What’s the best way to build a contender? With the Charlotte Hornets garnering the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, it’s a prescient question. The Hornets currently have a rising star in former Rookie-of-the-year award winner LaMelo Ball. They will likely be returning an All-star level talent in Miles Bridges. And their most recent draft pick, Mark Williams has shown significant promise. And with Gordon Hayward’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season, the Hornets could find themselves in an enviable position shortly.
There are four teams left in the hunt for the NBA championship. And they could be a case study of the best way to put together a competing team. For the Lakers, they were able to garner free agents. A combination of having one of the most powerful franchise legacies in the sport, destination city, and one of their star acquisitions being a media mogul all helped land LeBron James. Anthony Davis, a Klutch sports client, soon forced his way out of New Orleans to join James in LA and a championship in 2020 followed. It’s a nice notion, but not one (for several reasons) that the Hornets would be able to duplicate.
Miami Heat
The last time the Heat won a title, they were headed by LeBron James. In fact, he often credits his time in Miami with learning how to win and giving him the blueprint on how to be a part of a championship team. He credits their culture with why they were successful. Whether that was specifically Pat Riley’s watchful eye over a then young and under-accomplished Erik Spoelstra, or just the general mentality that permeated through the franchise is unclear.
What is clear, is that the Miami Heat, up 2-0 over the Boston Celtics have seven undrafted free agents. And that coach that was once young and unseasoned, (the one that started off reviewing video for the franchise), is now arguably the best coach in the game. Their leader? Jimmy Butler, the Chicago Bulls’ 30th pick of the 2011 draft. Even without Tyler Herro, the team’s 3rd leading scorer throughout the season, they find themselves two games away from their second finals appearance since James left. They’ve done it by recognizing and cultivating talent. Something the Hornets have occasionally done, but not consistently. And certainly not to the extent of the Heat. But it is something that can conceivably be repeatable.
Denver Nuggets
Scouting is such an underrated part of the championship process. It’s easy to see the value in a guy like LeBron James or Jayson Tatum. Some guys jump out at you from the jump. The way they move, the skills they possess, and their overwhelming talent is obvious to even the most novice of basketball observers. But what about the other guys? Certainly, every contributing player to a contending team won’t be on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 16.
That’s where the scouts come in. To give management the inside information that the other 29 teams may undervalue or dismiss completely offhand. Enter Nikola Jokic. The 6’11 Serbian center was the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Imagine that. The second-round pick of 2014 may now be the best player in the NBA. And what about Michael Porter Jr? The 6’10 sharpshooting forward was a can’t-miss prospect, but his health concerns dropped him to the middle of the 1st round. The Nuggets had a plan and saw value in taking a risk on a player that others discarded. Even if it meant that he wouldn’t see the floor in his first official year in the league.
Finding Jokic was as much about being smart as being fortunate. No one, not even the Nuggets, could have predicted this (otherwise they wouldn’t have waited until the 2nd round to select him). But Porter’s selection was about consulting the doctors and having patience with the patient. It meant long-term thinking. Something that can be difficult if the people making the decisions themselves are unsure if they will be employed there to enjoy the fruits of their labor. While the Hornets can never be sure of hitting on a back-to-back MVP in the second round, they can adopt the ideas of patience and continuity. And if a talent, like Porter (or maybe Emoni Bates?) were to fall in the draft, it might be worth it to take a risk to secure it.