Building a mystery

When both of my daughters were little girls, I bought them a swingset to put up in the backyard. Having had one as a kid, the pieces were completely obvious coming out of the box. Between the picture on the front and the pieces in front of me, I hardly even needed the directions. Less than an hour later, I was putting the finishing touches on the girls’ cool new toy. Even the slide was up. They were standing and watching, bouncing in place, ready and waiting to play. All I had to do was hang the swings and the seats, and we were… done…

Excepting that I couldn’t hang the swings and seats. Why? Because in the very first step, I’d placed the top bar of the structure upside down, , 180 degrees off, and the hangers for these parts only went through that crossbar one way. I stared at the structure I’d built, trying to figure out how to rotate that one piece. And I couldn’t. Trying not to swear in front of my now-disapointed kids, I had to disassemble every bit of the work I’d done. They were confused, and a little disappointed. Looking at the instructions – finally – There was a note in huge letters, even highlighted for the more attentive parent. BE CAREFUL – DO NOT HANG THE TOP CROSSBAR UPSIDE DOWN.

Well, crap. Maybe I should have read that.

After that debacle, things have changed over the years. One of my favorite things about building IKEA furniture – I know, don’t judge me – is piecing my way through their instructions. While many find it maddening, IKEA has taken the rather unique step of showing you how to build their stuff completely through picture and pictogram, more often than not succeeding in showing how things go together and in which direction with the modern-day equivalent of a series of cave drawings. While it may seem that the Swedish company does this just to add an extra bit of torture to their “I JUST WANTED A BOOKSHELF” consumer, it actually comes with the added benefit of not having to translate their instructions into multiple languages. As one of the most truly international companies on the globe, IKEA has found a way to send the same set of instructions to Dubai or Denver. Handy, and unimaginably easier.

Sometimes it seems like the instruction set to building an NBA champion works very similarly. While every player who steps on the floor is a unique talent, elite defense and  high-scoring perimeter play have defined most of the champions of the last couple decades. If you want to win it all, you’d better be able to lock down the opposition, and you’d better be able to pour in points from the outside. With that blueprint, most teams have gone long on the coveted “three and D” guys who now dot every roster in the league. It’s no accident that the four teams left in this year’s playoffs have the highest defensive ratings of the teams that made it in, nor that each has elite scorers from beyond the arc. You stop the other guy, and score as efficiently as you can. Those instructions are simple in any language.

If you were to follow that typical blueprint, you could see why the Denver Nuggets have one of the more unique challenges in the league, building around MVP Nikola Jokic. While the Serbian center is absolutely one of the league’s most transcendent talents, he’s also an anomaly at the highest level. While you cannot simply replace a Trae Young, a Devin Booker, a Khris Middleton, a Kawhi Leonard, you can more easily find comps to come close. Hell, if given a season to adjust, would Phoenix or Atlanta be less of a threat if you swapped Young and Booker outright? While their gifts are truly remarkable, there are others somewhat like them to try your fortunes with.

But Jokic is singular. One of one. And while that certainly makes the Mile High City feel special, he also presents the unique issue of how to multiply his gifts. How to play his style when he’s not on the floor. Quick, go find me another point center to keep this amazing Nuggets offensive whirlygig going. I’ll wait.

…

…

Nothing? Me either.

Don’t misunderstand, it’s not as if the Nuggets can’t win a championship with Jokic in town. In fact, he offers them the clearest shot at a title they’ve ever had. His desire to not only bring a ring to Denver, but retire a Nugget, should have the town already naming streets and ice cream sundaes after him. He is a long-term weapon for the Nuggets with his play and off-the-charts IQ as he is truly a mystery for the opponent to solve for the rest of his career. There is no one like him. Never has been.

But that mystery also becomes one for the Denver Nuggets front office to find a way to best leverage and expand upon while they have the opportunity. There is no blueprint for what it is they are trying to build. No IKEA instructions or swingset warnings. While Jokic is undeniably one of the more exceptional talents the league has seen in a while, his uniqueness leaves the organization with a universe in front of them and no map. When they do finally get their championship with Jokic, whenever it comes, it will be equally fascinating to see the path that finally got them there.