The great thing about the NBA, as opposed to other leagues, is the clear evolution of the game. Organizations used to build their rosters with two to three superstar players, followed by a whole bunch of role players to fill in the gaps.
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But now you look at the success of the OKC Thunder, the Indiana Pacers, or the Boston Celtics. Three teams that are stacked from top to bottom with talent, making it extremely difficult for opposing teams to keep up with the number of rotations those squads can throw at you.
This was the topic of discussion between NBA legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on the latest edition of KG Certified. Garnett claimed that the era of the “Big Three” is over because three just won’t get it done anymore.
“The recipe is from OKC, and what Boston did, and what Indiana’s doing,” said the one-time champion. “You got to have depth now. Ain’t more we gotta have three. No no no. We got to have nine.”
KG then locked in on the Pacers specifically, praising their depth and how the team can have a healthy balance of playing time. “They have a solid nine, ten. I don’t think any of the Pacers play over 34 minutes,” the Celtics and Wolves legend stated.
Pierce jumped in and brought up the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and how NBA teams are going to have a difficult time paying a “Big Three” supermax contracts. “You can, but it doesn’t help. It dwindles down your everything,” responded Garnett, who brought up a valid point about the longevity of a franchise.
The Thunder seems like a better example than the Pacers. Indiana is one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and they earned every bit of that. But the Thunder have been the dominant force in the NBA all year, and in the playoffs, they haven’t flinched a bit.
Aside from a close 7-game series against the Nuggets, OKC’s variety of SGA, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Dort, Wiggins, Hartenstein, and, of course, Alex Caruso, have been a headache for opposing squads. At this point, the 2025 NBA Finals are theirs to lose.
But KG is correct about one thing. If the rest of the NBA wants to compete, they can no longer build a squad around a sole superstar. This means organizations need to be more locked in during the NBA draft. More locked in on finding an ace in the hole that can develop into an elite option on the court.
It’s another chapter in the beautiful evolution of the game. If the Pacers get past the Knicks and face off against the Thunder, we’ll see which of the two deep teams survives.
