Ranking Rosters: Measuring depth and continuity on all 30 NBA rosters
In the 1980s, teams climbed for years to reach the NBA mountaintop. Isiah’s Pistons built from within, developed together and added pieces to the puzzle, ascending a playoff round each season, until they eclipsed Bird’s Celtics atop the East in 1998 and unseated Magic’s Lakers for the title a year later.
Even LeBron’s Heat needed a second season to figure it out, bolstering depth with Shane Battier, before breaking through for the 2012 NBA championship. In fact, Boston’s 2007-08 group is the only team in recent memory that didn’t require at least a year’s worth of playoff seasoning to win it all.
Other than star-power, depth and continuity are the two most important factors for NBA success, and they go hand-in-hand. Depth without continuity and continuity without depth are often recipes for disaster. Ask the shallow Clippers or ever-mutating Mavericks how well one works without the other.
So, rather than rank teams by overall talent — an exercise you can read everywhere a thousand times over — we opted to sort them by the balance of their rosters and the stability of their franchises. Now, check out each division for team-by-team video and scripted breakdowns of all 30 NBA rosters …
Eastern Conference: Atlantic Division • Central Division • Southeast Division
Western Conference: Pacific Division • Southwest Division • Northwest Division
Just for fun, here’s a completely subjective power ranking of the league, based only on depth and continuity (click team names for rankings of each roster’s 12-man rotation). Keep in mind, this not a prediction of where teams will finish in the final standings, because stars still tip the NBA balance …
30. Brooklyn Nets
29. Los Angeles Lakers
28. New York Knicks
27. Sacramento Kings
26. Houston Rockets
25. Charlotte Hornets
24. Oklahoma City Thunder
23. Orlando Magic
22. Philadelphia 76ers
21. New Orleans Pelicans
20. Phoenix Suns
19. Washington Wizards
18. Denver Nuggets
17. Chicago Bulls
16. Dallas Mavericks
15. Miami Heat
14. Memphis Grizzlies
13. Detroit Pistons
12. Portland Trail Blazers
11. San Antonio Spurs
10. Los Angeles Clippers
9. Toronto Raptors
8. Indiana Pacers
7. Atlanta Hawks
6. Utah Jazz
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Milwaukee Bucks
2. Golden State Warriors
1. Boston Celtics
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is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
