NBA Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images
The 2021-22 NBA season is quickly approaching, with teams reporting for Training Camp this week and preseason games starting soon. While there are a few unresolved trade rumors, for the most part, the offseason activities are done and team rosters are set.
Training camp will bring some competition for the last spot or two on each roster, but those players likely aren’t in contention for starting. Injuries could also strike and force a change, but as things stand right now, we can be fairly certain of which players are available to start.
With the NBA Draft and free agency coming to a close, it’s time to look ahead to the coming season and predicting the starting lineup for every team in the league.
Who will each team start next season? Let’s go team-by-team and make some predictions. First, some ground rules. We are going to assume injured players are back healthy for the start of the season unless we know that they are not. Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray are not projected as starters, but Zion Williamson and Pascal Siakam are. It’s possible Williamson and Siakam are not available to start the year, but hopefully, they will be or be back soon. Jonathan Isaac, Markelle Fultz and Klay Thompson are among those temporarily replaced in our projections.
With all apologies to those fan bases that are positive they have insider knowledge that we do not, this is our best prediction for the starting lineup of all 30 NBA teams. Going in alphabetical order, we begin with a team that is flying high (pun intended) after a run to the Conference Finals last year.
never plays another minute for the organization</a> ever again. Reflecting that, we’re pulling him from the expected starting lineup here. If things are somehow patched up and he suits back up, Matisse Thybulle would drop to the bench and Danny Green and Tobias Harris would shift up a position.</p>
<p>Both Green and Harris are virtual locks to start, with Harris the team’s second fiddle as a shot creator and Green the consummate 3-and-D wing. Joel Embiid of course will start at center, leading the team in shots, blocked shots and funny quotes.</p>
<p>Seth Curry is a great bet to start a point guard, as his shooting is very important for the team. It’s possible the team wants to get Tyrese Maxey on the court more, and instead move Curry to the bench. They could also start both Curry and Maxey, although the defensive limitations would be stark.</p>
<p>Finally, Matisse Thybulle is the most likely candidate to replace Simmons in the starting lineup. He is such an impact defender that the team will want to get him more minutes this year and hope his shooting comes around. Another option to get more size on the court is to start Paul Reed instead of Simmons, a second-year player who dominated the G League last season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Phoenix Suns </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: Phoenix Suns</h2>
<p><strong>PG: Chris Paul</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: Devin Booker</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: Mikal Bridges</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Jae Crowder</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: DeAndre Ayton</strong></p>
<p>No starting lineup in the entire league is as much of a lock as this one. The Phoenix Suns leaned into this specific starting lineup all of last season, including 20 games in the playoffs en route to the NBA Finals. With Chris Paul signing a new three-year contract to return, we should see this grouping every time they are all healthy.</p>
<p>Paul leads the way at point guard, and even at 36 is playing at a high level. He and Devin Booker together formed the league’s best backcourt last year, with Booker taking yet another step forward and showing in the postseason what a truly special offensive player he is.</p>
<p>Mikal Bridges and DeAndre Ayton are locks to start at their respective positions. Both are also up for contract extensions as they enter their fourth seasons or will hit restricted free agency next summer.</p>
<p>Finally, Jae Crowder is a perfect example of a 3-and-D player himself, although with more ups-and-downs than Bridges. He is unafraid to absolutely bomb away from the 4. If he starts to fall off to any extent, he has the most ready-made replacement on the roster in Cameron Johnson.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Portland Trail Blazers </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: Portland Trail Blazers</h2>
<p><strong>PG: Damian Lillard</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: CJ McCollum</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: Norman Powell</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Robert Covington</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: Jusuf Nurkic</strong></p>
<p>The Portland Trail Blazers are another team with a fair amount of uncertainty hanging over their heads, but Damian Lillard has so far only hinted through the media that he might consider asking for a trade, which is far from the same thing as Ben Simmons’ burn-the-forest-down approach.</p>
<p>He is written in as the starter here, then, as he looks set to play out at least part of the season. He is joined as always by CJ McCollum, and the two will try again to prove that having two small guards isn’t an immediate recipe for playoff failure.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, they’ll probably start a nominal 2-guard at the 3 in Norman Powell, inked to a brand-new contract. If the team trades either Lillard or McCollum he would slide naturally to the 2, but for now, they want to get their three best offensive players on the court at one time, which means Powell starts.</p>
<p>Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic are both solid defenders to pair in the frontcourt, with Covington one of the league’s better help defenders and Nurkic an underrated rim protector. Both have much better backups in tow this year, with Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller now in Portland, but that shouldn’t mean much risk of losing their starting jobs.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Sacramento Kings </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-430611" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1315953830.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1315953830.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1315953830-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: Sacramento Kings</h2>
<p><strong>PG: De’Aaron Fox</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: Tyrese Haliburton</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: Buddy Hield</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Harrison Barnes</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: Richaun Holmes</strong></p>
<p>We’ll start from the outside-in with the Kings, as things get interesting towards the middle of the lineup. De’Aaron Fox will be pushing for an All-Star berth as he continues to grow into a top point guard despite his surroundings. Richaun Holmes came back on a very team-friendly deal and will start at center.</p>
<p>That’s where the certainty ends. Buddy Hield has historically started for the Kings, and we have him tabbed to start again. Yet the emergence of Tyrese Haliburton as a two-way difference-maker makes it difficult to start Hield over him. If the Kings want to play larger with Maurice Harkless or Marvin Bagley III at the 4, then either Hield or Haliburton will have to sit.</p>
<p>This grouping is probably the easiest way to get this team’s best five players on the court, with Harrison Barnes at the 4. The former Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks player has shed the shackles of fan disappointment and become a really solid two-way forward, and he is a lock to start at either the 3 or the 4.</p>
<p>A dark horse candidate to force his way into the starting lineup is Davion Mitchell, the team’s first-round pick this summer. His intense defense and shot upside would inject some much-needed intensity into the lineup, and if the Kings want to improve their 30th-ranked defense that’s one way to help do it.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> San Antonio Spurs </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-434511" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1065,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1314834888.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1065" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1314834888.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1314834888-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: San Antonio Spurs</h2>
<p><strong>PG: Dejounte Murray</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: Derrick White</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: Doug McDermott</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Keldon Johnson</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: Jakob Poeltl</strong></p>
<p>The San Antonio Spurs took the plunge and embraced the rebuild this offseason, executing a lucrative sign-and-trade to send out DeMar DeRozan and letting Patty Mills and Rudy Gay walk. Now the question becomes: who do they start for the next chapter of Spurs basketball?</p>
<p>Dejounte Murray seems a sure bet to start at the 1, one of the league’s best defensive guards who can change an entire game by stealing the ball again and again. Derrick White is currently slotted beside him, a player with tantalizing upside that floats just out of reach. White could find himself running the bench offense, and either Devin Vassel or Lonnie Walker starting instead.</p>
<p>Keldon Johnson is another lock as the next in a long line of late first-round picks that San Antonio has turned into NBA starters. He gained valuable experience with the Team USA Olympic team and could take a major step forward this year. Jakob Poetl is almost certainly the starter at center, one of the league’s absolute best rim protectors.</p>
<p>Who to start at small forward? Doug McDermott is perhaps the early front-runner, a clear free-agent target on a new deal. His spacing will help open up things around Murray. If Gregg Popovich really wants to get Vassel on the court he could plug them in at the 3. Conversely, if he wants more size by starting Thaddeus Young at the 4, then Johnson could slide up to the 3. Plenty of lineup versatility for Pop.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Toronto Raptors </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-434510" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1188,w_1600/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1320389309.jpeg" alt="NBA" width="1600" height="1188" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1320389309.jpeg 1600w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1320389309-768x570.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">NBA Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: Toronto Raptors</h2>
<p><strong>PG: Fred VanVleet</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: Gary Trent Jr.</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: OG Anunoby</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Pascal Siakam</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: Khem Birch</strong></p>
<p>For the first time since 2012, the Toronto Raptors can not count on Kyle Lowry to start at point guard. Thankfully they can look to another longtime Raptors guard in Fred VanVleet to take up the mantle, although with a little more shot-hunting and a little less playmaking.</p>
<p>The forward positions are likewise set, with OG Anunoby an All-Defensive Team candidate and a burgeoning offensive weapon, and Pascal Siakam the leader of this team as a spinning, attacking, relentless point forward.</p>
<p>Gary Trent Jr. is a reasonable choice to start at the 2, on a new contract after being traded from Portland. He is a good defender, as is VanVleet, which would help seal up any holes defensively for opponents to attack. If not Trent, the Raptors will probably slide VanVleet back to the 2 and start either veteran guard Goran Dragic, or Malachi Flynn as the point guard of the future.</p>
<p>There is a small chance the team decides to get rookie Scottie Barnes into the mix right away, playing Anunoby as a huge shooting guard to get all three big forwards on the court. They don’t need Barnes to start to play significant minutes, but the team might want to see whether that trio is viable on the court together.</p>
<p>The final decision comes at center. The Raptors won the title with two excellent centers in rotation, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. Since they have largely had a hole at the position, with Chris Boucher excellent in short bursts but not someone they have been comfortable trusting to start. Khem Birch was re-signed after they picked him up on the buyout market last year, and he will be the favorite to start. Precious Achiuwa could potentially play his way into the spot as well.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Utah Jazz </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Photo by GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: Utah Jazz</h2>
<p><strong>PG: Mike Conley</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: Donovan Mitchell</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: Royce O’Neal</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Bojan Bogdanovic</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: Rudy Gobert</strong></p>
<p>The Utah Jazz were historically good in the regular season a year ago but stumbled yet again in the postseason. Serious questions have to be asked about whether Rudy Gobert loses his defensive impact in the postseason, and whether this offense is dynamic enough to score against the best of opposing defenses.</p>
<p>For now, they are largely running it back, which is absolutely not a bad decision given how good they were last season. Mike Conley is back on a freshly-signed contract, coming off a truly excellent season that resulted in his first career All-Star berth. Donovan Mitchell will join him in the backcourt, hoping to take yet another step forward as an all-around leader of this team.</p>
<p>Last year’s forward combination is currently penciled in to start again, with Royce O’Neal in as this team’s only high-level wing defender. Bojan Bogdanovic is a talented scorer who can shoot from anywhere and post up smaller players. Joe Ingles has been weaponized off the bench for the Jazz, but he is capable of swapping with either O’Neal or Bogdanovic depending on the situation.</p>
<p>Rudy Gobert, finally, is a lock at center. The perennial All-Defense candidate is still the league’s best rim protector and helps a Jazz defense with plenty of perimeter holes stay afloat by sealing off the rim to all comers. In certain matchups, the Jazz did make themselves more versatile by adding Rudy Gay and Eric Paschall, who open up some small-ball lineup combinations.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/09/30/nba-predicting-every-starting-lineup/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Washington Wizards </a>
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<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">NBA Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images</p>
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<h2>Predicting the starting lineup for every NBA team: Washington Wizards</h2>
<p><strong>PG: Spencer Dinwiddie</strong></p>
<p><strong>SG: Bradley Beal</strong></p>
<p><strong>SF: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope</strong></p>
<p><strong>PF: Rui Hachimura</strong></p>
<p><strong>C: Daniel Gafford</strong></p>
<p>Bradley Beal is the starter everyone expected, but the roster around him has changed significantly. Whether to help convince Beal to stay in Washington or simply to make the team deeper in case he leaves, the Wizards managed to flip Russell Westbrook (and Westbrook’s massive contract) to the Los Angeles Lakers for a collection of players.</p>
<p>That opened the door for Spencer Dinwiddie to come in to replace Westbrook. Dinwiddie is a talented player who likely has untapped potential if he can be played in the right situation. He and Beal should support each other well.</p>
<p>The other three positions are very much up-for-grabs. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a good guess because of his defense and scoring chops, but the team could absolutely decide to play Kyle Kuzma there instead, or Deni Avdija. Corey Kispert could also get the “baptism by fire” rookie experience.</p>
<p>At power forward, Rui Hachimura is the frontrunner, but Deni Avdija could grow into the spot as early as the start of the season. Davis Bertans gives a true stretch element the other options do not and could be the best fit with the rest of the starters. Finally, the team has three center options in Montrezl Harrell, Thomas Bryant and Daniel Gafford. The last one is the best of the group so we will give him the nod, but it’s a true toss-up at this point.</p>
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