Talent vs Fit

When putting together a NBA team there are so many outcomes and possibilities including the issues with fit and how players play together. With the NBA, the best way for a team to be successful is if all the talented players fit together. In the NBA you can't just put a bunch of All-Stars together and expect them to be a successful team. The NBA has shown that talent and fit are very important. Some things to think about with fit is their ball dominance, defensive ability, treatment of teammates and how well they take criticism. Those attributes not only encompass their basketball ability, but also their mental toughness. One of the reasons the Los Angeles Lakers traded D'Angelo Russell because they didn't believe the fit between him and Lonzo Ball. So, the immediate question is: Which is more important, fit or talent?

Why is fit so important?

Fit is such a big deal in the NBA today because it's hard for a team to be successful when they have multiple players that do the same things in the offense. The toughest teams to guard and play against are the teams that play so well together. The NBA is a star-studded league and a lot of those stars want to play together. With the player movement going on in the league many of these stars want to end up playing together. Take the example of Chris Paul and James Harden, both of those guys want to play with each other. Chris Paul has been notorious for kind of being an ass-hole to his teammates in LA and getting on their backs. James Harden is known for not showing any defensive effort, Paul looks to pass and Harden looks to score, and both guys are ball dominant and very different basketball players but they made it clear that they wanted to play together. I am of the belief that great players will be able to figure things out in terms of fit. I am sure that during the season that there are going to be times where they might hate each other. Obviously, there will be some growing pains with Paul and Harden but, they should figure things out if they both take responsibility for their actions and not try to blame each other. Easily, the best fit and talent in the NBA is the Golden State Warriors. You have 2 elite MVP caliber scorers who make up what the lack in defending with their scoring ability. They have one of the best 2-way players in the league with Klay Thompson who guards the point guards which gives Curry a break on the defensive end. Then you have Draymond Green who is one of the most versatile defenders in the league. Not only did Draymond lead the league in steals but he was also 12th in the league at blocks per game at 1.39 BLK PG. This perfect combination on defense, 3 point shooting, and versatility is the whole reason the league almost has no chance against the Golden State Warriors.

Which do you choose when selecting in the draft?

So, the question has always come up do you draft talent or fit? It is one of the hardest questions anyone can ask. The best way to choose between fit and talent is to evaluate how important and talented the guys you have to fit around. If you can correctly evaluate those guys and decide which of those guys is the most important, you will get the best balance between fit and talent. The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Jahlil Okafor after drafting 2 centers in the previous 2 years. Obviously that didn't work out, but that was mostly because of Okafor's play style. Okafor can't play defense and he can't stretch the floor, he posts up which has turned into an unnecessary part of someone's game. The Philadelphia 76ers chose talent over fit, it kind of proved that Sam Hinkie chose talent over fit. Similarly in the 2017 draft the 76ers had a similar choice., they had the 3rd pick in the draft and were put into an awkward situation. The guys projected to be drafted 3rd overall were terrible fits for the 76ers. The difference is that in 2017 they were under a different regime with Brian Colangelo as the general manager. They needed a guard who could shoot and play off ball. The 76ers badly needed shooting. The best fit for them was Malik Monk who ended up getting drafted 11th overall. The 76ers had a choice to move up or move down and they chose to move up and draft Markelle Fultz. The 76ers got the best talent in the draft and maybe the best fit for them and it looks good for the 76ers in the future. The choice between talent and fit is one of the toughest decision a general manager can make. So to answer the question which is more important it really is up to the player's personalities, tendencies, and their talent level.