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Anyone can list the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is about talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams there is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and plays their role within that hierarchy is as important as their individual ability.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a respectful co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option, and a fifth starter to tie it all together: clear out the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In this series, we rank the top five players at each level to get a broader view of the league. How close is your team to an ideal lineup?
Options number 1 | Options number 2 | No. 3 options
No. 5: The fifth starters
What is a number 5? He is the one who unites the starting eleven. When you’ve assembled your four best players, what’s missing? Ball handling? Size? On-ball defense? Shooting? Positional versatility? He may not be able to give you everything, but he better fill in the gaps, or he’ll soon be replaced. Or in a platoon. He may not be better than the sixth man, but he should make more sense in a five-piece.
Without further ado, your top five No. 5s…
1. Derrick White, Boston Celtics
The beauty of Boston is that White and his defensive partner Jrue Holiday are interchangeable, and both are brilliant two-way players. White averaged 15-4-5 on shooting splits of 46/40/90 and made the All-Defensive team last season, when he received more votes than any other point guard not on the All-Star team. He was so good during the Celtics’ title run that Team USA recruited him to play a similar role in their gold medal run.
This is not normal. We should ask ourselves: Is White one of the best fifth starters in league history? He may not be on equal footing with the Celtics’ fifth men of the 1960s, who rotated Hall of Famers throughout the rotation, but Danny Ainge, AC Green and Luc Longley have won multiple championships as fifth starters in the post-merger era. , and White belongs in that same conversation.
2. Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder needed veteran depth to fill out a rotation that surprised us last season when they captured the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, so they targeted two of the league’s best role players in Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. The latter is a 3-and-D weapon that can put the ball on the ground, while the former is a bit more limited, although Hartenstein plays within his limitations as well as anyone.
Hartenstein was one of the best defensive players in the NBA last season, protecting the rim and surviving in space, mainly because he knew where to be before his opponent. His shooting range is limited to the occasional mid-range jumper, but his passing adds dimension to an efficient offensive repertoire. His stats may not reflect his three-year, $87 million contract, until you realize OKC is getting this for every 36 minutes of its fifth starter: 11.1 points (64.4 field goals), 11 .9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks.
3. Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans face a real conundrum at their fifth seed. Are they tied to starting a traditional center? If so, they will have to choose between Daniel Theis, an officer; Yves Missi, a rookie; or Karlo Matković, a second-round pick in 2022. Any of them would probably be one of the worst starters in the league. It may be worth saving some miles for Zion Williamson, who might be too short (6-foot-6) and too frail (184 career games over five seasons) to start at small-ball center.
It could also put pressure on Murphy, a terrific player and contender for an elite fifth starter. Murphy is a 6-foot-8 sharpshooter. he doesn’t need There is a lot more to it than just defending at a high level, but there is untapped potential in the 24-year-old. Murphy has the ability to attack off the rebound from the weak side, but the roster structure doesn’t always allow him to do so. And more often it should.
The collection of Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Murphy, Brandon Ingram and Williamson is an intriguing (if undersized) lineup. He’s much more talented than one with any of the traditional centre-backs, and if we know that any lineup with Theis, Missi or Matković will be disappointing, why not bomb small-ball teams? (At least until the Pelicans find a landing spot for Ingram.) Putting Murphy here is a protest against a lack of originality, because no team with this much talent should ever start one of the worst fifth starters in the league.
4. Mike Conley Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves
In February 2023, the Timberwolves needed a point guard other than D’Angelo Russell, who figures to be nothing worse than a third option on any team, including the Los Angeles Lakers. Minnesota wanted someone who could make a talented team work, someone who put playmaking for others above all else. Someone who would take Anthony Edwards and set up Rudy Gobert.
So they got Conley, once the Memphis Grizzlies’ No. 2 and the Utah Jazz’s third All-Star. Now, about to turn 37, he is only asked to do what he is best at: pass and defend in a way that unites both offense and defense. His 5.9 assists per game led a team that won 56 games last season, and his defensive instincts remain, even if Conley isn’t as quick as he once was.
5. Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Whether or not Daniel Gafford starts the season at center for Dallas makes no difference; Lively should earn the starting job by the end of the season. The 20-year-old’s 7-foot-7 wingspan wreaks havoc around the rim, taking 15.5 shots per game on one end and completing a pair of assists from Luka Dončić on the other. He even showed some shooting range in the Finals and promised to improve in that regard over the summer.
The Mavericks had Dončić and Kyrie Irving and they were shooting. What they were missing was a pick-and-roll partner for Dončić, and they wanted one so badly that they ruined a season of their superstar’s playoff run to get him. They paid a $750,000 fine for it, and Lively is worth every penny, and then some.
Honorable mentions
6. cris pabloSan Antonio Spurs
7. Wendell Carter Jr.Magical Orlando
8. max strusCleveland Knights
9. Dillon BrooksHouston Rockets
The rest
10. Mark WilliamsCharlotte Hornets; 11. Brandin PodziemskiWarriors of the Golden State; 12. Daniel AytonPortland Trail Blazers; 13. Terance MannLos Angeles Clippers; 14. Dorian Finney-SmithBrooklyn Networks; 15. Jusuf NurkicPhoenix Suns; 16. Kevin HuerterKings of Sacramento; 17. Nikola JovicMiami Heat; 18. use thompsonDetroit Pistons; 19. Zach EdeyMemphis Grizzlies; 20. Rui HachimuraLos Angeles Lakers; 21. Kelly Oubre Jr.Philadelphia 76ers; 22. michel robinsonNew York Knicks; 23. Taurus PrinceMilwaukee Dollars; 24. Christian BraunDenver Nuggets; 25. Aaron NesmithIndiana Pacers; 26. Clint CapelaAtlanta Falcons; 27. Patrick WilliamsChicago Bulls; 28. taylor hendricksUtah Jazz; 29. grade cockToronto Raptors; 30. Alex SarrWizards of Washington.