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

(J’Kel Anderson/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

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?

Rankings: No. 1s • No. 2s • No. 3s • No. 4s • No. 5s • Total

No. 5s: The Fifth Starters

What is a No. 5? He is the one who ties the starting lineup together. When you have pieced together your four best players, what is missing? Ball-handling? Size? On-ball defense? Shooting? Positional versatility? He might not be able to give it all to you, but he better fill the gaps, or he will 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 quintet.

Without further ado, your five best No. 5s …

1. Derrick White, Boston Celtics

The beauty of Boston is that White and backcourt mate Jrue Holiday are interchangeable, and both are brilliant two-way players. White averaged a 15-4-5 on 46/40/90 shooting splits and made an 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 Hall of Famers throughout the rotation, but Danny Ainge, A.C. Green and Luc Longley have all won multiple championships as fifth starters in the post-merger era, and White belongs in that same conversation.

2. Isaiah Hartenstein,…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-27 13:49:12

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