5 on 5 NSL Hypotheticals

There’s a lot of new faces about to land in a lot of new places, and it’s got this writer thinking about the best starting 5s from some of the league’s standout franchises. It’s near on impossible to build the perfect roster in NSL land and usually when a GM thinks they’ve achieved that feat, they get beaten by a star and Willie Cauley-Stein at the point guard position. In NSL, there needs to be a perfect balance between gameplan, glitch, complementary pieces and top-end talent to build an unstoppable roster, and IF you reach the business end of the season, depth is the clincher. As free agency still looms, let’s look at the top 10 teams with the best hypothetical starting 5.

1.      LA Lakers

C- Victor Wembanyama
PF- Zion Williamson
SF- Kawhi Leonard
SG- Donte Divencenzo
PG- Amen Thompson

Coming in at the top spot is the LA Lakers. Victor Wembanyama looks other worldly to start the season and it’s insane to consider how good this roster STILL is after trading all that talent for the next 2k goat. Zion, Kawhi and Thompson have all come into the season with high expectations and Donte has ascended to the starting SG in Minnesota. It really feels like this 5 is all peaking at the right time and with Wemby leading the way, the sky is truly the limit. The bench only really requires role players and a backup big for 10 minutes or so, and there’s enough talent that can be shuffled around to dominate both ends of the floor. It feels early but if healthy it’s hard to see anyone being able to stop them.

 

2.      Washington Wizards

C- Clint Capela
PF- Robert Williams
SF- Lebron James
SG- Devin Booker
PG- Jrue Holiday

The defending champions still hold one of the most desirable starting 5s with size, superstar talent and defence at every position. While Lebron and Williams will be sidelined to start, Jrue is off to a terrific start in Portland and Booker will be the 1A in Phoenix. GM Joshua will be busy on FA day cementing a few useful role players and bringing back his championship core, all that is required are a few place holders while his starters ice up and prepare to launch. With a little good fortune, the Wizards can definitely be the first franchise to go back-to-back.

 

3.      Milwaukee Bucks

C- Jakob Poeltl
PF- Evan Mobley
SF- Brandon Ingram
SG- Lu Dort
PG- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Bucks won it all 2 years ago under the leadership of GM Daz who has since taken the NSL death sentence in GSW. With GM Ethan at the helm the team has found it’s timeline with SGA and Mobley running the show. From what little that has been seen, Mobley looks 2k elite, while SGA is once again unstoppable on the offensive end. Ingram will be a nice addition as the 2^nd to 3^rd option while Poeltl and Dort are the perfect role players around Ethan’s big 3. This lineup will give as many shots as possible to SGA which will likely destroy most of the competition on a nightly basis. A backup point guard is probably all that is needed to get to the Eastern Conference Finals and beyond.

 

4.      Utah Jazz

C- Joel Embiid
PF- Kristaps Porzingis
SF- Franz Wagner
SG- Dyson Daniels
PG- James Harden

With probably the biggest upside of the top 10 starting 5s, GM Jase is right there amongst the NSL elite. Embiid, a unicorn, Harden (the NSL goat) and two young stars on the rise, Daniels and Wagner, makes this starting 5 one not to mess with. They have a terrific blend of scoring, size, and lock down defence that will make matching up with them near on impossible. The only thing stopping this team is the health of Joel Embiid and Porzingis who have become fragile in recent years. After retaining Harden and Franz, they will probably need a backup big for insurance and maybe a bench scorer. It’s a great looking roster that challenge the Lakers for the West and beyond.  

 

5.      Charlotte Hornets

C- Bam Adebayo
PF- Pascal Siakam
SF- Kelly Oubre
SG- R.J. Barrett
PG- Ja Morant

GM Craig has been subtly ascending since arriving in Charlotte and his roster is one to be taken seriously. Led by one of the very best and glitchiest point guards in Ja Morant, the Hornets will be a must-watch to start this season. A recent trade sending out Karl-Anthony Towns for Bam Adebayo has NSL fans intrigued to see what this new ‘small-ball’ brand will look like in a game that has traditionally been dominated by glitch and size. There is rumour that stretch 5s are back as is the pick and roll. With Bam and Pascal, GM Craig has two of the absolute elite for Ja to hit up as they cut to the basket. Barrett being there is a cherry on top. With a nearly complete roster and the first apron to navigate, one would think they only need a scoring guard or starting calibre SF to reach completion of this intriguing build.

 

6.      San Antonio Spurs

C- Rudy Gobert
PF- Wendell Carter Jr
SF- Giannis Antetokounpo
SG- Bogdan Bogdanovic
PG- Jamal Murray

GM Nels always follows a formula and in most previous engines it has proven to be successful. Get the ball in Giannis’s hands and defend at every other position. The starting five the Spurs have assembled is really big, with Giannis (7 foot), WCJ (6”10) and Gobert (7”1). They can defend almost everywhere except but will need to find a little help on the perimeter. Jamal will be the engine in the half court and Giannis will run the floor all day at the SF/PF position. Bogdanovic feels more like a 6^th man, however at this point he’s a tentative lock to start. If the Spurs can find a SG that can hold his own on the perimeter, this team should be hard to beat with their size and length.

 

7.      Cleveland Cavaliers

C- Andre Drummond
PF- Julius Randle
SF- Scottie Barnes
SG- Alex Caruso
PG- Stephen Curry

7^th feels low for a team that could’ve won the title last season. GM Shams has been quiet since acquiring Steph Curry in a blockbuster trade. He now has a 1A superstar and a defensive build around him with size and secondary scoring. Okongwu is on the way out by trade which will get him more depth and defence backing up his star-studded starting 5. If Drummond still offers the right amount of offensive boards and glitch, the Cavaliers will be one of the teams to beat this year. If Scottie can make the leap they could be the very best starting 5 in the competition. They definitely can win the title.

 

8.      Indiana Pacers

C- Chet Holmgren
PF- Rui Hachimura
SF- Zaccharie Rishacher
SG- Mikal Bridges
PG- Cade Cunningham

Sitting one below Shams, GM Yeet’s squad looks poised for a big season. They’re young and on the up and have an incredibly enviable starting 5. Rui Hachimura is probably the outlier while the other four boast win-now ability and potential to be at the top end of the best in the game. Cunningham is a 1A in Detroit, Bridges at SG is a glitch and Chet is a star in the making. Yeet just needs Chet to get PF eligibility to bring it all together so Kessler can start. If this was the case, I probably move this team up 3-4 spots in this ranking. Outside of their GMs antics, it’s easy to love the Pacers, but fans will be wondering if it will all come together with finances and positional eligibility getting in the way?

 

9.      OKC Thunder

C- Deandre Ayton
PF- Deni Avdija
SF- Anthony Edwards
SG- Anfernee Simons/ Quintin Grimes
PG- DeAaron Fox

The new guy Cake Bandito landed gracefully in the NSL, securing a blockbuster deal for last year’s all-star Stephen Curry with the aforementioned Cleveland Cavs. DeAaron Fox and Deni Avdija came back in the deal that was largely applauded by the NSL pundits. Bandito will wait for Fox at the beginning of the season and upon his return will have a turbocharged team that can out-speed the fastest in the NSL. Ant-Man will be the engine while the rest of the 5 will take turns to impact the game. Cake Bandito will probably use Simons off the bench as he is the reigning 6MOTY but will have options to begin the season with the gunner at the PG position (a nice luxury to have). Not much is needed here to be at the top of the West.

 

10. Philadelphia 76ers

C- Steven Adams
PF- Draymond Green
SF- Jimmy Butler
SG- Demar DeRozan
PG- Dejounte Murray

Rounding out the top 10 is GM Nenjamin and his vetted squad, the 76ers. This OG GM has steadily figured out the game, realising the importance of quality veterans with badges that win games. This starting 5 is one of the most credentialed in the NSL. Jimmy is the centre piece, while Demar will play 2IC in what is sure to be a super fun team to watch. Adams and Draymond will terrorise the opponents in the paint and will form the punchiest frontcourt in NSL. Adams was arguably the 2^nd glitchiest big man in the last engine, so it will be fascinating to see his impact in this year’s version. Teams like these usually win a lot in NSL-land and though they’re old they still have time on their side to win it all. Watch out if they add a high-profile FA.