The Official 2023 NBA “Superstar” Index
Welcome to the 2023 NBA Superstar Index. Here, we will evaluate every team’s relationship with their “superstars” — and what may come next.
What is every NBA’s team relationship with their star player? Are they in a happy, healthy relationship that everyone is jealous of or are they on the brink of an ugly breakup? Do some teams want to move on from their current partner? That’s what my 2023 NBA “Superstar” Index looks to find.
Now, not every team is lucky enough to have a superstar. For those teams, in addition to pitying them, I will instead use the player who will lead their franchise — for better or worse — for the foreseeable future. However, these teams will still be criticized just the same as teams with superstars. Because why insult some teams when you can insult all of them?
Relationship Goals
- Jayson Tatum (Boston)
- Nikola Jokic (Denver)
- Stephen Curry (Golden State)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
- Devin Booker (Phoenix)
If you see these guys post on Instagram, you get jealous. They have everything. The relationship is healthy and successful, and there’s no reason to end things any time soon.
As soon as Kyrie Irving left town, Jayson Tatum has been the face of one of the most storied franchises in league history. Tatum is a bonafide two-way force who will go down as one of the greatest Celtics….ever. And he’s only 24!
Nikola Jokic isn’t a superstar by any measure other than what we see on the court. He’s quiet and reserved. His postgame quotes are boring and meaningless. The day that Nikola Jokic says something inflammatory, I’ll light myself on fire. On the court, however, Jokic is indomitable. He’s more valuable to the Nuggets than any other star player is to their respective team. And, he’s on track to win his third straight MVP.
Stephen Curry is synonymous with the Warriors. He’s won 4 rings with the franchise, and he helped build that new, shiny stadium in San Francisco. The greatest shooter ever will most definitely retire a Warrior.
Giannis has also delivered a championship to the city of Milwaukee. While the Bucks are a smaller market, that fits well with Giannis’ quiet, dorky demeanor. The Bucks have been in contention since Giannis ascended into superstardom, and currently, I think they’re the best team in the NBA.
Even after trading for Kevin Durant, Booker is the face of the Suns. He’s young, likable (to most), and very good at scoring. Phoenix has given him CP-3 and KD as co-stars. Clearly, they know Booker is worth keeping around.
Ring Shopping
- Ja Morant (Memphis)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City)
- Anthony Edwards (Minnesota)
These relationships are newer, but it’s time to buy a ring. Everything points to these relationships working, we just haven’t gotten to the point where someone is ready to propose.
No matter if you don’t particularly like Ja Morant, there’s no denying he’s the face of the Grizzlies. And the perfect one at that. Morant is electricity personified. He’s the embodiment of Memphis’ culture in a good and bad way. Punching minors may not be the best fiancé behavior, however.
I questioned whether or not to hand Haliburton his own tier. The Pacers didn’t draft Haliburton, but they stole from the Kings for Domantas Sabonis. As much as everybody wants to call that a win-win trade (and it is in the present), this trade will undoubtedly work out better for Indiana in the long run. And guess who predicted it all back in October? This guy.
SGA is another player who wasn’t drafted by the team that he’s on right now. But, as he’s blossomed into a one-man, mid-range scoring maestro, so have the Thunder. Looking back on that Paul George trade, the Thunder have made out like bandits. As the Thunder ascend to become more competitive with each passing day, you can thank the drippiest player in the league.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have fumbled things around Anthony Edwards. Rudy Gobert stunts Edward’s development as a wrecking ball. This season, Edwards has carried the Timberwolves while the team around him flounders. Infuriating shot selection and bad dieting choices be dammed, Edwards is a star. Now, if only the Timberwolves could build a competent team around him.
Ride or Die
- Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
- Damian Lillard (Portland)
- Jimmy Butler (Miami)
- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia)
As we enter the third tier of the index, we meet the players who — for better or worse — are stuck with their teams. Whether it be contractually, emotionally, or talent-wise, it’s nearly impossible for these guys to get moved.
Kawhi Leonard is back to his peak form. Over his last 25 games, the Klaw is averaging 26.4 points and 6.2 rebounds on 65 percent true shooting. Leonard remains the most dominant two-way force in the game when healthy. But, as we all know, his durability is a problem. Leonard is the Clippers’ only chance at a title, but questions (rightfully) remain about how his body will hold up for the rest of the season.
Damian Lillard has been the heart and soul of the Blazers for a decade now. Despite Portland never really coming close to contending, Lillard has kept them relevant. His 71-point explosion last night is evidence of such. Trading Lillard wouldn’t be right. Not only are the Blazers still trying to win with Dame, it would be wrong to trade the guy who has been so loyal to this team — a team that has rarely returned the favor.
Jimmy Butler saves his best for the playoffs. It doesn’t matter that he misses 15-ish games every regular season. Come postseason time, Butler always rises to the occasion. Paying him nearly $150 million over the next three seasons is rough, but the Heat know they would be nowhere without Jimmy Buckets.
Joel Embiid is one of the most dominant players…ever. Not many players put so much pressure on opposing defenses. Even though the pairing has never made it to a conference final, there isn’t a world where the 76ers trade him. They can’t. I’m a little surprised Embiid loves the 76ers, given how every lottery pick they took outside of Embiid is no longer on the team anymore. Regardless, Embiid loves Philly, and the feeling is mutual.
Puppy Love
- Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
- Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
- Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)
Right now, these relationships are young, but they’ve started strong. Does this mean we’re seeing the start of something beautiful, or are both parties being a little bit blinded by their love?
It took a huge haul to get Donovan Mitchell out of Utah and onto the Cavs. In their first season together, Cleveland will be back in the postseason, and they have one of the brightest futures in the league. Mitchell has been Cleveland’s best player this season, and all signs point to this team being good for years to come.
On the flip side, Lauri Markkanen was a footnote on the Mitchell trade. Nobody was thinking much of him. Instead, Markkanen has turned his career around with the Jazz. The Finnish forward has turned into a scoring machine, able to score efficiently from anywhere on the floor. A year ago, Markkanen didn’t have a place in the league. Now, he’s the face of a Jazz team starting their upstart rebuild.
Paolo Banchero was the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft. While his jump shot needs some work, the Magic didn’t mess up the selection. Not many 6’8″ forwards have the polish that Banchero does. He’s already a foul-drawing machine, and his partnership with Franz Wagner is dazzling.
The Knicks were ridiculed for giving Jalen Brunson so much money in free agency. Even I questioned it a little bit, even though I loved Brunson. This season, despite not being an All-Star, Brunson has been incredible. Out of Luka Doncic’s shadow, he’s averaging just under 24 points a night on 59 percent true shooting. And, most importantly, he’s given the city of New York something they haven’t had in a looooong time: stability.
Honeymooning
- Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
This relationship has already garnered a long-term agreement. But, that doesn’t mean the cops won’t get called at 1 AM for loud arguments.
We all know how good Luka Doncic is. He commands your attention anytime he’s on the floor. The Slovenian wunderkind is a special breed of size, patience, and finesse. He can manipulate any defense – able to find teammates from an angle only he can see. Doncic’s playmaking is downright poetic and majestic.
This season, Doncic has taken his scoring to a new level. The kid is leading the league in scoring. You can’t stop him. Without Doncic, Dallas would be amongst the worst teams in the league. Even with Kyrie Irving, Doncic’s most talented teammate to date, Dallas would be tanking for Wemby without him.
Doncic did sign a supermax extension, but it doesn’t seem like he’s tied to the city the same way that guys like Tatum and Giannis are. Granted, those guys have had much more success, but the point still stands.
Not to speak for the guy, but I don’t think Luka enjoys the style of play that it takes for the Mavs to win. I’m sure he likes having the ball on every possession, but having to play 35 minutes a night and drag his sub-par teammates to barely beat mediocre teams isn’t fun. It wears on you after a while. It has to.
Doncic’s situation is eerily similar to Lebron’s first stint with Cleveland. All of Dallas’ moves to help Luka have failed. Trading for Porzingis was a disaster and letting Jalen Brunson go even stupider. Kyrie Irving will cause the franchise more headaches and could alienate Doncic.
Doncic won’t be asking for a trade anytime soon…I think. But all the ingredients are there. Doncic wants to win, and the Mavericks aren’t there yet. A few more seasons of this and Doncic could force his way out or wait until he becomes a free agent again.
Wandering Eyes (The Wembanyama Tier)
- LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)
- Keldon Johnson (San Antonio Spurs)
- Houston Rockets (Jalen Green)
These teams are bad, which means that they’re likely more enamored with the foreign exchange student (Wembanyama) more than their current partner. Call them unfaithful as much as you want, but Victor is pretty appealing.
Before the 2020 draft, I said that LaMelo Ball would be a bust. That was a bad take, but Ball hasn’t been overtly excellent thus far. He’s stagnated after an exciting rookie season. LaMelo will have flashes of brilliance only to be undone by his horrendous finishing skills. Charlotte is one of the worst markets in the league, even with Ball. They would welcome Wemby with open arms.
Remember what I said about teams not having a superstar? The Spurs are one of them. Sorry, Keldon. They’ve lost 16 straight games and are probably the team that would benefit the most from having Wembanyama. As Gregg Popovich masters the art of tanking, the Spurs are praying some lottery balls go their way in May.
After flip-flopping between Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun a million times, I picked Green as this team’s face. That may change soon, however, as Sengun is now one of the better low post-threats in the NBA. Now’s a good time to remind you this team could have had Evan Mobley but instead took Green. Anyway, I’ll let Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta tell you about the team’s ambitions for Wembanyama;
Marriage Counseling
- Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
The Lakers made a lot of moves at the deadline. But, that doesn’t mean this relationship is perfect. Or built to last.
Even with all the (brilliant) moves the Lakers made at the deadline, they’re still long shots for the title. Beating up on the Dallas Mavericks shouldn’t inspire much confidence. James is still playing at a high level in his age-38 season. And the Lakers, try as they may, are not close to winning a title.
If James wants to win another title and play with his son before he retires, will it be in LA? Now, business-wise, it doesn’t make sense for Lebron to leave Los Angeles. And what other team would want to accommodate a player that would, in essence, hijack their team for a couple seasons and force them to draft his son?
The New York Knicks would like a few moments to think about this.
James is under contract for next season and has a player option for the 2025 season — when he’s 39 years old. I don’t see a world where he leaves, but given his demands, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities. The odds of Rob Pelinka pulling more incredibly shrewd moves is low. The odds of the Lakers winning another championship are also paltry.
After lots of talking, the trade deadline was a good healer for this relationship. But, there’s no indication that the two are in it for the long haul. Looks like it’s time for more sessions!
Wait, I Thought You Were Perfect
- Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)
When you started dating, you thought you were dating a bombshell, undeniable 10. Now, things may be down to like a 6.
I think I’m officially concerned with Zion Williamson now. He missed all of last year with a foot injury. He also missed most of his rookie season. But, to start this season, he came out swinging. For a fleeting moment, you forget your concerns about his weight and fitness. It was good to see him on the floor again.
And….bam! Another injury! Williamson hasn’t played since early January, and there’s no timetable for his return. The Pelicans have crumbled without him and are now one of the more depressing teams in the league. Remember when this team was beating the shit out of the Suns and sitting atop the Western Conference a few months ago?
Williamson has signed a long-term extension in New Orleans, and he’s one of the best players in the league when he’s healthy. But if he’s wearing street clothes for 60% of every season, the most hyped #1 overall pick since Lebron (before we knew about Wemby) has been disappointing, to say the least.
Cade Cunningham is another #1 overall pick who has gotten off to a rocky start. But, unlike Zion, Cade hasn’t shown us anything resembling All-NBA or even All-Star play. Cunningham has been inefficient as a scorer and hasn’t made an impact in Detroit. Sure, his team sucks, but that season-ending shin injury that cut his season short after 12 games doesn’t bode well for his development.
Will I call either of these two guys busts? No. But I’m just putting it out there that these guys have been disappointing. There’s no way either franchise is saying, “Man, this guy has been perfect for us.”
Boring
- Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
This couple is boring, not very sexy, and they don’t cause a lot of drama. They’re like the Amish. Or Tom Hanks and his wife.
25.3 points ~ 7.7 rebounds ~ 6.1 assists ~ 57% TS
Pascal Siakam has been amazing this season. Those numbers are spectacular, and you wouldn’t expect them to come from Siakam. For a while, Siakam’s career looked like it was trending down. He was awful against the Celtics in the Bubble. He took a step back in 2021, and he was underwhelming to start last year, too.
But, over the past 18-ish months, he has been superb. He’s been one of the few bright spots for an otherwise grim Raptors team. With Kevin Durant off the board, there’s little chance of him getting moved. Toronto has a lot of contract stuff to think about with VanVleet, Trent, Poeltl, and Scottie Barnes down the line, but Siakam doesn’t have any of that.
We know he’s good, and I think the Raptors will build around him. Is that the right decision? Probably. He’s better than Beal, Lavine, or even Trae Young. If the Raptors were to involve spicy P in any of those negotiations, they would be downgrading, in my opinion.
And for that, this pairing is boring. Toronto is average, although they have been better as of late. Siakam is a pretty unassuming All-Star who plays north of the border — so nobody cares. And there’s little chance of the Raptors trading him.
Let’s find some more drama, please.
Expensive (Semi-Toxic) Love
- Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
- Zach Lavine (Chicago Bulls)
This relationship already bought an expensive ring, house, and private education for their kids. Now, things are falling apart.
I don’t what went into the decision making process for giving Bradley Beal $250+ million last offseason, but I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for those negotiations. Beal is good, and he’s been fine this season, but he’s not a winning player. He’s not an All-NBA caliber player and hardly effects the game outside of his scoring.
With that in mind, the Wizards gave Beal that supermax extension with a full no-trade clause. It may be the worst contract in the league. Beal has said that his main focus is “winning games,” but neither he nor the team around him is positioned to do so. Washington is set to play in the play-in tournament like it’s their version of the Les Robinson ACC tournament game. $250 million for mediocrity is a mistake.
But things are a lot worse in Chicago. After a few great seasons (and another knee surgery), the Bulls gave All-Star Zach Lavine a 5-year / $215 million dollar contract. In theory, giving Lavine that money was better than the contract given to Beal. Lavine is younger and better, and cheaper. Sounds great, right?
Well, we’re 60 games in, and Lavine has been benched (against the Magic, no less), has struggled, and his surgically repaired knee hasn’t looked great. Yikes. Even though his numbers don’t look that far off from last season’s production, everything feels off. Chicago didn’t blow things up at the deadline, partly because I think nobody wants to touch that Lavine contract.
The Bulls are depressing and now they’re locked up with Lavine on a backloaded contract that’s set to pay him $48.9 million dollars in 2027!!!!! Gross.
Openly Toxic
- Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
[What’s that one Britney Spears song, again?]
The Atlanta Hawks are a mess. Their GM “stepped down” earlier this year, and their coach, who thought about resigning a while ago, was unceremoniously let go. Atlanta’s owner, Antony Ressler, seems to have taken a very hands-on approach. They’ve fired tons of front office personnel, and now those positions have been filled with Ressler’s kids. Will nepotism fail for the thousandth time? Stay tuned!
Trae Young has been the poster boy for Atlanta’s disappointing season. The Hawks made a big swing for Dejounte Murray (a move Ressler wanted, but former GM Travis Schlenk did not), and they’re still close to average. Even after hiring Quin Snyder (who will make this team shoot a billion threes), Atlanta’s outlook is bleak. They traded Kevin Huerter just to stay under the luxury tax and now Huerter could be an All-Star caliber wing in Sacramento for the next decade!
Just two years removed from a surprising run to the conference finals, the Hawks are crumbling. Young hasn’t been shooting well, and he’s unlikeable as ever. McMillan benched him earlier this year after a dispute at shootaround. He’s been moody with both of his veteran, well-respected coaches in his career. How long until he dislikes Quinn Snyder? A year? Two?
I don’t know if you want to put any weight into this, but Young was voted as the 12th-ranked guard in the player All-Star vote. 12th! It seems like Young is on track to be one of those team/coach killers that nobody wants. He’s Stephon Marbury 2.0! There were rumors of Young potentially demanding a trade earlier in the year.
The Hawks are headed for…something. Everything about their nepotism-filled front office to the behavior of their immature, somewhat overrated star spells doom. If I were a betting man, I would say this team is the favorite for a messy implosion.
Match Made in Heaven
- Domantas Sabonis & De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
We’re all jealous of this couple. They have the white picket fence, the dogs, the kids, the cars, etc.
It would be rude for me to name just one face of the Sacramento Kings. I even thought about throwing the aforementioned Huerter in here because he’s been awesome this year, too. Sabonis and Fox have turned this team around. They’ve also been one of the best tandems in the league, perfectly complimenting one another.
Sabonis, despite playing with a smashed up thumb, has been a force in the paint. Sure, he can’t defend anybody, but who needs to defend when you’re one of the best passing bigs in the league. Fox’s speed and ability to penetrate works will with Sabonis. Their pick-and-rolls actions are deadly.
Speaking of Fox, I don’t I had him turning into one of the best late-game performers in the league and an All-Star this season. He was a borderline empty stats guy for me coming into this season and now he’s fantastic.
(Just imagine replacing Fox with Haliburton on this team though? I’m already drooling)
The Kings are ten games over 0.500 and we’re about to head into March. Everything about this season has been improbable, and this duo has made it all work. Fox and Sabonis are the couple that got married like six months after they started dating. Everything just clicked and they don’t argue, they get along great, and I’m sure everybody is jealous of them.
Save some for the rest of us, guys!
First Date
- Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets)
Self-Explanatory
Mikal Bridges the handsome, new guy that the Nets are dating. They just got out of a relationship with two very high-demand people and are now looking to cool things down a bit. Mikal Bridges is about as low key as it gets.
It helps that he’s on one of the best contracts in the league, one of the best wing defenders, and has blossomed offensively. Bridges hasn’t missed a game due to injury in his entire career. He’s the type of overqualified glue guy that every team is looking for.
Is Bridges a superstar? No. But, he’ll be the face of the Nets and one of their best players as they try and transition into a non-superstar era. I think he can make the Nets competitive for the rest of this season. Brooklyn is still the fifth seed in the East and they’re 5.5 games from the play-in tournament.
Who knows where this relationship is going, but, it’s the first date. Everybody’s looking to make a good first impression and to make sure their breath doesn’t stink.
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