APBRmetrics

Bucks have 10 of the top 11 player pairs used at least 500 minutes by team plus minus per 100 possessions. 16 of top 27. 7 players fill all these spots.

Clippers with 4 are only other team with more than 2 in top 27. Thunder had 2.

Go to top 50: Clippers 8, Lakers 6, Mavs 6 (and #51), Celtics 4. Thunder 3. Raptors 3. No more for Bucks, who already had 16. Or about 10x of what would be a proportional share. 7 teams have 92% of the top 50 pairs.

Rockets 1. Heat none. Jazz 1. Nuggets 1 (but almost 3). Pelicans 1. Sixers none.

http://bkref.com/tiny/icePX

Clippers pairs formed by 6 guys. Same for Lakers. Davis only named in 1 pair, with James. Mavs' pairs involve 7 guys. Doncic named only in 2. AD and Luka are in some of those minutes, just not all of them.

4 teams with 6 or more such pairs are pretty clear tops in terms of breadth of major positive synergies. 3 expected, one less so. The contenders low on this count or at zero probably deserve more scrutiny, perhaps more skepticism.

Sixers have talent and a huge analytics department who say they do a lot with lineup recommendations but no top pairs? They had 9, almost 10, in top 50 of last playoffs. Will that performance return in playoff ball? 6 of those pairs are gone and the other 4 not performing as highly this regular season.

Heat have talent, a top coach and sim lineups but have none in top 50? They do have 6 in second fifty (2 name Butler) but that doesn't sound like enough to go far, unless they elevate in playoffs.

Playoffs should see these top pairs play more and bear more responsibility for victory and loss.

Bucks had 19 of top 50 pairs last playoffs (including 6 in top 10) but lost to Raptors with 5 in top 50 (and just 1 in top 20). The games are not decided on the averages.

Bucks have 5 of 6 top quads over 400 minutes this season. Raptors and Jazz 2 in top 10.

Quads used to get larger sample sizes.

Clippers have none among 90 qualifiers? What's up with your lineup management & usage Doc? You have plenty of pair building blocks.

Celtics with just 1 qualifier and 27th best. Is that the best Stevens and his lineup helper can manage?

Lakers with 5 in top 26 but best is 11th.

Heat apparently better on completing quads than on building block pairs. 5 of top 18 but best is 12th.

Putting talent next to talent for pairs is probably easier than forming quads or full 5 man lineups.

Jazz with 7 in top 30. 9th is best.

Raptors with just 1 more in top 50 after their two in top 10. They should probably play them very heavy.

Carlisle with more top player pairs than all but a couple teams but only one qualifying quad at 24th.

Nuggets with 5 in top 37 but best is 28th.

Thunder's best qualifying quad is 59th.

Rockets with 4 but best is only 35th.

Sixers with 3 in top 50 but best best is just 41st.

Pelicans and Pacers are only other teams with one in top 25. Pelicans, an encouraging 5th. Pacers with a probably not encouraging enough to be satisfied 25th.

Griz had 39th best but traded Crowder. He was in 3 of the other 5 qualifiers but at least they have 2 left. Suns and Bulls have one each in low 40s but there is a good chance neither returns next season. Bulls have one other mildly positive qualifier but it also goes away if Dunn is not retained. Suns no other qualifiers.

Kings 51st best quad. Nets 54th. Blazers check in (without Nurkic) at 56th. Spurs stumble along at 70th with their chosen cast and lineup style.

Overall this data makes me think even more that the Bucks are the runaway favorite. None of the next 3 is a clearcut #2. Jazz may be best of rest by this angle. My skepticism about everyone else goes higher. BRef gives these 5 an 87% chance of winning the title. So this data is consistent with that.

Some to many or all teams may have good to great lineups that could get greater use but this is the starting baseline for sublineup tendencies.