Kevin Durant was recently asked which team was the best team he’s played for on paper.
He initially went with the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets but later walked it back, claiming it was the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors.
What’s funny is that neither of those teams was the best team he played on during his time with either franchise.
The Warriors won championships in the two seasons prior and the Nets looked like they were going to run away with the title in KD’s first season in Brooklyn. But on paper, it’s easy to see where Durant is coming from.
Golden State added DeMarcus Cousins to an already existing core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Durant. Brooklyn featured Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Paul Millsap.
However, on-court chemistry is a real variable that sometimes gets overlooked when fans and analysts alike make championship predictions.
Some of the best teams on paper flopped miserably throughout the NBA’s existence.
For example, the Los Angeles Lakers, who had won three championships within the last five years with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal leading the way, couldn’t get over the hump when they added Karl Malone and Gary Payton to the mix.
But injuries are also a big part of the equation. Cousins was coming back from a ruptured Achilles, Durant himself went down with a torn Achilles in the 2019 Finals, and Thompson later tore his ACL.
Harden appeared to have lost a step during the 2021-22 season after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain the season before and Irving played in just 29 games. Griffin, Aldridge and Millsap were also on their last legs.
That’s why long-lasting teams with a sustainable culture and core group of guys win out most of the time.
Tim Duncan is widely considered the best power forward of all time, but the San Antonio Spurs never had a superteam on paper. The core of Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginóbili kept San Antonio competitive and found several role players who ended up becoming superstars in their role, and the Spurs’ player development group helped develop Kawhi Leonard into one of the league’s best two-way players.
All of this to say, paper can only win you so many games, but the real teams that come out on top are the ones who have built a long-term, sustainable culture with the same group of guys.
