The absolute best starting 5 in the league right now

[RichieW]

Firstly... No Lebron? Get real.

Secondly. How in the hell is Noah better than Howard? How? Hes a worse scorer, worse defender, worse rebounder, etc, etc. Noah has never been better than Howard nor has it been close. You can hate Howard all you like, but Noah is not close to sniffing the level of play Howard is at.

People on here are borderline idiotic at the best of times. Howard is an all time great, and would be a great center no matter which era he played in. That is fact.

Howard an all time great? No chance.

The reason I wouldn't put Howard in is because he complains if he doesn't get the ball. Look at his time on the Lakers, he complained if he didn't get enough touches in the post. If I'm not mistaken, he has one of the worst Points per Possession from post ups in the league and one of the worst turnover percentages.

Noah on the other hand is an excellent hustle player, you never need to call a play for him. He does all the dirty work that most players don't want to do, and he won't let his head drop.

My team would be...

Curry
Green
Durant
Lebron
Noah

Two elite wing defenders in Green, Lebron and an elite post defender in Noah. No need for CP3 as he isn't an elite 3 point shooter and Lebron will be the main ball handler. Green, Curry and Durant spotting up, Noah defending the rim and hustling. Don't see a lot of problems in that team as there are 3 "stars" and a couple glue guys.

Only change I would consider is Davis instead of Noah as he has a jump shot to give Lebron more space and is still a great defender.

[Mass Debator]

Hibbert
Dirk
Durant
Klay
CP3

[Solefade]

Curry
Thompson
Lebron
Dirk
Noah

Those aren't my best players at each position list , but the team I think fits the best in terms of starting 5.

It's mainly just about Lebron. That team would be impossible to stop. You basically have the perfect team next to him...and that team would actually be better defensively than people think as well.

so basically if lebron joined the warriors, they'd be the best starting 5?

[DMAVS41]

so basically if lebron joined the warriors, they'd be the best starting 5?

Pretty close...although I think the addition of a guy like Dirk that has legit 3 point range and is great in the post as well really would help their team.

Imagine trying to slow down an offense run by Lebron with Curry, Thompson, and Dirk.

Are you going to give up dunks to Noah or open jumpers to perhaps the 3 best shooters in the NBA when they are open.

And you can do so much with that team.

And the Warriors have the 3rd best defense in the league. And while Lebron isn't play as good of defense as Iggy, it wouldn't be a huge drop off...and Dirk plays better defense even at his current age than David Lee...mainly due to size. And I like Noah on both ends better than Bogut.

So, uhhhh....yes. I don't know why it would be controversial. That would be the most unstoppable offense in the league with a team that fits very well together...and a defensive unit that would likely still be very good as well.

[swagga]

Firstly... No Lebron? Get real.

Secondly. How in the hell is Noah better than Howard? How? Hes a worse scorer, worse defender, worse rebounder, etc, etc. Noah has never been better than Howard nor has it been close. You can hate Howard all you like, but Noah is not close to sniffing the level of play Howard is at.

People on here are borderline idiotic at the best of times. Howard is an all time great, and would be a great center no matter which era he played in. That is fact.

Lebron should be in any team tbh.

Worse scorer?
Maybe but it does not mean a worse offensive player. Noah is a MUCH better passer(AST rtg 24.5) than dwight(9.0) and is more mobile on offense. He can actually really hit with his funky looking jumper and he is a respectable FT shooter.
The numbers support this, noah's offensive rating 113> howards 109, noah offensive wins shares is 3.5 and dwight has 3.8 ... so they are not quite that far apart.
Thus noah can be played in efficient non gimmicky offenses like 4 perimeter 1 inside. In the playoffs where wear and tear will make the jumpers not fall this is important.

Worse rebounder?
They are very close, noah's rebounding rating is 18.7 and dwight has 20.2. Kevin love has a rebound rating of 19.3 btw.

Worse defender?
Here you are TOTALLY wrong. Noah is able to guard 2-5 excellently with his crazy mobility and wingspan. He can even guard some 1s on some possesions. His IQ trumps howards as he doesn't go for the highlight blocks. He is probably the best PNR defender in the game. He is also doubles teams very effectively as he does recover very often.
Even from a block standpoint he is very close to howard as his rating is 3.4 and dwight's is 3.7. Furthermore noah's blocks are to teammates, not just swatting it out of bounds thus losing possesion.
Noah's defensive rating (96) is actually better than dwight(100) as are his defensive shares 4.8 compared to dwight 3.9. That's a huge difference.

Noah is a freaking coaches dream from a D standpoint. He should be DPOY without a doubt.

So frankly you are wrong saying dwight right now is a better player than noah. He is a marginal better rebounder, a clearly worse defender by all stats and from an offensive pov i'll give it to dwight but from a team pov it isn't that clear (the game today is not suited for C offense tbh)

[Solefade]

Pretty close...although I think the addition of a guy like Dirk that has legit 3 point range and is great in the post as well really would help their team.

Imagine trying to slow down an offense run by Lebron with Curry, Thompson, and Dirk.

Are you going to give up dunks to Noah or open jumpers to perhaps the 3 best shooters in the NBA when they are open.

And you can do so much with that team.

And the Warriors have the 3rd best defense in the league. And while Lebron isn't play as good of defense as Iggy, it wouldn't be a huge drop off...and Dirk plays better defense even at his current age than David Lee...mainly due to size. And I like Noah on both ends better than Bogut.

So, uhhhh....yes. I don't know why it would be controversial. That would be the most unstoppable offense in the league with a team that fits very well together...and a defensive unit that would likely still be very good as well.

no i agree but it wouldn't be a huge drop off if lebron were to replace iggy in the warrior's current starting line up since bogut now is basically a poor man's noah and david lee might be a little offensively potent (with less range) now because he's younger

[Milbuck]

I'm seeing Beardsley on a lot of these...it is the best starting 5 that we're discussing, right?

Curry
PG
Durant
Lebron
Noah

Lebron plays point-forward, Curry/Durant/PG are relieved of basically all playmaking/passing duties and are allowed to do what they do best offensively - score. Noah is there for obvious reasons. Defensive anchor, incredible passer for his size, with Lebron to dish to in the post and 3 shooters to kick out to.

2 lock-down defenders in Lebron and PG, and another very good one in Durant. Elite defensive anchor and shot blocker. The only defensive weakness is Curry, which doesn't really matter considering there are 2 guys who could realistically shut down any star perimeter player they'd face.

[YouGotServed]

Best starting 5

Parker
James "Super Saiyan" Harden
Lebron
Griffin
Howard

The center position isn't even debatable.

[DMAVS41]

no i agree but it wouldn't be a huge drop off if lebron were to replace iggy in the warrior's current starting line up since bogut now is basically a poor man's noah and david lee might be a little offensively potent (with less range) now because he's younger

yea. Lebron on the Warriors and they are amazing...it's a perfect team around him.

and Thompson is the perfect sg for him. loves to catch and shoot. moves great off screens and without the ball. doesn't need the ball in his hands.

like, i think paul is better than curry, and harden/wade are better than thompson,

but a team of curry/thompson/lebron...is just way better to me than paul/harden/lebron

Lee is good...I like him, but he wouldn't make that team as good as a guy like Dirk or Love would. I just prefer Dirk in that role...although Love's rebounding makes it an interesting debate. I just think Dirk's post game and mid range game at the end of games would really be valuable.

And I think Noah fits the best because not only does he defend and rebound, but he is capable of making plays/passes on a team like this that Bogut really can't.

[swagga]

btw best team would be

lebron
durant
paul george
anthony davis
noah

except durant they are all man2man and team defensive powerhouses.
all are excellent passers and offensive players.
all play in a team concept and can move without the ball
all have a realiable jumper.
all are exceptional rebounders.
monster height and length advantage.
3 guys can initiate the offense and carry the ball.
equally effective fast break and half court.
3 elite 3pt shooters (lebron is top10 in catch in shoot btw )

[RichieW]

btw best team would be

lebron
durant
paul george
anthony davis
noah

except durant they are all man2man and team defensive powerhouses.
all are excellent passers and offensive players.
all play in a team concept and can move without the ball
all have a realiable jumper.
all are exceptional rebounders.
monster height and length advantage.
3 guys can initiate the offense and carry the ball.
equally effective fast break and half court.
3 elite 3pt shooters (lebron is top10 in catch in shoot btw )

While I would struggle to see a team beating them, I also don't see how anyone on that teams could guard a Parker, CP3 or Curry on the defensive end over a 7 game series. Having Lebron or George chasing a quick point guard around all game long would be punishing.

Also I'm not sure if that team gives Lebron enough spacing to drive. I think Lebron is best playing with only one big man to allow him to get in to the lane, so I think Noah/Davis should be an either/or rather than together.

[Frozen1]

Tony parker
Wade
Lebron
Bosh
Howard

[beastee]

1. Lebron (PG)
2. Harden (SG)
3. Durant (SF)
4. Davis (PF)
5. Noah (C)

The length of this team would be just unreal. If Wade was healthy I would swap him out for Harden.

I know the front court would not be a dominant scoring bunch, but with Lebron and Harden driving at will, so many passing lanes would be open. And think about trying to score on that team.

[postmupndunkit]

PG - Tony Parker
SG - Dwayne Wade
SF - Kevin Durant
PF - Kevin Love
C - Joakim Noah

[BuffaloBill]

Rajon Rondo
Dwayne Wade
Kevin Durant
Lebron James
Joakim Noah


or


Lebron James
Dwyane Wade
Kevin Durant
Anthony Davis
Joakim Noah


A team full of great defenders and playmakers. All they need is a shooter off the bench.