Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press
Brooklyn Nets: Rodions Kurucs
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has expended ample brainpower trying to establish effective continuity within the starting lineup. He still hasn’t found it.
Brooklyn’s latest iteration—Jarrett Allen, DeMarre Carroll, Joe Harris, Rodions Kurucs and D’Angelo Russell—is minus-9.8 points per 100 possessions since earning the title. Kurucs isn’t the driving force behind its issues, but he’s a rookie logging limited minutes who has seen his shooting percentages plummet over the past few weeks.
Bringing both Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert off the bench is a great way to maximize depth, but rotations tend to shrink during the postseason. Expect the Nets’ starting five to undergo more change if and when they clinch a playoff appearance.
Detroit Pistons: Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown is pivotal to the Pistons’ defensive structure. Detroit doesn’t get away with playing Wayne Ellington and Reggie Jackson together so easily without him drawing the toughest backcourt assignment.
But the Pistons’ defensive model has more to do with a stellar shot profile. They’ve done a nice job limiting looks at the rim and coaxing offenses off the three-point line. That approach doesn’t rely on any one player.
Brown’s shooting is tougher to reconcile even when Ellington, Jackson and a healthy Blake Griffin are splashing threes. He’s making just 26.3 percent of his threes since the All-Star break and still struggling to finish around the rim.
The Pistons are smart not to overcompensate with a major change—for now. When the playoffs roll around, they may want to experiment with Luke Kennard in place of Brown. That lineup has torched opponents by 41.5 points per 100 possessions in 53 minutes of court time.
Miami Heat: Dion Waiters
Taking stock of the Heat’s starting five is difficult. Injuries have warped their lineup choices, and head coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t above making changes.
The big question: Will Goran Dragic return to the bench once Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow are ready to rock, or might Miami move Dion Waiters to the second unit?
If Dwyane Wade‘s comments are any indication, the Heat won’t want to break up the chemistry they have going among the backups. As he said, per the Miami Herald‘s Anthony Chiang:
“You come off the bench with this team, it’s fun. We got starters coming off the bench. It’s no major drop off. It’s not even like you’re starting or coming off the bench because you’re not playing with bench players. …Goran and H[assan Whiteside] and everyone who is coming off the bench right now, guys are just doing whatever needs to be done. Our goal is to get in the playoffs. When you get afraid and it’s not looking good and you may not make it, you’re willing to do anything.”
For our purposes, we’ll assume the Heat default to Richardson, Waiters, Winslow, Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk at full strength. Waiters has to be our choice. His highs can be absurdly high, but his lows are untenably low—especially in crunch time.
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