Watching the NBA Finals, it occurred to me that we anoint players as superstars when they may not be deserving of the title. Take Devin Booker for example. An amazing offensive talent for sure. But what does Booker bring to the table when his jumper isn’t falling. Turns out, not much. In game 6, when he shot 8-22 from the field and a head shaking 0-7 from 3-point land, the other numbers that sand out in his stat line are zeroes as in zero blocks and zero steals. He did have 6 turnovers but that’s not a stat to be proud of. The point is, if Devin Booker isn’t scoring at a high clip, he doesn’t really impact the game on the defensive end. That’s not to say he doesn’t play D. He does. But he doesn’t do things on the defensive end of the floor that change the game.
Giannis, of course, is a superstar. His runaway freight train, head-down-spinning-you-know-exactly-what’s-coming-but-are-still-powerless-to-stop-it drives to the basket are legendary but his superstardom may be less about the points he scored than the rebounds he grabbed or the shots he blocked. Like Lebron’s epic chase down of Andre Iguodala’s layup, Giannis’ Game 4 block of Ayton’s dunk is the stuff of legend. But the 5 blocked shots he notched in Game 6 took away 10 possible points from the Suns in a game where 10 extra points would’ve won it for the Suns.
Is Jrue Holiday a superstar? The question would be easy to answer if he could learn how to shoot consistently. In two games in the Finals, he shot 4-19 and 4-20, numbers that would send any 7th grader to the bench and preclude him from joining the team at Taco Bell afterwards. No chalupa for you! But while he can’t shoot sometimes to save his life, he can rebound, pass and play his ass off on defense. Holiday finished game 6 with 9 rebounds, 11 assists and, most impressively, 4 steals. That’s four times he just took the ball from Suns’ players and gave his team another chance to score. You wouldn’t call Holiday a superstar because he doesn’t always score with ease but with the skills he brings to the floor, isn’t Holiday more of a superstar than Booker?
What if we redefined superstars by their ability to not just score but stop someone else from scoring? Thinking along these lines, what other “superstars” aren’t really superstars in the league? According to the NBA, Devin Booker wasn’t even in the Top 50 in the league in defensive efficiency. Is that something you can teach? Can a players really get better at defense? To me, it’s like eating more than two pieces of pizza. Either you’re born with the ability or you’re not. You can’t just turn yourself into a 3-slice guy overnight.
Other players that may not be true superstars:
James Harden: Arguably the league’s greatest scorer. Arguably the league’s worst defender. Can he really be a superstar?
Jason Tatum: Does he really dig in and come up with key stops?
Dame Lillard: Just kidding. He’s a superstar. He just needs someone else to join the team that’s capable of getting stops.
Trey Young: He doesn’t guard anyone. Ever. Wicked crossover. Ridiculous passer. But if you can’t guard anyone, how can you be a true superstar?
Zion Williamson: I guess we’ll see but he’s not known for his defensive intensity.
Luka: It does seem like a lot to ask when he has the ball in his hands 99% of the game but still…
Donovan Mitchell: Ridiculous offensive talent but he’s no Jrue Holiday on the defensive end.
The Bucks victory was such a throwback moment. Turns out you don’t have to only shoot 3’s to win a title. You can win with two-way players who take just as much pride shutting someone down as they do in scoring. Those guys are the real superstars.
2 responses to “Are You Really A Superstar If You Can’t Stop Anyone?”
Fun read! It seemed like a key to the series was the Bucks deciding to take away the balance of the Suns offense. Let Booker get his and shut down everybody else. They are worthy champions. Including Jrue Holiday who often plays offense like he has only one contact lens in.
Excellent observations. I appreciate players who get named to the All defensive team, but I’ll be damned if I know who they are most of the time. Fans are fed dunks and 3-pointers, but the steals? Almost never. Thanks for pointing this out.