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The talent spread across the league in the NBA at present is the best it's ever been. With a lot of young talent coming into the league with refined skill-sets, the NBA rosters are deeper than ever.
Bench strength has always been one of the biggest factors in constructing a championship team. The likes of the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics had the deepest bench during their unparalleled success in the 80s. The San Antonio Spurs in 2000s had great bench players to support their superstar trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
NBA history is littered with championship teams having key bench players show up big time and turn the game around. Hence, we look at the top five teams that have the best bench strength heading into the 2022-23 season.
#5 - Utah Jazz
Arguably, this is the most surprising pick on this list. The Utah Jazz are a young team looking to tank as they hope to acquire the top pick in next year's NBA draft. However, the Jazz have a solid bench unit which might give teams across the NBA a run for their money.
The Utah Jazz presently have a bench unit of young guard Colin Sexton, Talen Horton Tucker, Malik Beasley, Rudy Gay and Walker Kessler. Colin Sexton might be primed for a breakout season as he takes on a more prominent role for a team, which has no expectations this year.
Horton Tucker has the experience of playing playoff minutes for the LA Lakers and has constantly improved his game. With more freedom on the Utah Jazz, the young guard might perform better, just like his former teammate Kyle Kuzma did after he was traded from the LA Lakers.
#4 - Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets will look to bounce back after a humiliating exit last season as they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round. With a singular aim to contend for the championship again, the Nets added some much-needed depth to their roster.
The Brooklyn Nets acquired Royce O'Neal, TJ Warren and Markieff Morris to add to their already-deep roster. The trio will add shooting and wing defense to a bench unit that needed it badly last season. Add to that a healthy Joe Harris, Seth Curry and Patty Mills, the Nets have a lot of shooting on this roster to space the floor for the big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons.
Young guard Cam Thomas will also gain more minutes this season as he hopes to seal the back-up guard minutes in the rotation this season.
#3 - Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics had a deep enough roster when they made the NBA finals last summer. The Celtics then added Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari to the roster in the off-season.
With their bench already comprised of talents like Grant Williams and Derrick White, adding Brogdon and Gallinari will bolster their rotation immensely and make it among the bench in the entire league. Brogdon's playmaking skills and Gallinari's shooting abilities will add a much-needed dimension to this Celtics team that they lacked during their post-season run last season.
The Celtics also added veteran forward Blake Griffin to the roster. The former All-Star is a shell of his former self. But he is still a capable rotation-caliber player on a good team.
#2 - Golden State Warriors
Reigning champions Golden State Warriors have always had deep-bench strength throughout their dynasty run. The likes of Andre Igoudala, Shaun Livingston and Jordan Bell played crucial roles in the Warriors' championship wins.
Similarly, the current Warriors team also possesses a deep bench filled with immense talent. The Warriors have a second unit of Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman.
Jordan Poole is the leading candidate to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award this season. Poole was one of the most important players in their Warriors' championship run last season. The young guard is only expected to get better this season. He will also be expected to carry the team as veteran stars like Curry, Thompson and Green look to manage their load in the regular season.
The young trio of Moody, Kuminga and Wiseman will look to get consistent minutes in the regular season. The Warriors will hope that their three lottery picks in the last two years will start to develop into the talents they thought they hoped for.
#1 - Los Angeles Clippers
The LA Clippers have the deepest roster in the NBA this season. The roster is filled with two-way athletic wing talent, floor generals and big men. With a championship-winning coach in the form of Ty Lue at the helm, the LA Clippers will hope that their bench strength comes in handy as they look to contend for a championship.
John Wall, Luke Kennard, Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington, Terence Mann, and Norman Powell will provide the LA Clippers with the best possible bench unit in the entire NBA. John Wall is a former All-Star and will look to lead this bench unit. With ample amount of defense, shooting and ball handling skills in the lineup, teams across the league will find it tough to contain the LA Clippers bench this season.
Guess the Lakers players!
