Put Together Your Ultimate Winning Starting Lineup

[Bad Bart]

This isn't about the best player at each position, rather putting together a lineup that you believe would create the 5 man squad best built to win in the NBA.

My lineup:
PG: Baron Davis
SG: Kawhi Leonard
SF: Draymond Green
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Anthony Davis

Defense wins championships

[SlimShady83]

Wemby
Giannis
Bird
Jordan
Luka

[NZB2323]

1987 Magic Johnson
2017 Steph Curry
1991 Michael Jordan
2013 Lebron
1971 Kareem

[Frank Dux]

Curry
Thompson
KD
Lebron
Duncan

LeBron at point. Let the Warriors trio spam threes. And have Duncan shore up the paint.

[Ol Roy]

PG: LeBron James
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Kevin Garnett
PF: Hakeem Olajuwon
C: David Robinson

Two-way dominance; overwhelming athleticism and size.

[Frank Dux]

PG: LeBron James
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Kevin Garnett
PF: Hakeem Olajuwon
C: David Robinson

Two-way dominance; overwhelming athleticism and size.

Great defense, but there’s too many guys operating in the same space.

[floppymoose]

Can I just have 5 of the same player?

[SNPA]

Curry/Jordan/James/Bird/Wemby. I win.

[Ol Roy]

PG: LeBron James
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Kevin Garnett
PF: Hakeem Olajuwon
C: David Robinson

Two-way dominance; overwhelming athleticism and size.

Great defense, but there’s too many guys operating in the same space.

My assumption is that players would be allowed to adjust to fit within an ensemble cast and that modern scheming insights would be allowed. I'm not going to post everyone up within arm's length in the paint just because that's what they often did as first options when they played.

That's why I picked three big men with the skills and mobility of smaller players. In other words, they can be utilized as wings. KG would live on the perimeter doing what he did best: space the floor with his shooting (I'd have him take a step back and do it from three) and be a high IQ connective passer. I'd pull Robinson outside too; he was better in the face-up position, as his killer first step made him a deadly driver to the basket, and he could also shoot and pass well. Hakeem, again, could also face-up with a dribble game and had a nice shot. When they don't have the ball, they're all capable of being devastating finishers and would collectively dominate the rebounding equation.

Now, just like the other guys, LeBron and Jordan also like going to the rim. But having extreme rim pressure is great, it leads to open shots and defensive breakdowns and a parade to the free-throw line. Again, they have off-ball value. They can cut and shoot. Like KG, I'd have MJ step behind the line for many of his shots.

The great thing about having a physical, athletic mismatch at each position is that a double team is really needed, but leaving anyone alone isn't a good call either.

And the big picture here is that if this team is relying on half-court, slow offense, something went wrong. Because they should be able to make the game a transition contest and wipe the floor with the opposition.

[MavsDirk41]

Dream
Garnett
Bird
Jordan
Curry

[-Sammy-]

Designing basketball lineups is an art and a science of nuance and strategy and balance and all that precisely because coaches and GMs are forced to work within limitations of talent and money; getting to pick any five players eliminates that handicap, so picking the all-time best player at each position would yield the best possible team almost by definition-- you're overthinking it if you think it's any more complicated than that. I'm taking Kareem, Duncan, Bird, MJ and LeBron at the point and I expect to beat every other possible combination.

[Bad Bart]

Can I just have 5 of the same player?

How would this work on defense?

[Bad Bart]

PG: LeBron James
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Kevin Garnett
PF: Hakeem Olajuwon
C: David Robinson

Two-way dominance; overwhelming athleticism and size.

Great defense, but there’s too many guys operating in the same space.

My assumption is that players would be allowed to adjust to fit within an ensemble cast and that modern scheming insights would be allowed. I'm not going to post everyone up within arm's length in the paint just because that's what they often did as first options when they played.

That's why I picked three big men with the skills and mobility of smaller players. In other words, they can be utilized as wings. KG would live on the perimeter doing what he did best: space the floor with his shooting (I'd have him take a step back and do it from three) and be a high IQ connective passer. I'd pull Robinson outside too; he was better in the face-up position, as his killer first step made him a deadly driver to the basket, and he could also shoot and pass well. Hakeem, again, could also face-up with a dribble game and had a nice shot. When they don't have the ball, they're all capable of being devastating finishers and would collectively dominate the rebounding equation.

Now, just like the other guys, LeBron and Jordan also like going to the rim. But having extreme rim pressure is great, it leads to open shots and defensive breakdowns and a parade to the free-throw line. Again, they have off-ball value. They can cut and shoot. Like KG, I'd have MJ step behind the line for many of his shots.

The great thing about having a physical, athletic mismatch at each position is that a double team is really needed, but leaving anyone alone isn't a good call either.

And the big picture here is that if this team is relying on half-court, slow offense, something went wrong. Because they should be able to make the game a transition contest and wipe the floor with the opposition.

Do you think defenses would respect Garnett enough from three to keep a defender close? I do think spacing would be an issue, especially in the modern game. But perhaps the level of talent overcomes all of that and their defense is so good they consistently get easy baskets off of missed baskets and turnovers.

[Larry_Russell]

PG: Curry
SG: Jordan
SF: Bird
PF: Lebron
C: Shaq

[Ol Roy]

Do you think defenses would respect Garnett enough from three to keep a defender close? I do think spacing would be an issue, especially in the modern game. But perhaps the level of talent overcomes all of that and their defense is so good they consistently get easy baskets off of missed baskets and turnovers.

I think KG could average 37-41% from three, leaning toward the higher end if most of his shots were catch-and-shoot as I think they'd be. I see Jordan having a similar range, but more toward the lower end as I think more of his shots would be off the dribble.

I suspect Hakeem and David could become decent from the corner, but without being too speculative, I do know that they could space from the midrange. In a modern set, you could bring them out to the three point line and I think they'd require some defensive attention because of their ability to cut off-ball and dribble drive on-ball (especially with today's gather step). And if you sag off of them too much, you risk being out-rebounded even more than you otherwise would.

[Broadcaster]

Gary Payton
Michael Jordan
Klay Thompson
Rasheed Wallace
Marc Gasol

I tried to not spam the superstar button but it’s definitely still a lot of talent.

[JJ_PR]

LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Michael Jordan
Dirk Nowitzki
Shaquille O’Neal

[Bad Bart]

Gary Payton
Michael Jordan
Klay Thompson
Rasheed Wallace
Marc Gasol

I tried to not spam the superstar button but it’s definitely still a lot of talent.

I like the lineup (I have Sheed in mine as well). This is more in the spirit of what I was thinking, I don't think superstars necessarily play as well together as a team with all of the bases covered. I think your lineup makes more sense than mine as you have a lot better spacing, you can put MJ and GP in the post and let them go to work.

[ballzboyee]

1. 2016 Curry
2. 1992 Jordan
3. 2006 Kobe
4. 2013 Lebron
5. 2000 Shaq

Pretty simple: three best players ever bookended by greatest shooter and most dominant center of all-time. Alternative lineup might be replace Curry with Magic and if I want go small with Magic's size as counterweight on opposite end of small ball lineup, I could put a mobile stretch 4/5 like Barkley or center/pf with more range like Hakeem or Duncan out there instead of Shaq. Either way, team a or b never loses. Other option would be play Dirk, KG, or Durant at the 5, which is very tempting. But as long as Kobe, Lebron, and Jordan are on the floor it's all good.

[Bornstellar]

Duncan
Garnett
Durant
Curry
LeBron