The Art of the “Glue Guy” in Today’s Ever So Entertaining NBA
By Hayden Shapiro
We all love to watch lights out shooters like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, or physical beats like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, but what the average viewer doesn’t see are the players that are partly responsible for what these superstars do. Without Kevon Looney, Golden State would not have second chance opportunities on offense, where Curry and Klay make a living. If Bobby Portis couldn’t space the floor, Giannis would be able to do what he does in the paint. Going back to the 2010’s for a quick minute, James Harden’s MVP campaign may not have been possible without an elite perimeter defender like Trevor Ariza. In this article, we are going to view the ins and outs of “glue guys” in the NBA.
I love the NBA draft. It changes the lives of many young men and always seems to make me look forward to opening night even more than I already was. But, front offices are making a key mistake, and it occurs annually on the night of the draft. Everyone wants to find their next star, which is understandable, but you simply cannot have your eyes set on your new cornerstone piece throughout the first round year after year. A given like Wembanyama or Anthony Edwards makes sense because they fit the system, the team around them was just waiting for that new superstar, but the mistake team’s make is trying to find these gems later in the lottery, which is plausible. Who doesn’t want an all-star? My critique with this is that teams who already have a number one or two option still search for these mid-round all stars and according to the history books, it often does not pan out. A team that has perfected the draft in my eyes is the Oklahoma City Thunder. When they traded Paul George, they committed to a full rebuild. Little did we know, this revamp would be a sub-five year operation. Their front office has perfected the draft in many ways. The first step is knowing and believing in their first scoring option, in this case Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He took a leap, a huge one to say the least, but it is a lot in part of how the team was built around him. Sam Presti, Oklahoma City’s general manager, literally grabbed puzzle pieces throughout the draft and made this team a true contender. He found his starting wing in Lu Dort, who went undrafted, after he realized the team needed more perimeter defense. The Thunder selected Josh Giddey, a guy who never played college hoops, but the fit with SGA just made too much sense. His unique playmaking ability and pure basketball IQ made this team dynamic in so many ways. Presti continued his dominance in the front office by taking a shot on Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara, somehow knowing what he was bringing to the table, as many analysts referred to him as the mystery of the class. This year, the Thunder had yet another lottery selection, and they knew they were getting Chet Holmgren at full health, so they spent it on a defensive minded point guard, Cason Wallace, even though he may not get a chance to start for the team. OKC ignores positional value or intangibles (the stuff you can’t teach), but they find players that they can plug-and-play from day one, no matter where they are selecting in the order. This is insanely impressive, especially for a small market team who may not be able to bring in big names during the offseason.
Now that we know how difficult it is to find a “glue guy” in the draft, let’s take a look at how it is done during free agency. The Denver Nuggets showed us how to do this in 2022, when they signed Bruce Brown, a truly dynamic player who can guard 1–5 and bring up the ball. Without Brown, their playoff run may have ended before obtaining a championship, which they ultimately won. Yes, alongside Brown, Denver had Jokic and Jamal Murray, but the way this team was built just had champs written all over it. They revived Aaron Gordon’s career, a guy who may not even qualify as a glue guy anymore because of his truly consistent play and ability to defend the opposing team’s number one option night after night. They also signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, one of the best glue guys in the league. His ability to hit the three and defend the perimeter allowed for more spacing and more points on the board, not to mention he shot 46% from three point land. The Nuggets took free agency signings to a new level, leading to them winning the finals.
The window for super teams in the NBA is coming to a close, yet teams refuse to believe this. The Clippers have no depth behind their big three (Kawhi, Paul George, and James Harden). The Brooklyn Nets super-squad fell apart after just two years and the Lakers can’t seem to make the playoffs because of coaching issues or front office disputes. Every team needs an energy guy, someone who can hype up the crowd with a deep three. It is crucial to have a wing who can defend the perimeter or a center off the bench who can give you seven boards night after night. This “glue guy” concept isn’t a new one, but it has come to full fruition as teams realize it is not all about the stars.
