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Power Ranking Every NBA Team by Starting Lineups
An NBA team's identity and overall success can often be defined by its starting five. Roughly a month away from the start of training camps, we now have a pretty good idea of who all 30 teams will begin games with.
Kevin Durant joins a starting lineup with the Houston Rockets that was already really good. Cameron Johnson should thrive playing off of Nikola Jokić with the Denver Nuggets. The Oklahoma City Thunder return all five starters to their championship team.
On the flip side, there are some real holes as well.
The Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Indiana Pacers all have real center concerns. A number of key restricted free agents have yet to agree to new deals. Injuries have already plagued teams such as the Celtics, Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans.
Here's how all 30 projected starting lineups stack up heading into the 2025-26 season.
30. Brooklyn Nets
1 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Egor Demin, SG Terance Mann, SF Michael Porter Jr., PF Noah Clowney, C Nic Claxton
It's not going to be a fun year in Brooklyn.
The Nets currently have just two players who actually deserve to be starters in their opening five and have yet to come to terms with restricted free agent Cam Thomas on a new deal. Rookie Egor Demin looks to be the team's starting point guard even after putting up shaky shooting numbers during his freshman season at BYU.
Teenage guards typically struggle in the NBA. Porter's efficiency will likely fall with no Nikola Jokić or Jamal Murray to feed him the ball. Even Claxton is coming off a down year.
The Nets had a net rating of minus-16.7 (3rd percentile, via Cleaning the Glass) last season with Claxton and Clowney on the court. Even with the new additions, this number won't get much better.
No. 29: Utah Jazz
2 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Isaiah Collier, SG Walter Clayton Jr., SF Ace Bailey, PF Lauri Markkanen, C Walker Kessler
The Utah Jazz are going to give the Brooklyn Nets a real run for their money for the worst starting lineup (and maybe team) in all of basketball next season, regardless if they trade Markkanen or not.
Utah had a net rating of minus-8.6 with Markkanen, Kessler and Collier last season. Take away the minutes played by Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins who have all since been traded or bought out, and this number plummets to minus-30.4.
Adding two rookies isn't going to help, either.
Bailey was too high of a draft pick to not start and Clayton, 22, may get the nod based on his impressive college career. Still, offensive creation is going to be a problem for this group, as will growing pains from giving big minutes to four players still on rookie deals.
28. Washington Wizards
3 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Bub Carrington, SG CJ McCollum, SF Khris Middleton, PF Bilal Coulibaly, C Alex Sarr
Sprinkling in a few trusted (albeit past-their-prime) veterans helps keep the Washington Wizards away from the very bottom of this list. Their ceiling is extremely limited, though.
Trading Jordan Poole in a deal for McCollum should help the flow of the offense, as the latter is further along in his career and should be invested in seeing this young core thrive.
Middleton has battled a lot of injuries in recent seasons, but he made a positive impact in 14 games with Washington following a trade deadline deal. The Wizards had a net rating of minus-12.7 overall last year, yet they were a respectable minus-0.8 with Middleton, Carrington, Coulibaly and Sarr all on the floor.
McCollum won't be enough to push this unit into positive territory, but we will see glimpses of actual basketball being played by this lineup to begin games.
27. Chicago Bulls
4 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Tre Jones, SG Coby White, SF Ayo Dosunmu, PF Matas Buzelis, C Nikola Vučević
The Chicago Bulls probably won't be the 27th-best team in basketball this season, although their current starting lineup is worthy of being ranked this low.
Ignoring the Josh Giddey situation for a moment, the other four starters here registered a putrid net rating of minus-22.3 together with a defense that allowed a whopping 135.6 points per 100 possessions.
If Giddey signs a new contract to return, he's not improving those defensive numbers and at age 35 in October, Vučević isn't going to suddenly turn into a rim protector.
The Bulls are enduring a semi-youth movement and have decent depth if Giddey returns, but this starting lineup is bad.
26. New Orleans Pelicans
5 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Jordan Poole, SG Herb Jones, SF Trey Murphy III, PF Zion Williamson, C Yves Missi
Although Williamson, Murphy, Jones and Missi were all on the New Orleans Pelicans together last season, injuries to multiple players prevented them from registering even a single possession together.
Jordan Poole becomes the de facto starting point guard with Dejounte Murray recovering from a torn Achilles, even if he's not a true floor general. He needs to be a willing distributor for players like Williamson and Murphy, although it's fair to question if we'll actually see that.
There's real spacing issues with two non-shooting bigs in Williamson and Missi, even if the former can operate as a lead ball-handler at times. The two combined to make a total of three three-pointers last season.
25: Charlotte Hornets
6 of 30
Projected Starters: PG LaMelo Ball, SG Brandon Miller, SF Kon Knueppel, PF Miles Bridges, C Moussa Diabaté
On paper, the Charlotte Hornets have some real talent in their opening five. Durability issues surrounding LaMelo Ball and the lack of a true starting center still land this team near the foot of these rankings, though.
Ball has averaged just 35 games the past three seasons, while Knueppel just turned 20 and is inevitably going to endure some growing pains as a rookie.
The center position is the true weakness of this unit, with a few uninspiring options Charlotte can turn to. Diabaté averaged 7.6 points and 10.9 rebounds in his eight starts last season. Rookie second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner is at least seasoned following five years at Creighton. Mason Plumlee returns for some veteran insurance.
If this team can trade for a player like Jarrett Allen or Nic Claxton, the Hornets would rise considerably up this list. For now, 25 feels about right.
24. Portland Trail Blazers
7 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Scoot Henderson, SG Jrue Holiday, SF Toumani Camara, PF Deni Avdija, C Donovan Clingan
The Portland Trail Blazers' starting five could change considerably as the year progresses.
Only Avdija, Clingan and (probably) Camara are locked in as starters. This leaves two spots for the group of Holiday, Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant.
The unit of Henderson, Camara, Avdija and Clingan were pretty bad last season (minus-6.2 net rating), but this is a young group that should benefit with a veteran like Holiday on the floor.
The Blazers have the potential to rise much higher on this list, as there's strong defensive potential. Not exactly knowing who the starters will be still has them at 24th, though.
23. Sacramento Kings
8 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Dennis Schröder, SG Zach LaVine, SF DeMar DeRozan, PF Keegan Murray, C Domantas Sabonis
There is certainly talent in the Sacramento Kings' projected starting five, but figuring out how all of it fits together is a different story.
Schröder joins as the team's new starting point guard, although the 31-year-old is probably best suited for a reserve role at this point in his career. There's a lot of talented passers in this group, but no true floor general to tie everything together.
The non-Schröder starters had a net rating of just minus-3.9 together last season following LaVine's trade to Sacramento. This number should get better with a full training camp together, but it's hard to imagine it turning into a real positive figure.
22. Milwaukee Bucks
9 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Cole Anthony, SG Kevin Porter Jr., SF Kyle Kuzma, PF Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Myles Turner
Antetokounmpo will likely be surrounded by an entirely different starting group than opening night of 2024-25. It's not a better one, though.
The nine-time All-Star and Turner are probably the only two starters who are safe this season, as the guard positions could be a rotation and Kuzma is arguably best at power forward.
The three-man unit of Antetokounmpo, Kuzma and Porter had a net rating of minus-9.1 last season.
If Antetokounmpo is eventually traded or has to miss time, this could be the worst starting five in all of basketball.
21. Phoenix Suns
10 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Devin Booker, SG Jalen Green, SF Dillon Brooks, PF Ryan Dunn, C Mark Williams
Booker leads a new-look starting five with the Phoenix Suns that could be OK or terrible depending on a number of factors.
Will Green be inspired to prove the Houston Rockets wrong for dumping him so early in his career? Can Mark Williams stay healthy and locked in defensively in the final year of his rookie contract? Will Dunn continue to improve as a shooter?
The forward duo of Brooks and Dunn should be solid, as both work hard on defense. Booker is best suited to play shooting guard but will again be forced to serve as floor general.
The Suns will probably be bad, but this starting five at least carries some potential.
20. Toronto Raptors
11 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Immanuel Quickley, SG RJ Barrett, SF Brandon Ingram, PF Scottie Barnes, C Jakob Poeltl
This Toronto Raptors lineup has yet to play a possession together, but the non-Ingram starters were downright awful last season (minus-8.4 net rating).
Still, there's reason for some optimism here.
A healthy Quickley is still a really good offensive threat. If he commits to it, Ingram can make up some of the three-point shooting this lineup lacked.
With this entire group now on its second (or third) NBA contracts, immediate production is needed.
19. Miami Heat
12 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Tyler Herro, SG Norman Powell, SF Andrew Wiggins, PF Bam Adebayo, C Kel'el Ware
The Miami Heat projected starting five, much like the roster overall, looks like a solid-yet-uninspiring group, even in the Eastern Conference.
Powell was terrific last season for the Los Angeles Clippers (career-high 21.8 points, 41.8 percent from three) and will inject some much-needed life into this offense.
Adebayo is coming off a down year and Ware needs to continue to build off a strong rookie season. There's reason for optimism here, but not having an offensive alpha is going to plague this starting five.
18. Dallas Mavericks
13 of 30
Projected Starters: PG D'Angelo Russell, SG Klay Thompson, SF Cooper Flagg, PF Anthony Davis, C Dereck Lively II
A healthy Kyrie Irving would likely land this group a top-10 spot, although Russell is set to man the point guard position at least until 2026 while Irving recovers from a torn ACL.
Flagg is about as pro-ready as any rookie, although few contribute to winning immediately. The three-man unit of Davis, Thompson and Lively only logged 102 total possessions together last year, with a meh net rating of plus-1.0.
This group hits its ceiling if Russell focuses on playmaking instead of his own shot creation, Davis stays healthy and Flagg flashes his skills on both ends of the ball.
Putting Davis at the five and another wing on the floor (P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall) is probably the best starting group the Mavs could use, although it almost certainly won't happen.
17. Boston Celtics
14 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Anfernee Simons, SG Derrick White, SF Jaylen Brown, PF Sam Hauser, C Neemias Queta
Ranking these watered-down Boston Celtics is difficult.
Jayson Tatum is likely out for the season and this may be the worst frontcourt in all of basketball with Hauser and Queta.
Still, Brown is a four-time All-Star and Finals MVP who could put up some monster numbers this season with an increased offensive load. White is terrific on both ends of the ball, and Simons averaged 20.7 points per game over his final three seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.
If Brown or White miss any extended time due to injury, this starting five will sink towards the bottom of the NBA.
16. Indiana Pacers
15 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Andrew Nembhard, SG Bennedict Mathurin, SF Aaron Nesmith, PF Pascal Siakam, C Isaiah Jackson
Losing both Tyrese Haliburton to injury and Myles Turner to free agency isn't a death sentence to the success of the Indiana Pacers, although it does (barely) keep them out of the top half of the NBA.
The four-man unit of Nembhard, Mathurin, Nesmith and Siakam was actually quite good last season (plus-11.7 net rating), although most of that time was logged alongside Turner. Playing with Jackson who's coming off a torn Achilles or newly acquired Jay Huff may not prove to be as successful.
Both Nembhard and Mathurin should take leaps next season with no Haliburton and could push this starting five towards the top 10.
15. Detroit Pistons
16 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Cade Cunningham, SG Jaden Ivey, SF Ausar Thompson, PF Tobias Harris, C Jalen Duren
Losing Tim Hardaway Jr. in free agency opens up a starting wing spot for the Detroit Pistons, as this new projected group only logged three total possessions together last season.
On paper, this group of expected starters looks pretty good, especially with four members all making leaps by the year with an established alpha in Cunningham pulling the strings.
Having two bad/non-shooters with Thompson and Duren could cause some problems, though, and Harris is entering Year 15. There are some questions to be answered, but there's a ton of upside here, especially if Thompson becomes even an average-ish outside shooter.
14. Philadelphia 76ers
17 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Tyrese Maxey, SG Jared McCain, SF Paul George, PF Kelly Oubre Jr., C Joel Embiid
How does one even attempt to rank anything that has to do with the Philadelphia 76ers?
Their projected starting five registered just 23 total possessions last season as injuries affected nearly every key player on the roster. Even in the 619 possessions with the Big 3 of Embiid, Maxey and George, Philly's net rating was just minus-0.9.
There's no good power forward option on the roster, forcing either George or the 203-pound Oubre to man the position. Even when he's not 100 percent, Embiid is an elite center in the league, although he played just 19 games this past season.
There's too much talent on the roster to prevent the Sixers falling much further down our list, although moving them any higher feels wrong as well.
13. San Antonio Spurs
18 of 30
Projected Starters: PG De'Aaron Fox, SG Stephon Castle, SF Devin Vassell, PF Harrison Barnes, C Victor Wembanyama
The San Antonio Spurs' starting lineup is a bit fluid, as reigning Rookie of the Year Castle could compete with No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper for the shooting guard job between Fox and Vassell.
With either, the Spurs have the foundation of a really good opening lineup, especially now Fox will have a full training camp to build chemistry with the rest of his new-ish teammates.
Wembanyama's ascent to superstardom will take another step this season and Barnes hasn't missed a game in over three years. This is a good starting lineup that may only be a little short on three-point shooting.
12. Atlanta Hawks
19 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Trae Young, SG Dyson Daniels, SF Zaccharie Risacher, PF Jalen Johnson, C Kristaps Porziņģis
The Atlanta Hawks are on the rise and should be excited about what the addition of Porziņģis can do for this starting five.
As the presumed starting center, the 7'2" big man gives the Hawks the ability to play five-out, something they haven't been able to do with Clint Capela. A healthy Johnson could be in for an All-Star season, and Risacher looked much better as his rookie year went on.
If Porziņģis can stay reasonably healthy and develops a nice pick-and-pop game alongside Trae Young, he'll help elevate what was a disappointing net rating from the other four starters last season (minus-2.2).
11. Minnesota Timberwolves
20 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Mike Conley Jr., SG Anthony Edwards, SF Jaden McDaniels, PF Julius Randle, C Rudy Gobert
One of the few starting lineups in the NBA that doesn't project to have any changes, the Minnesota Timberwolves need to bank on continuity to help what was just an OK plus-4.8 net rating last season.
Edwards and McDaniels should take steps forward, but it's fair to question how much gas Conley (who turns 38 in October) has left in the tank. Second-year guard Rob Dillingham may enter the starting lineup over Conley at some point this season.
Gobert's days of winning Defensive Player of the Year are likely over, but he's still one of the better rim protectors and rebounders in the NBA.
10. Los Angeles Lakers
21 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Luka Dončić, SG Austin Reaves, SF Rui Hachimura, PF LeBron James, C Deandre Ayton
We've officially entered the top 10, where every team should feel pretty good about its starting five heading into the 2025-26 season.
Even with no answer at center last year, the Lakers' other four starters had a good net rating of plus-7.4. Ayton's skill set isn't a good fit alongside two primary ball-handlers in Dončić and James, although he's still a big upgrade over Jaxson Hayes.
Reaves and Hachimura are both playing for new contracts next summer and Dončić looks to be in fantastic shape. As long as James still looks 30 instead of 40, the Lakers will be good.
9. Memphis Grizzlies
22 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Ja Morant, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Jaylen Wells, PF Jaren Jackson Jr., C Zach Edey
A first-round spanking at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder is what we mostly remember about the 2024-25 Memphis Grizzlies (as well as a late-season coaching change), but their starting five was destroying teams last season.
Even without Desmond Bane, the four-man unit of Morant, Wells, Jackson and Edey had a sparkling net rating of plus-21.9.
Of course, their success this year will depend partly on the health of Jackson and Edey, who are already battling injuries. Caldwell-Pope was terrible for the Orlando Magic last season, although a lack of playmaking around him didn't help.
This could be a sneaky-good starting five again this year with good health and an even OK KCP.
8. New York Knicks
23 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Jalen Brunson, SG Josh Hart, SF Mikal Bridges, PF OG Anunoby, C Karl-Anthony Towns
On paper, this looks like an elite starting lineup featuring two All-Star starters with some premier defenders stacked between them.
Unfortunately, the New York Knicks were only mildly defeating other teams with their starting lineup (plus-4.1 net rating) largely due to a leaky defense that allowed 115.8 points per 100 possessions.
We'll see if new head coach Mike Brown experiments with two-big starting lineups that feature Mitchell Robinson at center in an attempt to fix the defense. This would mean bumping Josh Hart to the bench, a tactic we saw at times in the 2025 playoffs.
Having a full year under their belts, the Knicks' opening unit should be at least slightly better.
7. Orlando Magic
24 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Jalen Suggs, SG Desmond Bane, SF Franz Wagner, PF Paolo Banchero, C Wendell Carter Jr.
Injuries to various starters throughout the entire season prevented the Orlando Magic from logging any real time together, although the four returners were a plus-7.1 in 200 possessions.
Adding in Bane as an elite three-point shooter (41.0 percent for his career) and secondary playmaker (5.3 assists per game last season) will help boost an offense that was dreadful for most of last year.
Suggs, Wagner, Banchero and Carter are all a year closer to reaching their primes. If Wagner can even become an average three-point shooter again (28.9 percent over the last two seasons), this could be one of the best starting fives in the NBA.
6. Golden State Warriors
25 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Stephen Curry, SG Brandin Podziemski, SF Moses Moody, PF Jimmy Butler, C Draymond Green
A lot has to be determined with the Golden State Warriors, especially regarding their starting five.
Will Jonathan Kuminga be back and start alongside Butler at forward? Is Al Horford going to sign and take the starting center job?
This was a really good lineup last year, registering a net rating of plus-17.9 in 459 total possessions. There's bound to be some regression from Curry, Butler and Green as they all inch closer to 40, but Podziemski and Moody could take leaps.
The depth on this team isn't great right now, but the Warriors still have a highly successful starting five.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
26 of 30
Projected Starters: PG James Harden, SG Bradley Beal, SF Kawhi Leonard, PF Derrick Jones Jr., C Ivica Zubac
If Bradley Beal is even close to being as good as Norman Powell this season, the Los Angeles Clippers have a chance to be really good. That's not a sentence anyone expected to write a few years ago.
Harden, Leonard, Jones and Zubac were dominating opponents last season with a net rating of plus-22.8. Beal is actually slightly younger than Powell and should look refreshed after serving a two-year sentence with the Phoenix Suns. He's in the perfect spot to maximize his skills without needing to play major minutes.
Health will be an issue for Leonard likely for the rest of his career, but Harden, Zubac and Jones all played 77 games or more last season.
4. Houston Rockets
27 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Fred VanVleet, SG Amen Thompson, SF Kevin Durant, PF Jabari Smith Jr., C Alperen Şengün
Adding a 26.6 point-per-game scorer with elite efficiency to a starting five that already had a net rating of plus-15.5 last season seems almost unfair.
Durant is the offensive alpha this Houston Rockets team lacked and could draw even more open looks with a far better supporting cast here than with the Phoenix Suns.
Thompson is already making All-Defensive teams at age 22. Şengün was an All-Star last year at age 22. Smith got paid this summer and is just scratching the surface of his potential at 22 as well.
This could end up being the best lineup in the NBA next season if Durant stays healthy and the young guys all make a leap.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
28 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Darius Garland, SG Donovan Mitchell, SF Max Strus, PF Evan Mobley, C Jarrett Allen
Continuity and growth from Evan Mobley helped this starting lineup make a major leap last season, going from a net rating of plus-2.3 in 2023-24 to plus-11.5 in 2024-25.
All five starters return once again, although there's an argument for De'Andre Hunter to replace Max Strus at small forward given his size.
Mitchell is a first-team All-NBA star in the prime of his career. Mobley won Defensive Player of the Year at age 23 and Garland made the All-Star team for the second time in his young career.
With Strus and Allen happy to fill in the gaps, this starting core is going to be elite again.
2. Denver Nuggets
29 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Jamal Murray, SG Christian Braun, SF Cam Johnson, PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokić
Remove Jokić and the rest of these starters aren't going to crack the top 10 of our rankings. The three-time MVP raises the level of all those around him, though, which means we could see the best version of Johnson to date.
Putting up 18.8 points per game on 39.0 percent shooting from three last season with a shaky point guard situation for the Brooklyn Nets, we could see Johnson sniff the 42.5 mark he shot alongside Chris Paul with the Phoenix Suns in 2021-22.
Braun was terrific as a first-year starter last season and Gordon made a career-high 43.6 percent of his threes. An All-Star season from Murray feels inevitable at some point as well.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
30 of 30
Projected Starters: PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, SG Lu Dort, SF Jalen Williams, PF Chet Holmgren, C Isaiah Hartenstein
The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to finish first in a lot of offseason lists, and this one is no different.
They had a terrific net rating of plus-14.8 together last season despite being one of the youngest in the NBA. All five players should be even better in 2025-26.
Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP and scoring title. Williams was a first-time All-Star, and Holmgren established himself as a premier rim protector. He may not have been the best defender on the team, though, as Dort regularly drew the toughest assignment and delivered.
OKC is going to be really good for a really long time. This is the best starting five (and team) in the NBA once more.
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