Ranking the best NBA starting 5s for next season: Where do the LeBron 76ers fall?

LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers sent shockwaves across the NBA. It still feels fake. Every time I type the words "Sixers" and "LeBron James," it's as if my consciousness briefly lapses and I am subsumed by the most glorious dream. It's such a fun roster, and LeBron deserves credit for potentially finishing his career in an unknown environment where he will face intense scrutiny — from both members of the media and fans.

The Sixers' new-look lineup is brimming with talent, but is it the best starting five in the NBA? We must account not only for talent, but fit and continuity as well. There is no shortage of teams hoping to compete for a championship this season. Here are the 10 best starting lineups, ranked.

Honorable mentions: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets

10. Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers' offseason has turned into a cruel joke after LeBron James spurned his hometown team. Cleveland still has moves up its sleeve potentially, with Jonathan Kuminga on the radar after signing Mario Hezonja, which was the immediate post-LeBron pivot. The roster will more or less be the same as last year, however, without Dean Wade.

Still, the Cavs were in the Eastern Conference Finals. This is a very good team, one built for sustained success in the regular season. Say what you will about James Harden's postseason résumé, but he's still a major floor-raiser. His ability to set up teammates and keep a steady hand on the offensive controls is invaluable.

Donovan Mitchell is a violent slasher and one of the best small guards in the NBA. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, for all their warts as a duo, provide an incredible defensive foundation, with Mobley still threatening to expand his offensive contributions. Jaylon Tyson broke out in year two. He provides valuable connective tissue as a dribble-pass-shoot wing.

9. Boston Celtics

Boston was put through the media wringer after the Jaylen Brown trade, but the Celtics are one of the more dependable regular season machines in basketball. After winning 56 games mostly without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics will swap out a healthy Brown for a healthy Tatum, while also adding Paul George to the fold.

The Celtics are going to defend, with Neemias Queta anchoring the back line. Tatum, George and White are all phenomenal on the perimeter; George's defense on Brown and Tatum was essential to Philadelphia dethroning Boston in the first round.

Offensively, Joe Mazzulla will have this team jacking 3s and playing a fast, free-wheeling style. Losing Brown's consistent rim pressure hurts, but Tatum is a more refined, well-rounded primary engine, while George (when healthy) is still a potent off-ball scorer. White is better than last year's shooting numbers suggest, while Sam Hauser is straight-up one of the most proficient 3-point gunners in the NBA. If the Celtics decide to start Payton Pritchard instead, the offense only gains more firepower.

8. Toronto Raptors

Let's assume, for now, that the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through without a hiccup. Toronto immediately becomes one of the most compelling teams in the Eastern Conference, with a real chance to upset the established order — not unlike Leonard and the Raptors seven years ago.

Leonard's health will always be a huge question mark, but he's coming off of his best individual season to date. Even at 35, he's every bit the Terminator-esque assassin he was in his prime. The surgical mid-range game, the versatility and anticipation skills on defense. Leonard just checks all the boxes you could ask for from a superstar wing.

Toronto is going to maul opponents on defense. Leonard is still very much engaged on that end of the floor, but Scottie Barnes has the youthful exuberence and Doc Ock wingspan to win a DPOY award one day. He's also a prolific transition playmaker on the wing, with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett there to fill in the gaps with shot-making, positional size. The Raptors should probably start Collin Murray-Boyles at the five, but even an aging Jakob Poeltl should find new life as the defensive backbone of a team like this.

7. Indiana Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton has been through hell and back in the last year, recovering from both a torn Achilles and shingles. Is he the same Haliburton we saw almost lead Indiana to the championship in 2025? The answer to that question will determine whether the Pacers are ranked too high or too low. Even with the uncertainty, however, Indy deserves recognition. In all the conversations about the new world order in the East, the Pacers are far too often ignored.

Haliburton is such a unique star, with a skill set oriented around his ability to elevate teammates. He's a quick-thinking facilitator who does not need to dribble the air out of the rock to dominate from the point guard position. He jump starts the offense in transition. He can deliver passes anywhere on the floor, from any angle. As he proved the season before last, he's also a bonkers 3-point shooter with a massive clutch gene.

Pascal Siakam is getting older, but he's still such a dynamic downhill weapon at the four spot. The Ivica Zubac trade aged poorly when Los Angeles claimed the No. 5 overall pick in a deep draft, but Zubac is an elite drop coverage rim protector whose screen-setting and rim-finishing should prove valuable to a fully healthy Pacers squad. Andrew Nembhard is one of the most underrated defenders and playmakers in the sport. Aaron Nesmith is still an awesome 3-and-D wing. Indy is the full package on paper.

6. Denver Nuggets

This past season was a slog at times for Denver, culminating in a first-round loss to Minnesota in which the Nuggets were out-worked at every turn. Still, it's hard to drop a lineup featuring Nikola Jokić too far. He is the NBA's greatest offensive centerpiece — a true basketball genius who exploits an opponent's every lapse.

The two-man dance between Jokić and Jamal Murray isn't going anywhere. When healthy, Aaron Gordon is a difference-maker with his defensive playmaking, spot-up shooting and savvy off-ball cutting. Cam Johnson went through a down year, but he's still a polished floor-spacer and finisher on the wing. Christian Braun, for all of last season's turbulence, probably evens out a bit this time around. He can still defend, cut and connect.

Peyton Watson's free agency is a wild card. If the Nuggets find a way to pay him — and stretch deep into the second apron to do so — one has to assume he takes over a starting spot full-time. Watson was extremely efficient on corner 3s last season, with upside as a slasher that Denver could tap into as it searches for new wrinkles in what is, at times, too familiar a formula.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota has felt so close to a breakthrough in recent years, but OKC and San Antonio loom ever large in the West. Still, the Wolves' took Denver's lunch money in the conference semis and enter the new season with LaMelo Ball as their long-awaited star point guard.

There will be some growing pains as LaMelo adjusts to his new environment, but Charlotte was one of the most explosive offensive teams in the NBA last season. That started and ended with Ball. Health is always a question mark with LaMelo, and he's prone to some maddening decisions. At the end of the day, though, he's a brilliant facilitator who promotes a free-flowing tempo and constant ball movement. He should help ease the burden on Anthony Edwards and find Minnesota's superstar wing in more favorable positions to attack.

Minnesota's power forward situation remains unresolved after the Julius Randle trade, but playing three-guard lineups with Ayo Dosunmu should work. The Wolves need someone to stick on elite guards at the point of attack defensively, which is not LaMelo's strong suit. Dosunmu adds helpful variance on offense as another ball-handler and shooter. Jaden McDaniels is still on the upswing with his all-world defense on the wing, while Rudy Gobert remains a top-shelf rim protector, despite his beleagured repution.

4. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are probably championship favorites coming into the season, so don't read this as disrespect. Victor Wembanyama is a destroyer of worlds and the single greatest defender in modern NBA history. His mere presence warps the geometry of the floor beyond recognition. The extent to which opponents change their game plan and approach with Wemby on the floor is hilarious.

That said, San Antonio's flaws were put under the microscope in the Finals, when the Knicks dismantled them in clutch time for four of five games. The De'Aaron Fox experience was especially dire, but he's still going to start over Dylan Harper, for contract reasons if nothing else. But here's the thing: Fox really is important to this team. For all the talent Harper and Castle possess, those non-Fox lineups were brutal. Fox helps to keep a lid on turnovers and set the offense in motion. He is the Spurs' best facilitator by a country mile.

Tobias Harris will replace Julian Champagnie in the starting lineup. Is that an improvement? Harris gives the Spurs a bit more size and rebounding, which helps. But where Champagnie was a confident, quick-trigger shooter who fit right in, Harris has an annoying tendency to record-scratch and muck up the offensive process. He's ultimately a fine role player, though, and Devin Vassell is still finding new ways to contribute as a sharpshooter and connector. The Spurs will be right back in the title conversation.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

Replacing Lu Dort with Cason Wallace is a stealth upgrade. Sam Presti keeps finding creative ways to stockpile assets and backfill depth despite an unweildy cap sheet. The Thunder aren't going anywhere. It took the Spurs seven games to topple an OKC team that was nowhere close to full strength. Depth is the Thunder's real superpower, but this starting five rocks, too.

It starts with the two-time reigning MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He's the most prolific slasher in the NBA — a walking paint touch with counters on counters as defenses attempt to stifle his on-ball creativity. There isn't a bad defender on the floor here. SGA is the weak link and he has received All-Defense votes in the past. Wallace needs to figure it out offensively after a down year, but he might be the best guard stopper in the league.

Hopefully Jalen Williams is back to full strength next season. It feels like the broader NBA fandom has forgotten how good he is, able to attack mismatches with strength or finesse. Few wings check so many boxes as a playmaker, three-level scorer and defender. The Chet Holmgren experience soured against San Antonio, but he's still a perennial DPOY runner-up to Wemby at this point. Isaiah Hartenstein's rim protection, screen-setting and connective passing makes everything hum. OKC is a tank.

2. New York Knicks

The Knicks just completed one of the most dominant postseason runs in NBA history, a pure miracle stretch for a team that was shrouded in Karl-Anthony Towns trade chatter mere months before everything clicked. There's a credible argument for New York at No. 1; the Knicks earned it, forged in fire style. Few teams have stepped up to meet the moment in May and June quite like these Knicks.

The primary challenge of New York's title defense will be sustaining its depth. The Mitchell Robinson loss hurts. This starting lineup is nails, though. Jalen Brunson put all the small guard skepticism to rest in the playoffs. His brute strength and creativity is a one of one combination. Brunson can take bumps, initiate contact and worm his way through the teeth of a defense like none other.

Karl-Anthony Towns completed his championship evolution in those final weeks. He made the necessary sacrifices and became an invaluable playmaking hub at the five. Still, his shooting at the five spot is a nuclear weapon. OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart are basically a Seal Team on defense. Coordinated, physical, precise. Very few matchups can crack the Knicks' defense, which is impressive considering how vulnerable Brunson still is in a vacuum.

1. Philadelphia 76ers

There's a strong case for putting Philadelphia further down in these rankings until we see how it all meshes on the court. There certainly are a lot of cooks in the kitchen. All five members of the Sixers' new supergroup will need to sacrifice on some level. There will no doubt be a prolonged adjustment period early in the campaign. And yet, it's hard not to look at Philly's lineup on paper and not do the awooga meme.

Defense is the big question mark. This team is going to blitz opponents offensively, with or without Joel Embiid. Embiid's health is another major factor, of course. He is still, really, the best individual player on the floor when he's right. But he hasn't been right for more than 20-30 games in a while.

The Sixers have four of the 20 best transition scorers in the NBA in Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe and LeBron. Philly will live in the open court. In the halfcourt, Brown can pressure the rim and carry the offense through clutch time as an iso scorer. Maxey is one of the most dynamic off-the-catch weapons in basketball. Edgecombe can hit spot-up 3s, score on backdoor cuts and provide valuable connective tissue in a scaled-down role. LeBron, even at 41, is a basketball supercomputer who can process the floor, set the table, and make sure every piece is in the right place.

Embiid will probably need to change his play style the most, but he still demands constant double teams in the post. He can space the floor and let Philly play five-out with a bunch of dangerous attackers. The offense can flow through him at the elbow. If Philadelphia can muster the necessary health and defensive buy-in, there's no reason the Sixers can't buck historic trends and win it all in year one as a "superteam."

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