In the last 10 regular seasons, the Lakers have started 94 different players, the most in the league. The Nuggets have only started 54 players, the fewest in the league.
The Lakers have started 94 unique players since the 2016-17 season (regular season only). The 76ers, Nets, and Grizzlies are the other teams to start 90+ players over these 10 seasons.
The Nuggets, Spurs, and Timberwolves are the only teams to start less than 60 players.
| Team | # Players |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | 94 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 93 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 92 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 92 |
| Washington Wizards | 85 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 84 |
| Detroit Pistons | 84 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 81 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 79 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 79 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 79 |
| Phoenix Suns | 79 |
| Utah Jazz | 79 |
| Toronto Raptors | 78 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 77 |
| Chicago Bulls | 76 |
| Indiana Pacers | 76 |
| Sacramento Kings | 76 |
| Houston Rockets | 75 |
| New York Knicks | 73 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 73 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 72 |
| Golden State Warriors | 70 |
| Miami Heat | 67 |
| Boston Celtics | 66 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 62 |
| Orlando Magic | 62 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 59 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 57 |
| Denver Nuggets | 54 |
There is definitely a correlation to where teams who won more games over the past 10 years have started fewer players, but there are some odd outliers like Orlando and Charlotte who have been bad, but have started few players, or the Lakers who have been above average, but have started the most players.
Interestingly, the Raptors and Lakers are the only teams who have won a championship in this span that aren’t in the bottom 10 of this metric.
Source: Stathead