Projecting the five best NBA lineups for the 2023-24 season

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams

The Memphis Grizzlies will have to wait 25 games to get Ja Morant back in the fold, but once he comes back, they should have one of the most devastating five-man lineups in the league. Last season, with Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Steven Adams on the court, they produced a net rating of plus-10.5, an offensive rating of 117.3, and a defensive rating of 106.7 while shooting 30.6 percent from 3 and 50.3 percent from 2. With less rotten luck from 3-point range and swapping Brooks for Marcus Smart, the Grizzlies' five best will be a bear of a lineup. 

Going from Dillon Brooks to Marcus Smart is a substantial upgrade. Smart and Brooks are both excellent perimeter defenders, but Smart is a significantly better offensive option. He brings legitimate value as a playmaker, an area where Brooks struggles, and his shot selection will be a breath of fresh air. Towards the end of Brooks’ Memphis tenure, his biggest issue was his willingness to take bad shots in the midrange. Smart hasn’t been a better shooter than Brooks throughout his career. He just doesn’t take nearly as many shots and instead leans into the things he actually does well. 

The only concern for the Grizzlies won’t be how effective these five can be but how many minutes can they play together. Morant will miss the first 25 games with a suspension and has sneakily been injury prone, Jackson has been more durable of late but has injury concerns of his own, and Adams missed half of the season and all of playoffs with a knee injury. Having an incredible net rating is great, but how many actual possessions you play is more important. This unit may take a little while to get going but come mid-season, this should be one of the five best lineups in the NBA.