This Week’s Blog Is Written By Scott D. Heins, CFP®, IAG Chief Investment Officer
December 10, 2025

Is it possible to have too good of a teammate?

In the first round of the 2013 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Bucks used the 15th overall pick to select a 19-year-old relatively unknown raw player from Greece named Giannis Antetokounmpo. At the time, it was viewed as a bit of gamble by a struggling franchise.

Things have turned out well. Giannis has played in 876 games for the Bucks and averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

Of the 14 players picked before Giannis in the draft, only 3 are still active in the NBA and zero are still with the team that drafted them.

Back on January 22, 1999, a small technology company named NVIDIA made its debut in the publicly traded markets. Its initial share price was listed at a humble $12 per share. If you purchased just 1 share on that particular day, after numerous stock splits over the years, you would own 480 shares today.

At a closing price of $185.55 on Monday, December 8, your $12 would have grown to $89,064 assuming you managed to not give up on the company when it floundered numerous times.

Giannis is undoubtedly THE face of the Milwaukee Bucks at this time. He is the star. He is the offense (except maybe free throws). He is the defense. He gets a say in who his teammates are and who his coach is.

And his future with Milwaukee is once again being questioned. When Giannis is injured or if he gets traded, what are the Bucks odds of finishing the season in playoff contention? Sometimes building the future of your franchise on one player can pay off like it did in the 2021 championship season. Sometimes having too good of a teammate means the team can’t succeed without them.

Similarly, the S&P 500 franchise finds itself heavily relying on NVIDIA (7.74% of the team as of this writing) and six other technology companies (another 27.26% of the team) for its future. The other 493 team members have taken a back seat for several years now.

It is historically uncommon to find so many large companies dominating the stock market team for so long. What happens if one (or several) of these companies stumble? They have been highly successful teammates for several years, but that does not guarantee they will continue to lead the team forever.

Overreliance on one teammate can occasionally lead to a winning season. Creating a team of equally talented players that eagerly accept their role and work together will usually lead to more consistency for a franchise.

Instead of counting on slowly aging stars to predominantly carry our portfolio team, we prefer to use a diversified array of talents within our clients’ investment portfolios as we help them carry out their long-term financial plans. This approach may not grab the headlines or national championships, but it does help our clients stay on track.

We are seeing many of our newest clients come to us with what they believe is a well-rounded team, only to discover their future returns depend on just a handful of companies. If you care about someone who would benefit from a team-oriented perspective, one of our advisors would be happy to dedicate the time to evaluate their current team.

Quote of the week: Vince Lombardi: “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through IAG Wealth Partners, LLC, (IAG) a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.

Any opinions are those of IAG and not necessarily those of LPL Financial. Expressions of opinion are as of this date and are subject to change without notice. This information is not intended as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security referred to herein. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. Investing involves risk including loss of principal.

ART: 835597-1

Photo Credit: iStock 1141488976