Portland Trail Blazers: Ranking projected starting lineups in the NBA part 1

Uninspiring: The bottom-10 starting lineups in the NBA

25. Toronto Raptors

Projected starting lineup:

G – Fred VanVleet

G – Gary Trent Jr.

F – OG Anunoby

F – Pascal Siakam

C – Chris Boucher

It’s hard not to like what the Toronto Raptors have built following the Kawhi Leonard-era (and by era I mean one season).

Now that Kyle Lowry has been moved to the Miami Heat, Toronto is all-in on their promising young guys and they have a lot of them. The problem is that this squad is chockfull of great number three options. Any of their starting five, aside from maybe Chris Boucher, could suitably serve as the third best guy on a championship team.

Toronto just needs one of them to become a number one option, or find one elsewhere.

24. Sacramento Kings

Projected starting lineup:

G – De’Aaron Fox

G – Buddy Hield

F – Harrison Barnes

F – Marvin Bagley III

C – Richaun Holmes

The Sacramento Kings will likely return the starting lineup from last season that won a total of 31 games in 2020-2021.

They did add some firepower to their bench in the form of rookie Davion Mitchell. Perhaps he or Tyrese Haliburton can play well enough to finally convince the Kings brass to trade Buddy Hield out of Sacramento. No matter which direction they head in next, it’s clear that this team needs a new path.

23. Chicago Bulls

Projected starting lineup:

G – Lonzo Ball

G – Zach LaVine

F – DeMar DeRozan

F – Patrick Williams

C – Nikola Vucevic

The NBA has a wealthier depth of talent than ever, and the Chicago Bulls are both a shining example and victim of this gluttony.

If you transplanted this starting five to say, 2011, this team would be competing for homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference and would maybe even be a dark horse contender for the title. Instead, in today’s league, the Bulls will most likely be battling for a play-in spot.

Adding Lonzo Ball’s wizardry with the basketball to this team full of gunners should make for some explosives on the offensive end of the court. The question is, do they have the defensive grit to get enough stops to win games?

22. Washington Wizards

Projected starting lineup:

G – Spencer Dinwiddie

G – Bradley Beal

F – Kyle Kuzma

F – Rui Hachimura

C – Daniel Gafford

This Washington Wizards iteration is going to be plenty of fun to watch. Bradley Beal is basically surrounded with an all-new roster aside from a few holdovers.

Both Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma will get a bigger share of touches in DC than in their previous stops, and the league should be excited to see what they can do with them.

This five has a balanced blend of offense and defense, shooters and slashers, and experience and youth. This Wizards team should make for a fun League Pass regular and be a surprise contender for a guaranteed playoff spot.

21. Cleveland Cavaliers

Projected starting lineup:

G – Darius Garland

G – Collin Sexton

F – Isaac Okoro

F – Kevin Love/Evan Mobley

C – Jarrett Allen

The Cleveland Cavaliers went from the remnants of the LeBron James-era to strong, budding rebuild quicker than most fans expected.

The SexLand backcourt might never be a championship caliber pairing, but they fit together better than most people believe. Until Collin Sexton is moved, fans around the league should enjoy watching this young duo barrage defenses while they can.

Whether Kevin Love is starting or Evan Mobley is given the nod, this team has plenty enough talent to compete for a guaranteed playoff spot.