Fit over Talent: The key to success.

All-time greats of NBA Basketball all share one unanimous trait: incredible talent.

Whether you're able to shoot like Steph Curry or dunk like Vince Carter, if you want to be a star in the NBA, you need to be very talented.

Super-talented players like Curry and Carter are what teams seek out as their leader, their star. Simply put, it's a formula: you need stars to win.

And what's better than one star? Multiple.

Several times throughout NBA history, we have seen stars join up and form elite teams. Some have seen great success, such as Kobe and Shaq's Lakers, and the Big 3 Heat.

Not all star teams pan out, however, and for one simple reason:

Basketball is a team sport, and some duos fail to mesh with each other or the rest of the team.

Star-studded teams, to win, need their stars to complement each other's games. They need to fill the gap left by one another. And most importantly, they need to fit with the team and its playstyle.

It's easy for General Managers to see a big name and immediately make moves to pair them with their current star, but it's not that simple. Making a move to create a star duo that fails can leave a team hopeless, in no position to win.

This mistake has been made many times, and not with good outcomes.

There are many reasons why star-studded teams may fail, but the most important reasons come down to 2 things, those being:

1: The players simply don't fit well together

or

2: The players don't understand their role on a team

Figuring out these issues ahead of time is the key to winning.

Notable Cases:

Atlanta Hawks:

Let's start with the failed star duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray

Trae and Dejounte were supposed to run the league. Dejounte came to Atlanta with the hopes of compensating for Trae's lack of defense, bringing extra size and shooting to the backcourt, and being a backup ball handler.

It was supposed to be perfect, an All-Star duo that made up for each other's shortcomings.

What could go wrong?

Well, basically everything.

Starting, both players' 3-point shooting abilities fell. Neither player was enough of a spot-up shooter to warrant being an off-ball presence.

This fall in off-ball ability made both Trae and Dejounte need the ball to be effective as playmakers. But this wouldn't slide. Trying to alternate between ball handlers slowed down Atlanta's offense and weakened their playmaking instincts.

The newfound lack of playmaking led to issues with shot creation, with both Trae and Dejounte often settling for inefficient mid-range and long-distance 3's.

Finally, Dejounte, being a main ball handler now, struggled to give Atlanta the defense they needed, and they ended up with one of the worst defensive backcourts in the NBA, despite having a former all-defensive selection.

All of these factors led to Trae and Dejounte playing better without the other one on the floor, and eventually, both players were traded from the Hawks.

A total failure of a duo, a complete change in identity for a franchise, all because of a bad fit.

Detroit Pistons:

Fit can also determine success, most notably with the 2004 Pistons.

The Pistons didn't really have the greatest roster on paper. Their only all-star was Ben Wallace, a two-time DPOY who provided almost nothing on offense.

But that didn't matter; everyone else had him covered.

The Pistons, despite lacking star power, fit together like a glove.

Their starting 5 of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace all complemented each other very well. Billups orchestrated the offense, Hamilton thrived moving off the ball, Prince defended opposing stars, Rasheed provided scoring and versatility, and Ben Wallace anchored the defense.

Defensively, every player contributed, and the Pistons had the best defensive rating in the NBA.

Their overpowering defense, combined with just enough scoring to get by, led them to the 2004 NBA finals, where they beat Kobe and Shaq in 5 games to bring home the championship.

The Pistons are a great example of fit. 5 players, only 1 of whom is an all-star, each bringing a unique skillset to create a championship team.

Many General Managers fail to realise what makes a star duo work, and this leads to their downfall.

Overlooking simple traits can ruin the flow of a good team.

Talent doesn't fix everything. Fit is the key to utilizing talent, the key to winning.

Any GM can identify talent. A great GM identifies fit.