Who’s the Best Second Banana in the NBA, and Why Does It Matter?

We rank all 30 NBA second bananas, because depth and teammates still win championships even in a star-driven league

THE NBA IS A SUPERSTAR LEAGUE, BUT SECOND BANANAS MATTER MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK. Even LeBron can’t win by himself, and there’s still no bigger star in American sports than James. It still matters who’s second and third best on the team, how the roster takes shape around that superstar. And now that the Golden State Warriors dynasty is no more, that matters more than ever. So who are the best and worst second bananas for the 2019–20 NBA season?

You can look back at the Worst Best Player and Second Banana rankings from 2018, 2017, and 2016. A lot can change in one season. Last year Karl-Anthony Towns was still a second banana, DeMar DeRozan was still masquerading as a star, Kent Bazemore and George Hill made the list, and Luka Doncic was somehow the 17th best Second Banana. Oops.

Focus on the tiers below, rather than the rankings within. We’re looking at the big picture NBA landscape. The rankings are meant to look at where things are at right now as the season begins, so veterans get the nod over young players when it’s close, and early-season breakouts haven’t quite changed everything yet, though I tried to note where some shakeups may be coming.

If you haven’t read it yet, you’ll want to start with this year’s ranking of the best players on every NBA team. And now it’s off to the second bananas…

TIER I — THE LAKERS ARE TERRIFYING

1. Anthony Davis, L.A. Lakers

One of the things that made the Warriors feel so invincible the last few years was that they always had the best second banana in the NBA by a very wide margin. Whether you thought that was Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, their “second banana” was a top-5 NBA player that could have been leading his own title contender. And that’s why the Lakers gave up what they did for Davis.

Anthony Davis is the best second banana in the NBA. And if Brow steps forward and becomes the #1 Lakers option, then LeBron is the best second banana by an even greater margin. The only other team with even an argument is the one sharing a locker room, but it’s not a great argument. You can rank Kawhi, LeBron, and Brow however you like, but PG is fourth on the list no matter how you slice it.

The Lakers lack depth and guards and shooting, but when it gets to May and June, they’re going to have two guys worthy of being the best player on the court in any matchup, and that’s what makes them terrifying.

TIER II — RIP OKC

2. Paul George, L.A. Clippers 3. Russell Westbrook, Houston

There’s also no argument about #2 on the list. That’s Paul George, and he’s paired up with his former teammate here. Neither of these guys is used to being second banana. PG did it in theory last year and suddenly ended up on a lot of MVP and DPOY ballots. This year, we get to see what it looks like with Russ, who at least played like 1a all those years with Durant, whether he was actually that or not (narrator: he wasn’t).

Last year these guys were teammates that did not escape the first round. This year, they’ll swing the title race. The only question about PG is whether he ought to be in the tier above with Anthony Davis. If he plays like last year, he does. If the shoulder bothers him or he doesn’t reach those shooting levels again, maybe not. We’ll find out in May.

Next year, at least one new name joins this tier, and it’s not a Warrior. It’s Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn Nets will be the only East team with two legit superstars, and that’s why Kevin Durant is worth the wait.

TIER III — THE GLUE GUY SUPERSTARS

4. Kyle Lowry, Toronto 5. Al Horford, Philadelphia 6. Mike Conley, Utah 7. Zion Williamson, New Orleans

Don’t you just love Kyle Lowry, Al Horford, and Mike Conley?

These guys have been in our lives for a decade doing all the little things, always “overpaid” while being secretly underpaid. Ever notice that these guys are pretty much always on winning teams, outside of Conley’s lost Memphis years? That’s not a coincidence. It might be sexier to put up 25 or 30 points a night, but these guys play both ways and play hard every single night, even including a cold, rainy Tuesday January night in Detroit. Forever underrated, KLOE, Al, and Mike just get the job done.

Remember, we’re doing this list as it would have looked going into the season. It sure looks like Donovan Mitchell has passed Conley by now, after Mike’s ice cold shooting start, but that means only good things for Utah.

It also means we’re counting on Zion Williamson to play some games this season. Is Zion really #2 behind Jrue Holiday? Maybe for now. Rest assured he’ll be moving off this list soon enough.

TIER IV — ONE-WAY TRAFFIC ONLY

8. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee 9. C.J. McCollum, Portland 10. Myles Turner, Indiana 11. D’Angelo Russell, Golden State 12. Danilo Gallinari, Oklahoma City 13. Jamal Murray, Denver

The guess here is that a lot of folks would rank much or all of this tier ahead of all the older guys I have above them. No thanks. There’s a whole lot of one-way traffic here, guys that put up gaudy stats but might not make quite as big a winning impact as most fans would assume.

I can never quite make my mind up about Khris Middleton. He’s an excellent one-on-one scorer, and Milwaukee needs that in the playoffs. He’s a good-not-great shooter. His defense… it’s fine. I really like Middleton as a third option, maybe behind a league MVP and a breakout star in Malcolm Brogdon, for example, but he’s underqualified as a championship second banana, and that makes him awfully expensive at $178 million over the next five years.

Speaking of Brogdon, yes, he’s certainly passed Myles Turner and suddenly gives the Pacers one of the most interesting and dynamic backcourts in the league, once Victor Oladipo returns.

Not much needs to be said about the others. They’re all really good scorers that can always explode for a huge night. None of them play much defense, and they don’t create a whole lot for teammates. They’re fine players but a bit overrated as stars compared to all-around guys who help the team in more ways than scoring.

TIER V — JUST NOT FOR ME

14. Andre Drummond, Detroit 15. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio

For many, these two names are way too low. I imagine some might put Drummond as high as top-5 on this list. As recently as a couple years ago, a lot of people would’ve put DeRozan that high, too. I think we’ve finally all started to realize what sort of winning impact DeRozan does or doesn’t make.

Drummond has had a monster start to the new season, and if he keeps up the continued improvement at the line and as a playmaker, that improved versatility will finally earn my respect. For now, I still see a borderline top-10 center that needs the right ecosystem and mostly just a monster rebounder.

TIER VI — GOOD WINGS MATTER

16. Otto Porter, Chicago 17. Robert Covington, Minnesota 18. Jayson Tatum, Boston 19. Caris LeVert, Brooklyn

Every NBA team needs another good wing, and these four would start or play huge minutes on every NBA roster. Otto Porter is secretly Chicago’s best player, and his absence is a large part of why they’re struggling so much early this season. We do this thing where a guy gets a monster contract and we all decide he’s undeserving and overpaid, but those two things don’t have to go together. Otto Porter helps teams win. He does everything you’d want from a 3-and-D wing at an elite level.

So does Robert Covington, if he can stay on the court. RoCo is a bit more problematic offensively in key minutes, but he’s also far more menacing on defense, so we’ll call it even. Tatum and LeVert need to prove they can impact the game as positively as Otto and RoCo. For that matter, Tatum needs to prove he’s even Boston’s second banana. He might not be second, or even third, the way he’s played thus far.

And, no, Andrew Wiggins is not better than Robert Covington, not even with how well he’s playing now. Next!

TIER VII — YOUNGSTERS ON THEIR WAY UP

20. John Collins, Atlanta 21. Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas 22. Buddy Hield, Sacramento 23. Aaron Gordon, Orlando

We’re getting into the younger, more unproven guys now, and it’s pretty difficult to rank them. The truth is that we’re still learning about these guys. By season’s end, one of them may well have made the leap 10 spots up this list. Another one or two may have been passed by onto the third banana or role players list.

This is not Kristaps Porzingis’s first time as a second banana but it’s his first time next to a deserving superstar (sorry, Melo). And it’s been a really rough start so far, but it’s also KP’s first time on the court in almost two years, so let’s give this some time.

John Collins looked set for his first All-Star team before a 25-game drug suspension. Atlanta knows what they have in Trae Young now. They need to find out just what Collins can be next to him, with such porous defense.

Buddy and Gordon are the two that might fall down the rankings within their team. Marvin Bagley could supplant Buddy if he gets healthy and continues to improve, and Gordon might have already been passed by Jonathan Isaac in Orlando. Isn’t it wild that this is Aaron Gordon’s sixth season in the NBA and yet we still don’t really totally know what he is, other than dunks? He remains a very intriguing trade candidate.

TIER VIII — THE YOUNG BIGS

24. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis 25. Bam Adebayo, Miami 26. Mitchell Robinson, New York 27. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix

Four more young players appear, and with the state of the NBA, big men just aren’t as valuable until they prove otherwise.

Bam Adebayo is making the leap. He’s a top DPOY contender and is having such a good, all-around season that he’s currently among the Basketball Reference top 10 MVP candidates. Most Improved Player is probably the more realistic target. JJJ and Mitch are still super young and super raw. They’ll get there, but it’s going to take some time.

Look, let’s not do the whole Deandre Ayton argument here. Yes, I really ranked him at the bottom of these four. Ayton isn’t really the second best Sun yet anyway, so at least I’m conceding that. Listen, when you get suspended 25 games and a journeyman Aussie center comes in and suddenly your team starts winning, you’ve got some questions to answer.

TIER IX — THE WORST SECOND BANANAS

28. Cody Zeller, Charlotte 29. Thomas Bryant, Washington 30. Collin Sexton, Cleveland

And then there’s a giant cliff, like five empty tiers, and these three teams.

In Cleveland’s defense, they might not belong here. My Cavs insider Luke Goodman told me Sexton was the presumed second banana, but it’s clear that Tristan Thompson is finally healthy again, and he has been awesome this year. If you’re wondering why the Cavs look somewhat competent, it’s because TT is playing at a borderline All-Star level.

Who’s the best Charlotte Hornet? Who’s second or third or fifth or eighth? Honestly, who knows? Right now it might be Devonte’ Graham or even P.J. Washington atop the list. I went with Nic Batum and Cody Zeller. Whoever you pick, Charlotte is at the bottom of any of these rankings. They have definite NBA rotation guys but not even remotely anything resembling a star.

And then there’s Washington, who somehow inexplicably have the #1 offense in the entire NBA. I’d offer an explanation, but that’s really not how this whole “inexplicable” thing works. The Wizards have the biggest drop from star to second banana of any NBA team. Is Lakers castoff Thomas Bryant really second best? I’ll listen to your counter argument.

The Hornets, Cavs, and Wizards have all been a little better than everyone expected so far, so credit where it’s due. But there’s just not a lot of high-end talent on these rosters, and that early winning mirage is bound to fade soon enough. Talent always wins out.

THIRD BANANA RANKINGS

1. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 2. Paul Millsap, Denver 3. Marc Gasol, Toronto 4. Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee 5. Donovan Mitchell, Utah 6. Marcus Smart, Boston 7. Malcolm Brogdon, Indiana 8. Danny Green, L.A. Lakers

We won’t do all the teams here, but it’s worth thinking about this exercise another step or two down the list.

It’s been a rocky start to the season for Philadelphia, but a look further down the roster shows why they are so dangerous. The Sixers have the top third banana, and they’re top-3 on fourth and fifth bananas too. And if you think this should be Al Horford instead of Simmons, that’s fine — Horford would lead this list too.

The way he’s playing so far, you might argue for Spida at the top of the list. The truth is that he’d probably pass Conley up onto the previous list, and Conley probably ends up about where Mitchell is here. Either way, both Philly and Utah are hoping the strength of the back end of their starting lineup closes the gap left by their high-end talent. Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert are great but they’re not quite MVP-level superstars. These guys are the difference. Utah is another team whose fourth and fifth options (Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic) rank very high on their prospective lists.

Boston is another team relying on strength in numbers. Most would tout Kemba Walker as their best player, but how would you rank their two through five? Gordon Hayward was probably second best (or better) before his injury. Smart, Tatum, and Jaylen Brown are all very strong options. Boston ranks #1 on the “fifth banana” list (or maybe 1b with Philly). Exactly how valuable is it to have the best worst player on the court in crunch time… and can Boston even play all five of those guys without a center?

I’ve got my eye on Indiana, assuming Victor Oladipo comes back healthy. Brogdon and Turner rank top-10 on the second and third banana list, and Domantas Sabonis is one of the top fourth banana options. With Brogdon and Sabonis taking a step forward, the return of a healthy Oladipo might make Indiana almost as strong an overall roster as Philly or Boston.

It’s worth noting the cutoff on the list, too. Danny Green is so valuable that the Lakers do in fact have a quality third option. It gets ugly quickly after that (get behind me, Kyle Kuzma), but the Lakers have that third guy.

The Clippers might not. Maybe Patrick Beverley is the third banana, or perhaps it’s one of the bench stars, Lou Williams or Montrezl Harrell. Whoever you pick, there’s not a strong third option here, and that’s why the Clippers are still the most intriguing trade candidate. They can package one of those bench stars with other moveable deals, young players like Jerome Robinson or Mfiondu Kabengele, and this year’s first round pick and go get that third guy. They might need to, if they want to truly contend for a title.

This is why Bradley Beal was such an interesting trade target, before he signed his extension and went off the market until next summer. Remember Beal? He’s the one great player on the league’s #1 offense, apparently, and a championship contender trading for Beal might have added him as the #1 third banana on this list. That could still be the case for someone like Kevin Love or C.J. McCollum, if they become available.

It’s a star-driven league, but all this second and third banana stuff matters. Superstars get all all the credit (and the blame), but teams win NBA championships. If there’s one lesson we learned over the past decade, it’s that even LeBron can’t do it all on his own.

Teams win championships. And championship NBA teams have elite second and third bananas. ■

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