B/R $15 Challenge: Build Your Superstar NBA Lineup

You've seen the $15 lineup challenge before.

This time, it's all the about the superstars.

B/R collectively ranked our Top 100 NBA players for the 2022-23 season, and we pulled the top 25 overall stars to build a player pool for our $15 challenge.

$5 players are our Nos. 1-5 stars for the season.

$4 players are Nos. 6-10.

$3 players are Nos. 11-15.

$2 players are Nos. 16-20.

$1 players are the Nos. 21-25 players from our ranking.

Ready to build not around a star but with exclusively stars?

This is going to be fun.

Player Pool

Bleacher Report

In case you thought we were lying, check out the stacked player pool above.

We have three teams for you to review on the next slides, courtesy of B/R's Andy Bailey and Greg Swartz. Then it's your turn to build your own $15 lineup.

The Jokic Team

Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images

DENVER, CO - MARCH 20: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics embrace after the game on March 20, 2022 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

$5 - Nikola Jokic

$4 - Jayson Tatum

$3 - Trae Young

$2 - Jaylen Brown

$1 - Zion Williamson

Starting any team or lineup with Nikola Jokic means everyone else involved will be a little better for it. No one in the league does more to elevate his teammates, as evidenced by the Denver Nuggets' plus-9.0 net rating with Jokic on the floor in a season in which he got 265 total minutes from Michael Porter Jr. and zero from Jamal Murray. Add his playmaking to Trae Young's and the ball figures to be popping on the way to countless open looks for this lineup. Rounding that out with finishers like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Zion Williamson gives this lineup nightmarish offensive upside.

Of course, there's also a ton of pressure on Tatum and Brown on the other end, but there's more than enough offense to overcome the defensive shortcomings.

—Andy Bailey

The Giannis Team

Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 20: LeBron James #6 of Team LeBron and Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of Team LeBron react during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on February 20, 2022 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

$5 - Giannis Antetokounmpo

$4 - LeBron James

$3 - Paul George

$2 - Karl-Anthony Towns

$1 - Brandon Ingram

Size meets skill here as every member of my starting five stands 6'8" to 6'11" in height and can handle the ball, shoot, pass, rebound and switch defensively. With LeBron James technically the point guard in this lineup, anyone can grab a rebound and start the fastbreak while looking to attack or spray out to shooters. Positions in the NBA today matter little anyway and can officially be pronounced dead here since all five stars are able to play and defend multiple spots.

James will take on primary playmaking duties, Karl-Anthony Towns, Brandon Ingram and Paul George are all knock-down shooters while Antetokounmpo dominantes the paint on both ends. We're switching everything on defense, so getting away from a matchup against a player like George or James could end up with an opponent trying to take Antetokounmpo 1-on-1 instead.

No defense is getting a break trying to guard any one of these All-Stars either, as size and versatility are key to making this a killer starting five.

—Greg Swartz

The Jokic...and Steph Team

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 27: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets talks with Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors after Round 1 Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2022 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

$5 - Nikola Jokic

$5 - Stephen Curry

$3 - Jimmy Butler

$1 - Donovan Mitchell

$1 - Zion Williamson

Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic are arguably the most entertaining players of this era. Curry truly changed the game with his range, off-ball movement and daring as a scorer. His pull-up threes remain some of the game's most captivating plays. Jokic is now doing the same for do-everything big men. His passing and post-repertoire can be cackle-inducing. Having both in the same lineup would basically be basketball nirvana.

After that, it's largely about filling out the lineup with finishers who can exploit cutting lanes and other less heralded scoring opportunities. Few players in the league are as good at that as Zion Williamson (who feels like an absolute steal at $1) and Jimmy Butler. And finally, the idea of Donovan Mitchell as a fifth option feasting on open threes and mid-range looks is mighty intriguing.

Defense wouldn't be this group's specialty, but it's hard to imagine anyone outscoring it.

—Bailey

How Are You Spending Your $15?

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks talks to Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on October 30, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Hawks 122-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

It's your turn.

Hit the comments in the app and on B/R Instagram to share which of our top 25 stars makes your lineup.