Swarm and Sting
Fansided

Could the Charlotte Hornets win an NBA title if the league were to start fresh?

By Elijah Edwards

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 20: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 27: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Cody Zeller #40 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on October 27, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 27: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against Cody Zeller #40 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on October 27, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Things didn’t go quite as well in terms of draft positioning this round, but the 10th pick isn’t a terrible one. Let’s take a look at how that translates.

Well, this is the final go-around and our pick is a decent one, but I’m skeptical nonetheless. I’ve spent a lot of time with video games, especially those of the sporting variety and anyone who has can tell you that the CPU has a set way of doing things. It has a way of repeating outcomes.

Reality is hard to mimic with just some equations and silicon. Whether through poor coding or just sheer limitations of hardware and software, after some time, you see where the game’s own set of rules and limitations lie and how predictable things can get. You begin to see how programmers have to make up ways in order for their “reality” to take place.

NBA 2K20 is no different. So, before even starting this, I knew more or less how this was going to play out. As you can tell, the later stages of the draft are almost identical every time. I tried to keep it mixed up a bit, but once you get past, say, the sixth round, things get very boring, especially if you don’t get a top-five pick.

Anyway, let’s get down to business. As stated before, the Charlotte Hornets landed the 10th pick in this fantasy draft and the results are as follows:

  1. Joel Embiid
  2. John Wall
  3. Al Horford
  4. Seth Curry
  5. Aaron Gordon
  6. George Hill
  7. Tomas Satoransky
  8. Ersan Ilyasova
  9. Kelly Olynyk
  10. Danny Green
  11. Andre Roberson
  12. Kent Bazemore
  13. Kyle O’Quinn
  14. Cory Joseph

That’s not bad lineup on paper, but sadly, injuries really took a toll on this team. All five starters missed multiple weeks with numerous injuries, including Embiid missing the postseason with a hand fracture.

So, despite the team finishing fifth in the East, they were eliminated in the first round by Trae Young and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Rockets once again won the NBA Championship and once again, featured Kawhi Leonard. Noticing another pattern?

Luka Doncic yet again won league MVP.  Joel Embiid earned All-NBA Second Team honors and All-NBA First Defensive Team as well. Other than that, no other Hornet garnered any accolades.

This one was the most disappointing due to the injuries, especially Embiids’s as it was right before the playoffs. I’d like to think the outcome would have been more favorable had he been able to play. Nothing can be done, though, as I had autosave on to avoid the temptation of reloading a save.

In any case, it’s time to wrap this thing up, so I’ll post some final thoughts ahead as we leave the world of make-believe and head back to the real world.

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