NBA Power Rankings for all 30 starting 5s: Where do the Miami Heat rank?
15. New York Knicks: Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
Signing Walker and Fournier this summer was a huge win for New York. However, similar to Chicago, their depth is what makes them such a solid team, so their starting five is in the middle tier.
14. New Orleans Pelicans: Devonte’ Graham, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Despite them missing the playoffs last year, the Pelicans are actually shaping up to be solid. The additions of Graham and Valanciunas significantly raise the ceiling of this starting five.
13. Portland Trailblazers: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic
Damian Lillard alone puts this team in the top half of all starting fives. The Blazers will be solid, but outside of Lillard, this group is just alright.
12. Utah Jazz: Mike Conley, Donovan Mitchell, Royce O’Neale, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rudy Gobert
It’s hard to place the Jazz outside of the top ten on any list, but they depend on their bench a lot. Their depth is what makes them so great, but their starters are obviously really good, too.
11. Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, Kristaps Porzingis
Luka Doncic is an absolute beast, so that alone brings Dallas close to the top ten. In addition, Bullock will actually be a great piece for the Mavericks to have in their starting five.
10. Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, John Collins, Clint Capela
After their Eastern Conference Finals run, it’s only fair to place Atlanta in the top ten. If De’Andre Hunter is available to play, they might jump up this list even more.
9. Boston Celtics: Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams III
Having two All-Stars in the starting lineup catapults Boston up this list. If their young players don’t perform they could struggle with depth, but there’s no denying that their starting five is great.
8. Denver Nuggets: Monte Morris, Will Barton, Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Losing Jamal Murray hurts, but having Jokic helps ease the pain just a bit. Re-signing Barton was a huge win for Denver, and the rest of their starters compliment Jokic super well.
7. Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, DeAndre Ayton
The Suns just went to the Finals, so there has to be something great about their starting five. They have two All-Stars and an elite supporting cast around them.
6. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, James Wiseman
Stephen Curry is a top-five player in the NBA, so that alone makes this starting unit elite. Depending on how well Thompson plays, it could end up being the best in the league.