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 fulfills his role within that hierarchy is every bit as important as his individual ability.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a respectable co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together – clearing Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this series, we line up the five best players from each level for a broader look across the league. How close is your team to ideal alignment?
No. 1 options | No. 2 options | No. 3 options
No. 5s: The Fifth Starters
What is No. 5? He is the one who ties the starting lineup together. When you’ve assembled your top four players, what’s missing? Pill treatment? Size? On-ball defense? A shooting? Positional versatility? He may not be able to give you everything, but he better fill in the gaps, or he’ll find himself replaced soon. Or in a platoon. He may not be better than the sixth man, but he should make better sense in a five.
Without further ado, your top five #5s…
1. Derrick White, Boston Celtics
The beauty of Boston is that White and running back Jrue Holiday are interchangeable, and both are brilliant two-way players. White averaged 15-4-5 on 46/40/90 shooting splits and made the All-Defensive team last season, when he received more votes than any other guard not on the All-Star team. He was so good during the Celtics’ title run that Team USA recruited him to fill a similar role for its run to a gold medal.
This is not normal. We should be asking ourselves: Is White one of the best fifth starters in league history? He may not be on a level playing field with the fifth men of the 1960s Celtics who spun out Hall of Famers during the rotation, but Danny Ainge, AC Green and Luc Longley all won multiple championships as fifth starters in the post- fusion era. , and White belongs to that same conversation.
2. Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City Thunder
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 best role players in the league – 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, protecting the rim and surviving in space — mostly because he knew where to be before his opponent did. His shooting range is limited to the occasional mid-range jumper, but his passing adds dimension to an effective offensive repertoire. His stats may not reflect his three-year, $87 million contract, until you realize that OKC is getting this 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
3. Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans face a real conundrum at their fifth spot. Are they connected to the beginning of a traditional center? If so, their choice is between Daniel Theis, journeyman; Yves Missi, rookie; 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 short (6-foot-6) and too fragile (184 career games in five seasons) to start at small-ball center.
It could also put pressure on Murphy, a fabulous player and future elite fifth starter. Murphy is a 6-foot-8 shooter. He doesn’t needs do much more than that – apart from defending at a high level – but there is untapped potential in the 24-year-old. Murphy has the ability to attack off the weakside rebound, but the roster structure doesn’t always allow him to do it. And more often than not it should.
The collection of Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Murphy, Brandon Ingram and Williamson is an intriguing (if not great) lineup. It is much more talented than one having or a traditional center, and if we know that any lineup with Theis, Missi or Matković will be weak, why not blitz teams with a small ball? (At least until the Pelicans find a landing spot for Ingram.) Putting Murphy here is a protest against unoriginality, because no team with that kind of talent should ever start one of the league’s worst fifth starters.
4. Mike Conley Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves
In February 2023, the Timberwolves needed a point guard other than D’Angelo Russell, who imagines 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 playmaking for others above all else. Someone who would agree to Anthony Edwards and set up Rudy Gobert.
That’s how they won Conley, once number 2 on the Memphis Grizzlies and the third All-Star on the Utah Jazz. Now, on the brink of his 37th birthday, he is once again asked to do what he does best, passing and defending in ways that tie both the offense and defense together. His 5.9 assists per game led a 56-win team last season, and his defensive instincts remain, even if Conley isn’t as quick as he once was.
5. Derek Lively II, Dallas Mavericks
Whether or not Daniel Gafford starts the season in the center for Dallas, makes no difference; Lively should win the starting job by the end of the season. The 20-year-old’s 7-foot-7 wingspan wreaks havoc around the rim, contesting 15.5 shots per game on one end and finishing off a pair of Luka Dončić assists on the other. He even flashed some shooting range in the Finals and vowed to improve in that regard over the summer.
The Mavericks had Dončić and Kyrie Irving and shooting. What they lacked was an edge-running pick-and-roll partner for Dončić, and they wanted one so bad that they tanked a season of 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.
Honorable mentions
6. Chris PaulSan Antonio Spurs
7. Wendell Carter Jr.Orlando Magic
8. Max StrussCleveland Cavaliers
9. Dillon BrooksHouston Rockets
The rest
10. Mark WilliamsCharlotte Hornets; 11. Brandin Pod ZiemiaGolden State Warriors; 12. Deandre AytonPortland Trail Blazers; 13. Terrance MannLos Angeles Clippers; 14. Dorian Finney-SmithBrooklyn Nets; 15. Jusuf NurkicPhoenix Suns; 16. Kevin HuerterSacrament 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. Taurus PrinceMilwaukee Bucks; 24. Christian BraunDenver Nuggets; 25. Aaron NesmithIndiana Pacers; 26. Clint CapelaAtlanta Hawks; 27. Patrick WilliamsChicago Bulls; 28. Taylor HendricksUtah Jazz; 29. Grady DickToronto Raptors; 30. Alex SarrWashington Wizards.
