[Editor’s note: These rankings have been updated to account for the Knicks-Wolves trade.]
Anyone can list the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and performs his role within that hierarchy is every bit as important as his individual skill.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together — clear Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this series, we rank the five best players from each tier for a broader look across the league. How close does your team come to an ideal lineup?
No. 1 options • No. 2 options • No. 3 options • No. 4 options • No. 5 options
“But you have finished this project,” you are saying to yourself, “and I can’t imagine it getting any better.”
Except, you see, by profiling the five best players from each tier and ranking each team’s five options 1-30, we have not only provided you with insight into 150 individuals but rated every team’s starting lineup.
That is right: We created The Starting Lineup Power Rankings right under your nose. What an Easter egg.
Smart readers have noticed that the reigning champion Boston Celtics placed each member of their starting five in the top five of each tier. It was the strength of their team. They outscored opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, and then outscored them by more in the playoffs. They may not have the very best No. 1 option, but they boast the top Nos. 4 and 5 options, and that was enough to defeat Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks in a sport most frequently dominated by its superstars.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks are the only other teams to place multiple starters in the top five of each tier. This group altogether includes three of the last four NBA champions and six of last season’s eight best teams in either conference (by record).
So maybe The Starting Lineup Power Rankings are pretty dependable power rankings in general …
|
TEAM |
NO. 1 |
NO. 2 |
NO. 3 |
NO. 4 |
NO. 5 |
AVG. |
|
BOS |
4 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2.4 |
|
OKC |
5 |
13 |
4 |
8 |
2 |
6.4 |
|
MIN |
8 |
14 |
2 |
6 |
4 |
6.8 |
|
NYK |
11 |
8 |
8 |
3 |
6 |
7.2 |
|
DAL |
2 |
7 |
19 |
11 |
5 |
8.8 |
|
DEN |
1 |
5 |
18 |
2 |
24 |
10 |
|
MIL |
3 |
10 |
11 |
4 |
23 |
10.2 |
|
NOP |
16 |
15 |
12 |
7 |
3 |
10.6 |
|
CLE |
14 |
19 |
6 |
5 |
9 |
10.6 |
|
PHX |
10 |
2 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
11.4 |
|
GSW |
6 |
22 |
9 |
10 |
12 |
11.8 |
|
MEM |
13 |
12 |
5 |
9 |
20 |
11.8 |
|
SAC |
20 |
6 |
7 |
16 |
17 |
13.2 |
|
PHI |
9 |
11 |
1 |
23 |
22 |
13.2 |
|
ORL |
19 |
17 |
20 |
12 |
8 |
15.2 |
|
IND |
18 |
9 |
10 |
14 |
25 |
15.2 |
|
MIA |
15 |
4 |
21 |
21 |
18 |
15.8 |
|
SAS |
7 |
23 |
27 |
17 |
7 |
16.2 |
|
LAL |
12 |
1 |
22 |
25 |
21 |
16.2 |
|
HOU |
28 |
18 |
13 |
13 |
10 |
16.4 |
|
LAC |
17 |
16 |
23 |
29 |
14 |
19.8 |
|
CHA |
25 |
20 |
17 |
30 |
11 |
20.6 |
|
POR |
27 |
21 |
30 |
22 |
13 |
22.6 |
|
CHI |
26 |
26 |
15 |
19 |
27 |
22.6 |
|
ATL |
21 |
25 |
16 |
26 |
26 |
22.8 |
|
BKN |
30 |
29 |
25 |
20 |
15 |
23.8 |
|
TOR |
23 |
24 |
24 |
24 |
29 |
24.8 |
|
DET |
24 |
27 |
29 |
28 |
19 |
25.4 |
|
UTA |
22 |
28 |
28 |
27 |
28 |
26.6 |
|
WAS |
29 |
30 |
26 |
18 |
30 |
26.6 |
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