The Contender Blueprint: The Los Angeles Stars

In this segment, we deconstruct the title-winning Los Angeles Stars piece by piece, taking an in-depth look at how the team was built.

PG: Carl Joseph

Trade. At the deadline in season two, Joseph was dealt to LA as part of a blockbuster deal that sent Cacio Way to New York, Francisco Gerbi and Kyron Hickman to Miami, Joseph to LA, and a boatload of picks changed hands. LA sent two firsts to the Empire, who turned them into Scottie Thompson (via trade), Malcolm Banks, and Dan Glisack. Thompson didn’t pan out and was dealt to Chicago for Ryan Calleyway and a pick that became Haruto Johnson. Los Angeles also received a second rounder from Miami as part of the deal, which became Hawk Rosario. Thus, in long form, the trade to acquire Joseph went as follows: LA GETS: Carl Joseph (from NY) Hawk Rosario (via MIA) MIA GETS: Kyron Hickman (from LA) Francisco Gerbi (from NY) Daren Scorpio (via NY) NY GETS: Cacio Way (from MIA) Scottie Thompson (from SD via LA) Malcolm Banks (via LA) Dan Glisack (via LA) Ryan Calleyway (from CHI via LA) Haruto Johnson (via MIA)

So, in sum: LA got Joseph, a transcendent superstar, and Rosario, an effective role player, for players who largely left the teams they were traded to and picks that mostly did not pan out. Yes, Malcolm Banks was the likely ROTY Season Three before he retired abruptly, but writ large, Los Angeles won this trade in a huge way, which is largely why they are so good at the moment and New York has struggled so thoroughly.

Joseph was good in New York (10.7 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG), but he has been great in Los Angeles, transforming into a perennial All-Star (16.8 PPG, 5.4 APG, 1.3 SPG) and anchoring both sides of the ball for LA. Though Stronk may be the spiritual leader of the team, it could be argued Joseph has done more for the squad. Acquiring him ranks among the best moves in franchise, and perhaps league, history.

SG: Polan Stronk

Trade. Lost in the annals of history is the fact that Stronk was drafted by, and played nearly a dozen games for, the Houston Cosmos in Season One. Picked second overall by the Cosmos in the inaugural amateur draft, Stronk was a respectable bench player in Houston, averaging roughly 5.5 PPG in limited appearances. The Cosmos dealt him to the Stars at the deadline in exchange for Joseph Canny in what was the first, and remains among the most famous, trades in league history. In LA, Stronk blossomed into a superstar with time, going from 15.2 to 18.7 to 22.5 PPG from S2 to S4, and as he has grown, so has LA: they’ve gone from 11-17, first round exit, to 19-8, missed playoffs, to 22-11, conference finals loss, to 24-9, finals appearance. He is the face of the franchise, and if the Stars win the Finals this year, they will have undoubtedly won the Canny-Stronk deal.

SF: Julius Carter

Free agency. Picked 47th in the player pool draft that began the league, Carter started his career with the Miami Tides, where he played one season as a benchwarmer, averaging 1.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 1.7 BPG. Looking for a bigger role, Carter left Miami for LA, where he has started for three seasons, averaging 2.6 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.7 SPG, and 0.6 BPG. Though his defensive production has yet to reach S1 levels, his offensive efficiency has greatly increased in Los Angeles, and he was happy enough there to re-sign last season on a 2 year, $12m deal (6m annually). Carter is a highly effective glue guy, capable of locking up opposing forwards on good nights, while also providing a couple of buckets per game at an efficient clip.

PF: Jacob French

Draft. French was picked 10th overall in the player pool draft that began the league, a dubious choice given the talents picked after him (Carl Joseph, Just Jaos, Tshaka Zoulou, Aaron Fiedelak, Maxwell Goodson, Thomas Shoffner). Nevertheless, he has done great work in Los Angeles, averaging 3.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.6 SPG and 1.6 BPG over 108 games as a Star, earning 3 All-Defense team selections, and earning a reputation as one of the league’s most fearsome defenders. True, the Stars could have picked better talent here, but French personifies the defensive stinginess and excellence that has brought LA to a title.

C: Sebastien Trident

Draft. Trident was picked 23rd overall in the player pool draft that began the league, 1 pick ahead of Thomas Shoffner, 8 picks ahead of Jaga C and 16 picks ahead of Vun Brunson. Though not a flashy player by any means, Trident quietly is among the league’s best centers and arguably has been his entire career. He’s averaged 8.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 3.7 BPG in 107 appearances for LA, earning 1 All-Star and 1 All-Defensive nod during that time. His brand of quiet efficiency is representative of the Stars’ attitude at large, and he is an integral team member.

Bench

G: Anthony Flores

Draft. The Stars scooped up Flores 2 picks after Trident in the player pool draft, 25th overall. First behind Timothy Lynch/Jasper Calandra IV, then Carl Joseph, Flores has never seen extended starter minutes, save for when Joseph missed 11 games in S3 with a back injury. Instead, he has consistently ranked among the league’s best bench players, twice earning nominations for 6MOTY though never winning. He’s averaged over 6 PPG for the past 3 seasons, with 5.8 PPG for his career, plus 2.1 APG and 1.2 SPG. He’ll never be mistaken for a superstar, nor will he likely win any awards in his career, but he is a key cog in the Stars’ bench unit, and has shown the capability to rise to the occasion as a starter.

G: Kyle Mason

Free agency. The Stars drew a lot of strange looks when they signed the journeyman guard and former 45th player pool pick to a 3 year, $19.5m deal after he was cut by the St. Louis Archers. Yet Mason had a career year in Los Angeles over 14 games in the majors, averaging 6.5/1.1/1.4 as a member of Los Angeles’ vaunted bench unit. Mason was drafted by Boston, traded to New York, traded to and cut by St. Louis, before finally signing with LA, where he seems perfectly at home. Another role player who does not play with much flash, but gets the job done and does it well, Mason has been quite solid for LA.

G: Hawk Rosario

Draft. As mentioned above, Rosario was picked with a Miami second rounder acquired as part of the Carl Joseph megadeal— specifically, second round, pick 21 overall. Though Rosario hasn’t been flashy this season and spent much of the regular season in the D-League, he earned a call-up fairly early on and made the playoff roster over Demar Langley, a testament to his versatile skillset. He figures to be a pretty solid player with time, and has been a good find for the second round.

F: Collin Adams

Free agency. Adams may be the single most incredible player on the roster. An undrafted player who barely made the league in S2, the Stars took a flyer on him in free agency and let him ride pine and develop for two seasons, then sent him to the D-League for the duration of S4. There, he blossomed into a solid player, leading the Anaheim Shine and earning a call-up to the big leagues. He’s expected to play decent minutes in the Finals, and he’s provided valuable forward depth with decent defense and the capability to nab a bucket when needed. The Stars made treasure out of others’ trash.

C: Raihan Rizky

Draft. The Stars selected Rizky with the 39th pick in the player pool draft, just ahead of Vun Brunson and Jordan Frazier. In that context, Rizky looks like a poor pick, but in broader terms, he has been quite a steal for the Stars. For his career, he’s averaged 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 0.8 BPG on 62.2% FG, solid numbers for a bench player and good enough overall to warrant trade consideration during his career. He’s twice been nominated for the 6MOTY award, and speculation endures that he could take the reins from Sebastien Trident after Trident retires. Certainly a good value find for them at that point in the draft, and another quality role player produced by the Stars organization.

Summary

The Stars are one of the least active teams in free agency and the trade market, but when they are active, they capitalize. The trade that brought Carl Joseph to LA also yielded Hawk Rosario at very little cost, and it has arguably been the single largest reason for LA’s jump to title team, save for the trade that got them Polan Stronk. Free agency has also provided for much of their strength, giving them 3 great role players in Carter, Mason and Adams. Otherwise, the Stars have made great use of their draft picks, and are one of the only teams that managed to hold on to 4/6 player pool selections (Canny was traded and Timothy Lynch retired). By making shrewd moves when necessary and developing under-the-radar talent from within, the Stars earned a title.