Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking their starting lineup among NBA’s best
By Dillon Graff
Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks among league’s best starting fives — No. 4: Utah Jazz
- Mike Conley
- Donovan Mitchell
- Royce O’Neale or Joe Ingles
- Bojan Bogdanovic
- Rudy Gobert
There may be sexier starting lineups in the NBA as far as name-value is concerned with names like the Bucks and Suns, but this Utah Jazz starting five is as in sync as you’ll find in all of the league.
Donovan Mitchell is a DUDE and has become one of the league’s best and most consistent scorers. The “Stifle Tower” down low is a nightmare to go against on defense and with a true point guard like Mike Conley they’ve constructed a group of the perfect compliments to surround them.
Last year the Jazz registered the league’s fourth-best offensive rating (116.5) and the third-best defensive rating (107.5). Overall, this team is consistent and has an identity on both ends of the floor. This is a team that has managed to fly under the radar despite being one of the league’s best teams. Despite the lack of fanfare, I have to tip my cap to this group.
Ranking the Milwaukee Bucks among league’s best starting fives — No. 3: Los Angeles Lakers
- Russell Westbrook
- Wayne Ellington or Talen Horton-Tucker
- Kent Bazemore
- LeBron James
- Anthony Davis
Few teams made as much noise this off-season as the LA Lakers. Russell Westbrook was acquired via trade with the Washington Wizards, giving them another game-changer in the starting lineup. How Westbrook will mesh with the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis is anyone’s guess at this point, but it sure looks good on paper.
The Lakers have the second-best odds of winning the title as of right now due to their offseason makeover, but only time will tell how this group fits together. It’s a veteran team with a lot of moveable pieces, so it’s hard to say for certain what the starting lineup will look like – but they look like they’ll be damn good on the offensive end.
Assuming they stay healthy, James and Davis are one of the best one-two punches in the league – if Westbrook finds a way to play alongside the superstar duo the Lakers are going to be a tough team to beat.