Becky, I Got You!
When Becky Hammon said a small guard like Jalen Brunson couldn't be a Tier-1A player on a championship team, she wasn't entirely wrong about the physics, she just missed the formula. Conkrete Playground is where we unpack the raw blueprint of hoops history. We don’t do casual takes; we break down the exact guard, wing, post trinities and perimeter shields required to turn elite small guards into legendary champions. Class is in session.
SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENTSTEPH CURRY#BEYONDANALYTICSPRIMEMEN'S BASKETBALLNCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL#BASKETBALLMINDSETKYRIE IRVINGSHAI GILGEOUS -ALEXANDERBASKETBALL CULTURENBA CONSPIRACIESSUCCESSSCOUTING REPORTLUKA DONCICTHE SCOUTKEVIN DURANTPLAYER MOVEMENT & TRADESSGAJALEN BRUNSONMICHAEL JORDANBASKETBALL ANALYSISLEBRON JAMESNBA
Prime
5/27/20268 min read
Becky, I got You!
Chapter 1: The Small Guard Paradox
Let’s talk about the hardest ceiling in basketball.
There is nothing more electrifying in the NBA than a small, dynamic guard who can break down a defense, play on a string, and carry an offense. We fall in love with their skill because they look like regular human beings dominating a giant's game.
But history and Prime are cold, hard evaluators. Look at the ledger of NBA champions, and you will notice a brutal reality: A small point guard (under 6'4) acting as a team's absolute number, one option cannot win a championship without an elite, All Star caliber wing.
They cannot fly solo. When the game slows down in May and June, the physical math of the NBA catches up to small guards. Without a dominant wing to absorb physical pressure, dictate matchups, being able to see (huge part) over defenses and provide defensive versatility, the formula breaks.
Let’s look at the history, the physics, and the proof.
The Historical Proof: The Only Exceptions to the Rule
In the entire modern history of the NBA, only a few "traditional sized" point guards have successfully anchored a championship team as the undisputed best player or co-best player: Isiah Thomas, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Chauncey Billups.
But look closely at how those rosters were constructed. None of them did it alone (nobody does it alone). Their franchises surrounded them with elite, physical wing play that covered every single weakness a smaller guard naturally possesses.
1. Isiah Thomas (6'1) & The Bad Boy Pistons (1989, 1990)
Isiah was the heart, soul, and leading scorer of those back-to-back championship teams. But the Pistons didn't win until they solidified their perimeter armor.
The Wing Support: Mark Aguirre (a former 25 points per game All Star scorer) and Dennis Rodman (the ultimate defensive wing who won Defensive Player of the Year in 1990).
The Blueprint: Chuck Daly used Aguirre’s scoring punch and Rodman’s relentless perimeter versatility to handle the physical burdens of matching up against Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in the East. Isiah didn't have to carry the physical load defensively or score every single clutch bucket on an island.
2. Steph Curry (6'2) & The Golden State Warriors
Steph is the greatest shooter to ever live and revolutionized the sport. But look at the anatomy of his four championships.
The Wing Support: In 2015, 2022, and across the dynasty, he had Klay Thompson checking the opponent’s toughest guard, and Andre Iguodala (the 2015 Finals MVP specifically for his wing defense on LeBron James) or Andrew Wiggins (who played like an All Star wing in 2022, locking down Jayson Tatum/Luka Doncic and leading the team in rebounds). And in 2017 and 2018? He had Kevin Durant, one of the greatest individual wings in basketball history.
The Blueprint: Golden State understood that Steph’s offensive brilliance needed to be insulated by elite size, length, and defensive IQ on the perimeter.
3. Chauncey Billups (6'3) & The 2004 Detroit Pistons
Billups won Finals MVP for a team that completely lacked a traditional superstar but executed the Guard, Wing, Post trinity to perfection.
The Wing Support: Richard "Rip" Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. Prince’s historic length allowed him to defend Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller, while Hamilton’s relentless off ball movement wore defenses down.
The Physics of Playoff Basketball: Why Size Demands a Wing
Why is this trend so absolute? Why did generational talents like Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, or John Stockton never capture a ring as the definitive number one engine?
It comes down to three unavoidable playoff realities:
1. The Defensive "Target" Effect
In a seven game playoff series, opposing coaches are master tacticians. If a small guard is your best player, teams will hunt them. They will run endless hunting pick and rolls to force that guard to switch onto bigger players (Cavs did it to Curry when he didn’t have a wing), wearing them out over 48 minutes. An elite wing acts as a primary shield, they can fight through screens, switch everything, and ensure the small guard doesn't have to expend all their energy playing defense.
2. Shot Creation at the Rim
When playoff defenses tighten, the half court game shrinks. Passing lanes disappear, and referees let players get physical. A small guard driving into a packed paint has to navigate extended arms and vertical rim protectors. They can’t make all the timely passes they use to, at the same accuracy. A dominant wing (6'6 to 6'9) can get to the midrange, elevate over a contest, and create a high percentage look simply out of sheer physical size.
3. The Structural Counterbalance
Think of your team as a tripod. If your point guard is small, your wing must be elite to counterbalance the structural lack of size on the perimeter. If your guard is 6'2, your wing cannot be a weak 6'5. You need a dynamic threat who can rebound, defend multiple positions, and handle the scoring load when teams throw blitzes and double teams at your playmaker.
| WHY SMALL GUARDS NEED AN ALL-STAR WING |
1. THE DEFENSIVE SHIELD: Absorbs elite perimeter matchups.
2. THE PRESSURE VALVE: Creates easy shots when passing lanes shrink.
3. THE SIZE EQUALIZER: Balances out small backcourts on the glass.
The Lesson for Today's NBA
This brings the conversation right back to the modern landscape. Look at Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks.
Brunson is an absolute superstar, a wizard in the paint despite his size. But the Knicks front office didn't look at Brunson's spectacular individual performances and say, "We're good." They looked at history. They realized that a small guard needs elite, physical perimeter protection.
That is why they traded a historic package of draft picks for OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. They knew that to unlock a 6'2 engine in the Eastern Conference Finals and beyond, you have to flank him with elite, long, versatile wings who can destroy opposing offenses and hit shots when the defense collapses on the point guard.
The formula is undefeated. You can have the slickest handle, the deepest range, and the highest basketball IQ in the gym. But if you are a small guard trying to hoist that Larry O'Brien trophy as the alpha, history says you better find yourself an elite wing to stand next to you.
Chapter 2: The DNA of a Champion: Guard, Wing, and Post
Here is the blueprint. Look back at the history of the NBA, and you will see that winning a Larry O'Brien trophy isn't a guessing game. It is a formula.
There is a popular narrative that the "Big Three" era started in 2008 in Boston or 2010 in Miami. But that is a lie. The league has always required a Big Three to win at the highest level. The only thing that changed is how those teams were built, shifting from front office masterclasses to player brokered alliances.
If you look at the architecture of basketball, true championship DNA requires a dominant "triumvirate": a elite playmaker (Guard), an elite perimeter engine (Wing), and a foundational interior anchor (Post).
Let’s look at the evidence.
Exhibit A: The Historic "Triumvirates"
“Triumvirate: a body of threeindividuals who share authority, power, and responsibility. The leaders are notionally equal, the actual distributionof power, often varies.” - Prime taught you this. You will hear it on sports shows next.
When we look back at the greatest duos in NBA history, we often overlook the third pillar that actually balanced the seesaw. You need high level, All Star caliber play at all three levels to survive a grueling four round playoff run.
Guards & Wings with Rings (The Perimeter Archetype)
Some teams dominated by playing outside-in, but they still required an interior enforcer to lock down the paint and rebound.
Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen: The ultimate Guard/Wing duo. But they don't win those first three rings without Horace Grant cleaning up the glass and defending the teams best post players, or the second three without Dennis Rodman, one of the most dominant interior defensive anchors the game has ever seen.
LeBron James & Dwyane Wade/Kyrie Irving: LeBron and Wade (Wing/Guard) needed Chris Bosh to stretch the floor and play elite pick and roll defense. In Cleveland, Kyrie and LeBron needed Kevin Love controlling the boards and stretching the floor.
Steph Curry & Kevin Durant: The ultimate perimeter cheat code. But don't forget, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, holding down the defensive guard and wing duties, and Draymond Green acting as the ultimate modern "Post" anchor defensively.
Guards & Centers with Rings (The Inside-Out Archetype)
Other dynasties were built from the inside out, pairing a dominant playmaker with a legendary big man. But look closer, and you'll find the wings that spaced the floor and defended the opponent's best player.
Magic Johnson & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: The blueprint. But they also had Hall of Fame wing James Worthy flying down the lane on the fast break.
Bob Cousy & Bill Russell: Legendary inside out duo, completely unlocked by the scoring punch of elite wing John Havlicek.
Walt Frazier & Willis Reed: The heart of the 1970s Knicks, balanced perfectly by Hall of Fame forward Dave DeBusschere.
Exhibit B: The Modern Proof (And Misconceptions)
This formula isn't just ancient history. It is actively playing out right now in today's NBA. Let's debunk a few myths and look at the current landscape.
Myth Buster: "Denver doesn't have an elite wing today!"
When the Denver Nuggets won it all in 2023, everyone praised the two man game of Jamal Murray (Guard) and Nikola Jokić (Post).
But saying Denver didn't have a wing is erasing the exact piece that made them champions: Aaron Gordon. While Gordon plays bigger than his size, his role on that team is the quintessential modern defensive wing. He spent the 2023 playoffs checking Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Jimmy Butler. Combine him with Michael Porter Jr.'s size and shooting on the perimeter, and Denver absolutely checkmarks the elite Wing category. Today, Denver no wing, no ring!
The Question Mark: Cleveland
Look at the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have the star power: Donovan Mitchell (Guard) and the dual post look of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen (Post).
But what has been their ceiling? Who is the Cavs' elite, championship level wing? Until they find that dynamic perimeter threat who can create their own shot and lock down opposing scorers, they remain a piece away. Instead of trading for James Harden, the Cavs would have gotten pass the Knicks had they kept Darius Garland and got Kawhi instead. That’s my opinion, but history supports this.
Exhibit C: The Future Contenders
The teams currently making the leap into serious contention are doing so precisely because they realized they were missing a leg of the tripod.
| TEAM | GUARD | WING |
| OKC Thunder | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander| Jalen Williams | Chet Holmgreen
| NY Knicks | Jalen Brunson | OG Anunoby | Karl Anthony Towns
(Note: This illustrates how today's rising powerhouses are specifically drafting and trading to fulfill the Guard-Wing-Post trinity.)
Oklahoma City Thunder
When did OKC start truly winning in the playoffs again? It wasn't just when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ascended to MVP candidacy. It happened when they filled out the rest of the blueprint:
Guard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Wing: Jalen Williams (J-Will), providing elite secondary creation and size.
Post: Chet Holmgren, providing the rim protection and spacing they desperately lacked for years.
New York Knicks
When did the Knicks finally look like a team capable of making the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals?
Guard: Jalen Brunson, the undisputed engine.
Wing: OG Anunoby/Makel Bridges, the defensive masterminds who glue the perimeter together and make shots.
Post: Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT), brought in precisely because they needed an All Star caliber post player who could stretch the floor, make plays and give Brunson space to operate.
The Verdict: Organic Growth vs. Buying the Blueprint
The league has always required a Guard, a Wing, and a Post with All Star caliber play to win a chip. I rest my case.
The real friction in the modern NBA isn't the existence of these Big Threes, it is how they are assembled. The dynasties we respect the most, the 90s Bulls, the 80s Lakers, the 2010s Warriors, grew their talent organically. They drafted their core, suffered through early playoff exits, learned how to win together, and added a missing piece here and there via smart trades or free agency. This is also today’s OKC and Spurs.
It only became a "problem" in the eyes of fans and purists when players started bypassing the journey, buying the blueprint pre-assembled, and skipping the organic growth that makes a championship team truly legendary.
But no matter how you build it, the math remains the same: Guard. Wing. Post. All Star talent at all three, or enjoy an early vacation.
Becky, i told you I got you!My post content