The Golden State Warriors have far and away the best starting lineup in the NBA. Following the return of DeMarcus Cousins, Golden State now has five All-Stars in a lineup that already features two MVPs.
But when healthy, which team has the second-best starting lineup in the NBA? Is it the Houston Rockets, who may again be the Warriors' biggest roadblock in the Western Conference? Is it the Toronto Raptors or Milwaukee Bucks, who are currently battling for the top spot in the Eastern Conference? Is it the Boston Celtics, who are still finding their way but certainly possess a strong starting quintet?
The answer is none of the above.
The second-best starting lineup in the NBA belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, who recently scored 149 points — including 83 in the first half and a team-record 21 3-pointers — in a 42-point win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. After four years of finishing no better than next-to-last in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers won 52 games last year and are on track to potentially surpass that number this season.
The Sixers don't have a starting lineup completely made up of All-Stars, but they do have the trio of point guard Ben Simmons, center Joel Embiid and small forward Jimmy Butler. They also have one of the most underrated shooting guards in the league, JJ Redick, as well as veteran Wilson Chandler at power forward.
Simmons is still not a good shooter, and he's certainly not a threat to step out and hit a 3. He hasn't even attempted a shot from out there this season. However, at 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, the 22-year-old is a matchup nightmare for opposing point guards.
Thus far in 2018-19, Simmons is averaging 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. Additionally, he has seven triple-doubles, second in the NBA behind only triple-double machine Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also has 83 dunks, which ranks 11th in the league and first among guards.
Another guy who likes to dunk is Embiid, who has 81 this year. But the 7-foot, 250-pounder can also knock down treys (he has 53 triples in 44 games this season). Not only that, but he's also averaging career highs in points (27.0), rebounds (13.2) and assists per game (3.6), all while shooting higher percentages from the field (49.0) and the free-throw line (80.0) than he ever has.
With that said, Embiid is also capable of playing with his back to the basket. He's one of the top shot blockers in the league as well, recording 2.0 blocks per contest. With 38 double-doubles in 2018-19, you can pretty much pencil him in for double figures in scoring and rebounding on a nightly basis.
Another integral part of the Sixers' starting lineup is Butler, who remains one of the game's premier two-way players. Acquired in a trade with Minnesota earlier this season, his numbers have dipped since he came to Philadelphia. However, he's still averaging 19.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. In addition, he's shooting higher percentages from the field (47.5), 3-point range (38.6) and the free-throw line (87.1) than he was prior to the trade.
Butler's veteran experience may be his most important asset, though, especially for a team that doesn't have much playoff experience. In his first seven seasons, Butler played in 43 playoff games, including 38 during his time with the Chicago Bulls.
Speaking of playoff experience, Redick has more than any other player on the Sixers' roster. Despite playing for four different teams, the 34-year-old sharpshooter has made the playoffs in each of his 12 NBA seasons. During that time, he has appeared in a total of 98 postseason contests, including 58 starts.
Impressively, Redick seems to get better and better with age. He's currently averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game — giving the Sixers four starters who are averaging at least 16 points a night — while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from behind the arc. He's still close to automatic at the charity stripe as well, knocking down 89.7 percent of his foul shots.
Rounding out Philadelphia's starting five is the 31-year-old Chandler. A 10-year pro, he's the weakest of the Sixers' five starters, but he has a lot of veteran know-how. He's a guy who can play both forward spots and is also capable of stretching the floor, as evidenced by his 38.0 3-point percentage.
Originally slated to come off the bench, Chandler's role changed after Philadelphia traded Dario Saric and Robert Covington in November in order to get Butler. Ever since, he has given the Sixers a key role player beside their stars and Redick. He's averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in his first year with his fourth different team.
With Simmons, Embiid, Butler, Redick and Chandler, the Sixers have the NBA's second best-starting healthy lineup behind the Warriors. That doesn't mean they will defeat Golden State in the NBA Finals or even make it out of the Eastern Conference, but it does mean they possess an incredibly talented group of starters. This group has outscored opponents by 11.8 points per 100 possessions in 264 minutes this season, per NBA.com, which is one of the best performing high-usage lineups in the league. This despite them working Butler in on the fly, and with some fit issues among their best players.
It remains to be seen how far such a group can take Philadelphia. However, the Sixers are definitely aiming to advance further than they did a year ago, when they lost to the Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after eliminating the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs.
Will the Sixers continue to “Trust The Process?” They should, because the starting lineup they have in place is capable of defeating any team in the Eastern Conference.
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