For most great NBA teams that come together relatively organically, luck plays a premium role. It's not a knock. Luck, as they say, is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
You have to do the hard work of putting yourself in good position. Look at the 2024 champion Boston Celtics . The Philadelphia 76ers gave them Jayson Tatum so they could draft Markelle Fultz .
Then Jrue Holiday fell into their lap as the fallout of the Damian Lillard trade. And then they won the title. The Golden State Warriors got Stephen Curry because the Timberwolves drafted Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, both point guards, with the two picks immediately preceding Curry's No.
7 slot in the 2009 draft. Then they were able to sign Curry to a clearance-rack contract because they feared his right ankle was defective. He got the ankle fixed and immediately blew up, and then the Warriors were able to afford Kevin Durant because of Curry's tiny contract.
And then they became arguably the greatest team in history in 2017. The Denver Nuggets lucked into Nikola Jokic in the second round. The Lakers lucked into LeBron because they play in Los Angeles, and then they got to play for the title in the bubble, where Anthony Davis shot like he has never even come close to shooting again in the friendly depth perceptions of a smaller gym.
The Toronto Raptors were waiting with a one-piece-short team when Kawhi Leonard fell out with the Spurs , and then they still needed probably the luckiest bounce(s) in history .
