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Anyone can list the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and performs his role within that hierarchy is every bit as important as his individual skill.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together — clear Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this series, we rank the five best players from each tier for a broader look across the league. How close does your team come to an ideal lineup?
No. 1 options | No. 2 options | No. 3 options
No. 4s: The Fourth Options
What is a No. 4? Generally, he is not a star; if he is, he better be a role player first. And if he is both, then your team is a bear. At the very least, he should be too good to ever deny a starting spot. He can be a table-setter or a rim-runner, but his skills have to complement everyone above him in the pecking order. He can get you 20 points on any given night, but he will not on most, because his defense is of greater import. You cannot be a one-dimensional fourth option, for if you are, your team is likely not very good.
It is a funny thing: Nos. 4 and 5 can be comparable in ability, and if they are both good, your team is good. And if they are both not good, your team is not good. It is often here where teams are separated — where delineations become a little clearer and rosters decline a little steeper. And money plays a part in that. You do not want to pay your fourth option a max contract, but you want to pay him what he is worth, and whether he provides value could mean the difference between contending or pretending.
Without further ado, your five best No. 4s …
1. Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
The beauty of the Celtics is that either Holiday or Derrick White could be considered their fourth option, and either one would rank among the best players here. Holiday has the longer track record. He was a No. 2 on a New Orleans Pelicans team that reached the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-the-nbas-no-4-options-celtics-jrue-holiday-headlines-group-of-elite-role-players-140736600.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-26 14:07:36
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