5. Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have one of the deepest and most athletic benches in the NBA. Their bench ranks sixth in the league in points scored and has the fifth-best bench rating. Lonnie Walker IV is having career rejuvenation, while Royce O’Neale has impressed. The most impressive bench players are the young guys like Day’Ron Sharpe, Cam Thomas, and Trendon Watford, who finally got an opportunity.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have an excellent defensive bench unit. The T-Wolves are fourth in bench net rating (3.3). One of the main reasons for the success is the stellar play of backup center Naz Reid. Their bench unit mostly plays turnover-free basketball, which is always a positive.
3. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards, despite being one of the worst teams in the league, have a pretty good bench. Their bench is third as a unit in scoring with 449 points. Those offensive contributions mostly come from Corey Kispert, Danilo Gallinari, and Bilal Coulibaly.
2. Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors might have one of the best rosters in basketball from top to bottom. They have their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Steve Kerr’s bench is also very strong.
Jonathan Kuminga is having a career season, and Dario Saric is balling. You cannot forget that future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul is running the bench unit with Gary Payton and rookie Brandin Podziemski. They are second in bench points scored and tied for first in net rating.
1. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have the best bench in the NBA. They are tied for first with the Warriors in bench net rating. Their bench improved after the Harden trade, adding veterans Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington to the fold.
The best part of their bench is Kelly Oubre Jr. Oubre Jr., nicknamed Tsunami Papi, is having the best shooting season of his career from the field and the charity stripe. However, he will be out for a while as he recovers from his fractured ribs injury that was suffered when he was struck by a vehicle Saturday night.
NBA Most Improved Player Rankings: Where does Cam Thomas stand?
We are less than ten games in, but five players have entered themselves in the Most Improved Player race, including the Nets' own Cam Thomas