Observations on lineup usage & results

[Crow]

Houston's 8 most used lineups (used 1-6 minutes per game) +70 for the season. The remaining 98 lineups used are a net -93. Right now about half the total time is going to the most used. Not bad but that isn't particularly high and it probably should go higher, at least unless & until the trend changes. Have they really learned much or benefited much from the other 98 lineups? Not in the bottomline of the boxscores.

7 of Dallas' 8 most used lineups last season were positive on raw +/-, and for a cumulative +312 for the season or a bit less than 4 pts per game. This season the top 7 are all positive, and for a cumulative +111 for the season or a bit less than +8 pts per game. Last season all other Dallas' lineups were +35 for the season or less than +0.5 per game. This season all other lineups are -51 or over -3.5 per game. That is a mixed bag of very encouraging news and a problem but maybe a fixable problem. Look at the standings alone and you don't see it; think /say that lineups aren't in themselves important and you miss it. For what it is worth.

Denver's top 3 lineups are -47, the rest of lineups are +120. Change or stick with the plan?

Indiana's top 2 are +89. The rest are -38.

Lakers top 4 +40, rest +15. Not bad, but not really great in either part.

Knicks top 11 are -28. A couple of good performing lineups. Might be nice to play the biggest lineups more, health permitting.

Utah's top 6 are about -60 but the rest are almost +50.

Philly's top 5 are about +100, but the rest of the lineups are also about +100.

Nearly all of Chicago's point differential comes from its top 4 lineups, the rest combined are barely above neutral.

Thunder get almost all their edge from the top 7 lineups, which currently are all positive.

Only 17 lineups in the league have been used 100+ minutes or more than 7-8 minutes per game. 70% of those are positive. The 3 big minute lineups performing very poorly belong to Utah, Detriot and Minnesota.

Chicago and Miami are currently the only top tier contenders with super performing lineups.

[J.E.]

The reason for Utah's big minute lineups performing poorly is that they're starting Gordon Hayward and Raja Bell. Both are in the bottom 25 in RAPM. Having watched one or two Jazz games I was actually surprised Hayward isn't ranked in last place. Against the Lakers he had 3 1on1 breaks against Derek Fisher and blew all 3 of them. Fisher might be one of the better defenders in that situation, but still. It's not like Hayward brings anything special in half court offense either. Raja Bell is not the defender he used to be, and to me it seemed he passed up the open shot way too much, thus making it more difficult for his teammates to create open shots.
RAPM would give most of their minutes to Burks, Josh Howard and C.J. Miles

[Crow]

Anybody have any quick thoughts on which championship team in the last 20 years had the best bench in general or specific bench unit? I haven't looked it up yet and would appreciate any leads.