[NBA2k24 Expansion] Aloha! A Hawaii Honu Story

[R1zzo23]

ALOHA!!!

I have missed doing some franchise journaling, especially with NBA 2k, and wanted to give my gaming time some direction with a fun twist that I've never done before which is taking over an expansion franchise.

This is not going to be as hardcore as my last Thunder franchise was. This will be more of an overview of how things are going with the team and across the league while I jump in and play a few games a season.

How long this lasts, how deep it goes, I do not know but I am excited to be back to franchising here at OS.

[R1zzo23]

Luka Doncic finally breaks through and announces that he now runs the league as he completely carries the Mavericks to an NBA title. The Atlanta Hawks made a surprise run as the 8th seed behind Trae Young playing the best basketball of his life. The Hawks greatly benefited from Jayson Tatum missing the playoffs with an injury, but still beat down the Magic and Cavs with ease.

[R1zzo23]

Two legends hang them up...and no we are not talking about Kyle Lowry! LeBron James, the year his son is finally entering the NBA, decides that he is going to end his career to enjoy watching Bronny play out his. On his way out, LeBron will find his number retired for three different franchises while also walking his way right into Springfield's Basketball Hall of Fame!

Following him into the basketball sunset is arguably the greatest coach of all time in Gregg Popovic. After being gifted Victor Wembanyama, who immediately won Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the 2nd Team All-NBA, Popovic steps aside to let someone else enjoy the ride with the next generational San Antonio big man.

[R1zzo23]

To the surprise of nobody, with the booming popularity in the NBA game, the league has announced it will be expanding by adding two additional franchises.
The inevitable landing spot for one of the expansion franchises was back in the Pacific Northwest, returning a franchise to the city of Seattle as the Sonics are back! The city had been clamoring for their return ever since the team left for Oklahoma City, and now with the Kraken having built an arena in the city, there was a home for the Sonics to return.

With the late-breaking news of gambling issues with Jontay Porter, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, the NBA made the shocking decision of not expanding into the Las Vegas market. Instead, they went way out to the Pacific ocean and tabbed Hawaii as the next spot for NBA basketball with the birth of the Honu!

While it may not be the Vegas night life that most NBA players are so drawn to, a life on the island doesn't sound all that bad either.

For league realignment, the Sonics will take their familiar place in the Northwest Division - in turn bouncing the Thunder out and into the Southwest - while the Honu will join the Pacific. To balance off the number of teams in each conference, the New Orleans Pelicans have shifted over to the Eastern Conference into the Southeast Division.

[R1zzo23]

The most exciting day for both of these young franchises came with the expansion draft. All NBA teams were able to protect nine of their players, allowing the rest of their roster to be poached by the two new franchises. With the selections that were made, there was a clear delineation of ideals of how the teams were going to be built moving forward.

For Seattle, the return to NBA basketball in the area was not about bringing in a fun, new team that can grow in the basketball-loving community. They wanted this team back and wanted a return to the glory days as quickly as possible. The more win-now players they could bring in, the better. They are banking on Andrew Wiggins being their alpha scorer while surrounding him with some shooting and defending by a host of legitimate professionals.

On the other side of the coin, the Honu are brand-spanking new to this whole professional basketball thing and are taking a slow-and-steady approach. While John Collins offers a veteran that is as versatile as they come, the rest of the team is all about risks and upside. That becomes clear as day with their second pick of the expansion draft in Ben Simmons. Will he be able to clear his head and finally regain his footing in the league as a legitimate lead guard and All-NBA defender?

With Simmons and Collins, both down-hill scorers, leading the way, the Honu attempted to add as much shooting around them with Duncan Robinson, Jae'Sean Tate, Julian Strawther, Cam Reddish and Ben Sheppard. If they can spread the floor enough to let these two go to work on the interior, maybe there's a chance they can be dangerous enough to be in a few games early.

[R1zzo23]

With the 2024 NBA Draft approaching, the draft lottery was set to take place. Teams like the Spurs and the Rockets held two chances to hit the "jackpot" and move up in a draft that is being heralded as one without any clear superstar at the top. In knowing that, the lottery seems almost inconsequential as the depth will shake out and player development will be more important when determining who is the best player from this class.

With the results in, only minor jumps happened with the Portland Trail Blazers going from five to four, the Pistons from four to three and Hornets from three to two (both expansion teams were automatically slotted in at 5th and 6th post lottery). What this meant was that the San Antonio Spurs, slotted to hold the 2nd spot pre-lottery, slid all the way down to #7 overall behind the two expansion franchises.

[R1zzo23]

The 2024 NBA Draft is here and the next generation of basketball stars are about to find out where their dreams will become a reality! With a draft that has been lauded for how deep it is, there is no clear-cut top pick in this draft. Knowing that, it's almost impossible to predict the order these players are going to come off of the board, making it one of the more unpredictable and exciting drafts we have had in some time!

Without any further hesitation, let's get into it!



We knew that this draft was going to be unpredictable, but there was NOBODY that would have predicted Garwey Dual to go with the first overall pick. After an underwhelming freshman season at Providence, the 6'5" project declared for the draft knowing that there would be a chance he saw himself climb into the lottery due to his untapped potential. What did this kid show in his private workout for the Wizards to deserve going first overall?!?!?! By all accounts, this is a massive mistake which should be zero surprise to anyone that follows the NBA since the Wizards are one of the worst franchises for a reason.



With the 2nd overall pick, the Hornets make a much more sensible pick in Baylor freshman guard Ja'Kobe Walter. A high-potential shot maker on the wing to flank both LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, with Mark Williams patrolling the paint, give the Hornets a fun young core to play some 4-out hoops with.



Arguably the best player in this entire draft, Risacher ends up in the perfect spot for both player and franchise. His ability to be an incredible disruptor on defense and the Pistons sorely needing some three-point shooting, the Pistons must have been ecstatic that he fell into their laps at the 3rd pick.



The Trail Blazers are still in the process of finding out who is part of their core and who isn't, so why not take a shot on a player with immense upside that also plays a position that none of their young guys currently play? Buzelis has a flamethrower of a jump shot which should help spread the floor for their #3 pick last year in Scoot Henderson.



The Seattle Sonics were on the clock with the 5th pick and were really struggling between two top prospects. With their focus being on winning right now, that pushed them towards the younger brother of Jalen Williams. In his time at Colorado, Cody Williams showed that he could be an even better version of his older brother. A true building block for the Sonics!



One of the most polarizing players in the entire draft, the Hawaii Honu swing for the fences and tag French big man Alexandre Sarr with the 6th overall pick. At 7'1", he's already a defensive presence in the paint. If his jumper develops to the point of needing to be respected at least out to the corners, that would truly open up the paint for Ben Simmons and John Collins. At worst, he's an incredible rim deterrent and play finisher in the paint.



Early in the 2nd round, the Sonics were back on the clock with the 37th overall pick. Without many project players on the team, the Sonics decide to make headlines and draft Bronny James. At worst, LeBron will be at all the Seattle home games. At best, he develops into a starting lead guard with the ability to run professional offenses and score from deep.



There's a true international feel for the Honu's draft tonight as they grab Trenton Flowers with the 38th overall selection. Having played a year in Australia, the fans of the NBL will be able to catch the Honu games on TV easily given the closeness of their time zones. An athletic specimen on the wing with his 6'9" frame, Flowers will look the part of NBA player as he's going up and down the floor. He needs to refine his jumper and learn the intricacies of the defensive end of the floor if his career is to survive in the best league in the world.

[R1zzo23]