Ranking Every NBA Team's Starting Lineup Post-Trade Deadline
NBA general managers can always be counted on to entertain us basketball fans.
For months, this trade deadline was regarded with a sense of dread, as the lack of many major 2020 free agents virtually guaranteed an uneventful early February moment. However, these past few days, the basketball powers that be creaked to life as they always do, and several clubs made moves that could very well change the balance of power in the NBA this season and beyond.
The Rockets essentially committed to an eternal small-ball lineup after trading Clint Capela, the Miami Heat appear to be unabashedly pursuing a title with their acquisition of Andre Iguodala (a.k.a. Memphis' Most Wanted), and Karl-Anthony Towns finally got his wish when the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Andrew Wiggins to the Warriors for one-time All-Star and Towns confidant D'Angelo Russell.
In the immediate aftermath of Thursday's deadline, let's reset by power ranking each team's new and (hopefully) improved starting lineup. These rankings were created by a combination of factors, most notably the group's overall amount of talent, statistical performance thus far (if applicable) and 2020 potential (e.g., the Grizzlies could have a top-five lineup in a few years but aren't there quite yet so they're a bit further down).
With a lot of great teams this season, the top of this power ranking is quite competitive and sure to cause debate.
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30. New York Knicks
Starting Five: Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Julius Randle, Taj Gibson
Due to injuries, transactions and a host of lineup promotions and demotions, this quintet has only played five minutes over three games this season, so we can't really analyze how good they've been collectively. But individually, none of these players are playing well.
Barrett and Knox are still adjusting to the league, Gibson is on the wrong side of 30 and playing like it, Randle is a good scorer but a terrible defender, and Payton is on pace to be one of the worst scorers in the league if he qualifies for the leaderboard. Seriously, how does a guard shoot 48.8 percent from the free-throw line?
When former Knicks president of basketball operations Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry signed four power forwards last summer, fans raised concerns that the team's spacing would be subpar. Lineups like this one have proven that fear correct, as none of these five shoot above 33 percent from three.
On the bright side for those long-suffering fans, playing this group more often might finally get them the first overall pick they've long coveted.
29. Detroit Pistons
Starting Five: Reggie Jackson, Bruce Brown, Tony Snell, Sekou Doumbouya, Christian Wood
Earlier this year, it looked like the Pistons might have a chance to shoot up the Eastern Conference standings. Through the first month of the season, they had a top-ten offensive rating, and Blake Griffin, fresh off a third-team All-NBA campaign, had not even played yet.
It's safe to say the season has devolved from there, given Griffin's subsequent knee surgery and Andre Drummond's trade to the Cavaliers.
There are still slivers of hope for this Pistons team. Doumbouya, previously thought to be a developmental project, has looked ahead of schedule, with eight games of 10-plus points and two double-doubles this year. Wood, after years in the G League, has thrived as Drummond's backup this year and is primed to excel as a starter. In addition, Bruce Brown is developing into a well-rounded role player, averaging 11.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals per 36 minutes.
The casual fan might look at this team now, especially after trading Drummond, and see the worst team in the NBA. But there are reasons to pay attention to the Pistons both for the remainder of this year and going forward.
28. Cleveland Cavaliers
Starting Five: Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, Andre Drummond
This is a strange situation, to be certain. With Garland and Sexton, the Cavaliers have a starting backcourt straight from that famous Spiderman meme, which is fine if you want retweets, but it isn't the best way to build a basketball team.
However, Cleveland doubled down on its confusing roster construction, trading Brandon Knight and John Henson for Drummond.
Good on Cleveland for not giving up much to acquire Drummond, as his expiring contract and out-of-date skill set made him a low-value trade asset. However, he now seemingly takes over a starting spot from Tristan Thompson, who was having a career year up until this point and is apparently going to stay with the Cavaliers, despite wanting out as recently as this week.
Cleveland's bench frontcourt now includes Thompson and Larry Nance Jr., two big men who could absolutely help contenders but are instead wasting away on a 13-39 team.
Despite boasting four former lottery picks and seven All-Star appearances, this Cavaliers starting five is going to be an ugly watch for the rest of the season. Cleveland fans should start looking at James Wiseman clips sooner rather than later.
27. Washington Wizards
Starting Five: Ish Smith, Bradley Beal, Isaac Bonga, Rui Hachimura, Ian Mahinmi
Beal is working hard to boost the Wizards up this high, almost as hard as he works to make them a competitive basketball team on a nightly basis. He's playing nearly 36 minutes a game, tied for eighth-most in the league, yet refuses to wear down, putting up 29.2 points, 6.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Boasting the ninth-best offensive rating in the NBA, Washington actually has a staggering nine players scoring over 10 points per game, but most of them are bench-oriented. Latvian sniper Davis Bertans is a serious Sixth Man of the Year candidate, Mo Wagner has become a productive backup big in his sophomore campaign, and the likes of Jordan McRae and Troy Brown Jr. infuse some additional life from the backcourt—but none of them count toward the Wizards' ranking here.
Beal's compadres in the starting lineup have been fine. Smith has had a great year by his standards but a mediocre one by starting point guard expectations, Hachimura has continued to score well in the NBA, and the fact that Mahinmi has re-emerged as more just than a salary figure on a spreadsheet has been quite a shock to the system.
But they would undoubtedly be last here if Beal hadn't taken it upon himself to ball out of his mind every night.
26. Golden State Warriors
Starting Five: Andrew Wiggins, Damion Lee, Eric Paschall, Draymond Green, Marquese Chriss
A D'Angelo Russell-for-Andrew Wiggins swap was speculated about for months, but it was always considered a long shot. What, like the self-proclaimed Light Years Ahead Warriors were going to acquire Wiggins, a ball-dominant, mid-range-loving underachiever? Yeah, right.
The remaining 30 games on the Warriors' schedule will be an excellent test case to see Wiggins' potential fit with the team. He didn't seem to respond to the antics of Jimmy Butler during Butler's brief stint in Minnesota, so how will he react to Green's similarly intense leadership? If Steve Kerr gets fed up and decides to bench Wiggins after a stretch of poor effort, will the swingman retreat or come back more motivated than ever?
One look at this starting lineup—no disrespect to Paschall or Lee, both of whom have overachieved this year—tells us that Wiggins will almost certainly be in charge of the offense the rest of the way. In this low-stakes environment for the next two months, hopefully the Warriors staff will help wean the Kansas product off his offensive vices before Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson return and the pressure ramps up once again.
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25. Charlotte Hornets
Starting Five: Devonte' Graham, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, Cody Zeller
Before the season, the Hornets were thought to be the worst team in the NBA. Caesars Palace's over-under line had them tied with Cleveland for the fewest projected wins in the league with 24. However, though they've begun falling toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference in recent weeks, Charlotte has been much more competitive than expected this season.
Much of the Hornets' unexpected success begins with this starting five. Though Rozier was expected to be the centrifugal force of this team following his signing and subsequently large contract, he's been upstaged by the stylings of Graham, who burst onto the scene early this season with 11 games of at least four made threes before December.
Graham has been joined in overachievement by rookie forward Washington, a smarter-than-his-years big man, and bouncy sophomore Bridges, all three of whom made the Rising Stars Game at All-Star Weekend.
It may not be as flashy a young core as Memphis or Atlanta, but the Hornets have found a few players worth building around throughout the past few drafts. Keep an eye on their trio's progression as this season winds down.
24. Chicago Bulls
Starting Five: Tomas Satoransky, Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr.
Before this season, the Chicago Bulls were seen as candidates to make the playoffs. A bevy of young talent plus smart signings like Thaddeus Young and Satoransky had the team on the precipice of making the next step in its rebuild.
Too bad none of that worked out.
Though LaVine became a fringe All-Star candidate thanks to his scoring ability, he did so at the expense of team basketball, and the rest of the lineup has suffered.
Markkanen began the season in a months-long slump, Carter has improved but is still nowhere near the Al Horford projection many assigned to him after the draft, and Satoransky turns the ball over too much to be a starting point guard. Ironically, Dunn, who's been the subject of trade rumors for months, has been by far the most well-rounded contributor in the starting lineup.
One of the issues of this Bulls roster that was ignored when playoff expectations were thrust upon it is that the starters don't fit well together. Perhaps, given their wealth of supporting talent, GM Gar Forman could put together an unimpeachable trade package and chase a big-time star to lead the next era of Windy City basketball.
23. Orlando Magic
Starting Five: Markelle Fultz, Evan Fournier, Wesley Iwundu, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic
It says a lot about the Eastern Conference that the currently eighth-seeded Magic are this low in any sort of power ranking.
After an overachieving 2018-19 campaign, Orlando has fallen back to earth this season. Vucevic is making it more and more clear that last year was an aberration, while Gordon is shooting a career-low 42.2 percent from the field and could have used a trade yesterday to rejuvenate himself.
All that is not to say that the Magic are dull and lifeless. Fultz's return to competence has been an incredibly exciting story. It doesn't seem like he's going to be the kind of player he was at Washington three years ago, but if we re-calibrate expectations, he'll be able to find his way as a more athletic version of Shaun Livingston (though Fultz is averaging 1.7 three-point attempts per game, so even that is more promising than Livingston's famous hesitance to shoot threes).
The Magic are basically just treading water as a franchise until Jonathan Isaac returns to the court. He was excellent when he played this year, especially on defense, and will help buoy the franchise alongside Fultz, Gordon and Vucevic.
22. San Antonio Spurs
Starting Five: Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Trey Lyles
True to their brand, the San Antonio Spurs made no trades this week, preferring to stick with their existing roster of talented players.
It's been a soul-searching year in San Antonio. Long a home of elite defense and knockdown shooters, both those things have been lost this season. All five of the Spurs' starters have defensive ratings below 112.0, which is especially notable given that Murray made the NBA's All-Defensive First Team two seasons ago, and while they are good at shooting threes, they don't shoot nearly enough of them, ranking 29th in the league in attempted threes per game.
Aldridge, a mid-range enthusiast, has begun shooting threes more often in recent weeks, and Forbes is in the NBA because of his jumper, but DeRozan is famously a non-shooter, and Lyles has been in a slump for two years.
This is another team that's got great depth pieces but no top star to set the agenda. With DeRozan and Forbes potentially leaving in free agency, Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford may have an opportunity to reset this roster on the fly by making a major trade, just like they did two summers ago to acquire DeRozan.
21. Minnesota Timberwolves
Starting Five: D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarrett Culver, Juancho Hernangomez, Karl-Anthony Towns
It looked bleak there for a few days, when The Athletic's Shams Charania reported the Warriors would be continuing D'Angelo Russell trade conversations without the Wolves.
But when your megastar lays his feelings bare after a 13th straight loss, you make whatever compromises you have to in order to keep him happy.
After acquiring Russell, Minnesota is now just one player away from completing the Millennial Superteam (though with Devin Booker finally breaking through in Phoenix, don't hold your breath, Wolves fans). The one-time All-Star is a perfect fit with Towns, and not just because they're friends. Both are great pick-and-roll scorers and will simplify everybody else's role. Players like Jarrett Culver and Malik Beasley, who've struggled with more responsibility, will get to feast on wide-open jumpers and help space the floor for Minnesota's two stars.
It's not always easy for superstar friends to play together. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade famously took months to establish chemistry, and the same is currently occurring with James Harden and Russell Westbrook. However, unlike those pairings, Russell and Towns fit well together on paper, so here's hoping the Wolves can put a good supporting cast around them.
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20. Atlanta Hawks
Starting Five: Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, DeAndre Hunter, John Collins, Clint Capela
It's understandable why the Hawks traded for Clint Capela. Young has complained for months about the lack of talent that surrounds him, so trading for a center who's been practically raised in a lab to catch alley-oops and pick-and-roll passes makes a lot of sense.
But let's not get too excited just yet.
The big question with this trade is how Capela will fit with Collins. The Wake Forest product ranks in the 73rd percentile as a roll man in the pick-and-roll, and though he is an improving shooter, he would not be best served as a pure floor spacer, making Capela seem a bit redundant. Perhaps coach Lloyd Pierce will stagger the duo's minutes, but then that leaves Young in the same predicament he was in previously—without a lot of supporting talent.
To be fair, Huerter and Hunter should not be left totally in the lurch. Huerter is a lights-out gunner with solid secondary playmaking instincts, while Hunter has improved in each month of his rookie season. But given Young's great leap forward this season, Atlanta could make the playoffs in the right circumstances next year, and that duo, unfortunately, is not yet ready for those bright lights.
19. Phoenix Suns
Starting Five: Ricky Rubio, Devin Booker, Kelly Oubre Jr., Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton
It's been a tale of two years for the Suns. After starting out 7-4 and beating such teams as the Clippers and Sixers, Phoenix has fallen out of the playoff picture, losing 27 of its last 40 games and dropping to a tie for 11th place in the Western Conference.
There's a strong case to be made that Suns coach Monty Williams should bench Ayton for Aron Baynes. The current starting lineup has a minus-4.2 net rating in 87 minutes, while the same group with Baynes instead of Ayton has a 6.4 net rating in 245 minutes.
It could be a tough sell to the fanbase and ownership to demote the first overall pick in his second season, but the fact is that Phoenix's starting lineup with Baynes on the floor is more amenable to modern basketball.
The worst part about Phoenix's recent struggles is just how good Booker has been. Thanks to solid play from Rubio, the first real point guard the Suns have had in two years, and improvement from Oubre, Booker has been free to do what he's best at, and he's exploded. Hopefully, he'll get an All-Star berth as well next year.
18. Brooklyn Nets
Starting Five: Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen
It's a testament to the strangeness of Brooklyn's season that this lineup, despite Kyrie and LeVert each missing at least 25 games, is the Nets' second-most used quintet thus far. And for some reason, much like the Nets overall, it has underperformed.
Brooklyn's current starting group has a minus-2.2 net rating, an assist percentage of 57.1 (which would rank 24th in the NBA) and a 115.3 defensive rating, which would be second-worst in the league. In summary, they don't pass the ball well and don't defend well. Sound familiar?
Yes, the Nets, after an extremely fun 2018-19 season that featured an All-Star campaign from D'Angelo Russell and standout seasons from LeVert, Allen and Harris, are slowly taking the shape of their point guard's preferred style of play, warts and all.
It would take more injuries or a collapse of unprecedented proportions for Brooklyn to miss the playoffs entirely, but they are virtually guaranteed a quick first-round exit at this point, which may have not been the case had they stuck with Russell and last year's group.
Hopefully, Kyrie becomes more team-centric and LeVert starts to shake the injury rust off more quickly than he currently is because before too long, Kevin Durant will have to be the savior instead of the greatest failsafe in league history.
17. Sacramento Kings
Starting Five: De'Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Harrison Barnes, Nemanja Bjelica, Richaun Holmes
After a fun 2018-19 season that saw the Kings come closer to a playoff berth than they have in years, they have flown far under the radar this year.
When Sacramento started 0-5 and Fox missed over a month, most fans likely tuned them out. However, coach Luke Walton has made this team nearly as interesting as last year's club, just with a slightly worse record.
This current Kings lineup is merely a projection because it has not played one single minute this season. But Holmes is set to return from injury Friday, and Walton recently swapped Buddy Hield and Bogdanovic's roles, so this seems the most logical (and interesting) arrangement for now.
After stealing the starting center spot away from Dewayne Dedmon, Holmes has been a standout for Sacramento. Bogdanovic has been similarly productive, and Bjelica is quietly becoming an indispensable floor spacer. And let's not forget Fox, who's still lightning-quick and an All-Star in waiting.
The Kings are just three-and-a-half games away from the West's eighth seed and boast an average strength of schedule over the rest of the season. A playoff berth is unlikely, but it's definitely not out of the question yet.
16. Portland Trail Blazers
Starting Five: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Trevor Ariza, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside
He's really leveled up in recent days, but this entire Portland Trail Blazers season has been a testament to the brilliance of Damian Lillard. The Blazers are currently outside the playoff picture, but without their leader giving 100 percent each and every night, they might be nearing Warriors territory in the standings.
This time last year, three of Portland's current five starters were not only not on the roster, but they were not even necessary. Sure, Lillard and McCollum have recruited Carmelo Anthony for years, but he would have been a luxury item alongside Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and Rodney Hood.
It's truly unbelievable that despite various factors—Whiteside, Anthony and Ariza were all acquired due to various stages of injury-related desperation and only Ariza has been particularly good in his six games—this team is still hanging onto the ninth seed in the West, three games away from a playoff spot.
Underrated for years in the shadow of Stephen Curry, Lillard has finally gotten his chance to shine with Curry hurt—but his own team's terrible injury luck has squandered that opportunity. As Dame presumably continues to keep this team afloat, let's try to appreciate him much more often.
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15. Memphis Grizzlies
Starting Five: Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jonas Valanciunas
It wasn't supposed to happen this quickly, but here we are.
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. weren't expected to be the next Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, but as two former top-five picks, the future seemed bright. Then, the games started.
Morant has been a total stud from Day 1. He was a fringe All-Star candidate in the loaded West and plays with a poise most point guards don't acquire for years. It took Jackson a little longer to arrive at Morant's level, but he's firing on all cylinders now as well. It's a rare big man who can average 17 points per game while making 40.5 percent of his threes, but Jackson is doing it.
Brooks and Valanciunas deserve recognition as well. Brooks, a former second-round pick, just signed a $35 million extension with Memphis, while Valanciunas has embraced his role as Jackson's mentor and frontcourt partner, something he did not have to do.
We are in the era of dominant point guards, but it takes a truly special one to lead his team to the playoffs as a rookie. If Morant can do that, then he'll be on his way to rarefied air.
14. Oklahoma City Thunder
Starting Five: Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams
In the long run, it might have been good for the Thunder to trade Danilo Gallinari. But for the sake of one of this season's best stories, it's great that they didn't.
This is another group that begs many questions on paper. Is Chris Paul on the back nine of his career? Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander be effective off the ball? What is a German beer called Luguentz Dort doing in Oklahoma City's starting lineup? Some of those questions are still valid, but the answer that matters most is that, yes, Chris Paul is still a top-flight NBA point guard.
Paul's greatness drastically affects the rest of this lineup. Gallinari has continued to thrive with Paul feeding him open jumpers. Steven Adams is thriving as a roll man. Gilgeous-Alexander is indeed excelling without the ball. Even Dort has proven himself a worthy NBA player with the Point God. Everywhere you look with this Thunder team, Paul's sheer intelligence and competitiveness is evident.
Though he may be a bit too annoying for some, there's a reason why Chris Paul is a future Hall of Famer and why his nickname is the Point God. Just watch this Thunder team, and you'll understand.
13. Dallas Mavericks
Starting Five: Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Kristaps Porzingis
The most encouraging part of Dallas' season is not that Luka Doncic has become a bona fide MVP candidate before he can legally drink. It's that both players the team traded for last winter are thriving right alongside him.
Of course Doncic was going to excel in the NBA. But could he make his teammates better? Well, the answer to that is a hearty "yes."
After years of getting pilloried as an empty stats player, Hardaway is recording a career-best 53.8 effective field-goal percentage this season, while Porzingis, after struggling to find his footing in the early portion of the year, has caught fire recently. The big man is averaging 21.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on 44.0/37.3/89.1 shooting splits in the New Year, including 35-, 38- and 32-point double-doubles in his last three games.
Just like Memphis, it's a bit stunning to see the Mavericks entrenched in the West playoff hunt this early into Luka's career. However, it all makes sense after watching them play. It's truly not hyperbole to say Doncic is already on the road to Springfield.
12. New Orleans Pelicans
Starting Five: Lonzo Ball, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Derrick Favors
It took a bit longer than we might have liked, but Zion is here and already making a gigantic impact.
Before the season, coach Alvin Gentry's lineup configurations were of great interest and possible concern. How would he handle the guard trio of Ball, Holiday, and JJ Redick? Can Zion and Favors play together? Does it matter that most of these guys aren't great shooters?
These questions seemed apt at the beginning of the season after the Pelicans started 1-7 and then 6-22. But then, they began to go on a little run, winning 11 of their next 17 games before Zion returned to the court.
With Ingram having an All-Star season, Jrue Holiday in fine form, and all the rest starting to come together, it seemed like dropping a generational talent into the mix would be seamless, and it mostly has been. New Orleans is just 3-4 since Williamson's return, but that is not the starting lineup's fault. That quintet has a tremendous 16.3 net rating in 86 minutes and has challenged established contenders like the Nuggets, Celtics, Rockets and Bucks.
Give this group a whole season to figure it out, and watch the West cower in fear.
11. Philadelphia 76ers
Starting Five: Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Joel Embiid
Yes, Sixers fans, we're all disappointed in this group, it's not just you. On paper, this is the most talented starting five in the NBA, but the individual players have not worked well together.
The poor fit between Simmons and Embiid has been covered relentlessly, but it's not just them. Horford has expressed dissatisfaction with his relatively limited role. Harris isn't comfortable with mere spot-up duty. Richardson should be the most seamless fit, but he's been in and out of the lineup with injuries, limiting his ability to find comfort.
It's hard to know how to proceed here. Bringing one of these highly paid, All-Star-quality players off the bench seems like a great way for coach Brett Brown to get fired. Staggering minutes could work, but the Sixers have so little depth that placing Simmons, for example, with the second unit could have Philly hemorrhaging points. Even acquiring Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks from the Warriors yesterday won't do the trick.
The plan was to ride this starting five to the bitter end, and that plan is faltering.
Here's hoping they figure it out soon because an all-cylinders version of this lineup would be deadly.
10. Utah Jazz
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Starting Five: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert
Now here's an example of a starting five that struggled toward the beginning of the season but could be figuring it out.
Conley had a much bigger learning curve than anybody anticipated after leaving Memphis for Utah. He wasn't used to sharing the ball with another guard as dynamic as Mitchell, and he hadn't played with a paint-bound center like Gobert in years. The hamstring injury that would eventually sideline him didn't help, either.
But since Conley returned, he's looked much improved, averaging just 12 points per game but shooting a normal 45 percent from the field.
Of course, Utah's ranking here is elevated by All-Star seasons from Mitchell and Gobert and an excellent turn from Bogdanovic as the third lead. After a minor sophomore slump, Mitchell made a breakthrough with Team USA and has continued his strong play throughout this year, while Gobert and Bogdanovic have both improved even since their breakthrough 2018-19 campaigns.
Utah notably got hot in Conley's absence, but the Jazz won't succeed in the playoffs without his usual confident play. If he continues to come around as the regular season winds to a close, look out.
9. Indiana Pacers
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Starting Five: Malcolm Brogdon, Victor Oladipo, TJ Warren, Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner
It's bold to rank a lineup this high when its best player has barely played all season, but that's how good the Indiana Pacers have been.
Last year after Oladipo went down with a serious knee injury, the Pacers made a valiant effort to contend but eventually tailed off, getting swept by the Celtics in the first round. However, after a fairly eventful summer where Indiana acquired Brogdon and Warren, Oladipo's absence has barely been felt.
The Pacers have been contenders all season thanks to an All-Star campaign from Sabonis and strong leadership from Brogdon, and they are primed to level up again now that Oladipo is back. He has looked understandably rusty since returning, but as time goes by, he'll slowly gain confidence, a scary thought for the rest of the conference.
The most exciting thought, both for Pacers fans and Oladipo himself, is that because Indiana has been so good without him, there's less pressure on him to immediately return to form. Brogdon and Sabonis can lead the team, and if he's ready, he'll join in.
No matter how you shake it, this team is a true threat in the East.
8. Toronto Raptors
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Starting Five: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol
When the Raptors went 17-5 without Kawhi Leonard last season, it seemed like an anomaly.
Then, they won the Finals.
All of Toronto's starters but Anunoby have missed time this season, and similarly, it hasn't mattered one iota. The Raptors have only had one losing streak longer than two games this year.
This may sound like a testament to organizational structure and roster depth, but it's really about the strength of Toronto's starting lineup. Because now, all the starters are back, and the Raptors are in the midst of a franchise-best 12-game winning streak.
Granted, this has been a relatively soft patch in Toronto's schedule, but every team has easy stretches, and if every team were tough enough to win every game they should win, we'd see a lot more 12-game (or longer) winning streaks.
This Raptors lineup is not the most talented one in the Eastern Conference, but they are a battle-tested and smart group. Most of their competitors probably recognize that as well, but it's one thing to understand a team's strength intellectually and an entirely different thing to face it on the court.
If teams like the Bucks aren't careful, Toronto could end up right back in the Finals.
7. Denver Nuggets
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Starting Five: Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Paul Millsap, Nikola Jokic
Given the superteams to their west, the Denver Nuggets don't seem imposing. But that's a tidy metaphor for how they work on the court as well.
In a league filled with super athletes and showy handles, a doughy, 7-foot Serbian and his Canadian first mate don't necessarily register as imposing. But just when you've been lulled into a false sense of security, Jokic will whip a pass behind his head to a cutting Murray for two points. Lather, rinse and repeat another 40 times.
Denver got off to a slow start. Jokic seemed bored for the first six weeks of the season, and Harris is still struggling. But this group has been excellent of late, winning 22 of its last 30 games, 21 of which have been played without Millsap. Jerami Grant has been great in place of the four-time All-Star, but Millsap is expected to be back after the All-Star break and return Denver's dynamic starting lineup to its original form.
The next time somebody talks about the West contenders without mentioning Denver, remind them that Jokic had a 30-20-10 triple-double this week and that Murray can single-handedly end a game whenever he wants.
This team is for real.
6. Los Angeles Clippers
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Starting Five: Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac
Ludicrous as it may seem, George and Leonard have only played in 21 games together this season. Of course, the two have been fabulous together, recording a 12.7 net rating over 518 total minutes, but their sheer lack of opportunity to establish chemistry has been a problem.
Beverley has also missed a significant amount of time this year, and now the team has to try to integrate Morris into the starting lineup. Granted, he has been a low-maintenance player on good teams previously, so that may not be particularly difficult, but if this Clippers team has a major weakness, it's the number of moving parts.
Take one look at this starting lineup, and the potential is obvious. Leonard and George are two of the league's greatest scorers, and adding Morris to that mix gives the Clippers perhaps the best-ever collection of LeBron James stoppers. That's not even mentioning Beverley, a famously dogged defender in his own right, or Zubac, a perfectly solid old-school center who knows his role.
It's just the small matter of putting everything together that keeps this team from full-blown title favorite status.
5. Miami Heat
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Starting Five: Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Meyers Leonard
If Miami had announced this starting five in July, people would have laughed. Sure, Jimmy Butler is great and Bam Adebayo is fun, but Meyers Leonard? Seriously? And aren't Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson characters from a Quentin Tarantino movie?
Well, as they seem to do every year, the Heat surprised us yet again.
After years of looking for a team that would appreciate his hard work, Butler seems to have found nirvana. His scoring has dipped from recent seasons, but he remains a tenacious defender and has improved as a playmaker as well.
Adebayo's rise has been covered all over the internet, so let's just add that Malik Monk called it two years ago. Leonard has transcended his previous reputation as dead weight, making nearly 43 percent of his threes this season, and both Nunn and Robinson have quickly become indispensable offensive weapons for coach Erik Spoelstra.
Miami didn't get Danilo Gallinari, but given Butler's toughness, Leonard's recent playoff explosions and Robinson's national title experience at Michigan, this group is surprisingly battle-tested under the bright lights. Underestimate them at your own peril.
4. Houston Rockets
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Starting Five: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Danuel House Jr., Robert Covington, PJ Tucker
The Rockets have been at the forefront of analytics and progressive thinking since Daryl Morey took over in 2007, but this might be the biggest risk they've taken in the Morey era.
Of course, Houston did not invent small ball by trading Clint Capela and slotting Tucker in as the full-time center. But the Rockets are the first team to invest so heavily in the style.
Even the Warriors always had a traditional center like Andrew Bogut, Zaza Pachulia or JaVale McGee to eat minutes before Draymond Green or Kevin Durant assumed the position in the fourth quarter to secure victories.
Whether Tucker will be able to handle matchups against the likes of Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis and Kristaps Porzingis will be the main question. The Rockets certainly have other issues: Harden and Westbrook are still figuring out how to play together, the bench is thinner than a piece of paper, and Mike D'Antoni may be a lame-duck coach.
But if the 6'5" Tucker is not up to the challenge of banging with the West's best bigs for 30 minutes a night, it might be curtains for Houston.
3. Boston Celtics
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Starting Five: Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Daniel Theis
Last year, we finally saw Celtics coach Brad Stevens falter a bit. Though his team was exceedingly talented, it underachieved time and again, eventually losing in five games to the Bucks in the second round.
However, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford departed last summer, were replaced by Walker and Enes Kanter—both of whom are less talented than their predecessors—and Boston looks great.
Off the strength of All-Star seasons from Walker and Tatum, an All-Star-worthy campaign from Brown and a mostly encouraging year from Hayward, the Celtics' starting five has been elite, recording a 15.6 net rating in 160 minutes. And despite a significant downgrade from Horford to Theis in the quintet, Boston ranks fifth in the NBA in center net rating.
After a year of issues with Irving, Stevens has his mojo back, and remember, he's the guy who coached a rookie Tatum, a second-year Brown and Terry Rozier to within minutes of the NBA Finals. To quote a former Celtic great, anything's possible with this team.
2. Los Angeles Lakers
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Starting Five: LeBron James, Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee
Ever since the summer of 2019, there's been worry surrounding this Lakers roster. At first, it seemed like they were big-heavy, with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee, DeMarcus Cousins and so on and so forth. Then, as the season started, fans began clamoring for a point guard, and so the team entered the market for players like Derrick Rose and Darren Collison.
One thing we all seemingly forgot is the Lakers have James and Davis, and when you have two future Hall of Famers still operating at the peak of their powers, roster imbalance usually doesn't matter.
Despite some potential spacing issues, the Lakers have been nearly unstoppable with their starting lineup, recording a 15.6 net rating and what would be the second-best offense and the best defense in the NBA. LeBron and Davis are All-Star starters, LeBron leads the league in assists by a healthy margin, and the Lakers are on pace for 65 wins and the top seed in the West.
Everything is going according to plan, and if that plan continues, we'll see the Lakers in the Finals for the first time in a decade.
1. Milwaukee Bucks
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Starting Five: Eric Bledsoe, Wesley Matthews, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez
Looking at those names above, it may not seem like the Bucks have the best starting lineup in the NBA. Matthews is on the wrong side of 30, Lopez has regressed from his historic 2018-19 season, and Bledsoe, while a solid regular-season player, has taken a reputation hit in recent years because of his terrible postseason track record.
However, thanks to the brilliance of Antetokounmpo and Middleton, Milwaukee's two All-Stars, this lineup just works.
Strangely enough considering Giannis' outlandish production, the Bucks' starting lineup only registers a 108.7 offensive rating, which would be 20th in the NBA. However, they compensate for that by being a nasty defensive unit, limiting opponents to just 92.4 points per 100 possessions, which would be the best mark in NBA history by nearly 10 whole points per 100 possessions.
In layman's terms: they're transcendent defensively.
The Bucks seemed so dominant last year and couldn't get the job done against the Raptors, so there's some worry about how well they'll do in the postseason. But if they keep being this historically great, those worries will seem foolish.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")