NBA Teams Without a True Cornerstone
For all that specialized shooters and rim runners have done to accelerate and accommodate the NBA's stylistic revolution, the fundamentals of success are the same as ever.
Step 1: Find a superstar.
Step 1a: Find another superstar.
Step 2: Build around said superstar(s).
Easier said than done.
The Philadelphia 76ers intentionally spent three of the past four seasons near the league's basement in search of inexpensive studs in the draft. Before that, seemingly half of the NBA—most notably the Miami Heat and New York Knicks—hoarded cap space at all costs for the first Summer of LeBron James. If cornerstones weren't so hard to come by, the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers might've more readily parted with Jimmy Butler or Paul George, respectively, at this year's trade deadline.
That's what separates basketball from most other major team sports: One great player can change everything. For the following clubs, the search for that singular talent—that cornerstone around whom a squad can organize its style of play and team-building efforts accordingly—continues apace.
Teams on the Brink
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Los Angeles Clippers
No team will have more at stake this summer than the Clippers. Three of their top four players—Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick—will be eligible for free agency in July. Another postseason shortfall could all but seal the departure of at least one of those mainstays.
Losing Redick and either Griffin or Paul would put L.A. in a tough spot. Watching all three walk would send the Clippers back to the Dark Ages, lest Austin Rivers and All-Star DeAndre Jordan morph into more dynamic players.
In all likelihood, the Clippers will retain no fewer than one of their available superstars come July. But don't discount the impact that another acrimonious postseason exit—perhaps as early as the first round, if L.A. slips into a matchup with the third-seeded Houston Rockets—could have in the City of Angels.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers' search for a superstar might already be over despite persistent injury-bug infestations.
Joel Embiid looked like a franchise-changing talent during his 31 games for the Sixers this season. Ben Simmons, the No. 1 pick in 2016, could be as impactful as advertised once he's cleared to play after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot during training camp.
If neither of those guys can stay healthy long enough to form Philly's foundation, the Sixers can always turn to Dario Saric, who's seized the lead in the Rookie of the Year race by averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists over the past two months.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz will be sweating out free agency this summer, with All-Star Gordon Hayward and George Hill both slated to hit the market. Losing Hayward, in particular, would be a devastating blow to Utah's hopes of contention going forward, though the team feels it might still have a star to build around in Rudy Gobert.
"Rudy’s never been one to want to see a ceiling placed on him, and that's not something that I want to do because he continues to push towards it," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told Bleacher Report. "I don't want to stifle any of that."
Nor would Utah have any reason to resist unleashing Gobert's full force should Hayward take his talents elsewhere.
Brooklyn Nets
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In another era, Brook Lopez might've been a no-brainer pick as the Brooklyn Nets' foundational player.
At 7'0" and 268 pounds, he's one of the league's most effective low-post brutes. Among 25 players who've averaged at least three post-ups per game this season, Lopez ranks seventh in points per possession (0.97) and fourth in field-goal percentage (52.6 percent).
The former All-Star hasn't stood pat as the game around him has changed. Through his first 68 games of the 2016-17 campaign, Lopez hit 35.1 percent of 350 three-point attempts after trying just 31 triples (making three) over his first eight pro seasons.
Those numbers look good on paper, just as Lopez's skills can shine above and beyond his 20.7 points. But one need look no further than the Nets' league-worst record to know that he's not quite cut out to be a leading man in today's NBA.
As great as Lopez is down low, he's not a particularly effective passer with his back to the basket, as evidenced by his 2.4 assists per game and 18.3 percent turnover rate on post-ups. And when it comes to defending the pick-and-roll—the NBA's pet set—the lumbering Lopez is a liability, letting up 1.07 points per possession to opposing screeners.
Beyond Lopez, Brooklyn's roster looks more like the Island of Misfit Toys than a coherent basketball club. Jeremy Lin would be a bottom-half starting point guard in the NBA if he could stay healthy. Sean Kilpatrick, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and rookies Caris LeVert and Isaiah Whitehead could develop into solid role players, but none of those youngsters looks like a budding star.
Chances are, it will be a while before the Nets find one. The Boston Celtics have swap rights on Brooklyn's 2017 pick and own the Nets' 2018 first-rounder outright. The 2013 Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce-Jason Terry trade: the gift that keeps on giving...or taking, depending on your perspective.
Charlotte Hornets
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On paper, the Charlotte Hornets already have a face for their franchise in Kemba Walker. In a league predicated on point guard play, Walker has become one of the most productive players at that spot, with 22.9 points and 5.5 assists and career-best shooting splits of .448/.401/.849 to show for his first All-Star season.
But those numbers, while impressive, can't entirely mask his substandard play on the other end. Walker has barely cracked the top 50 among floor generals in ESPN's defensive real plus-minus. And while the 26-year-old has a reputation for being a crunch-time killer, his Hornets have nonetheless posted a negative net rating in clutch situations with him on the court this season, per NBA.com.
That doesn't mean Walker is solely responsible for Charlotte's slip back toward the lottery in 2016-17. Nicolas Batum's regression in Year 1 of his megadeal hasn't helped. Neither did Cody Zeller's 20 games lost to injury, or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's ongoing struggle to become a two-way threat.
The Hornets have been rewarded for showing such patience with Walker's progression over six seasons. He, too, has reaped, to the tune of $12 million per season since 2015-16.
Still, it's tough to tag Walker as a proper organizing force in the Queen City when he's been to two postseasons and has yet to advance. It may be even more difficult to envision the Hornets' diminutive point guard—generously listed at 6'1" and 184 pounds—leading Michael Jordan to a place free of tears in the years to come without another legitimate star beside him.
Given where Charlotte figures to be this summer— picking late in the lottery, without any cap flexibility—the team may have to make due with the hand it's been dealt and hope Walker has another level or two to reach.
Detroit Pistons
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Coming into 2016-17, the Detroit Pistons likely felt like they had figured things out.
Last spring, they cracked the East's top eight for the first time in seven years on the strength of Andre Drummond's rebounding and rim protection on one end and his finishing out of pick-and-rolls with Reggie Jackson on the other.
But that formula fell apart early this season, as the Pistons retooled their offense as more of a spread attack while Ish Smith stood in at point guard for the injured Jackson. Detroit picked up the pace a bit midseason, as Jackson worked his way back into both his own shape and the team's offensive flow, but it will likely wind up back in the draft lottery now that the Boston College product's balky knee is giving him fits again.
That's to say nothing of Drummond, whose drive toward individual dominance seems to have stalled out this season—particularly in the post, as ESPN's Zach Lowe detailed:
"Drummond is shooting just 42 percent on post-ups, 65th among 94 players who have attempted at least 50 such shots, per Synergy Sports. ... A heavy-usage post-up brute who doesn't shoot well, pile up free throws, or provide plus playmaking from the block is hurting his team's offense. Drummond has improved as a passer, but he's still learning the geometry of the floor. Opponents don't feel the need to double him, anyway.
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Drummond doesn't have to be the next Shaq with his back to the basket to be a foundational player in the Motor City. At 23, he's already one of the league's best rebounders and finishers, with plenty of time ahead to hone his game further.
But the Pistons will pay Drummond an average of nearly $25 million per year until at least 2020 (he has a a $28.8 million player option for 2020-21). If they don't feel like they can build a bona fide contender around the big man, they may have to entertain offers for him sooner rather than later.
Los Angeles Lakers
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The Los Angeles Lakers are loaded with talented youngsters who could develop into centerpieces on playoff-caliber clubs down the line.
Julius Randle is a 6'9" freight train with four career triple-doubles to his name. D'Angelo Russell has averaged 24.6 points and 5.6 assists with .488/.425/.846 shooting splits since returning to head coach Luke Walton's starting lineup as a shooting guard on March 19. Brandon Ingram has flashed tantalizing potential as a two-way wing who can create off the dribble on offense and disrupt with his length and lateral quickness on defense.
But none of those three former lottery picks looks like an obvious superstar-in-the-making at the moment. At the very least, no current Lakers prospect has done much to tip the scales where true studs do: in the win column.
"I like the Lakers' young roster," a scout with an Eastern Conference team told Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus. "They have three, maybe four NBA starters including [Jordan] Clarkson, who they're using off the bench. They're just too young to win ball games."
In time, L.A.'s younglings may find their respective callings, be it as role players or bigger building blocks. But sliding the likes of Randle, Russell and Ingram into spots that suit their abilities could require the Lakers' new front office to find a fresh face who can glue them all together. Whether that player comes via trade, free agency or the draft may depend on whether the Lakers are lucky enough to retain their top-three-protected pick in a loaded 2017 class of incoming rookies.
As Pincus put it: "The team is still looking for its next franchise player. Until then, it's up to the Lakers' prospects to try to make that leap."
Orlando Magic
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This August will mark the five-year anniversary of the blockbuster trade that sent Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Of the four teams that took part—the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers were also involved—the Magic look to be in the worst position as far as the future is concerned.
Orlando landed the No. 2 pick in an historically weak 2013 draft, which it spent on Victor Oladipo. The Magic then sent Oladipo to Oklahoma City in a deal for Serge Ibaka last summer, only to flip Ibaka to Toronto prior to this season's trade deadline for Terrence Ross and a late first-round pick.
In 2014, they spent the No. 4 pick on Aaron Gordon, a toolsy talent who largely defies traditional positional definition. Last season, though, Gordon looked like he'd fit best at power forward. The Magic promptly proceeded to stock up on bigs over the offseason, from Ibaka via trade to Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green in free agency, forcing Gordon to spend the first four months of 2016-17 masquerading as a wing.
In that same draft, the Magic traded for the rights to Elfrid Payton. This season, the 23-year-old point guard shuttled in and out of head coach Frank Vogel's starting five before erupting for four triple-doubles in March.
Still, Payton isn't quite the caliber of shooter, passer or athlete to be an elite floor general in today's NBA. If Gordon is ever going to make that all-important leap, he'll have to start shooting at least 30 percent from three. Mario Hezonja, Orlando's No. 5 overall pick in 2005, has filled his 20.3 minutes a night since the All-Star break with 6.2 points on 32.7 percent from the field (24.4 percent from three).
It's no wonder, then, that the Magic considered a reunion with Howard last summer, per ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins. For all of his faults at the age of 30 then (31 now), he's still far closer to being a cornerstone than anyone currently in the Magic Kingdom is or might ever be.
Sacramento Kings
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After six-and-a-half futile years spent building around DeMarcus Cousins, the Sacramento Kings cut the bait with their troublesome All-Star at the trade deadline. Since then, they've been sorting through the rubble to see if anyone on their roster might be capable of stepping into Boogie's shoes.
Buddy Hield, whom Kings owner Vivek Ranadive reportedly likened to Stephen Curry, according to ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes, has looked more like Dell Curry's long-lost son in Sacramento than he ever did in New Orleans. As a King, Hield has hit 43.0 percent of his threes—including three critical ones to fuel an 18-point comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday—while pouring in 14.7 points.
Willie Cauley-Stein, Cousin's potential successor at center, sealed Sacramento's shocking win in L.A. with a putback in the waning moments. He, too, has staked his claim in the Kings' brave new world, to the tune of 12.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks since the shakeup.
Perhaps no youngster has opened more eyes, though, than Skal Labissiere. The 21-year-old's impressive roll has slowed somewhat of late, but he showed enough skill and physical ability during his nine double-digit scoring outings over a 15-game stretch, including a career-high 32-point explosion in Phoenix, to warrant consideration as part of the Kings' future core.
"He's a building block of the team," Sacramento guard Ty Lawson told Bleacher Report.
The question is, will Labissiere be the building block in California's capital? Could Cauley-Stein develop into a more well-rounded star? Does Hield have it in him to shine inside the three-point line?
Or will the Kings, perhaps with former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie at the controls, turn what could be two top-10 picks this year into at least one franchise fixture going forward?
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats and salary information via NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted and are current through Tuesday, March 28.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and listen to his Hollywood Hoops podcast with B/R Lakers lead writer Eric Pincus.
