Think about the major failures in NBA history in recent years that have formed a lineup around superstars. It is these failures that have prompted the stars to force their moves to new teams. Damian Lillard has played for 11 seasons in Portland, but at least one teammate has been selected for the All-Star (Aldridge) and another teammate has won the Fastest Progressive Player Award (CJ McCollum). During Anthony Davis's New Orleans Pelicans, DeMarcus Cousins was selected for the All-Star in one season, and Ju Holiday was selected for the All-Defensive Team twice. LeBron James was definitely the kind of star representative who carried the team alone during his first time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he at least allowed Mo Williams and Ilgoscas to play an All-Star season, and also gave Valejo one season to be selected for the All-Defensive Team.
But what about Jokic? During his full decade of playing for the Denver Nuggets, none of his teammates have been selected for the All-Star, nor have they won any individual awards. He has never played with a player selected for the All-Squad, has not been with teammates selected for the All-Defensive, has not played under coach of the Year or general manager of the year, and his head coach (Michael Malone) and CEO (Calvin Booth) have just been fired. The only thing he saw his teammates win honors for his personal performance was that some teammates were selected for the Best Rookie Team. Mudie, Jamal Murray and Hyland were all selected, but none of them made the Best Rookie Team.
Generally speaking, the easiest way to keep a star happy is to have other stars surround him. But the Nuggets' performance in this regard is the worst in the league in recent years. If we were talking about any other superstar, there might be rumors of a deal application now.
In Jokic's case, there m...
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