The NBA's Best Backups at Every Position
Elite NBA backups come in all shapes and sizes.
From microwave scorers and three-point marksmen to relentless rebounders and intimidating interior presences, super-subs can fill any number of roles for their franchises.
As such, teams have built their bench mobs around players at every position. The five reserves to crack this list anchor their second teams better than any other backup at their spot.
With offseason shuffling to sort out and training-camp position wars to wage, it's tough relegating anyone to a reserve status with complete certainty. But ESPN.com has projected depth charts for all 30 teams, and those were used to thin the field of all likely starters.
The players left were weighed both on previous production and their future forecast. A combination of number-crunching (particularly player efficiency ratings for and against), projected fit and some old-fashioned eye tests helped each of the league's best backups rise to the top of their positions.
Since past production played a part, unproven rookies were not considered here. However, we have included one rookie to watch at each spot who could make major noise over the course of the 2014-15 campaign.
Point Guard: Isaiah Thomas, Phoenix Suns
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It must have seemed like a nightmare for the roughly 29 teams that had problems containing the Phoenix Suns' high-powered offense last season. Not only did the franchise add to its embarrassment of riches with diminutive scorer Isaiah Thomas, it also bolstered its backcourt at a door-busting bargain rate.
"In Thomas, the Suns didn’t just get one of the best young point guards in the league—they snagged the steal of the summer," wrote Bleacher Report's Jim Cavan.
What kind of theft was it?
Well, Thomas was one of only six players to average at least 20 points and six assists last season. The other five on that list—LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook—will collect an average salary of $13.7 million this season. That's more than half of what Thomas will make over the life of his new four-year, $27 million pact.
He doesn't hold this spot for his economic value alone, though. The high-volume scorer (20.3 points per game) and serviceable setup man (6.3 assists) is such a perfect fit in the desert.
He can play with pace, stretch out a defense (career 36.0 three-point percentage), carry an offense or play off the players around him. In other words, he's yet another potent point guard for coach Jeff Hornacek to plug into his up-tempo system.
Rookie to Watch: Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Long, athletic and pesky at both ends of the floor, Payton should play a major role off the Orlando bench—unless he forces his way into the opening lineup.
Shooting Guard: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
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Some might see this as a toss-up between Manu Ginobili and Jamal Crawford—Sixth Man of the Year award voters gave Crawford the edge last season—but Ginobili was a relatively easy choice here.
For one, Ginobili is the more versatile and efficient player of the two. Sizable gaps stood between him and Crawford in field-goal percentage (46.9 to 41.6), assists average (4.3 to 3.2) and PER (20.0 to 17.3).
But, again, this is about more than numbers.
In terms of value, Ginobili's is hard to quantify. He is chaos amid Gregg Popovich's structured system, a wild card for a team already working with a stacked deck. Opponents can try to prepare for Tony Parker's penetrations, Tim Duncan's play in the high and low post, the San Antonio Spurs' collection of snipers and the crisp ball movement that brings all those elements together.
But there is no preparing for Ginobili. He could pull up from 30 feet, fire a no-look pass through a crowd or plow head-first into a five-player pileup inside the paint. There's a wildness to his game, yet he's so skilled that it doesn't sap his efficiency.
Scarier still is the fact he's gaining a better understanding of how to blend his aggressiveness and intelligence.
"I've actually learned to play with less explosiveness," Ginobili told reporters in June. "Before, my game depended on my ability to go by a defender. Right now, I can do it for a few minutes, and I run out of juice. So I have to depend more on my passing ability, my understanding of the game, the system."
Whatever he's doing now is obviously working.
Rookie to Watch: Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
Wiggins could be neither a shooting guard nor a reserve, but if he's both, the No. 1 pick could be among the best in the business already this year.
Small Forward: Vince Carter, Memphis Grizzlies
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There might be a reason starting small forwards were so highly sought after in free agency. Move to the reserve units, and the position loses a tremendous portion of its punch.
But veteran Vince Carter, who joined the Memphis Grizzlies on a three-year deal this summer, is the biggest exception to that rule.
The man once known as "Air Canada" doesn't have nearly as active a flight schedule at this point, but the 37-year-old helped fend off Father Time by adding a three-point cannon to his arsenal. A solid 37.4 percent long-distance shooter his first 14 seasons in the league, he has converted 308 triples at a 40-percent clip over the last two years.
The Grizzlies need what he can bring. Memphis finished 19th in three-point percentage (35.3) and 30th in three-point attempts per game (14.0).
With three-point ace Mike Miller lost to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers, the Grizzlies need to replace both his accuracy and willingness to let it fly. No one will need to tell Carter to pull the trigger.
"Carter has a scorer's mentality. Even if he's no longer equipped to put up at least 20 points per game, he makes the most of his minutes and does so unabashedly," wrote Bleacher Report's Stephen Babb. "The Grizzlies need that kind of aggressiveness."
Carter should be willing and able to provide that.
Rookie to Watch: Doug McDermott, Chicago Bulls
McDermott has the NBA-ready game needed to make an immediate impact. The only question is whether he'll do that off the Bulls' bench or alongside the starters.
Power Forward: Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls
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With his toughness, insatiable energy and defensive tenacity, Taj Gibson looks like the perfect reserve for Tom Thibodeau's Chicago Bulls.
Gibson is just that, although as Thibodeau told Bulls.com's Sam Smith, the reasons go well beyond those listed above:
"Some people may view him as more a defensive player, but there’s so much more to him than that.
If you look statistically at what he did in the fourth quarter, he was our most efficient player in the fourth quarter, shooting a very high percentage, second highest scorer, very good back to the basket, facing up from 17 feet, running the floor, second shots. He’s really become a complete player.
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For a team forced into some high-wire acts by Derrick Rose's troublesome knees these past two seasons, Gibson has been one of the keys to helping the Bulls adapt.
He rolls with the punches as well as anyone and tosses out a few haymakers of his own (career-high 13 points a night last season). Rather than sulk over playing behind Carlos Boozer before and Pau Gasol (probably) now, Gibson just molds himself into whatever is needed.
He can play at a controlled pace or get out and run. He can be a physical screen-setter and blue-collar rebounder, or he can ignite an offense with mid-range shots and post-up plays. And that toughness, energy and defensive commitment never waver.
Other teams have energetic bigs, but few come as skilled as Gibson.
Rookie to Watch: Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers
Randle is a Rookie of the Year candidate if he gets a starting nod, but he should play a significant role no matter how he's used.
Center: Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves
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If you're buying what Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng has been selling over the last six months, you're not alone.
The sophomore-to-be was on his own bandwagon long before a late-season surge and productive offseason sent the basketball world scrambling for a spot.
"He’s got that mentality—he thinks he’s the best and he’s going to prove it," Ricky Rubio told Wolves.com's Mark Remme in March. "And I like it. I like it if he works, and he does it. I think he’s going to be great in this league."
While Dieng spent the bulk of his rookie year tethered to Rick Adelman's bench, the former Louisville star blossomed once he finally found an opportunity. He posted 12 points and 11.3 rebounds over the final 18 games of the season, then he followed that up by averaging a double-double at the Las Vegas Summer League (11.5 points and 10.2 rebounds).
The FIBA World Cup has given him yet another platform from which to shine, and he has seized that chance. He finished the group stage ranked eighth in scoring (18.0) and second in rebounding (11.4).
He still needs to produce at this level over an entire season, but that might make him ineligible for this list. The better he looks, the more Minnesota has to consider getting Nikola Pekovic out of his way—assuming the Wolves haven't already started exploring that route.
Rookie to Watch: Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets
Nurkic gets the honor largely by default. Only two centers were taken in the first round, and the higher of the pair (Joel Embiid) could sit out the entire season. Nurkic has talent, but the 20-year-old 7-footer needs some seasoning before stepping into a significant role.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
