But as the kids have grown up, so has the talent. Some of the young stars that once played in the high school ranks have found success in the NCAA, the high school ranks, and even the professional ranks. These players may be young, but much like the stars of the past, they are ready for greatness.
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These are the all-time high school players who made their on-field debuts prior to the 2019 season. There are several notable first-rounders expected to break into the starting lineup this season, including the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Jaire Alexander.. Read more about nba all-time starting 5 for each team and let us know what you think.
Despite being selected right out of high school, a few of NBA players have thrived in the league. While the strength and talents of adult men playing professional basketball make this tough, certain stars have been able to successfully adapt their game. For the next 5 players, skipping college was not a problem, and we’ve put together a starting lineup of the top 5 high-schoolers who made it to the NBA.
Honorable mentions include 6-time All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire, 3-time 6th Man of the Year Lou Williams, and 2-time All-Star Rashard Lewis, all of whom were selected out of high school and went on to have successful careers. Only five players top the list of the greatest to ever accomplish it outside of high school, and they constitute a dominating starting five that, had they played together, would have won many championships over the course of a decade.
Tracy McGrady is a professional basketball player., Bryant, Kobe, LeBron James is a basketball player from the United States., Kevin Garnett is a basketball player that plays in the NBA, and Howard, Dwight are the starters.
Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady is one of the most dominating shooting guards of his time, and if not for his persistent back problems, he might have been one of the greatest ever. When McGrady was on the court, though, he was unstoppable. As a main scorer and facilitator, he has career averages of 19.6 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 4.4 assists per game. T-Mac is most known for his unstoppable scoring ability, but his playmaking ability was maybe his most natural talent.
McGrady will be the key facilitator and scorer in this lineup behind Kobe Bryant. He can do it everything, and his flexibility means he’ll be relied on to assist LeBron James in setting up teammates and playing point guard. Of course, as a 6’8″ explosive guard who was quicker and stronger than most players at his position, McGrady’s athleticism will come in useful.
Kobe Bryant
When playing with other outstanding players, the Black Mamba will always push his game to the next level and will be the team’s outspoken leader. Despite playing with four other Hall of Famers, Kobe will be in charge of shooting and making the most important shots. After all, he’s the team’s leading scorer overall. Kobe had every move and counter-move in his repertoire as a 6’6″ shooting guard and thrived in one-on-one scenarios.
In addition, Kobe will be in charge of shutting down the other team’s top players. He has the best perimeter defender credentials on the squad and will not take the defensive end of the court lightly. Bryant has never liked bringing the ball up the court, so he will start creating space for himself as McGrady or LeBron James carry the ball up the court from inbounds.
LeBron James
LeBron James, the team’s greatest facilitator and all-around player, will have the biggest effect by setting up his superstar colleagues and attacking the rim with vigour. James understands that he has the ability to be the greatest player on the court at any given moment, but he will take the initiative to be selfless and push himself to rebound the ball and lead the fast break.
With McGrady and Bryant on his team, James can easily score at the rim or drive and kick to his backcourt. When playing alongside other superstars, LeBron is at his best because he can focus on what he does best: play the game with a high basketball IQ. This combination will be unbeatable, especially now that James has joined Bryant as one of the court’s captains.
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett is one of the greatest power forwards to ever play the position. The 2004 MVP is regarded as one of the greatest two-way big men in NBA history and one of the top five power forwards of all time. Garnett’s name is often mentioned at his position, after Tim Duncan and Karl Malone. The big man was more of a finesse player than a low-post presence, which made him an ideal match for Dwight Howard.
Garnett was a terrific high school basketball player who became much more exceptional as a pro. The Big Ticket was one of sports’ most ferocious competitors, and his aggressiveness on both ends of the floor will be ideal for keeping his team’s momentum going. It will be difficult for any team to handle the scoring and defensive presence of this squad with Garnett on the court.
Dwight Howard
Defensive Player of the Year three times Dwight Howard is regarded as one of the league’s most athletically talented big players. His vertical and lateral quickness could not be taught, despite his height of 6’10”. Howard was such a great defender in high school that he averaged a double-double in his first season. Dwight Howard averaged 16.2 points per game, 12.1 rebounds per game, and 1.9 blocks per game throughout his Hall of Fame career.
In this starting lineup, Howard won’t receive many touches, but he’ll be a target anytime McGrady or LeBron dish him lobs. Dwight is also an excellent pick-and-roll partner who excels at making rim runs and cleaning up offensive board misses. Howard will hold down the fort as the club’s greatest defender, and he’ll be the last piece of a team that may wreak havoc on the league.
How many championships could they win if they teamed together for ten years?
If this starting five had played together, we’d be looking at a squad capable of winning 7-8 rings at the very least, barring injury. Although it is reasonable to expect that they will win every year, injuries and other external variables play a significant part in each NBA season. Injuries, as well as other considerations like as off-court problems, ensure they only lose out on a maximum of 2-3 championships over the course of a decade. This implies that, apart from the Boston Celtics’ Bill Russell, this starting lineup would have constituted the most dominating team in NBA history.
On attack and defense, this team has it all. Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest defensive guards in NBA history, having been named to 12 All-Defensive Teams and playing both on and off the court. Bryant has extremely active hands and can pick up opponents all the way across the court. Of course, because to his height and agility, a peak LeBron James is capable of guarding all five spots at any one moment. With a combined four Defensive Player of the Year Awards, Garnett and Howard will be the team’s main defensive stoppers.
This is the best offensive squad in NBA history. McGrady, a two-time scoring champion, will be in charge of handling the ball and coming up with his own shots. Kobe is also a two-time NBA scoring champion and one of the top five scorers in NBA history. LeBron will be in charge of playmaking, and he has the highest lifetime APG average on the squad, with 7.4 APG. When Kobe isn’t shooting, Garnett dominates from the mid-range, while Dwight feasts on lobs from LeBron and T-Mac. In a nutshell, this is a great squad with size and talent on both sides, and they will easily win 7 championships at the very least.
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With the NBA Playoffs well underway, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the all-time starting lineups of every NBA team. We took the last 15 years of NBA All-Star Game starting lineups, and sorted them by age.. Read more about nba best starting 5 2021 and let us know what you think.
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