The 2022 Brooklyn Nets acquired superstars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden in less than a year. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns acquired Kevin Durant to put alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul in 2023. They were beaten in 6 games in the second round.
These are just two examples of “super teams” not living up to any of the expectations. These teams make expensive deals to put together a star-studded 3-4 players that are expensive and talented. While this looks good on paper, these teams lack depth in their roster and also lack chemistry between the players.
However, the Nuggets, on the other hand, drafted an overweight, out-of-shape center in 2014 named Nikola Jokic. Coach Micheal Malone however, saw glimpses of potential in Jokic, letting him develop and stay with the Nuggets, and ended up being a back-to-back Most Valuable Player.
Along with him, the Nuggets drafted Jamal Murray out of Kentucky to pair with Jokic. Murray was an amazing piece for the Nuggets, especially in 2020, when he averaged 26.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in 19 games in the 2020 playoffs.
The next year, however, Jamal Murray tore his ACL, leaving the Nuggets with no point guard for at least 1-2 seasons. When this happened, Jamal Murray said he was crying, convinced Micheal Malone and the Nuggets would trade him, which seemed like a good option. But the Nuggets would have faith in him to come back.
Jamal Murray would then come back 18 months later, better than ever, and the chemistry between him and Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to their first championship in their 47 years of the franchise. This shows that the key to this run was the chemistry and trust between Micheal Malone, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray, with the Jokic-Murray connection being unstoppable in the playoffs. This is showing an end to teams in the NBA with superstar talent, but no time to play together or a bad fit with the team. It shows that having faith in your players and letting them continue to develop will create incredible team chemistry, which leads to an unstoppable team.
