NBA starting lineups are ever-evolving organisms that can be destroyed by just a single pathogen within them. These organisms depend on complete synchronization and compatibility. They also wildly depend on the environment. Each one achieving its own version of success depending on circumstance.
Evolution of a lineup is, therefore, an inevitability and requires perfect timing to obtain complete health. Lineups are designed to change and even require change. This season, there are already a plethora of starting lineups that require that adjustment. Here are the lineups that need change and the two players who must switch roles to accomplish that change.
Myles Turner -> Domantas Sabonis
Myles Turner may just become the prototypical five-out center that never was. His raw abilities situate him into that role but his tangible play only briefly did. He is not just a center that despises contact and almost never rolls to the rim in a usable fashion, but he is not even that spectacular of a shooter.
He has shot just 33.7% on just barely more than one attempt per game in his career and is shooting 21.7% on similar attempts this season. His insistence to pop instead of roll is made only more ridiculous by this statistic.
Domantas Sabonis, on the other hand, is revealing himself to be a fantastic small ball center that is outperforming Turner in nearly every category.
| Player | GS | FG% | eFG% | FG% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
| Domantas Sabonis | 0 | 0.678 | 0.682 | 0.678 | 0.764 | 2.5 | 7.1 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 13.8 |
| Myles Turner | 16 | 0.464 | 0.48 | 0.464 | 0.75 | 1.3 | 4 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 10.9 |
Contrary to Turner, Sabonis fights for rebounds, has established great chemistry with many of his guards in pick-and-roll scenarios, and continuously makes the correct basketball play. Myles Turner’s minutes continue to drop. Now it is time for his starting status to be shed as well. Sabonis better suits the lineup in place and is likely just the superior player.
Marcin Gortat -> Montrezl Harrell
A coach trading his actual son for another player seems like an incredibly difficult decision to make. Then placing the player you traded for outside of the starting lineup is essentially an impossibility. This could be the only possible reasoning that Doc Rivers has as to why Marcin Gortat continues to exist comfortably inside the starting lineup ahead of Montrezl Harrell.
Gortat’s best years are likely behind him like a fully committed mohawk. Meanwhile, Harrell has continued to be a force every single time he is placed in the lineup. The Clippers have a +46 plus/minus with Montrezl on the floor and an abysmal -13 with Gortat. This means that they are bludgeoning teams by 46 points with Harrell and are getting beat by 13 points when Gortat has been on the floor.
Gortat is a negative defender who can not be bothered to guard the rim and provides similar energy as that of a gliding piece of driftwood. Meanwhile, Harrell feasts off defensive energy and injects the energy of a chainsaw into the hardwood.
Harrell is also a fantastic finisher that is more mobile around the rim and is willing to go through contact. Gortat would much rather drop a floater and shoot a mid-range J than going through contact and no one would confuse him as mobile.
The disparities in play are obvious to any watching the Clippers. Doc seems to even agree with what appears before him every night. Gortat is playing seven fewer minutes than Harrell but remains in the starting lineup. Reducing the player you deemed better than your own son to a benchwarmer seems difficult but enduring any more time with Gortat in the starting lineup would be even worse.
Derrick Favors -> Jae Crowder
The Derrick Favors/Jae Crowder debate has been raging for the Jazz for over a year. Their similar success per the standings and statistics last season flummoxed many as logically one is far superior to the other.
With the way basketball has evolved, it makes little sense to have a large floor constrainer alongside another large floor constrainer. Alas, it continued to work so the Jazz continued to run Favors alongside Gobert. This season, however, logic is making its presence felt. The starting lineup with Jae Crowder present in it has not only performed far superior but has played more minutes (per NBA.com).
This lineup is not succeeding because it possesses more three-point shooting. Jae Crowder is again shooting just 31 percent from three this season. This lineup works because there is a threat of more three-point shooting. The threat alone causes defenses to close harder to the three-point line and thus allows for the Jazz to get into the paint.
Favors makes much more sense backing up Crowder/Gobert and the Jazz would be much better off starting the lineup that makes logically, and now statistically, more sense.
Honorable Mention
- Jamal Murray -> Monte Morris
A more efficient Jamal Murray who sees the floor better than Murray? Interesting.
- Markelle Fultz -> Landry Shamet
Markelle Fultz appears to be headed for more missed time. Shamet maybe should not be starting but he supplies the Sixers with shooting and they desperately need that from more than just JJ Redick and Jimmy Butler.
- Taj Gibson -> Dario Saric
Dario Saric is an ideal fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns and can supply the Timberwolves with an adept tertiary ball-handler who could work well in a pick-and-roll. Saric also stretches the floor and is the future of the franchise. Dump the old, add the new, and take a real look at what you traded for.
