Who is the worst player who could start for every single team?
Who is the worst player who would be basically a lock to start for every single team in the league? Maybe Mikal Bridges?
Toumani Camara is a tempting choice.
Can guard 1-5 so he’s easy to slot in the lineup. Gives size, some of the best defense in the league, and 3 point shooting…so exactly what most star starters want next to them.
The 4 teams with the deepest 1-4 IMO are 76ers, TWolves, Spurs, and Thunder.
I don’t think Camara can start on all 4 of those teams.
edit: OK apparently Wolves fans are down for Camara. Why y’all give Ayo that much money then?
He’s 100% starting over Ayo on the Wolves
Idk if you have been keeping up this off-season but we are in no way deep at the 4. It’s actually our biggest issue at this point.
This guy would for sure start for us.
If you take Jaden at the 4, it’s a pretty hard starting group to get into. But as others have said, I’d still take Camara over Ayo.
It you put Ayo on the bench and Trey Lyles at the 4, then yeah lol lots of 4s would start. Finch has indicated he doesn’t love starting Jaden at the 4 so who knows.
Jaden at the 4 is tough because his best defensive matchups are all perimeter guys instead of 4’s, and if he’s at the 4 it’s because nobody else can guard the 4.
i would start Camara over champagnie or Harris in this hypothetical
Not really. Our leap midseason last year was putting Champagnie in starting lineup because he is a really good shooter who takes them at volume. We had spacing issues despite that. Camara is not even a better shooter than HB so teams would just dare him to shoot and sell out to Wemby.
Okay, but the other side is who is going to score on Wemby/Camara/Castle
Tbh it would actually depend on if Steph can keep improving his 3 ball. If he’s above league average, it makes the lineup doable with the defensive upside.
The team Camara would obviously not start for is the Magic. Who would he start for on the Magic? The only choice in theory would be Bane but not on the Magic, who’s desperate need offense and 3s and not defense. Otherwise there’s no position for him to start and he can’t play PG either.
I don’t know why people just chose the top teams. I can literally choose so many more teams where it’s closer. For example, who does he clearly start for on the Raptors? The only possibility is RJ Barrett and that isn’t a clear cut answer. There’s like so many more teams than just the top teams where he wouldn’t start, the Magic for sure and probably more.
lowkey, bench paolo. or give him a practically guaranteed starting slot because franz and paolo are never healthy at the same time for very long
Knicks?
Fits our timeline better than Harris. Maybe he starts day 1, maybe not. Pretty much guaranteed to start next year with natural progression and aging.
IDTS twolves are there, if they had a decent PF and divincenzo healthy then maybe
Camara signed his ext. last season and is getting pretty much the same money as Ayo.
If he was a UFA this summer he probably would have made slightly more.
To your Wolves question - their starters are small, having an actual 4 out there would be great.
Pacers disrespect
Ayo is seen as starter quality but you want him primarily in the backcourt with limited time at the 3. Camara would be a good fit.
camara starts at the 4 for the wolves (lamelo/ant/jaden/camara/gobert)
he starts at the 4 on the spurs (fox or harper/castle/vassell/camara/wembert)
he might start at the 3 on the thunder (shai/jdub/camara/chet/hartenstein). he could also start at 4 in smaller matchups where they bring hartenstein off the bench (shai/cason/jdub/camara/chet)
probably doesn’t start on the sixers unless they decide they prefer edgecombe as a spark off the bench or prefer camara’s lower usage and more polished defense with the starters, in which case he might start at the 3 (maxey/brown/camara/bron/embiid)
Ball knower.
Ok I love that you wrote this because I absolutely think Camara is the choice. Let’s say that in basketball there are useful skills that are unsexy - he’s good at sooo many of them. And hes just a big dude too. Demands actually zero of the ball while helpfully contributing to spacing.
There are a LOT of teams that would win more with Camara in the starting lineup and sliding one of their creative guys to the bench.
No, he’s sexy
You would start him on the Sixers?
Definitely. They could really use the defense and three point shooting.
Jaylen Brown moves to SG.
So you’re suggesting the sixers would bench VJ? LMAO
Yes? It’s perfectly reasonable that he’d be more valuable as a 6th man than a 5th scoring option in the starting lineup.
What makes VJ valuable is his ability to play off ball. He’s not some iso scorer who needs the ball in his hands. He’s an elite defender already and makes winning plays every night. You don’t bench a future all star who doesn’t need to score to be effective.
you bench a future all-star when you have one of the best wing defenders in the league who also strokes the 3 at the clip Camara does
idk why you’re acting like VJ wouldn’t get 30mpg playing off ball to Maxey, Brown, and Bron when he comes off the bench.
it would actually be great for VJ to play against bench units and harness his game that way
Harper is the third best player on the Spurs he comes off the bench. No shame in that.
VJ was better than Camara last year as a rookie on impact metrics like EPM, only has gotten better, and he’s not just some high usage on ball player. His specialty is the ability to scale down usage, be great at defense, and make off ball plays. VJ is in the Derrick White mold of players as a youngster with potential for more and that type of player is a starter. You aren’t thinking about him correctly. You made the incorrect assumption that VJ is a high usage on ball player, whereas he’s both an elite role player and someone with potential to become more.
Bringing VJ off the bench wouldn’t mean Camara > VJ. Manu came off the bench for the Spurs for years and no one would argue there were five better players than him on those teams.
Manu isn’t remotely close to the same type of player. There are certain types of players who can come off the bench even if they are better than a starter and they fit the profile of someone’s who’s elite on ball and can self create like Manu Ginobili.
Other examples besides Manu include James Harden on OKC, Payton Pritchard now, and career sixth men outcomes like Jamal Crawford. I’m aware of the history of sixth men, and they all fit the same archetype and playstyle.
VJ isn’t like that. He would struggle as a sixth man because his weaknesses are literally his half court self creation and isolation scoring. His handles are one of his biggest weaknesses, which is the opposite of all those players above I mentioned. If you want someone like that who’s young, look no further than Dylan Harper, who does come off the bench for the Spurs.
Again, I think this entire argument above is a total misunderstanding of who VJ is as a player. He’s not a Ginobili type of player. He’s a Derrick White type of player right now. He’s still young so he can blossom to more than that as in he has more upside to be a star but right now his role is similar to Derrick White’s role on the Celtics, who would never come off the bench.
Mostly choosing him for ego purposes, but having an elite roleplayer start and spreading out your 5 superstar scorers makes a lot of sense.
Toumani would be the best defender on the entire team easily and one of the better three point shooters…you want that starting so your stars can cook.
VJ doesn’t need to score to be a star. What makes him amazing is his off ball skills, already elite defense and game winning plays. You don’t bench a guy that can do all of that.
Most people here have no idea who VJ even is lol. VJ had a higher EPM than Camara as a rookie and only has gotten better. They think VJ is some on ball player when he’s closer to a Derrick White now. He just has a chance to be a star later which is even more reason to start him.
It’s not the answer. He would not start on the Orlando Magic.
He wouldn’t start over Banchero or Wagner. That’s obvious. Specifically for the Magic, a team that needs offense and guys who can make 3s, he also would not start over Bane, who’s the better offensive player. So he’s not starting at SG, SF, or PF for them.
He can’t play PG so he’s not starting at PG, especially on a team that already lacks a playmaking PG. He’s too small to play full time C so he’s not starting there either over Carter, since Banchero can’t play C either.
So no he actually doesn’t start on all teams, specifically a team like the Magic.
I dont think he starts on the magic
That’s actually the hardest one so far.
…If I’m being edgy/spicy, I’d say to just have him take Banchero’s spot and the team would be better.
He’s good enough, but I think we’d start Pritchard over him for the offense, as 2-4 White, PG and Tatum is already fantastic defense.
Keep PG on the bench to help with load management and have more consistency in the starting lineup since PG will likely miss more games.
Pritchard/White/Camara/Tatum/Queta
At first glance that’s a lot you’re asking Pritchard and Tatum to do on offense. Tbh it might work anyway; they could be suffocating on defense
I think there are a few teams he wouldn’t start for (Magic, Sixers, Knicks) but I i think this is as good of an answer as any. He’s incredible defensively, (the way he forces turnovers and draws offensive fouls is incredible) but I wish he was more consistent offensively.
Jaden McDaniels
/cries in having to dump ayton
The Tobias Harris Corollary
Tobias wouldn’t start for the Knicks or Thunder. Im sure there are other teams as well that I’m not thinking of
Sixers for sure would not start him
I wouldn’t start him if we had a starting five of five Ben Simmons.
The passing and defense on that team would be bonkers, not much else
He could start for the Knicks in place of Hart.
Early sub after 5-6 minutes, then be the organizer for the last couple of minutes of the 1st/3d quarters. Maybe he’d close half of the clutch games.
Not saying that should happen, but it’s workable.
hart fits the team perfectly but also:
tobias doesn’t improve their offensive contributers whatsoever and is a ballhog to get points and a shit defender
he wouldn’t start on the Rockets
Sounds like a Big Bang Theory episode 🤣🤣
Cavs wouldn’t start him to slow in that lineup for the 3
Mikal is a pretty good answer. You’d basically need all-star caliber players at 1-3 to justify benching him. The only team I can think of off the top my head is the T-wolves if Ayo keeps ascending.
They already have Ant and Lamelo, Ayo should be coming off the bench. Otherwise they’d be bad on defense and not have size.
I’d rather Ayo came off the bench already. they need a second unit
TJ+Ayo+Clark is a decent bench unit
Yeah he probably starts on that team, but it’s the closest one I could think of.
Ayo should be coming off the bench even without Bridges there for this reasoning.
Otherwise they’d be bad on defense
Rudy, Ant and Jaden will probably be enough to keep us above average with Lamelo and Ayo on the floor. In the regular season Rudy is normally enough alone
I’d imagine Ayo won’t be starting but will be finishing.
sixers?
Mikal/Camara/OG is right about the player where I’d consider having VJ run the second unit and depending on the night see who closes. Not saying either of them would 100% start especially given this is VJs second season only, but I could see the argument.
OG is head and shoulders better than all these players
I agree I think OG is way too good to qualify for this post tbh
the post says the worst player that can start for all the teams. how would OG possibly fit that category
Yeah the answer to this question pretty much has to be someone who would start for the sixers over VJ, because every other spot is a near 100% lock.
Not sure he starts for the Spurs over Fox/Castle/Vassell at the 1-3 but he could play the four over Champ perhaps.
He’s better than Vassell IMO, obviously I’m biased.
Lebron
We said worst, not cheapest
Did he stutter?
Hang on now. I’m not going to tolerate that disrespect from a Wizards fan. Knicks, Celtics, hell even the 76ers, go right ahead. But another perennial basement dweller? No shot
LeStarter
Rn probably bron since he is so versatile he can play in any position the team needs beside center
Is OG better than LeBron? He could also start on every team
If you value defense, absolutely
Lmao, LeBron is a top 5 playmaker in the league. And was the best player on a team that won a playoff series. Obviously it’s a floor raiser vs ceiling raiser thing, but LeBron’s still a great ceiling raiser even if his defense isn’t locked in.
I don’t think it’s a big gap either way. But I think if I’m looking for a 5th piece on a contender I’d take OG over Lebron right now. To your point about ceiling vs floor. If I’m looking for someone to take a mid team to some playoff wins I’d pick Lebron
It’s totally depends how your team is constructed. But would you confidently say you’d rather have OG Annuoby over (say 2026) LeBron for even just the Knicks going into 2027?
Yes.
Edit: this is in part because if you’re just looking to raise the championship ceiling, I’m assuming you’ve already got your championship-caliber primary ball handler and playmaker. With OG you’re adding both one of the most versatile defenders and also one of the best volume three point shooters in the league. There’s not many plug-and-play guys who add more than OG without needing the ball
A lineup of Maxey / VJ / LeBron / OG / Embiid probably would be better than the current starting lineup.
OG is just such a low usage yet high impact player.
Yes and it’s not even remotely close
Not only is this without a question a “yes” but as good as LBJ will be on the Sixers as a point forward i think there is a legit question of whether even they’d prefer OG
Yes, OG provides so much more defensively and athletically than current Bron
that’s only better for teams that are already established with top end talent
OG is elite, but not better than Scottie Barnes and they’re the same archetype
OG would still start on the Raptors though. His 3 point shooting would be too valuable for us even with the skillset duplication. Also a 2-4 of OG, Kawhi, Scottie would be hillarious defensively.
2-4 of OG Scottie Kawhi would be legit insane.
You could start literally anyone at the 1 and 5 and still win 55 games
He is indeed
It’s gonna be a player that can play 3+ positions, play defense, and hit 3s.
The line starts at OG
OG is too good, I think there are worse players who would still start on every team
From the Knicks Mikal is a better answer
I’ve always felt like Jaden McDaniels is OG lite, so maybe him?
Jaden wouldn’t start on the Magic unless he can play C. He’s more impactful than Bane but the Magic have a weird roster construction where it’s the team that has the hardest barrier to entry for these responses.
Mikal would not start on the Sixers/Thunder or even a team like Magic
The line is OG
Jaylen Brown apparently
He’s 7th best, not the worst
it’s gotta be the worst top player at his position
Or a versitle player that isn’t the best at his position but good at multiple positions (like Lebron)
It’s not. Players and lineups are too diverse. You could mix and match lineups in this positionless era.
There are worse players than Ant/Tatum (if you consider them the best SG or SF) that would still start.
OP had a good example. Mikal Bridges would still start on a team with Ant. They’d just play Bridges out of position.
Nah there are other guys also besides the top guy. You just have to move around positions. Like Luka, Cade, and Steph could all start on the Thunder they would just have to be starting alongside SGA.
Maybe Jaren Jackson Jr. I can’t imagine any team not starting him, but I think he’s worse than bridges or lebron or other guys mentioned
Miami. You cant bench Bam or Giannis.
JJJ might be able to slide into SF since he is a decent enough shooter but it would be clunky for sure.
He sucks at sf
JJJ could probably play SF on some teams, but I think it’d be too big of an issue in Miami where they already don’t have enough shooting in the starting lineup
I wouldnt start him in OKC
Yeah, maybe not. I think in a vacuum Jaren is a better player than i-hart, and a j-dub, JJJ, Chet front court would in theory be insane defensively AND offensively, but it would be ignoring that one of the big reasons OKC brought in i-hart in the first place was for his elite offensive and general rebounding, something that they really struggled with prior
JJJ isnt better than JDUB what. Jdub isnt a front court player too. He might be better than hartenstein in a vacuum, but the fit is just much worse. OKC’s rebounding would nose dive and OKC would miss hart’s playmaking. Also,even the defensive fit is worse imo, JJJ and Chet defend in similar ways
I didn’t say JJJ is better than J-dub lol I said he’s better than I-hart, and that a front court with those 3 guys would be great
But I think we agree, no? I feel like we just said the same thing lol
EDIT: Also surely j-dub would be front court with dort gone? Assuming it’s either cason wallace or Ajay filling that spot
Ah my bad. Kinda yeah, but i dont agree that the defensive fit would be that good
Two years ago I would say this answer is wrong, but going into this season I think it’s pretty solid.
Id debate would he start for the top 4-6 teams, but the rest I think he starts easily.
Derrick White
Too good
The version of him that forgot how to shoot isn’t too good.
Start for every team is tricky, because every team had their own star players at a given position.
But if you just mean a guy that any team would need, then a guy like Ayo makes sense. I like the Camara shout out someone else had…maybe like a Kyshawn George type player, granted might want to let him get a bit more experience first.
Amen Thompson. His insane Defensive versatility and Athleticism that you have to make it fit.
If Bridges can’t start everywhere, this is probably the answer
But I do think he’s better than Bridges
Would he start on the Magic? Franz and Paolo are starting just for salary reasons and can’t play center, Bane’s a much better shooter, and idk if he would start over Suggs.
Salary reasons?
They’re going to start them because of those huge contracts, I don’t think Amen’s good enough for the Magic to ignore that even if they hypothetically think Amen’s slightly better.
He definitely wouldn’t start for us. The last thing we need is another wing defender who can’t shoot.
Yeah I don’t see the Cavs or Nuggets wanting to put a non shooter at the 3 either.
Would he start for the Knicks? I guess he’d be taking Josh Hart’s spot. He doesn’t rebound or shoot 3’s as well as hart, but I think you’re right he’d probably get the start for the insane defense and athleticism. Josh just posted some absolutely insane defensive metrics on this playoff run and I think had the best defensive rating of any guard in the playoffs. He also shot 41% from three this season. Hard to bench.
Andrew Wiggins?
Wiggins isn’t starting over Bane, Franz or Paolo
That’s a really good answer
this is my answer
It used to be Eric Gordon lol
Right alongside PJ Tucker, Houston had #1 and #2 to answer this question lol
Facts it was jus plug and play around Harden
Zion
He doesn’t start on the Heat. Not enough spacing with Bam and Giannis already there. SF Zion wouldn’t work with them.
Agreed, the paint is already going to be congested you can’t half three low percentage shooters
This is a good answer. He’s on the bottom end of the “stars” category, but his talent is undeniable enough that it’d be hard for any team not to start him.
All of these people naming role player type guys are missing the mark. No regular starter/role player would start on every single team. It has to be a player who’s either a star or scratching that surface.
Honestly it’d be better to make the list of every player that would start on every team first, then vote for the worst one.
Zion would absolutely not start for us.
Denver wouldn’t start him over Jokic or Gordon.
Gordon could shift to the three and have Cameron Johnson come off the bench
My bad forgot about you could shift other players also.
Cavs would be a bad fit for him, they’d have 3 non shooters
Brandon Miller? Wing-sized players like him are hard to bench and he can really shoot, ok on defense. Maybe he wouldn’t start on OKC? But I think he would on every other team
Nah doesn’t start on the timbwrwolves or spurs or maybe the thunder (or prob the sixers imo edgecombe edges out)
He absolutely starts for the Wolves (Miller / McDaniels at the 3⁄4), probably starts over Harris for the Spurs, and definitely over VJ on the 76ers because they need more shooting in the starting lineup.
I see miller as more of a 2⁄3 than a 3⁄4 and the wolves don’t need more 2/3s imo. Spurs over Harris is fair but that’s only because Wemby is holding down the interior. Lastly I might flip and agree with over VJ because of shooting but it is close in my mind
He wouldn’t start on the Knicks.
Personally I would start him over Hart
I feel like Kon would be a better choice from us
Kon is a better player imo
Who is Mikal Bridges starting over in Philly? He’s not pushing Brown or LeBron to the bench
Edgecomb
VJ. Pretty easy decision. Better defender and more experienced player
Especially with Maxey who can get cooked defending his position. Being able to put a long wing like Mikal on the opposing point guard was a big part of our success.
Maxey, Bridges, Brown, LeBron, and Embiid. VJ off the bench.
I would start Mikal over Edgecomb. Versatile defenders will be valuable with Maxey, Lebron and Embiid out there.
VJ shot 40% from the field in the playoffs and Sixers fans thinks he’s a bonafide starter on a contender? He gets currently benched for Mikal easily even if he ends up having a better career long-term
VJ?
Booker. It has to be a 2⁄3
I think Booker is still better than LeBron, and I think LeBron starts for every team
LeBron slots in better for teams like the wolves too. Bron is my pick
OG.
The real question is who can start on the Sixers or Knicks.
It can’t be a Center or point guard because no one is going to start over Jokic, Wemby, SGA etc.
Idk if Mikal starts over Edgecomb but OG would. Camara and Derrick white are interesting but I still think Knicks and Sixers go with their current starting groups
OG Anunoby
Current Paul George, maybe? Aaron Gordon?
PG wouldn’t start on the Knicks Sixers or Thunder
He’d start over Hart for the Knicks and over VJ for the 76ers. Him and Cason Wallace is a toss up
He’d start over Wallace for sure, still very good defender and has some of Cason’s turnover generation, but in another stratosphere of shooting.
Paul George would not start over Josh Hart, even if he’s a better player than him. You dont understand anything about how the Knicks work if you think we would bench Hart for Paul George. He’s integral to our rebounding scheme and has a two-man game with Brunson that we do when teams put a wing on KAT
I don’t know what the answer is but saying Mikal is kind of crazy. He’s a very durable player who at worse is giving you 14+ a game and plays on both ends. This is really a who’s a high level 6th man that should start.
Draymond
Jalen Suggs.
Does suggs start for the thunder? Idk if I’d start him over cason wallace
Tobiass Harris
Cameron Johnson. Versatile enough to play multiple positions with decent efficiency.
Jaylen Brown
Zion Williamson
Kon Knueppel
Starting with picking the best teams and their position of most need in the starting lineup, I think it is PF/SF for both OKC and Spurs. Someone like OG is a good choice.
Dont need to go as high. Camara would work too
I’m not 100% sure that either of these guys start on the magic though. they fuck this up because their two biggest holes are point guard and center, and that means you’d have to find someone to start over the best players in the league lol. I think it might be way higher than people think
Lool you might be right. Such an awkward duo to build around
Mikal Bridges over VJ Edgecombe now maybe, but not in 1-2 years. (And I’m still mad we drafted him and traded him on draft night.)
I think it might be Wiggins
Mikal Bridges is way too good for this question. The answer is probably someone in the Derrick White/Aaron Gordon tier-elite role player woth zero weaknesses
Both those guys are definitely not the worst, nor is anyone at their level. But sort of in that vibe yeah I’d agree
The 2026 version of Kyle Kuzma. Last season he had to guard the opponents best player regardless of position. He quit taking stupid shots and has been a team player through and though.
Kuzma gets an insane amount of hate because of his ridiculous shot diet from 2025 and earlier but that ‘26 Kuzma is legit guy that makes any team better. It’s unfortunate that his reputation proceeds him because he ain’t that shot chucker anymore.
Kuzma doesn’t start over JB and Bron in Philly.
Nope, he would start on most teams though. Philly throws almost any choice out the window at any position.
Keegan Murray
Yall are all dumb. The correct answer is Dwight Powell. I’m not saying he should start, but I’ve watched enough Mavs games to tell you it’s inevitable to come
Tim Hardaway Jr seems like a good answer for this. Somehow he starts on just about every team he’s been on. It looks like he’ll be a starter for Miami this year, too.
He wouldn’t be starting on loads of teams if he was trade to them though
He started 6 games for the nuggets lol. How could you possibly pick a guy that didn’t even start last season on a team that underperformed (to their own expectations)
Strauss
Buzelis
Amen?
Jimmy is in here somewhere but it hurt calling him the “worst” anything