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topicnews · September 27, 2024

Ranking the NBA’s No. 5 options: The league’s best fifth starters, with a former No. 2 pick

Ranking the NBA’s No. 5 options: The league’s best fifth starters, with a former No. 2 pick

(J’Kel Anderson/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

Anyone can name the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is talent. There is a hierarchy within each of the league’s 30 teams, and how well each of the five players on the field understands and executes their role within that hierarchy is just as important as their individual skills.

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 sum it all up – clear Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In here In this series, we evaluate the top five players in each league to provide a more comprehensive look at the league as a whole. How close does your team come to an ideal lineup?

Rankings: No. 1s • No. 2s • No. 3s • No. 4s • No. 5s • In total

What is a No. 5? He is the one who holds the starting eleven together. Once you’ve assembled your four best players, what are you missing? Ball handling? Size? Defense on the ball? Shoot? Positional versatility? He may not be able to give you everything, but he’d better fill in the gaps or he’ll soon be replaced. Or on a train. He may not be better as the sixth man, but he might make more sense in a quintet.

Without further ado, your top five #5s…

The beauty of Boston is that White and his backcourt mate Jrue Holiday are interchangeable and are both brilliant two-way players. White averaged 15-4-5 on 46/40/90 shooting and was named to an All-Defensive team last season, when he received more votes than any other guard not named to the All-Star team belonged. He was so good during the Celtics’ title run that Team USA recruited him to fill a similar role in the gold medal race.

That’s not normal. We should ask ourselves: Is White one of the best fifth starters in league history? He may not be on par with the Celtics’ 1960s fifth-rounders who rotated Hall of Famers throughout the rotation, but Danny Ainge, AC Green and Luc Longley all have multiple championships in the post-merger era fifth starter won, and White belongs in the same conversation.

The Thunder needed veteran depth to round out a rotation that surprised us last season when they captured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, so they targeted two of the league’s best role players – Hartenstein and Alex Caruso. The latter is a 3-and-D weapon that can put the ball on the floor, while the former is a bit more limited, although Hartenstein plays within his limitations as well as anyone.

Hartenstein was one of the NBA’s best defensive players last season, defending the rim and surviving in space, largely because he knew where to be before his opponent. His shooting range is limited to the occasional mid-range jumper, but his passing ability adds a new dimension to an efficient offensive repertoire. His stats may not reflect his three-year, $87 million contract until you realize that this is what OKC is getting per 36 minutes from its fifth starter: 11.1 points (64.4 FG%), 11.9 rebounds, 3, 6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks.

The Pelicans face a real conundrum in their fifth spot. Are they tied to the establishment of a traditional center? If so, your choice is between Daniel Theis, a journeyman; Yves Missi, a freshman; or 2022 second-rounder Karlo Matković. Any one of them would likely be one of the worst fifth starters in the league. That might be worth saving a few miles on Zion Williamson, who might be both too small (6-foot-1) and too fragile (184 career games in five seasons) to start at small-ball center.

It could also put pressure on Murphy, a great player and wannabe elite fifth starter. Murphy is a 6-foot-8 sharpshooter. He doesn’t do it need He can do a lot more than that – other than defend at a high level – but there is still untapped potential in the 24-year-old. Murphy has the ability to attack on the fly from the weak side, but the roster construction doesn’t always allow him to do this. And that should be the case more often.

The collection of Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Murphy, Brandon Ingram and Williamson is an intriguing (if undersized) cast. It’s far more talented than one with either traditional center, and if we know a lineup with Theis, Missi or Matković will be disappointing, then why not small-ball blitz teams? (At least until the Pelicans find a landing spot for Ingram.) Bringing Murphy here is a protest against a lack of originality, because no team with this much talent should ever start one of the league’s worst fifth starters.

In February 2023, the Timberwolves needed a point guard other than D’Angelo Russell, who considers himself no worse than a third option on any team, including his Los Angeles Lakers. Minnesota wanted someone who could make an otherwise talented team work – someone who would put the game above all else for others. Someone who would give in to Anthony Edwards and frame Rudy Gobert.

That’s how they scored Conley, once the No. 2 pick with the Memphis Grizzlies and the third All-Star with the Utah Jazz. Now, just before his 37th birthday, he’s always just doing what he does best: passing and defending in a way that combines attack and defense. His 5.9 assists per game led a 56-win team last season, and his defensive instincts remain, even if Conley isn’t quite as quick as he used to be.

Whether Daniel Gafford starts the season as a center player for Dallas or not makes no difference; Lively should secure the starting spot by the end of the season. The 20-year-old’s 2.10 meter wingspan is turning heads as he takes 15.5 shots per game on the one hand and has two assists from Luka Dončić on the other. He even showed some shooting ability in the final and promised to improve in that regard over the summer.

The Mavericks had Dončić and Kyrie Irving and they were shooting. What they lacked was a rock-driving pick-and-roll partner for Dončić, and they wanted one so badly that they invested a season in their superstar’s playoff career to get him. They paid a $750,000 fine for it, and Lively is worth every penny – and then some.

6. Chris PaulSan Antonio Spurs

7. Wendell Carter Jr.Orlando Magic

8. Max StrusCleveland Cavaliers

9. Dillon BrooksHouston Rockets

10. Mark WilliamsCharlotte Hornets; 11. Brandin PodziemskiGolden State Warriors; 12. Deandre AytonPortland Trail Blazers; 13. Terance MannLos Angeles Clippers; 14. Dorian Finney SmithBrooklyn Nets; 15. Jusuf NurkicPhoenix Suns; 16. Kevin HuerterSacramento Kings; 17. Nikola JovicMiami Heat; 18. Ausar ThompsonDetroit Pistons; 19. Zach EdeyMemphis Grizzlies; 20. Rui HachimuraLos Angeles Lakers; 21. Kelly Oubre Jr.Philadelphia 76ers; 22. Mitchell RobinsonNew York Knicks; 23. Taurian princeMilwaukee Bucks; 24. Christian BraunDenver Nuggets; 25. Aaron NesmithIndiana Pacers; 26. Clint CapelaAtlanta Hawks; 27. Patrick WilliamsChicago Bulls; 28. Taylor HendricksUtah Jazz; 29. Gradey DickToronto Raptors; 30. Alex SarrWashington Wizards.

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