Gentlemen, it’s that time of year. The JBL season is over and it’s time to go back through another magical season of the JBL. As per my annual tradition, I'll go through each of the teams and the rosters and we'll highlight some of the top performances as well as some of the crappy ones too.
And we now know that JBL 34 will be remembered by one franchise forever. Congratulations to the Bangkok Fighters on their 1st ever JBL championship!
I started to put this document together on March 21st and I’ve been making updates and edits along the way. Since my 2nd hip replacement surgery on April 4th, I’ve had some additional time to make some more updates so it’s truly been a ‘work in progress’ for almost a month now. It’s also the first time I’ve taken advantage of ‘speech to text’ technology so it might not flow as best as it could…but hey, what do you want from your aging Commissioner. As always, hope you enjoy the read.
NORFOLK ‘N’ CHANCE – 14th Place
Let's start with our good old friend in Norfolk. I was hoping this year would be a lot better for the Doctor but it’s really been more of the same. Let's first talk about the good things in Norfolk this year. There was Devin Booker and Jalen Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyrese Haliburton. That's some high end talent for sure. The problem was all the surrounding talent didn't really pan out. Guys like Cam Thomas, Jordan Clarkson, Dillon Brooks, Precious Achiuwa and others weren't going to cut it as secondary pieces to a high end JBL roster. The Doctor may have found a gem in Kel’el Ware but he won’t be able to protect him based on the last place finish.
So let's jump into the awards for Norfolk. Karl Anthony Towns is the clear MVP of this squad. He turned in a monster fantasy season and his percentages are off the charts; add in 24 points and almost 13 rebounds and KAT is back to his high end fantasy value. The big disappointment goes out to LaMelo Ball. He was acquired for Tyrese Halliburton in a one for one swap and I get the appeal of LaMelo with the high-end appeal of 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. The issue was that since the Doctor acquired him LaMelo's been putting up 19-5-7. Then you have to consider that LaMelo only plays about 1/2 of his available games and that might be generous.
Going back to the positive of the Norfolk season, signing Malik Beasley off the free agent wire turned out to be a fantastic move. Beasley ended up playing 55 games so far for Norfolk and there's still 3 weeks to go. Beasley's averaged 16.5 points shot 42% from deep and I think he leads the NBA in three pointers made which was huge help for Norfolk’s 3 point percentage. The unsung hero of this team is probably Aaron Gordon. He's had some health issues this year but getting 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2.5 assists with percentages at 53 and 46 - that's a really good value for a role guy.
So where does Norfolk go from here? I don’t think a stockpile of keepers is in the cards but he does have his plus one keeper in Donovan Clingan available. The Doctor is going to need some lottery help and does have 14 balls in the pot (13.3%) in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. Sometimes the best thing is to just wipe the slate clean and start over. For Norfolk, that’s where we are now.
IDAHO UDAPIMPS – 11th place
Alright, moving on, let's get over to Idaho and see what happened with the Pimps this year. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Tuna must be extremely disappointed with this group. He had names like Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Paulo Banchero, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Damian Lillard, and the list went on and on and on but ultimately it's not about the names, it's about the numbers. Idaho made a lot of moves including doing high risk trades by giving up both Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard to grab Evan Mobley as the cornerstone piece for future seasons. The good news for Idaho is that when I started putting this together, Idaho was in 13th and was at risk of finishing in the basement. A later season surge catapulted him into 11th so he’s got 2 keepers to build around in 25/26. Overall though, this was a disappointing season in Idaho.
Idaho’s MVP overall, so far, playing 66 games is James Harden. Sure, the percentages aren't great at 39 & 34 but the guy still scores over 20 a game, his ATO's decent, he’s at 1.5 steals, 6 rebounds, and is still a valuable fantasy asset.
The disappointments for the year in Idaho? Take your pick! Paulo Banchero pulled his abdominal muscle and missed a load of games. Franz Wagner missed a load of games, same injury. Buddy Hield, a supposed sharpshooter, played 31 games for Idaho this year and shot 35% from downtown. Horrible. Big man and personal favorite, Jusuf Nurkic, acquired to get loads of rebounds, played just 31 games in Idaho and averaged 8 and 8. Dud. DeAndre Ayton, acquired from Arctic, averaged 13 and 10 just played 23 games for Idaho. Shocker. Ayton has been a thorn in Idaho’s side since the dreaded coin flip in the rookie lottery all those years ago.
The unsung hero of this squad might be Ausar Thompson. He played 48 games in Idaho and is one of the most tenured players in Idaho this year. That said, I’m sure Idaho wanted Ausar to be more like this brother (as well as being a potential keeper).
Nothing went right this year for Idaho really and he’ll be back to the drawing board for next season. So,he’s got his 2 keepers (likely Mobley and Banchero) but it’s the 3 first round picks (Brussels, Chilliwack’s and his own) that could land him Cooper Flagg. With Bangkok getting the monkey off his back this season, it’s now Idaho (and Arctic) that have the longest dry spell in the JBL. All of us expect a highly motivated Idaho squad in 25/26.
BELLINGHAM ‘N” EGGERS – 13th place
OK, let's move on to Bellingham now. Another disappointing year for the Eggers it seems but also another team that had a lot of big names to start the season. Jason Tatum, Trey Young, Zach Lavine, Nicola Vucevic, CJ McCullum. These are all big names they had to start the season as well as having Porzingis (at a discount no less) waiting in the wings. However, overall, it just didn’t work out. As I do this review, Ham sits in 12th place battling hard to stay in this 2+1 keeper zone. Ultimately, Ham fell to 13th and now just has 1 keeper and his plus one. Will that extra spot go to Brandon Miller or Matas Buzelis? Or will those 2 just simply be the 2 keepers? Big decisions ahead.
I'm going to give the MVP nod on this team to Nikola Vucevic who averaged almost 19 points a game, 10 rebounds, shot 53 from the field and had a three-point resurgence shooting almost over 39% this year. A close second goes to Zach Lavine and Trey Young for monster seasons as well but I'll give Vooch the nod here.
In terms of a disappointing year, I think you'd have to look at Brandon Miller again. The second year player was injured again and only managed 26 games for Bellingham. He was having a good year at 21 points a game but the shooting percentages were very low and ultimately if you aren’t available for the games – that’s going to be a big issue. As we like to say, availability is one of the best JBL categories to pursue.
The pickup and acquisition that I liked was Kyshawn George. He’s played in 20+ games for Bellingham and the 3rd of the Washington rookies has actually been pretty good in Bellingham shooting 40% from downtown, averaging 11 points, over 1.0 steals, and over a block a game. The kid seems to have enormous potential so I really liked this pick up for Ham.
The disappointing move was the Keon Johnson trade. In Ham’s defence, he didn't know that Josh Giddey was going to turn into Oscar Robertson in Bangkok. That said, Keon Johnson has not been JBL worthy at just 10 points a game and percentages of 38 and 32. Getting Bangkok’s 1st round pick is a small consolation as it’s going to be just one extra lottery ball in the bucket for Ham.
It’s another disappointing season for Bellingham as the big names were pretty good but the supporting cast clearly wasn’t good enough. Ham employed just 25 guys this season. Could more work on the waiver wire have been done? Maybe. So who is the future in Bellingham? It probably revolves around Brandon Miller and/or Matas Buzelis. Does Porzingis get an invite back? Can Ham afford another 40 games from him? Does Zach LaVine get a look? Kyshawn George? He’s got some decent keeper options but the real opportunity to turn the ship around comes in the rookie lottery with where he has his own 13 balls plus Bangkok’s 1 ball. So like Norfolk, Ham has 13.3% chance of landing Flagg.
ARCTIC CIRCLE JERKS – 9th place
Moving on to the frozen tundra of the Arctic. First off, the Jerks made some major moves midway through the season to acquire Domantis Sabonis, Jason Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Shaeden Sharpe and a few others. With big moves, come big expectations. I think I can safely say that Arctic will be disappointed with the lack of upward movement in the standings from these moves. Of course, Arctic didn’t expect Sabonis to miss some time after being perfectly healthy in Dayton. Of course, Arctic didn’t expect to Brandon Ingram to have the worst ankle sprain of all time that’s essentially ended his season after just 18 NBA games. The news that makes it all worse is that Arctic also traded away both rookie picks in the 2025 draft and now that Arctic’s 1st rounder is looking to be quite an attractive number of lottery balls at this point.
There's been some fantastic seasons from guys in Arctic this year. Josh Hart has been amazing. He’s had multiple triple doubles. OG has been very good all year. Rudy Gobert has been under appreciated too. Isaiah Hartenstein had an amazing season. I’m a huge fan of the 2 Hart’s.
But there has also been disappointments. Guys like Nick Claxton didn't earn his $51 salary. Laurie Markkanen was never healthy. Malcolm Brogdon didn't pan out. And as good as Malik Monk’s been (a usually very consistent 3 point shooter) he’s shot just 31% from deep. So, overall, a mediocre Arctic season. I believed this squad would be much better than this and could maybe push for a top four spot and I certainly didn't think they'd be outside the top eight, but here we are.
So who was the MVP of this Arctic roster? You're probably looking at a guy like Josh Hart considering his availability and just how valuable he is across multiple categories. Hart has to be a lock to be back in the frozen wasteland next season.
In the most disappointing category, you've probably got a few contenders. Claxton the $51 man. You’ve got Lauri Markkanen - the keeper who was flushed away in a mid-season trade. It has to be very disappointing to acquire Brandon Ingram and getting nothing out of the guy. Even having a big name like Ja Morant on your team and getting only one game from him before moving him on to browner pastures.
I will say the one guy who actually performed quite well while in the Arctic was Jalen Green. He played 29 games with Arctic and averaged 23ppg and shot 37 from deep. Those are good numbers before he was traded Dayton. It seems like Green performs OK in Arctic and Dayton and everywhere else he is just a jacker with minimal fantasy value.
As far as an unsung hero I'd have to go with Russell Westbrook. I didn't think he'd be fantasy relevant anymore but again 63 games for the Arctic, 13ppg, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1.4 steals, and percentages that aren't atrocious. Well done Westy. Nice job.
Again, I thought that this Arctic team had the names and the stats to be a top eight team in the JBL standings and even push for the top 4 spots. I was wrong. They didn't get it done and in the effort to make a top 4 push, Arctic moved his 2 rookie picks to Dayton. Now, those lottery balls could end up haunting Arctic if one of his balls was plucked out early in the summer lottery. The future can still be bright for Arctic as I would imagine the 2 guys coming back are Hart and Hartenstein. Both are extremely undervalued at their keeper prices and can be cornerstones for next season’s squad.
JUAN DE FUCA YO MAMAS – 12th place
Let's move on to Juan de Fuca and talk about the team that was doomed from the get go. Once Juan drafted Joel Embiid for huge dollars the ultimate risk/reward season began. Unfortunately for Juan it turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. Embiid played just 18 games in Juan before being ruled out for the season. I'm pretty sure that Juan will have him on the “do not draft ever again” list for as long as they live.
There has been some good in Juan de Fuca this year. When you look at guys like Darius Garland, Toumani Camara, Kyrie Irving, Scottie Barnes, and a few others. Plus, the rookies have provided some hope with Bub Carrington and Zaccharie Risacher showing signs of their potential as fantasy players. The challenge will be trying to figure out which way to go with the likely just 2+1 keeper spots.
I’m going with Darius Garland as Juan’s MVP this season. It turns out his $25 salary was a real bargain on the draft night as he’s averaging almost 21 a game with 6.6 assists, over 1 STL and shooting over 40% from downtown. He’s played 64 games so far for Juan and no one's played more to date..
Anyone want to take a guess who at the most disappointing player was? I didn't think so. I’ll say no more.
As for the best pickup or acquisition during the year, I think it's between number one overall pick Risacher and free agent legend Toumani Camara. At the time, when Juan acquired Risacher for Ausar and Robinson, I think many of us thought that Idaho had won the trade. I think overall its ended up more of a win-win as Risacher has really improved over the back half of the season. For Camara, he’s ended up playing 56 games now for Juan and he’s averaging 11 and 6 and shooting 38% from deep with 1.55 steals and 0.75 blocks. That's an above average waiver wire find. As for Zach, he's played 37 games in Juan and averaged 12 points a game and shot 38% from downtown and 46% from the field. He’s shown loads of potential as mentioned but the question remains will Juan be able to keep all these guys for next season.
And I also have to mention that Ty Jerome has been a pleasant find for Juan de Fuca as well. He's been amazing for Cleveland but he's only managed 19 games so far with Juan but I imagine Jerome will probably get some 6th man of the year votes in the NBA.
Finally, we need to note that Juan de Fuca was the original one and done JBL champion. It’s been almost 25 years since Juan de Fuca won a JBL title in the 2000/01 season. Since then, Juan’s had a 2nd place finish, 5 3rd place finishes, and 2 more 4th place finishes. In the JBL history books, Juan de Fuca ranks #5 on the ‘Most Consistent’ list. That said, they’ve never been able to find the ultimate glory again. I only mention this because we just witnessed Bangkok’s first ever JBL title, which would add the Kok to the list of one-time winners. Kok joins Juan de Fuca, Maui, and Brussels in the 1-win club. Now the rivalries should intensify as they all battle to get win #2 and show that the one championship was not just a ‘lucky’ season. A motivated Juan de Fuca is always good for the JBL. Plus, the side bets between Juan and Bangkok are legendary.
DAYTON YER DAUGHTERS – 7th place
OK, let's move on to Dayton now and talk about the most active team in the JBL. By most active I mean this squad has seen 42 players come and go this season. More than any other team in the JBL. The season started great for Dayton and had a run in the top three for the first 3 or 4 weeks and then the slide to the bottom began. However, it was just around the new year that Dayton may have figured out one of the ways to compete in the JBL.
The big revelation came when LaMelo Ball was no longer part of Dayton’s future and was abruptly traded to Norfolk for Tyrese Haliburton. This move and others sparked Dayton’s rise in the standings. For a few weeks, Dayton was in and out of 13th and 14th place and when I started writing this it looked like Dayton was locked into a 9th or 10th place finish with just three weeks to go. However, Dayton kept rising. The squad was top 3 in the weekly standings for the final 4-6 weeks. For his efforts, a 7th place finish and most importantly that extra keeper spot.
The vibes are high in Dayton and the potential is there he may have figured it out and now can he build on that moving into 2025?
The best fantasy player on this team (that spent the most time anyways) is Ivica Zubac. He's played 80 games in Dayton and averaged 17 points, 12.6 rebounds and shot 62%. Studly numbers for the big man.
There were a couple disappointments on this team and both of them no longer play in Dayton. One was drafting Ja Morant and seeing his injured body flail away for 29 games. The other was LaMelo Ball playing 32 games in Dayton. The percentages for both of them were killer and there's no doubt why Dayton's field goal percentage has moved up so much since they were both moved away. As the calendar turned to 2025, Dayton’s FG% was 46.5%. At the end of the season it was 47.9%. Coincidence? I think not.
The unsung hero of this group doesn’t even play for Dayton anymore. He was recently traded to Seoul but those 66 games of Jaden McDaniels were very good. He averaged 13ppg, 6 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 48.6% from the field. The other gem was Aaron Wiggins who is up to 20 games now for Dayton and he’s contributed almost 15ppg while shooting 50/33. Another nice waiver wire find.
The other reason for the crash to the basement initially was the massive injury blow to Chet Holmgren. The hip fracture has limited Chet to just 22 games so far this year after playing in all 82 last season. Chet’s 15 and 8 with 2.4 blocks were sorely missed but he still remains a cornerstone piece to the Dayton franchise moving forward
With the late season charge to the left side of the leaderboard Dayton now has 3+1 keepers and it’s a virtual lock those are Zubac, Holmgren, Herro, and Stephon Castle. A fantastic core to start the 25/26 season.
And let's not forget that Dayton has his own lottery balls (7) and then he'll also have Arctic’s lottery balls (9) on top of that. That’s 16 lottery balls out of the 105 (15.2%). Dare to dream for Dayton…
CALI FORNICATION – 10th place
Moving on to our friends in Cali where the season was blown apart with the news of Victor Wembanyama’s season ending injury. Wemby only ended up playing 46 games for Cali this year and averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks. The future is bright for Wemby in Cali. A true cornerstone piece going into his Year 3 next season.
But this team was more than just Wemby at the end of the day. There were other big names with big performances this year. Guys like Jarrett Allen, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Duren, Naz Reid, Julius Randle and others. The names were there for a potential title chase but the season was stuck in mediocrity once Wemby was lost.
No team used fewer players (19) than Cali this season. Could they have done more with free agents? Were there some trades out there? We know there were offers for Wemby at some point during the year too. In the end, I think keeping Wemby was the right choice at the time as there were just so many other things going sideways in Cali for them to be a true contender this season.
So, the MVP of this team is mostly because of availability on top of the numbers. I'm going to give it to Donovan Mitchell. He’s managed 63 games so far and 24 points per game, 37.5 from deep, with good steals, decent rebounds, and good ATO. A very solid fantasy contributor for someone who always seems to end up in Cali.
When it comes to disappointments, I think you could name almost half the roster here based off what was expected versus what was produced. The Wemby injury aside we have to look at guys like Paul George and Jerami Grant as well. I don't know what it is about Jerami Grant but that guy never plays many games from February to April. He's always getting shut down and I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. As for Paul George, has there been a more disappointing new guy on a new team? Only playing 33 games for Cali and averaged 15 points per game. What a horrible reason from that guy. I would expect him to be banned from Cali forever and ever, Amen. Let's not forget our good friend Immanuel Quickley who's only played 16 games for Cali this year due to however many injuries he’s suffered. The kid’s a good player and he could probably average 20ppg and 5 assists but again, his availability just wasn't there.
There were some pleasant surprises on this team though too. Let's talk about Naji Marshall. This $3-dollar free agent has played 34 games, averaged 13+ppg, 5 rebounds, 49% from the field, and he's had some really big games since the whole Dallas debacle happened.
Max Christie was a good role guy too that every JBL team could use. He’s shot 40% from deep in his 30 games that he played for Cali. He’s hot and cold but deserves a brief note here.
The future of this Cali team is on the big guy. it's all about Wemby. Cali will have just 2 more keepers on top of Wemby (thanks to a late season swoon) so Cali will have some choices to make there. Is Cam Johnson back for $8? What about Naji for $8? Naz Reid for $14? Laker legend Knecht4 for $6? Decisions, decisions. Cali will have a strong set of building blocks (and 10 lottery balls) in place when the 25/26 season rolls around.
FRENCH LICK LEGENDS – 6th place
Don't really know how to start a summary of a French Lick team that hasn't been in contention all season. It looks like French is probably going to finish in that 5th to 8th range which will be their worst finish in many, many years. So, what the hell happened?
This was a quite different looking French team from the start. The post auction roster featured Giannis and an injured Kawhi. There was Jaren Jackson and Derrick White plus other veterans like Jrue Holiday, Terry Rozier, and DeAngelo Russell. Holdovers DiVincenzo, Isaac and Keyonte George were also there. In the end, many of these guys simply did not pan out. But more on this later.
The MVP for me of this team is Derick White. He's played 65 games so far in French and averaged 16ppg, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, over 1 block a game and shot 38% from downtown. That’s a really good year for that guy. His contract with French is up and this is an exciting name to be going back to auction. I would expect a lot of interest on White at auction.
And even when French has a down year and he's not in contention he's still doing all the right things to set his team up for the following season. When title hopes faded, French quickly pivoted to acquiring the best keepers for next season and beyond. Jaren Jackson was traded to acquire Derek Lively from Brussels. Then Giannis was traded to acquire Mark Williams from Bangkok. This gives French a couple of big and undervalued Centers for next season. Building around young big men seems to have had some success over the past few years. French will also have his most lottery balls in the pot for almost 10 years this upcoming draft. Usually it’s been 1 or 2 balls, that’s it.
There are a few disappointments on this squad this season. Kawhi playing less than 1/3 of the season certainly was disappointing. Terry Rozier’s gambling issues clearly impacted his performance as he looks like he’s completely forgotten how to play. Even Jrue Holiday, who played 47 games in French this season before getting dropped wasn’t very good.
The best FA signing for French came when he signed Peyton Pritchard to a free agent deal early in the season. That was a crafty pick up as he played 49 games for French and shot 42% from downtown while averaging 14 PPG. He's likely the 6th man the year in the NBA and French got everything he could out of him before trading him away to Bangkok.
As for the unsung hero of this squad it might be Jakob Poeltl or it could be Dante DiVincenzo. I think Poeltl always goes underrated in fantasy circles. I know he's probably priced up because he plays for Toronto but the guy just puts up numbers year after year. He was 14 and 9 this season while shooting a 62%. Yeah, he misses some games due to rest and the tanking and all of the nonsense that the Toronto Raptors put us through but Poeltl seems to always produce decent fantasy numbers all the time.
French’s future is bright and I would expect him right back in contention next year. He's going to have two young centers on good contracts in Mark Williams and Derek Lively. He's probably going to have a top 10 rookie pick to add to that as well. So consider this a one year blip on the JBL radar and let’s see what French does next season.
SEOUL BROTHERS – 8th place
Moving on to our defending champion - Seoul Brothers. The first thing I noticed when I reviewed this team is that Phil's already used 40 players this season. That's the second most in the entire JBL. We know that Phil can be ruthless in the chat room and he's definitely been ruthless with the transactions this year. If guys weren't playing up to snuff they were dropped or traded at worst and if they were lucky they would just be scolded and called a variety of names in the chatroom. You need to have thick skin to play in Seoul.
Most of the year has been mediocre in Seoul’s standards. That said, Seoul is putting together a late season charge right now with a slight chance of reaching the top 4. Most likely it’s going to be a 5th to 8th place finish for the defending champs but that’s still a decent season considering some of the injuries and just how hard the JBL is to compete year after year.
The best player on this team and the MVP is Jalen Brunson. He's played 61 games this year and scored 26 PPG and shot 38% from downtown. This late season injury is unfortunate and will likely keep Seoul in the middle tier of the standings. Brunson is another player going back to auction in 2025/26 and he should draw considerable interest from JBL teams.
The trade of the year for Phil, and maybe the JBL, was somehow managing to get 42 games out of Anthony Davis before completing a six player deal with Golden and offloading AD only to see him get hurt one game later. Absolute genius. Or luck. In that trade Seoul acquired Bam Adebayo, Trey Murphy and Jimmy Butler. Seoul gave up AD (1 game in Golden); De’Aaron Fox (17 games and 27% from deep) who ended up needing finger surgery and being lost for the season; and DeAndre Hunter who got traded from the Hawks to the Cavaliers and became a role player there. Put it all together and that probably turns out to be the biggest heist of the season.
The most disappointing player, based on the chat room comments and based on expectations, is probably Alex Caruso. He played 23 games for Seoul this year and outside of 1.5 steals per game he’s really been very average. If his name wasn't Alex Caruso he wouldn't be on a JBL roster. We now know he is by far and away a better in real life player than he is a fantasy player as long as he’s playing in OKC
One of the better underrated pickups that Seoul had was signing Day’Ron Sharpe of the Nets who's now played 27 games in Seoul and is averaged 8.5PPG and just over 7 rebounds and over a block a game while shooting 55%. That's a solid #2 center and I know Seoul appreciates a solid role player signing.
The unsung hero of this team is someone again that was acquired from Golden in a pre- draft trade and that's Tari Eason. Tari played 45 games for Seoul, averaged 12 and 6 and 1.8 steals and almost a block a game. Sure, there's been some injury issues with Eason but for what he gives you as the ultimate role guy I think Eason is the best of the bunch on this squad.
Seoul likely brings back Trey Murphy and Deni Avdija as keepers and often looks to move his rookie pick if he can get better assets.
MAUI RIBS – 5th place
Let's move on to the sunny beaches of Maui and talk about this team’s season. At the time of me producing this (speech to text is pretty awesome I must say) Maui sits in 5th place and that seems like his floor at the moment. Maui’s had one of the strongest scoring seasons in a long time with multiple players averaging over 20ppg a game. There is a chance that Maui can still get into the top four with a few week still to go.
When you have multiple players averaging 20 plus points per game it can be difficult to select an MVP, however, it's the ageless wonder Steph Curry for me. He’s had an amazing year playing 59 games so far for Maui while averaging over 24 points a game and shooting almost 40% from downtown on a huge volume. There are several others who've had great years in Maui including DeRozan, Jamal Murray, Desmond Bane, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard. But this team strengths (1st in both) are in points and in three-point percentage so let's give the MVP to Chef Curry.
As for the biggest disappointment, it's probably Jaime Jacquez Jr., only because he was a keeper on a Miami team that was supposed to be good. And you know what they're like with “Heat culture” and all that stuff but JJJ really hasn't developed in year 2. He's played 42 games for Maui but averaged just 9 points and five rebounds on really average percentages. I wouldn’t expect Jaime to be protected as a Plus One option (but maybe the Heat shake up their roster this offseason).
Probably the best acquisition in Maui was also the easiest one as it was Idaho offering up Durant and Lillard in exchange for Evan Mobley all those months ago. Yes, Mobley was probably one of the best keepers out there but when you can acquire 2 all-NBA type players like Durant and Lillard you pretty much have to say yes. Durant’s played 34 games in Maui and averaged 25 points per game and shot 53 and 42 while also averaging 1.2 blocks. Lillard always plays well in Maui and he's averaged 25PPG while shooting 39% from downtown. If you were going to trade a stud keeper this is the kind of return you’d want to get.
The unsung hero of this team is PJ Washington. Sure, he's not the best at any one thing but he's played 45 games for Maui and he's averaged 14 PPG with 8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks and his percentages have been decent. He's probably a good keeper for Maui when we look ahead to next season.
Maui’s only used 21 players this year, which is one of the lowest totals overall, but that's nothing new for these Ribs. The guys around the edges like Mikal Bridges, Coby White, and even John Collins have all had good years. The biggest challenge this season was rebounds and being last in that category certainly impacted Maui’s ability to contend for the title. I'd expect Maui to draft some big bodies who can rebound and block shots next season.
GOLDEN SHOWERS – 4th place
Welcome to Golden. A season of what could have been. As I produce this, Golden sits in 4th place with a potential high of 3rd and a bottom of maybe 6th or 7th. A top four finish is being heavily prioritized as Golden has stockpiled great keepers for next season.
But before we talk about next year, let's talk about this one and the big three of Zion Williamson, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Those 3 had all the potential in the world to be a driving force behind a Golden challenge for the title. Unfortunately, Zion was fat and pulled his shoddy hamstrings running to the local buffets. He’s only played 30 games so far.
Bam’s production in Golden was mediocre at best as he averaged 16 and 10 and shot 46% from the field and 29% from downtown. Once Bam was traded to Seoul somehow he managed to produce 20 and 10 and reverted back to his 56% from the field and even a decent 3-point percentage. Go figure.
And let's not forget Jimmy Butler's saga with the Miami Heat this year. Golden was in the building in early January watching Jimmy quit on his teammates and ultimately force his way out of town. Despicable. Jimmy's inconsistent play and unhappiness led to just 19 games in Golden colours. Poo poo on Jimmy.
And since I’m crapping on players, let’s add Bradley Beal to the list. Sure, he's played 48 games and averaged 17PPG game and shot 40% from deep, but his nagging injuries and being in and out of the lineup nonstop is a real pain in the you know what.
More disappointments? Oh yeah, sure, let's add in the Anthony Davis trade and his one game performance which led to a season ending injury. Let's not forget the Moe Wagner ACL rupture after he was finding his form. Ayo Dosumno was lost to a season ending shoulder injury. Breakout star Jalen Johnson had should surgery and only managed 35 games for Golden. And as much as I give Zion a hard time – he’s going to play about the same number of games as Jalen Johnson for Golden this season. Let's remember De’Aaron Fox blowing a pinky and opting for surgery.
Despite all these shenanigans (and excuses) from all these guys, this Golden squad somehow managed to stay in the upper echelon for much of the year. Guys like Jalen Williams, Dyson Daniels and Tobias Harris have all played the ultimate role player to perfection. And maybe that's underselling Jalen Williams’ season as he was named an NBA All Star and he’s being named Golden's MVP as well. Williams averaged 21PPG, 5.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.400 ATO, 1.7 steals and shot 48% from the field and 36% from downtown. To say Golden has an infatuation with Jalen Williams is an understatement. He will be back in Golden for the 2025 season.
I've already touched on Golden’s biggest disappointment. That’s the tease known as Zion Williamson. He’s put up 24 PPG, 7 rebounds and shot 57% from the field. Dude can be a fantasy stud when he plays. He's just such a magnificent tease that it's a complete disappointment that I couldn't get 60 games out of the guy. But I’m not the first to be let down by this guy.
The pickup of the year for Golden has to be Quentin Grimes. He’s up to 27 games in Golden and averaged almost 18PPG a game and is shooting 38% from deep. How this guy never landed a regular minutes in New York or Dallas is beyond me. He's gone to Philadelphia and he's been everything they've wanted and more.
The unsung hero of this team is Dyson Daniels. I grabbed him for just $1 on draft night and he's now played 64 games for Golden. He's setting records for the most steals in a season in about 30 years. He could have over 200 steals and over 50 blocks by the time the season's over but he's also averaged 14 PPG, 5.6 rebounds, 2.220 ATO and shot 48.3% from the field. He's going to be a super keeper and will definitely be back in Golden for 2025.
Many of you won’t remember that Golden won the rookie lottery last year and had picks #1 and #3 in a horrible draft class year. This was the first time Golden's ever had the number one pick and unfortunately it was in a year where rookies, for the most part, all sucked. Zach Edey was serviceable for a while and Alex Sarr looks like he might be figuring it out. Sarr’s averaged a mediocre 12 and 7 with 1.6 blocks and his percentages are absolutely putrid at 39% and 31%. That said, it looks like he's done enough to earn himself the plus one spot and I'd expect him to be back next season in Golden.
The future is bright in Golden as the expected keepers will be Jalen Williams, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Christian Braun (thanks to Idaho) and the plus one spot to Alex Sarr. Expectations for 25/26 in Golden are already sky high.
CHILLIWACK OFFS – 3rd place
The Chilliwack Offs are sitting in 3rd place as I produce this and it's behind a big three of Nicola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham. The Benny plan of having a star threesome surrounded by talent almost worked to perfection but having Luka miss so many games due to injury probably prevented him from being a true contender.
I think it's pretty obvious who the MVP of this team is. The Joker has put up historic numbers of 29 PPG, 13 REBS, 10.3 assists, 1.75 steals, 0.7 blocks and his shot 57% from the field and 41% from deep. I encourage you to read those numbers again because what he's doing from a fantasy perspective is absolutely insane. He is worth well over 100 bucks in JBL dollars and the Wack would be foolish not to protect him for next season.
The Wack did a good job surrounding Joker with high-end role guys like Brook Lopez, Austin Reeves, Mike Conley, Collin Sexton, Santi Aldama, Kelly Oubre and others but it just wasn't enough to get him over the hump. Again, having Luka miss so many games (he's only played 38 for the Wack so far) meant that the Wack was one big stud short of a dozen. Huh? What?
It’s interesting to compare Luka and Cade because their numbers are pretty similar. Cade’s about half the price of Luka so I really do wonder how the Wack will figure out who to bring back for next season. Does he bring all three back? Joker, Luka and Cade? Because I'm not sure how you can throw any of those three guys back into the auction pool. And then what about a guy like Austin Reeves? He’s had a phenomenal year and his salary (would be $17) would be even less than the other guys so I'm not sure how you’d let him go.
One of the disappointing guys for me on this squad is Jabari Smith. He was a high pick a couple of years ago, he’s a starter in Houston and he's still only averaging 12 and 6 and he really hasn't shot the ball very well. Those are OK numbers but you need the younger guys to improve and out-perform their JBL salary. At $11 bucks, Jabari did not.
Going back to Cade Cunningham, he'll take the award for best pickup of the year for the Wack as he's turned into an All-NBA type guard. Sure, it cost Chilliwack their 1st round pick (and Idaho’s 1st and Sochan) but that Chilliwack pick is probably going to fall in the 12 to 14 range anyways. I’m not sure there's going to be a rookie in that range that's worthy of Cade. Now if the Wack ball somehow came out early, Idaho will be heard from the mountain tops. That said, Cade is All-NBA talent.
The whole Chilliwack and Idaho trade around the 1st round picks reminds me of this classic scene from the movie Draft Day. Idaho wanted his pick back!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT1Tl6npLic&t=180s
So, when it was all said and done, Chilliwack essentially acquired Cunningham and Oubre in exchange for Christian Braun and the Wack’s 1st rounder. Decent haul I think. Oubre was better than average in the Wack averaging 15 and 6 and shooting 47% from the field with 1.6 steals. Good trade Wack. That said, it was also wise for Idaho to get his own pick back considering how the back half of the season has gone in Idaho.
So where does the Wack go for next season? Would he really bring back Cade $38, Luka $74 and Joker $92? That would leave just $56 bucks. Add in Reaves at $17 bucks and the Wack would be down to just $39 bucks for 11 guys!! And what about the crafty pickup Jared McCain for $1? This was an under-the-radar and unusual signing for the Wack near the keeper deadline. The Wack signed an injured player who was out for the season?? Shocking. I would have assumed this would be against his morale code. But we all saw how good McCain was and with the 76ers in turmoil he might have fantastic value for just $6 bucks next year. Regardless of which 4 keepers the Wack brings back, it appears they won’t have as much JBL $$ as other teams. Benny could arrive at the JBL auction about an hour into it and he would do just fine.
BRUSSELS MUSCLES – 2nd place
Let's talk about the Brussels squad and just how close they came to winning a second title. It seemed like Brussels was going to win the 2024 JBL title for a long part of the season. But a rough patch of injuries and a reinvigorated Bangkok squad turned the tides which ultimately lead to a Bangkok first ever JBL victory. The Brussels squad had a core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Walker Kessler and Derek Lively to start the year. They were all brought back as keepers and they were the foundation for this well balanced, well-rounded, no weakness type of JBL team.
Brussels drafted well (despite doing it from his phone in a restaurant in Seattle on a basketball trip with his kids) and brought in guys like Pascal Siakam, Michael Porter Jr, Andrew Wiggins and Tyrese Maxey and everything was looking rosy for quite a few months. Unfortunately, that’s when the injuries hit. Tyrese Maxey, who was playing like an All-NBA guy, was injured a lot in 2025. Amen Thompson got hurt. Andrew Wiggins got hurt. And traded. And hurt again. Derek Lively got hurt. Dejounte Murray started the season hurt. Got healthy. Got hot and then got hurt again. Do you see the pattern here?
Even when things were looking bleak, Brussels managed to acquire Jaren Jackson Jr. from French and righted the ship momentarily. And then of course Jackson hurt himself and he's managed only to play a limited number of games for Brussels since. At the end of the day, every JBL and NBA team experiences injuries and Brussels has been no different this year. Unfortunately, it probably cost him a shot at a second JBL title.
Part of chasing a JBL title is recognizing when you truly are in contention and cashing in your chips to enhance your chances. Brussels seized an opportunity and traded their 1st round pick to acquire Time Lord from Idaho just as Williams was rounding into form. What happened next? He got injured and hasn’t actually played a single game for Brussels this season. Bangkok turned his 1st round pick into Josh Giddey. Luck of the trade.
To win a JBL title, usually teams must draft/acquire someone who greatly exceeds their perceived value. That player for Brussels this season has been Jordan Poole. He’s been more than serviceable for most of the season and averaged almost 20 PPG for Brussels this season. Sure, he still has nights of 0 for 9 from downtown but I think he’s building back his JBL value for next season.
I'm going with Pascal Siakam was Brussels MVP this year, mostly because he was one of my favourite targets at auction. I ended up drafting Zion Williamson instead of Pascal so I'm a little bitter that he ended up in Brussels. Siakam averaged 21 and 7 rebounds and shot 53 and 40 and most importantly he's played 71 games already this year so the availability factor weighs in heavily in my award.
It’s hard to say that there were any out and out disappointments in Brussels, beyond all the injuries that happened across this entire roster. Can I say it’s disappointing that Walker Kessler now shoots 3’s at 17% clip? How about Dejounte and his 40/29 percentages? Overall, there aren’t too many things to call out here (Brussels may disagree) and that’s why this team was a contender all year long.
One of the better pickups in Brussels was Keon Ellis who's now played 24 games in Brussels averaged 10 PPG and shot 47% from deep while gathering 1.6 steals and 0.85 blocks. He's been really good in Brussels and that's the type of role player that Tim always seems to have and that every JBL team needs to have if they're going to contend.
I've mentioned Jordan Poole as a surprise and I think he would be the guy I would say has been a pleasant surprise for this squad.
The future in Brussels is extremely bright still as many of his keepers from this year will be back next season. I think the development of Amen Thompson is what excites Timmy the most as he had some opportunity this year to show his full fantasy potential of likely being a six-category fantasy stud. Add in guys like Sengun and Walker Kessler and you're building out another solid core to start your draft in 2025. The big question for Brussels next auction will be whether he needs to do the draft on the road, on his phone, at a hotel while he's coaching his kids basketball? The Brussels squad is set up for another contending season in 25/26 with this crop of keepers.
BANGKOK FIGHTERS –– CHAMPIONS – 1155 points
Finally, let's talk about the first time JBL champion Bangkok Fighters. A sentence never typed before. For the first time in their franchise history, which I believe goes back almost 30 years now, I'll be doing a Year in Review and saying Congrats to Bangkok on a JBL win. This is their first in their franchise history and as I mentioned previously they now join Juan de Fuca, Maui and Brussels in the One Win club. As you all know, unless your French Lick, winning the JBL recently is an extremely daunting task.
As Bangkok will tell you, his recent success of having three 3rd place finishes in a row, followed by a JBL historic title, shows his JBL fantasy prowess whether we like it or not. So, let's talk about how and why Bangkok won the title.
it starts with the MVP of the NBA and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The numbers he put up were purely insane. But Bangkok also had LeBron James. And even at age 40, what he was doing was truly amazing. And then, as part of this stretch run, Bangkok added Giannis as well as Josh Giddey to the team. And usually, those two names should never be spoken in the same sentence. However, I don't think anyone can explain what Josh Giddey did and meant to Bangkok down the stretch. Josh Giddey’s played 15 games for Bangkok so far and he's averaged 22 PPG, 9.6 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks and has shot 53% from the field and 52% from downtown. Read those numbers again. That's the best 15 game stretch Josh Giddey has ever played and probably will ever play in his entire life. In the last month, Giddey has been the Kok’s best player statistically – better than SGA, LeBron and Giannis. And yes it's a small sample size but those are absolutely insane numbers to acquire when it all it cost the Kok was Keon Johnson and your first round pick (1 lottery ball).
But there were some other key contributors to this squad in Onyeka Okongwu, who finally broke out as Atlanta finally gave him the starting gig and he finally got the minutes. While he won’t win ROY, one of the only rookies to be serviceable this year in fantasy, Yves Missi, averaged 9 PPG and 8 REB with 1.3 blocks. It’s these type of unexpected depth pieces that can propel a JBL team to new heights. Storming Norman Powell was outstanding this year. There was a lot of talk about him maybe even being an All Star as he’s averaging 20 PPG and shooting 42% from deep.
Bangkok got the best out of Myles Turner this year as he averaged 15 PPG and shot 40% from deep and had his traditional 1.8 blocks. Myles was a key part of the trade to acquire Giannis so he had a great year and served a great purpose. Peyton Pritchard was an excellent addition as well as his 14 points and 41% from deep helped Bangkok move up the 3PT% percentage ranks. Adding Keldon Johnson was a wise move once Wemby went down. He’s averaged 14 PPG, 5 REB, and shot 50/38. I could go on and list a lot of the guys on this roster but Bangkok did a lot of good things around the edges.
Bangkok was top two or three in almost every category outside of ATO this year and when you are strong in 6 categories, including scoring, you're going to be in JBL contention.
So let me say it again. Bangkok is the JBL champion. For the 1st time ever.
So let's run through the awards for this championship roster. The MVP of this squad is obviously SGA. He turned out to be a true 7 category stud. I’m sure SGA would find solace in being named the Kok’s MVP even if he doesn’t get named the NBA’s MVP.
I'm saying one of the disappointments of this squad is Jonathan Kuminga. He was a keeper for the Kok and I think Bangkok expected big things. He’s only managed 32 games and averaged 16 PPG while shooting 45 and 35. I would say that's disappointing compared to the likely expectations.
The best pick up? I've already touched on him. It's Josh Giddey. The numbers he's put up after being traded to Bangkok are insane. I think Giddey has probably moved onto the Kok’s keeper list for next season as well.
The unsung hero and surprise had to be Scottie Pippen Jr. He's played 55 games for Bangkok this year and averaged 10 points, 4 assists, 1.4 steals, the ATO is really good, and the percentages (48/39) are above average. He's played more than anyone expected (in Memphis and Bangkok) because of how injured and banged up Ja Morant has been all year. Pippen will be honoured again here later in another special Chronicles feature. This is another great example of the benefit of having high level role players that can play a lot of games for your JBL roster.
As the Kok stated, he wants his cake and to eat it too. Meaning he wants to win a JBL championship but also have a stockpile of great keepers. Well, he’s done the first part and he might be doing OK on the 2nd part as well.
The future is still bright on the keeper front and there are a couple options for next year. Yves Missi for $8, Dan Gafford for $15, and Norm Powell for $13 all jump to mind right away. He could also consider guys like Devin Vassell for $9 (he’s been great in Bangkok too), or guys like Okongwu for $28, Giddey for $26, or SGA for $76 if the Kok wanted higher priced options.
In the end though, it turned out to be a historic year in the JBL. A Kok victory. Many never thought they’d see it happen in our lifetime. Hell, I’ve gotten married, had a son, lived in the UK for a year, Ryan’s turned 21, Ben’s had 3 wives, we’ve all gotten fatter, and on and on. And let’s face it, this will be one of the Kok’s greatest life achievements. Marriage, kids, money? Meh. A JBL title means so much more. Congrats on the victory. Welcome to the Champions club. Your life will never be the same. Fame. Fortune. Women. Forget about it.
So, that's it for JBL 34. Another year, another JBL season, another chance for a bunch of old guys to do fantasy hoops and to stay connected, have some fun, and make watching the NBA worthwhile. The banter, as always, makes the JBL so much fun. Thank you to all of you who make me laugh every day. Thanks to you guys for being part of it and for sharing the journey. I look forward to an offseason of banter and most importantly further discussion on where we should hold the JBL 35 auction. I think a summer AGM is likely in order to revel in the Kok’s success as well as holding the JBL rookie lottery (aka the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes).
With Kok’s victory, that means our longest tenured JBL franchises, without a championship, falls to Idaho and Arctic. Who is going to get their first title? And now we also have a glutten or bushell or gaggle of teams (Juan, Kok, Maui, Brussels) with 1 JBL championship. Who can win their 2nd and separate themselves and show that it just wasn’t one year of good luck? Can the “old dogs” like Chilliwack, Golden or Seoul reclaim any magic? Will French, after back-to-back seasons of not winning a title, regain his form? Or was it just a 9-year fluky run of 1st’s and 2nd’s? Only time will tell and I know that JBL 35 will be just as exciting! My preparation has already started! Has yours? Until next season my friends.
BONUS MATERIALS FOR THE JBL 34 SEASON
BARGAIN BIN AWARDS (Drafted at Auction for $1)
Dyson Daniels - Golden
Scottie Pippen Jr - Bangkok
Benedict Mathurin - Juan
Al Horford - Maui
Lu Dort - Brussels
Nick Richards - Seoul
1st Team All Free Agent signing:
Toumani Camara 60G, 11.3 PPG, 5.8 REB, 1.6 STL, 0.8 BLK, 45/38 – signed for $3 FA dollars
Quentin Grimes 30G, 18.3 PPG, 48/38, 1.3 STL – signed for $10 FA dollars
Michael Beasley 58G, 16.4 PPG, 42.6% 3%, 1 STL – signed for $2 FA dollars
Santi Aldama 50G, 12.3 PPG, 6.7REB, 48/35 , 3.000 ATO – signed for $41 FA dollars
Naji Marshall 38G, 14 PPG, 51/24, 5 REB, 1.1 STL – signed for $3 FA dollars
2nd Team All Free Agent signing:
Ty Jerome 22G, 13.2 PPG, 47/38, 1.3 STL, 2.640 ATO – signed for $3 FA dollars
Kel’el Ware 29G, 10.5 PPG, 9.6 REB, 1.24 BLK, 54% - signed for $18 FA dollars
Keon Ellis 25G, 10.3 PPG, 52/46, 1.8 STL, 0.8 BLK – signed for $1 FA dollar
Kyshawn George 21G 11 PPG 41/40 1.4 STL, 1.1 BLK, 5.5 REB – signed for $8 FA dollars
Spencer Dinwiddie 42G, 12.7 PPG, 44/34, 1 STL – signed for $2 FA dollars
Honorable Mentions – Best FA signings:
Anthony Black 29G, 9 PPG, 42/39, 1 STL – signed for $2 FA dollars
Guerschon Yabusele 28G, 11.9 PPG, 49/37 – signed for $3 FA dollars
Day’Ron Sharpe 30G, 8 PPG, 7.2 REB, 1 BLK, 54% - signed for $3 FA dollars
BEST KEEPER BY TEAM (As voted by JBL Owners)
Maui – Coby White for $12
Seoul – Trey Murphy for $12
Juan de Fuca – Scottie Barnes for $29
Dayton – Chet Holmgren for $30
Bellingham – Brandon Miller for $18
Arctic – Isaiah Hartenstein for $14
Golden – Jalen Johnson for $11
Chilliwack – Austin Reaves for $17
Brussels – Amen Thompson for $20
French – Mark Williams for $16 (acquired from Bangkok after voting)
Norfolk – Karl Anthony Towns for $59 (too bad Norfolk)
Bangkok – Daniel Gafford for $15 (acquired from French after voting)
Idaho – Evan Mobley for $32
Cali – Victor Wembanyama for $25
