record because Eisenhower pushed Obama to six games, while Trump got swept by Clinton by an average of 32 points.
Link to the means of simulation, https://play.basketball-gm.com/, by the GOAT u/dumbmatter