Which Star Now Has the Most to Gain from Winning a Ring?

[SacKingsCards]

Locked On NBA ended their podcast today with a discussion presuming a Nuggets championship: if Jokic prevails, who is now the star who most needs a ring to cement their "legacy"? Now I actually don't think Jokic quite fit that description since injuries made it so his teams in the last few playoffs were inferior to their opponents, but a loss this year certainly would('ve) legitimized that narrative as much as it can in a sport like basketball. Certainly the conversation about what a ring does to Jokic's all time status can be had.

That said, who is next in line? Names brought up in order mentioned: Luka, Tatum, Embiid, Harden, and Lillard. I personally think it's Embiid and Harden. I don't think Harden is at the stage of his career to lead a team to championship, so to me it is Embiid. He's the only one with the regular season dominance (MVP, multiple top 2-3 mvp finishes) that hasn't translated to playoff success. Outside of Harden, the others don't quite have the same regular season accolades.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

[PaulKatcher]

Chris Paul and Jimmy Butler are others searching for a first championship that would greatly enhance their legacies. Between the Warriors and all of LeBron's teams, a lot of guys are searching for just one title, much like Jordan and Olajuwon left a bevy of future Hall of Famers ringless in the '90s.

I agree that Embiid has the most to gain right now, as he's still an unquestioned 1A on a title contender, whereas Harden, as you mention, is past the point of being able to do that. Luka (24 years old) and Tatum (25) are still too young to worry about windows of opportunity closing.

A couple of champs who I thought were perfectly set up to vault their legacies to another level were KD and Kyrie in Brooklyn. KD driving the bus without an all-time cast of support and Kyrie to win without LeBron, both with opportunity to be sports and culture icons in NYC. It went ... not so great!

[SacKingsCards]

I generally agree with your takes. CP3 is an interesting one that I hadn't considered - the lack of a title is certainly a blemish on resume and he seems to have enough of an influence on the success of any team he is on, so I can see that being enough to really cement his legacy. But he is too old to be THE guy and would need a situation with a younger star who can burden a lot of the load a la Booker with the Suns.

I just don't see it with Jimmy for more or less the same reason as Luka and Tatum: there isn't the regular season dominance to serve as a foundation for the title boost. None of them have ever even finished top 3 in MVP voting (Luka and Tatum have each finished #4 once) so it's not like they have much to cement. I suppose with Jimmy I would see it like a Kawhi situation in which his playoff performances and any rings could allow us to overlook regular seasons that don't stand out.

I absolutely agree about KD and Kyrie, with of course Harden when he came over from Houston. A ring would've been huge for all of them, especially Durant. I don't see how Durant isn't always plagued by the way in which he achieved his two titles.

[bcspecialist]

I think Lillard winning a title for Portland would definitely cement him as the greatest Blazer ever similar to Dirk/Mavs. Giannis winning a couple more would catapult him to a higher tier. Luka & Tatum will probably need to win something one day to even be remembered. In terms of "most to gain" all the existing player would probably gain similar levels of prestige/status, but I would say Wembanyama would have the most to gain if he comes in next year and wins a championship. The card world and sports world will go nuts and he will be cemented immediately as a Superstar.

[daeve]

I think Lillard winning a title for Portland would definitely cement him as the greatest Blazer ever similar to Dirk/Mavs. Giannis winning a couple more would catapult him to a higher tier. Luka & Tatum will probably need to win something one day to even be remembered. In terms of "most to gain" all the existing player would probably gain similar levels of prestige/status, but I would say Wembanyama would have the most to gain if he comes in next year and wins a championship. The card world and sports world will go nuts and he will be cemented immediately as a Superstar.

very interesting point. Cards would be in the spotlight again if Wemby did something like that. Even a deep playoff run [WCF] would be huge from a rookie.

[SacKingsCards]

Wemby would absolutely be crazy if he led the Spurs to the playoffs, not to mention a deep run.

Yeah I suppose the question of who has the most to gain is slightly different from who needs it most to cement their legacy/boost their all time status.