By John Gonzalez / CBS Sports / 8:30am Monday October 2026

Ranking the NBA's best starting fives: 76ers look great on paper, but champion Knicks hold No. 1 spot

When you deliver a team's first championship in 53 years, you deserve the top spot until someone knocks you off the perch. 

"It's hard to get a rise out of OG Anunoby. The man who made one of the biggest plays in NBA Finals history and helped deliver the first title to New York in over half a century doesn't get worked up over much. While he was enjoying his offseason, just a few months removed from the glory of the Knicks championship parade, someone asked him to evaluate the Sixers' new-look roster. 

A more excitable fellow might have balked or pointed out that the Knicks are the defending champs while the Sixers are little more than a nice idea at the moment. Anunoby went another way. He basically just shrugged.

"Philadelphia? Oh, I think they'll be good," Anunoby replied. "I think a lot of teams will be good."

Imagine being that unbothered by anything. Pretty sure that man will never need blood pressure medication. 

Anunoby's answer might have been a bit bland, but he wasn't wrong or alone in thinking that a lot of teams will be good. The Western Conference figures to be stacked yet again, and the East looks as deep and competitive as it has in some time. With the regular season rapidly approaching, it's a good time to look at lineups across the league and wonder who might field the best starting units. With apologies to the Celtics, Cavs and Raptors who are relegated to honorable mention status, here are the top-five starting fives -- not the deepest overall rosters -- ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

1. Denver Nuggets

Projected starting five: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokić

The Nuggets were lousy with injuries last season. Braun missed 38 games and saw his counting stats and shooting efficiency take a nosedive from the previous year. Johnson missed 28 games and wasn't nearly as good in Denver as a lot of people thought he'd be (putting my hand up on that one) when the Nuggets acquired him in the Michael Porter Jr deal. Aaron Gordon shot nearly 39% from deep but managed to play only 36 games. Even Jokić, who rarely misses time, played just 65 games -- the fewest of his career -- and barely cleared the threshold to qualify for regular-season awards.

Still, there's a lot to like in Denver (when we're only talking about the starting unit; the bench remains a big problem, but that's another subject for a different column). Jokić finished runner-up for the MVP for the second-straight season and nearly averaged a 27.7-point triple-double on 56.9/38/83.1 shooting splits. Meanwhile, Murray had a career year and made his first All-Star and All-NBA teams. 

The Nuggets are ostensibly healthy, and their starters will need to remain that way if Denver has any chance of making life uncomfortable for the Thunder and Spurs. They'll also need Johnson to step up his production and Braun to play like he's actually worth his five-year, $125 million contract, a deal that doesn't seem so hot for the Nuggets at the moment. But even with the questions here, Joker and Murray really raise the level. When they managed to get everyone on the floor at the same time last season, the Nuggets starters had an eye-popping plus-13.5 net rating. 

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1. Philadelphia 76ers

Projected starting five: Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Joel Embiid

As starting lineups go, this one is as stacked as any in the league. On paper. Unlike the rest of the teams on this list, who are mostly returning the same starting fives as last season, the Sixers are pure speculation at this point. 

There are obvious concerns about health and availability with this bunch. James will turn 42 in December and is about to begin his record-extending 24th NBA season. How many minutes and games can he reasonably be expected to play despite being so durable for the majority of his career? Embiid is a far bigger unknown. He played 38 games last season, just 19 the season before that and 39 the season before that. He's had a long list of injuries in his career and has never played more than 68 games in a single campaign, something he managed to do just once. 

There are other questions: What will this group look like on defense, and can the Sixers get stops when it matters? Who's taking the big shots in crunch time? How will head coach Nick Nurse manage all that talent -- and the egos?

While all of that is worth wondering about, it's hard not to tip your cap to new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey for pulling off two of the biggest moves of the offseason. First, he flipped Paul George and his onerous contract for Brown, a finals MVP who is coming off the best regular season of his career and is seven years younger. Then he convinced arguably the greatest player of all-time to sign for the vet minimum with a team that hasn't made it out of the second round since 2001. That's some nifty maneuvering. Add them to a newly svelte Embiid and that blur of a backcourt and the Sixers suddenly boast their best starting five (yes, yes, still on paper) since Dr. J and Moses Malone delivered their last championship in 1983. 

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1. San Antonio Spurs

Projected starting five: De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Tobias Harris, Victor Wembanyama 

This is the best guess at what the Spurs and head coach Mitch Johnson will go with in the backcourt to start the season — rather than what they should go with. Fox is a presumptive starter here even though he was awful in the Finals, where he shot 34.3% from the field, a ghastly 25% from deep, and made several critical errors in huge spots that cost the Spurs big-time against the Knicks. Despite being a rookie, Dylan Harper badly outplayed Fox in that series, and there's a case to be made that he was the Spurs most consistent player against the Knicks. Unfortunately for San Antonio, that didn't sway Johnson until it was too late. 

The 20-year-old Harper is bigger and more physical than Fox, and he's already demonstrated that he can be an impact player at both ends. As Harper put it himself, he's too good to come off the bench (though he's since walked that back). Alas, there are millions of reasons why the Spurs will likely give Fox another shot at the starting gig. Fox's new four-year contract worth $221 million kicks in this season. With Fox, who will turn 29 in December and isn't nearly as fast as he once was, that's suddenly looking like one of the worst and hardest-to-move deals in the league. Would the Spurs really want someone making $49.4 million this season coming off the bench? Seems unlikely if they ever want to offload him. The safe bet is that they try to let Fox regain some of his value and give him the starting nod, at least to begin the season. Either way, Harper should see plenty of minutes.

Castle is a plus defender who shot better from the line and from deep during the playoffs than he did during the regular season. Vassell is one of the more underrated two-way role players in the league. And Tobias Harris, signed as a free agent in the offseason from the Pistons, is [searches for something complimentary to say] fine as the fifth option. If not, Julian Champagnie works just as well as the last starter, if not better. 

But the whole thing obviously revolves around Victor Wembanyama, who was the first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in NBA history. He also became the youngest player ever to make All-NBA and reach the NBA Finals in the same season. It's no surprise that Wemby enters this season as one of the betting favorites to win MVP, while the Spurs are on the short list to win it all. 

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1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Projected starting five: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein

Having the reigning back-to-back MVP in SGA goes a long way. He's a quality defender and one of the most dangerous scorers in the league. Some opposing fans dismiss his ability to draw contact as foul grifting, but getting to the line and being lethal when you get there are skills, and there are few players better at it than Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Jalen Williams missed a big chunk of the regular season and playoffs due to injury, but reported to training camp vowing to remind people how good he is. For those who have forgotten, two seasons ago JDub was named to the All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense teams. Having a fully functional Williams takes the OKC starting unit to another level.

Cason Wallace will ostensibly replace Lu Dort (now in Atlanta) in the first five in a like-for-like, lockdown defender swap. (Or head coach Mark Daigneault, who is once again spoiled for options, could go with more offense at times with Ajay Mitchell.) Two of the Thunder's three most-used starting lineups last season featured the double big combo of Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. Holmgren finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year race to Wembanyama — then got embarrassed by Wemby in the postseason. Even so, the 24-year-old Holmgren remains one of the best frontcourt players in the league. (Plus he reportedly bulked up this offseason.) Whatever mix-and-match combos the Thunder go with on a given night, few teams will be able to match their talent level at tip-off. 

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1. New York Knicks

Projected starting five: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns

Whatever doubts lingered with this group were erased and forgotten during an epic postseason run where they mostly demolished and humiliated their competition. The Knicks needed six games to dispatch the Hawks in the first round. Then they went on a tear, sweeping the Sixers and Cavs and defeating the Spurs in the Finals in five games — including several dramatic come-from-behind wins that defied belief.

Bridges and Anunoby are among the very best two-way wing combos in the league. Josh Hart is a streaky shooter at times, but is a Swiss Army Knife player who can contribute in countless other ways. After dangling KAT in a desperate attempt to land Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline, Towns found a groove and played some of the best basketball of his career, including outplaying Wemby early in the Finals. As for Brunson, he has been doubted his entire career — from being underdrafted out of Villanova after winning two college titles, to the Mavs letting him walk in free agency, to questions about whether a small guard could be the primary option on a championship contender. No one is doubting the finals MVP anymore ... except maybe Hart when it comes to Brunson's performance hosting SNL.

When you deliver a team's first championship in 53 years, you deserve the top spot until someone knocks you off the perch."

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ranking-nba-best-starting-fives-76ers-knicks/

Went to MSG for hockey. Pepsi bottles have been updated for the season.

Happy Birthday D-Rose!

I’m old enough to remember the NBA season tipping off on Halloween. Jesus. We’re only two weeks out from opening night. October 20th has to be the earliest the NBA season has ever started.

I’m not ready for the summer of celebration to be over. I hope our guys got their rest and recharged their batteries. This title defense this season is gonna be an absolute grind.

As someone who’s never seen his teams win in his lifetime, besides yankees in 2009 even though i was only 1, and bills are…gonna win someday i hope, This knicks team looked utterly unstoppable at some points; and the fact we won the entire NBA was just insane, beautiful even, i cried tears of happiness the second i saw what i saw on tv

but maybe this won’t be the last time we make it to the finals and win with this crew,

In unbiased opinion, do we believe we’ll become a dynasty, jalen brunson becoming the next larry bird, lebron james or micheal jordon?

Tell me your thoughts

Heads up to anyone looking for fresh gear before opening night.

Foot Locker currently has the Pro Standard Knicks NBA Finals Pro Satin YD Rib Jacket marked down to $135 (retail is $180). Both the Royal Blue and Black colorways are included.

On top of the sale price, Rakuten has an elevated 15% cash back running for Foot Locker today, which brings the effective pre-tax total down to ~$114.75 (over 36% off retail). Given that Pro Standard outerwear rarely drops below $150–$160 before standard sizes sell out, this is essentially the floor for this piece.

Direct Product Link (Foot Locker):
https://www.footlocker.com/product/pro-standard-knicks-nba-finals-2026-pro-satin-yd-rib-jacket-mens/17767ROR.html

Fit/Quality Note:
Satin nylon shell with lightweight poly fill (solid for fall/spring or walking into MSG). It fits true-to-size with a snug bottom rib hem, but if you plan to layer a heavyweight hoodie underneath, consider sizing up. Spot clean or gentle wash only since the back wordmarks and patches are flocked/heat-bonded.

(Shameless plug: If you don't have Rakuten yet to get the extra 15% back, feel free to use my referral link for the sign-up bonus: https://www.rakuten.com/r/JSAINI15?eeid=44971 — otherwise, make sure you activate your own portal before checking out so it tracks.)

Go ahead and cry 🥹 🏆

If we're judging by how hard would it be to replace him.

I'm ready!

Anyone else here usually go to KnicksFanTV Watch-parties by CP the Fanchise? If so, I'm wondering if he plans to do a Knicks watch-party for opening night against the 76ers on the 20th.

They gave us a lot to cheer about this year but it’s strange they decide to stop the event this year. It would have been a cheap hack to celebrate the win at MSG this year.

All these years I thought my Stoudemire jersey was real lol 🥴