Let’s have some fun and talk about some “on the court” stuff.
This offseason has plenty of content for your basketball brains to dissect. Most of it is off-court drama, free agency, trade rumors, draft talk, and more. The usual, never-ending fun of the NBA offseason.
Let’s talk a little bit about how some of these hypothetical combinations of players will coexist and potentially thrive together in specific groups. Yes, the roster is still incomplete, and this will change as adjustments to the roster construction come in, but for now, this is what we have to work with.
This list will break down three of the lineups I am looking forward to the most. For the sake of this exercise, I will exclude Bradley Beal since he is all but gone at this point; it’s just a matter of time.
Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
For reference, here are the top three 5-man lineups from a year ago. I apologize in advance for making you briefly think about that team’s existence and the suffering that came with it.
The sample size is small, but I filtered it to at least 50 minutes played together. There were not many combinations to work with here, as the Suns had a limited number of groups of five that played together. Nonetheless, this is the trio we ended up with.
Interesting to note that Tyus Jones appeared in all three of Phoenix’s most sucessful lineups in terms of net rating. Jones recently signed with Orlando, joining Kevin Durant, Mason Plumlee and Jusuf Nurkic as the departed from the lineups above.
The Lineups
I will preface this with the fact that this is more about the “most fun” lineups and combinations I’m looking forward to. Not the 3 “best,” necessarily, which is boring and probably a little too obvious at this point.
#1) SIZE & LIMBS
Devin Booker + Dillon Brooks + Ryan Dunn + Rasheer Fleming + Khaman Maluach
This is a young group with Dunn, Fleming, and Maluach bringing the size, length, and athleticism to pair with the “DBs”.
This is our “bully ball” lineup with a combination of toughness, athleticism and physicality. That may be asking a lot from a pair of rookies and a sophomore, but I would expect this group to get after it. The scoring may be rough at times, but one thing we know is this group could compete with those larger units that they typically struggle to match in size.
Photo by Amelia McAnear/NBAE via Getty Images
#2) Scoring is easy
Devin Booker + Jalen Green + Grayson Allen + Dillon Brooks + Mark Williams
Two bucket-getters, two-floor spacers, and a lob threat? The offense should flow.
This may be the Suns’ best offensive lineup they can toss out there as their roster currently stands. There’s a heavy lift defensively for Brooks and Williams here, but if they push the pace and move the ball, it’s a lineup that could work. Plugging in Royce O’Neale for Allen here for a little more size could be an option as well.
The “point-Book” lineups will be interesting to monitor this season, as his workload as a point is inevitable barring a reuinion with Chris Paul or a taking a swing on Russell Westbrook. Collin Gillespie is the lone point guard under contract, and they have an abundance of two-guards so we’ll see plenty of playmaking from Booker.
Either way, this unit offers some diverse scoring and could be a fun watch esepcially if Grayson can return to his 2023-24 form.
Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
#3) Youth Movement
Collin Gillespie + Koby Brea + Ryan Dunn + Rasheer Fleming + Khaman Maluach
This lineup rules. They are young and would bring instant energy and play with an edge.
I am not sure if this is a lineup we’d ever see outside of Summer League (if Dunn is assigned) but either way, if garbage time hits in a blowout, throw this unit out there and let them cook.
Honorable mention to Oso Ighodaro, who could be a fun addition to this group as well in place of Maluach due to his secondary playmaking.
Footage of Kentucky’s Koby Brea from his pro day at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Easy to see why he shot a scorching 47% for 3 over the past two seasons, but has some other things to work with as well at 6’7 in shoes with good athletic ability. pic.twitter.com/hrA1HH6TNQ
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 20, 2025
What’s your favorite 5-man lineup, Suns fans? Let us know in the comments.
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