Ranking the NBA’s Top Five Bench Units
Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports
Many important components make up a championship roster: defense, spacing, star power, coaching, et cetera. But as the Boston Celtics learned in this year’s NBA Finals, winning a title is nearly impossible without a good bench. The Warriors bench stepped up: Jordan Poole, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., and others all contributed quality minutes throughout the season. In this article, I’ll be counting down the five best benches in the NBA. I’m looking at pure talent, production, and versatility: health will not be a factor in these rankings.
Honorable Mention: Cleveland Cavaliers
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Notable Players: Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen, Isaac Okoro, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Ed Davis, Cedi Osman
The Cavaliers are one of the Eastern Conference’s ascending young teams. While their starting roster features a lot of youth, their bench is full of grizzled veterans like Love and Rondo. The Cavs can use their bench pieces to put out a variety of interesting lineups around their star players. Love, Markkanen, and Okoro can all play multiple positions and fit nicely next to Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Unfortunately, they don’t make this list because Love’s best days are behind him, and they don’t quite have the star power of teams in the top five.
#5: Philadelphia 76ers
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Notable Players: Matisse Thybulle, DeAnthony Melton, Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House, Paul Reed, Georges Niang, Paul Millsap
While the Sixers also lack a household name on their bench, they’ve got scoring, spacing, defense, and rebounding. Players like Milton, Korkmaz, Thybulle, and Reed fill their roles extraordinarily well. But the main reason I put them fifth on this list is depth. Many players on this bench are good enough to be a big part of the rotation, and thanks to the additions of Melton and House, this unit will be quite competitive.
#4: Phoenix Suns
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Notable Players: Cameron Johnson, Landry Shamet, Bismack Biyombo, Cameron Payne, Elfrid Payton, Josh Okogie, Torrey Craig
This Suns bench has a championship pedigree. Making the NBA Finals is an incredible feat, and even though they came up short in 2021, four contributors on the bench alone have stuck around to assist this year’s unit. Additionally, Phoenix has since added a sharpshooter in Shamet, another decent point guard in Payton, and a high-quality, high-effort center in Biyombo. The lineup of Payne, Shamet, Craig, Johnson, and Biyombo could make some noise in the Western Conference if they were all forced to start. Having those guys come off the bench is a huge asset for the Suns.
#3: Boston Celtics
JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF
Notable Players: Malcolm Brogdon, Danilo Gallinari, Grant Williams, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard
Boston has been in the news often this offseason for various reasons, some of them including Kevin Durant. But after a Finals loss where their bench was incredibly underwhelming offensively, the Celtics needed to be aggressive in upgrading the unit. And aggressive they were, trading their first-round pick and other pieces for Malcolm Brogdon while signing Gallinari to a mid-level exception contract. Those two players boost Boston into the top three of this list.
The defense is absolutely outstanding, with Brogdon joining standout defenders Williams and White. The shot creation and efficiency took a massive jump by adding two seasoned scorers. Gallinari’s offense is his bread and butter, with enough size that lets him shoot over most defenders. Brogdon is careful with the ball, can be a facilitator or play a complementary scoring role, and he’s an efficient shooter. This unit will be difficult to stop next season, especially playing alongside Boston’s star-studded starters.
#2: Miami Heat
Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Notable Players: Tyler Herro, Gabe Vincent, Dewayne Dedmon, Victor Oladipo, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, Markeiff Morris
The Heat currently employ the Sixth Man of the Year, which certainly helps, but Herro is far from the only quality member of this bench. Vincent, Dedmon, and Oladipo each contributed quality performances throughout the season and playoffs. Morris is an established veteran with grit and an “f*** you attitude” that makes Miami physically tough and imposing. And Jovic, a rookie, is a fascinating point forward who could very well break into the rotation once he acclimates to the NBA. The level of talent on this bench is simply undeniable.
#1: Los Angeles Clippers
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Notable Players: Norman Powell, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Terance Mann, Luke Kennard, Rodney Hood
The Clippers are a fascinating team. They sold the farm for Paul George and lured Kawhi Leonard away from Toronto, where he won a championship. Both George and Leonard missed extensive time this year, with George playing 31 games and Leonard playing zero. And somehow, this team went 42-40 and made the play-in tournament. They played three-and-D basketball and salvaged what could have been a lost season, largely thanks to contributions from Powell and Jackson.
So when the Clippers brought back Leonard and signed John Wall in free agency, Powell and Jackson joined a supercharged bench unit. This team has fight in them, and adding legitimate star power makes them a fierce opponent. If I were to consider injury risk for this list, who knows where the Clippers might have landed? But if everyone’s healthy, I think this is the best bench in the NBA.