NBA: Superteams on paper, not so super on the court

We have witnessed some insane trades this NBA season. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also signed former MVP Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade.

The Cavaliers have not had a chance to really shine yet, as Thomas is still injured. However, they're still playing well. But the Thunder have failed to perform on court. The problem is that there is really no such thing as a "superteam".

No such thing as a superteam?

Looking at the up-and-coming players across the league, they are great to the point that they beat these so-called "superteams". For example, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who play for the Boston Celtics, are so fast and skilled at both ends of the court that we can basically say that they are much younger versions of George and Anthony.

Now we need to understand that there is no such thing as a superteam. Every team in the NBA has two or three key players who are great at what they do, and they are the favourites of their respective cities, especially as they earn wins.

When we say that the Golden States Warriors became a superteam when Kevin Durant chose to sign there after he was with the Thunder, did we forget that the Warriors won a ring just one season before he signed there? The Warriors were built step-by-step and every player improved, leading to a record 73-win season.

Some players adapt, some don't

Some teams perform when these key players play together and some don't. Just look at the Houston Rockets. James Harden and Chris Paul on the court together have put up far more wins and points than the Thunder have, as George, Anthony and Russell Westbrook are having a hard time playing together.

The Celtics are also being called a superteam with Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward. Even after Hayward got injured in the first game, the Celtics have still gone on to have best record in NBA.

So the concept of "superteam" is a myth. Some players adapt to each other and play well together, and some just have a hard time playing with other stars. Don't forget, at a time when the Thunder had Durant, Westbrook and Harden, they failed to win a title.