In the NBA, lineup combinations can make or break a team’s success. While benching a star player might seem like a demotion, it’s often a strategic move to optimize performance. Coaches like Steve Kerr (Klay Thompson), Chris Finch (Mike Conley), and others have shown that lineup adjustments can lead to better results.
Rayinfosports dives into the NBA’s most effective and ineffective five-man, three-man, and two-man lineups this season, highlighting surprising trends and key takeaways.
Best Five-Man Lineups
(Minimum 200 minutes played)
| Team | Lineup | Minutes | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtics | Holiday, White, Tatum, Brown, Horford | 215 | 120.9 | 100.9 | 20.1 |
| Thunder | Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Williams, Dort, Hartenstein | 250 | 118.2 | 100.6 | 17.6 |
| Pacers | Haliburton, Nembhard, Mathurin, Siakam, Turner | 363 | 115.6 | 99.9 | 15.8 |
| Clippers | Harden, Dunn, Powell, Jones, Zubac | 257 | 112.5 | 102.4 | 10.1 |
| Nuggets | Murray, Westbrook, Braun, Porter, Jokic | 227 | 127.1 | 119.8 | 7.3 |
Top Performer: The Boston Celtics’ lineup of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Al Horford has been the most dominant in the league. Surprisingly, this group outperforms their usual starting lineup with Kristaps Porzingis, which has struggled.
Biggest Surprise: The Indiana Pacers’ starting unit, featuring Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner, ranks third in the NBA. Their defensive rating of under 100 points per 100 possessions is particularly impressive for a team ranked 20th overall in defense.
Worst Five-Man Lineups
(Minimum 200 minutes played)
| Team | Lineup | Minutes | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wizards | Poole, Carrington, Coulibaly, Kuzma, Sarr | 208 | 86.7 | 120.3 | -33.5 |
| Pelicans | Murray, McCollum, Jones, Murphy, Missi | 221 | 112.6 | 120.1 | -7.5 |
| Bulls | White, Giddey, LaVine, Williams, Vucevic | 250 | 106.7 | 111.8 | -5.1 |
| Bucks | Lillard, Jackson, Prince, Antetokounmpo, Lopez | 264 | 107.7 | 111.4 | -3.7 |
| Pistons | Cunningham, Ivey, Hardaway, Harris, Duren | 261 | 119.8 | 122 | -2.1 |
| Celtics | Holiday, White, Brown, Tatum, Porzingis | 208 | 114.8 | 116.6 | -1.7 |
Bottom Dweller: The Washington Wizards’ lineup of Jordan Poole, Jared Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly, Kyle Kuzma, and Sarr has been historically bad, with a net rating of -33.5. This unit is nearly twice as ineffective as last season’s worst lineup.
Biggest Surprise: The Milwaukee Bucks’ starting lineup, featuring Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, has been surprisingly ineffective. Similarly, the Celtics’ usual starting lineup with Porzingis ranks among the worst, despite being defending champions.
Best Three-Man Lineups
(Minimum 500 minutes played)
| Team | Lineup | Minutes | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder | Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Dort | 651 | 117.5 | 101.6 | 15.9 |
| Pacers | Haliburton, Nembhard, Siakam | 549 | 117.5 | 101.6 | 15.9 |
| Nuggets | Westbrook, Porter, Jokic | 644 | 127.5 | 111.8 | 15.6 |
| Thunder | Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Dort | 780 | 117.6 | 103.3 | 14.3 |
| Thunder | Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace, Williams | 589 | 115.9 | 101.7 | 14.1 |
Top Performer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s presence in three of the top five three-man lineups underscores his value to the Oklahoma City Thunder. These lineups combine elite defense with efficient offense.
Biggest Surprise: Russell Westbrook’s inclusion in the Nuggets’ second-best three-man unit is a shock, given his recent struggles. However, playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. has unlocked his potential.
Worst Three-Man Lineups
(Minimum 500 minutes played)
| Team | Lineup | Minutes | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wizards | Poole, Carrington, Coulibaly | 527 | 96.4 | 116.3 | -20 |
| Wizards | Carrington, Coulibaly, Sarr | 590 | 98.5 | 117 | -18.4 |
| Wizards | Poole, Coulibaly, Sarr | 657 | 97.6 | 115.5 | -17.9 |
| Pelicans | McCollum, Murray, Missi | 520 | 108.9 | 123 | -14.2 |
| Blazers | Simons, Grant, Camara | 525 | 100.4 | 114.1 | -13.7 |
Bottom Dweller: The Wizards dominate the bottom of this list, with three of the worst three-man units in the league. Bilal Coulibaly’s inclusion highlights his offensive struggles, though his defensive potential remains promising.
Biggest Surprise: The Pelicans’ trio of CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, and Missi has underperformed defensively, despite Murray’s All-Defensive pedigree and Missi’s shot-blocking prowess.
Best Two-Man Lineups
(Minimum 1,000 minutes played)
| Team | Lineup | Minutes | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder | Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort | 1,079 | 118.8 | 102.9 | 15.8 |
| Nuggets | Jokic, Porter | 1,089 | 126.7 | 113 | 13.7 |
| Nuggets | Jokic, Braun | 1,109 | 124.9 | 112.7 | 12.2 |
| Cavaliers | Mitchell, Mobley | 1,015 | 116.9 | 106.1 | 10.8 |
| Celtics | Tatum, White | 1,090 | 117.1 | 107.1 | 10 |
Top Performer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort form the NBA’s best two-man lineup, combining elite offense and defense.
Biggest Surprise: The Knicks’ duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart outperforms their more heralded pairing of Towns and Jalen Brunson.
Worst Two-Man Lineups
(Minimum 1,000 minutes played)
| Team | Lineup | Minutes | Off Rtg | Def Rtg | Net Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawks | Young, Daniels | 1,078 | 111.1 | 114.1 | -2.9 |
| Heat | Herro, Adebayo | 1,100 | 110.4 | 111.9 | -1.5 |
| 76ers | Maxey, Oubre | 1,014 | 113.2 | 113.9 | -0.7 |
| Bulls | LaVine, Vucevic | 1,238 | 115 | 114.9 | 0.1 |
| Kings | Fox, DeRozan | 1,025 | 114 | 113.6 | 0.5 |
Bottom Dweller: Trae Young and Dyson Daniels form the league’s worst two-man unit, a shocking development given their individual talents.
Biggest Surprise: Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo’s pairing ranks as the second-worst, despite their All-Star-caliber performances.
Final Thoughts
Lineup data provides fascinating insights into team dynamics and player chemistry. While stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic dominate the best lineups, surprising combinations from teams like the Pacers and Thunder highlight the importance of balance and role players.
As Rayinfosports has shown, even the best teams can have ineffective lineups, and strategic adjustments are key to unlocking a team’s full potential.
