The NBA is a league of stars. If you don’t have any, you probably aren’t winning any games, and you certainly are not winning a championship. Luckily for the Miami Heat, they have three NBA stars.
This offseason, the Heat signed Kyle Lowry to a three-year deal. He will join Bam Adebayo and his good friend Jimmy Butler to form a Big Three in Miami.
Recently, Bleacher Report ranked their top ten Big Threes in the NBA. While their list wasn’t atrocious, there are some rankings that could be better.
Let’s fix their list. Where does the Miami Heat trio belong on this list? Let’s find out.
10. Denver Nuggets Big Three: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr.
It’s hard to count the Nuggets leading up to the 2021-22 NBA season, but in terms of talent, they deserve to make this list. Nikola Jokic is coming off a historic MVP season and Jamal Murray is an elite scorer.
Michael Porter Jr. is starting to show why analysts compared him to Kevin Durant when he entered the league. He averaged19 points per game as the second option for most of last season.
The reason the Nuggets rank so low is that they don’t exactly have a Big Three… yet. Jokic is clearly their best player, and while Murray is a great second option, he likely won’t be available for most, if not all of this season after tearing his ACL last year.
Also, Michael Porter Jr. has shown positive signs as a player, but he isn’t quite there yet. Give this team time, and they could have a dangerous trio.
9. Boston Celtics Big Three: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart
Just like the Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics lack the true talent of a typical Big Three. Even though Marcus Smart is a tenacious defender and is improving his offense every year, he is nowhere near the level of an NBA All-Star right now.
The reason the Celtics make this list is that Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are so talented, it makes up for the lack of a true third star. Both of these players have been improving quickly.
It is likely this trend will continue into next season, especially considering their touches will increase with the departure of Kemba Walker.