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Anyone can list the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and performs his role within that hierarchy is every bit as important as his individual skill.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together — clear Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this series, we rank the five best players from each tier for a broader look across the league. How close does your team come to an ideal lineup?
No. 1 options | No. 2 options
No. 3 options: The Third Stars Who Own Their Roles
What is a No. 3? He is still a star, at least on a good team, but he is sacrificing some faction of his game for the greater good of the team. He usually leans into his greatest skill, whether that is flame-throwing 3s or defending like crazy. Ideally, it is both, and if you ask more from your third star, he answers the call.
There is a balance to downsizing your role and remaining as efficient as ever, and it is the third star’s responsibility to strike it. Think of Kevin Love on the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. He arrived from a lottery team in Minnesota, where he was the No. 1 — and an entirely different player at that, doing most of his damage inside of 8 feet — but transitioned into a 3-and-D weapon behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
The greatest teams in NBA history featured Hall of Fame talents who might have been even more productive on lesser rosters. You know them well: Robert Parish, James Worthy, Dennis Rodman, etc. They managed to understand their position in the pecking order and find their own way to thrive in it.
Without further ado, your five best No. 3s …
1. Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers
George has been a No. 1 and a No. 2 on teams that reached the conference finals, and in Philadelphia he will presumably be the No. 3, acquiescing to recent MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey. How well George adjusts to that role will go a long…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-the-nbas-no-3-options-76ers-paul-george-leads-list-of-best-third-stars-in-the-league-143646881.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-25 14:36:46
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