Content Starved? Here’s an Ultimate Small-Ball Roster

The Rockets have reached their final form. A small-ball roster that can rain down 3’s on opposing teams with brutality, then clears out enough space to put a semi-truck in the paint (or Russell Westbrook, whichever is available). 

Until the Rockets acquired Robert Covington, the Rockets played multiple games without a player above 6’7” touching the floor, and they were winning. The Rockets have continued to win, but could they be better? I got to thinking, what would the ideal small-ball lineup be? 

Now that all sports have been removed from my life, I had to get my dose of content in somehow, so I have created the ultimate small-ball roster. 

Rules 

Now, basic rules. I’m only pulling from healthy, active players in today’s NBA. Obviously, I would love to have Steph Curry on this roster, but he hasn’t played the majority of the season, so I feel like leaving him off is appropriate. Furthermore, all players have to be 6’7” or under, which means I couldn’t use Jimmy Butler, who stands at 6’8”. 

Now, without further ado, the ultimate small-ball roster.

James Harden, Houston Rockets

I couldn’t exactly make this team without Harden. He is the man that makes the entire Houston Rockets small-ball team function. Without the attention that Harden receives from defenders, there would be a whole lot less spacing on the court, an essential aspect of getting the open shots a small-ball team needs. 

Another key aspect of Harden’s game is his threat as an isolation scorer. Analytics and highlight reels tell us that if Harden is one-on-one with a defender, there’s little a defender can do to stop him. If you play him tight in the backcourt, he’ll take you to the rim. If you want to deny the rim, you have to be ready for a step-back. If you double him, well, remember that Harden has led the league in assists. 

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard is many things. He is the best perimeter defender in the NBA, a clutch scorer, and an NBA champion. Kawhi plays with energy, he plays with determination, and he plays with leadership. 

Kawhi’s greatest contribution to this team would be his ability as a lock-down defender, especially because he is no liability on offense. He showed his ability to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. If he can stop Giannis in that series, he can stop anyone of any size when it matters most. When a small-ball team plays, there’s no greater asset than a defender like Kawhi. 

Damian Lillard, Portland Trailblazers 

Dame, oh Dame. For all the hate that James Harden gets for his playstyle, Lillard’s play is remarkably similar (especially when he turns it on from 3). Though Lillard is less of a volume scorer than Harden, he has scored 50 or more five times in his career, including this year’s 61 point game against the Warriors. 

Dame brings to the table a ruthless mentality and clutch scoring- look at his buzzer-beating, game-winning shots for evidence. Lillard’s ability to shoot from deep will clear out even more space for the slashers on the team to score, while his versatility gives him an easy bucket in isolation situations. 

Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets

Don’t slaughter me for this one. Westbrook became absolutely unstoppable when Houston made the small-ball switch. His intensity, combined with his insane athleticism, makes him a threat to get to the rim no matter who is standing there. We saw this when he called for an alley-oop while the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, was defending the rim. 

Westbrook forces opposing teams to keep some sort of rim defender on the court when he plays. That means that some poor defender will have to take on Westbrook when Westbrook has a full head of steam, an unenviable position.

Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks

I bet y’all didn’t see this one coming, huh? Well, Khris Middleton is an amazing player who would absolutely ascend into the upper echelon of efficiency with this roster. Middleton is not only the most efficient scorer in the NBA right now- he’s having one of the most efficient seasons in NBA history. 

Middleton’s shooting splits, 50% from the field, 43% behind the arc and 91% at the free-throw line place him among the most elite shooters in NBA history, like Larry Bird, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Only eight players have ever entered into the “50-40-90” club, and Middleton has a legitimate shot of doing so. 

If he is playing so well now, imagine giving him just a little more space and a couple more open shots. He’d be an all-time great. 

Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

(If you are upset, calm down, take a breath, and read on.) Zion Williamson, who stands at 6’6”, is the best interior scorer in the league. In just 16 games, Zion has scored 282 points in the paint, about 18 points per game. The majority of his shots are dunks or really close rim shots, but that doesn’t matter- especially not on this lineup. Zion has shown that he can get the shots he wants, even in the NBA, just by being more aggressive and physically dominant than anyone else. He doesn’t even shoot bad from deep, shooting currently 42%. 

Zion, like others on this roster, has an aggressive, high motor game. His tenacity at the rim is unmatched. His athleticism is mind-boggling. His efficiency puts him right at home in this roster. Having someone that can score on Dwight Howard and rip rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo makes him irreplaceable.

Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz

For the Utah Jazz, Mitchell has become beloved and adored, and it’s not hard to see why. ‘Spida’ Mitchell has frequently expressed his love for the area while also giving fans hope for a bright future. He has played in the playoffs before, led game-winning drives and can play both ways. 

What makes Mitchell a great candidate for this spot is his ability to get to the rim and play in transition. The team has plenty of shooters, and Mitchell can shoot, but there is a need for those who can score in the paint. Donovan has the athletic ability to slash off the ball and drive in a way reminiscent of Russell Westbrook, but with much better shooting. Obviously, Westbrook is still the better player, but Donovan is just a step behind. 

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

Ingram joins his teammate Zion on this list for one reason: Ingram is an amazing isolation scorer. Now, a team can only have so many isolation scorers, but this one can support three: Harden, Dame, and Ingram. Of these three, Ingram is the most efficient, partially because he doesn’t have the same offensive load that the other guys do, but also because he is just a good shooter. Ingram makes 47% of all his shots and 39% of his 3-pointers. 

Ingram also brings a much-needed asset to the table- his length. Ingram’s 7’3” wingspan allows him to be a great defender against wings or traditional big men. As small-ball teams usually switch on every screen, the ability to defend a variety of players is invaluable. 

Patrick Beverly, Los Angeles Clippers

This should be a more obvious take. The team has plenty of scorers, and Pat Bev can score, but more importantly, he can lock down opposing guards. Though he faces some serious height disadvantages (like everyone else on the team), Beverly makes up for it in tenacity and heart. 

Beverly has tons of playoff experience guarding elite players and has performed beautifully under pressure. While he doesn’t score at the same rate as many of the players on this roster, he can knock down open threes at a solid clip (37%) and can be counted on to make good passes. 

 Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies

Another rookie on the lineup? You betcha. I’m a believer in Morant, even though we haven’t seen him in the playoffs or a whole season yet. He has raised the Memphis Grizzlies’ dreams from playoff hopes to playoff expectations. Morant has averaged 17.6 points and 7.0 assists per game, which is good, even great. It’s certainly good enough to pull the Grizzlies from 12th in the West last year to their current 8th spot. 

Morant has the potential to explode off screens, getting to the rim in dominating fashion. He uses his athleticism to get by the first defender, then to get over the next. Morant deserves this spot on the roster because he operates in open space as good as anyone- if we give him more room, he’d be even better. 

Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics

I would love to see Marcus Smart and Patrick Beverley on the same team. Their beef is real, and their competitive nature would drive each other to insane levels of activity. Both players serve about the same purpose on the team- the only difference is that Marcus Smart can guard bigs in a way that Beverley can’t.

Smart is an elite defender with an extremely high motor. He thrives in big-game situations and despises losing. He gets called the heart of the Celtics literally every game he plays in, but it remains true, every game. 

I have placed a spreadsheet that I used to organize my thoughts. It might be interesting to you. It shouldn’t be, but hey, some of us are content starved.