The NBA has been showing us for a while that simply putting several stars together isn’t enough to win anymore. The 2024 Celtics had a stacked roster almost everywhere, with close to 10 guys who could handle minutes, while the 2025 Thunder might honestly be one of the deepest teams we have seen in a long time. Then the Knicks won the 2026 title with a rotation that became much more important after Mike Brown replaced Tom Thibodeau and started trusting the bench more.

That is pretty much the rule now. A team can have crazy firepower in the starting five, but if the second unit can’t score, defend, or survive five minutes without the stars, competing for four playoff rounds becomes much harder. Over 82 games, it matters even more, because injuries, rest, and bad shooting nights are going to happen no matter how talented the roster is.

So for this ranking, the focus is simple: which five teams enter 2026-27 with the deepest benches in the league? These are second units with several players who can change a regular-season game, cover an injury for a few weeks, or even stay on the floor during a tough playoff series. That obviously doesn’t mean one of these five teams is guaranteed to win the title, but having too many productive bench pieces is always a pretty nice problem to have.

The Rockets have a ridiculous amount of bodies behind their starting five, and the interesting part is that most of them bring something different. If Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun start, Ime Udoka can still bring Reed Sheppard, Tari Eason, Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Steven Adams, and Clint Capela from the bench.

Sheppard gives them the scoring and shooting that second units usually need. He was up to 13.5 points and 3.4 assists last season while hitting 39.4% from three, so Houston doesn’t have to leave Durant on the floor every time VanVleet sits just to have somebody who can create offense.

Eason is basically the energy piece of the group. He finished with 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 25.8 minutes, and 2.1 of those rebounds came on the offensive glass. Add 35.8% from three, and he can play next to almost any frontcourt combination without completely killing the spacing.

Then Houston has Smart and Bogdanovic, two veterans who can make the bench much more stable. Smart can defend the best guard, switch onto wings, and take some ball-handling duties, while Bogdanovic gives them another shooter who can run a pick-and-roll or create something when the offense gets ugly late in the clock.

The center depth might be the craziest part because Sengun already gives them 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists as the starter. Behind him, Adams can destroy teams with screens and offensive rebounds, while Capela gives Houston another rim protector and lob threat if Udoka wants something more vertical.

The only thing keeping Houston fifth is that not every combination works together. Smart, Eason, and Adams on the floor at the same time can make the spacing pretty ugly, and Adams plus Capela obviously won’t share many minutes. Still, Udoka has enough options that this team can scheme against different opponents without much difficulty.

Atlanta quietly built one of the deepest perimeter rotations in the league, especially after adding more defense around a team that already had a solid bench. The Hawks can start CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu and still have Luguentz Dort, Aaron Wiggins, and Kingston Flemings waiting behind them.

Dort is probably the biggest reason this bench looks different now. He spent years starting for the Thunder and guarding the best perimeter player on the other team, so asking him to come in for 20 or 25 minutes and handle one defensive matchup is a much easier job than what he had before.

His 8.3 points last season don’t really matter much in this role either. Atlanta already has McCollum, Johnson, and several other players who can score, so Dort can focus on defending, taking open threes, and making sure the defense doesn’t fall apart every time Daniels goes to the bench.

Wiggins is another player who should fit without needing much from the offense. He had 9.4 points across 65 games last season and can play either wing spot, cut without the ball, and knock down open shots at a crazy rate. Atlanta doesn’t need him creating 15 shots, which makes his job pretty simple.

Flemings gives the Hawks something different because he can actually grow into a bigger offensive role. Atlanta took him No. 8 in the 2026 Draft, and he can spend his rookie season attacking backup guards, getting into the paint, and learning without having the entire offense on his shoulders.

The frontcourt is deep enough too. Jock Landale can handle backup center minutes, while Asa Newell and Mouhamed Gueye give Quin Snyder different young options depending on whether he wants more size, athleticism, or mobility.

Atlanta’s bench already produced 36.6 points per game last season while shooting 47.4% from the field and 39.1% from three. Now the Hawks added Dort, Wiggins, and another lottery guard, so there is a lot less pressure on one player to carry the entire second unit.

The Thunder somehow lost three rotation players and still have one of the deepest benches in basketball. Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins are gone, but the Thunder still have Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, Jared McCain, Nikola Topic, Kenrich Williams, and Jaylin Williams behind the main group.

Mitchell is the guy who makes the bench offense work because he can actually win the Sixth Man Of The Year Award. He put up 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25.8 minutes last season while shooting 48.5% from the field, and Oklahoma City outscored opponents by 8.8 points per game during his minutes.

That means SGA doesn’t have to stay on the court just because the second unit needs somebody who can dribble and create a shot. Mitchell can run pick-and-roll, attack the paint, and move the ball enough to keep the offense alive while the stars sit.

Caruso gives Mark Daigneault the opposite type of weapon. He can enter the game, pick up the best opposing guard, create turnovers, and close the fourth quarter even if he never starts. His value fits basically any lineup because he doesn’t need touches to make an impact.

McCain already showed during his rookie year that he can shoot at a high level, hitting 38.3% from three before injuries slowed him down, and Oklahoma City can now use him as another guard who stretches the floor and attacks closeouts.

Topic is almost buried because the guard rotation is so crowded. He was a lottery pick, stands 6-foot-6, and can handle the ball, but he still has Mitchell, Caruso, McCain, and Cason Wallace fighting for similar minutes. On a rebuilding team, he probably gets 25 minutes without much discussion.

The frontcourt has the same type of depth. Jaylin Williams can pass and shoot enough to change the style of the second unit, while Thomas Sorber and 7-foot-2 rookie Aday Mara give Oklahoma City more size behind Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

The Thunder aren’t quite as loaded as last year’s version after losing pieces, but the bench still has creation, shooting, elite guard defense, and multiple young players who can handle bigger roles. Very few teams can lose three rotation guys in one summer and still have this many options left.

The Spurs might have the most talented bench scorer combination in the league with Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson. One was the No. 2 pick a year ago, the other has already scored 22.0 points per game across a full NBA season, and neither one needs to start for this team.

Harper had 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in only 22.6 minutes as a rookie while shooting 50.5% from the field. He also kept the turnovers at 1.4 per game, which is pretty impressive for a 20-year-old guard playing real minutes on a Finals team.

On most young teams, Harper would already be playing 30-plus minutes and taking 15 shots. San Antonio has De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Devin Vassell, so Harper can spend another year running the second unit, playing against weaker defenders and growing without needing to force anything.

Johnson gives the Spurs a much more direct scoring option beside him. He has already had a 22.0 PPG season earlier in his career, and last year he became the first player in franchise history to score 1,000 points off the bench in one season as the reigning 6MOTY.

That gives San Antonio two bench players who can be key offensive pieces, which is a luxury compared with teams that depend on one sixth man for everything. Harper can handle and create, while Keldon can attack downhill, run in transition, and score without needing a set drawn up every possession.

Julian Champagnie adds shooting, and the veteran forward rotation is pretty deep too. Tobias Harris and Harrison Barnes have spent most of their careers as starters, so whichever one doesn’t start can slide into a smaller role without San Antonio losing much experience.

Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk cover the backup big man minutes in two completely different ways. Kornet gives them rim protection, screens, and size around the basket, while Olynyk can pass, shoot, and pull another center away from the paint when Mitch Johnson wants more offense.

Even Carter Bryant and Jayden Quaintance are sitting further down the rotation as development pieces. The Spurs can basically go 10 deep without forcing any young player into a role he isn’t ready for, which is a big reason they can manage Wembanyama’s minutes without losing regular-season games.

Indiana has the best bench in the league because there is almost no weak spot from one position to the next. Behind Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac, Rick Carlisle can go to T.J. McConnell, Kelly Oubre Jr., Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, Jay Huff, Larry Nance Jr., Ben Sheppard, and Johnny Furphy.

The names might not be as flashy as other teams, but we already know how good the Pacers’ second units have been in the past three years without that recognition, and I’m definitely not betting against it.

McConnell is still the guy who holds everything together. He had 9.4 points and 5.1 assists last season, and Indiana doesn’t suddenly stop moving the ball or pushing the pace when Haliburton sits because McConnell can run the same basic style against second units.

Oubre gives them more scoring than they had before. He had 14.1 points and 5.0 rebounds last season, and he can get downhill, score in transition, and create his own shot when the offense needs something. The Pacers definitely had a steal of a signing with this one in the summer.

Toppin already knows exactly how to play in Carlisle’s system. He put up 11.6 points and 4.4 rebounds last season, runs the floor hard, and scores a lot without needing the ball for long stretches. That makes him an easy fit next to McConnell or any starter who stays on the floor.

Walker might have the highest ceiling of the whole bench group. He also had 11.6 points last season, plus 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 76 games, and he is still only 22. Indiana can use him at both forward spots and let him keep growing without depending on him to become a star immediately.

Huff gives the Pacers another 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds behind Zubac, while Nance brings more mobility and passing if Carlisle wants to go smaller. Sheppard can enter for shooting and perimeter defense, which gives Indiana another option when Oubre or Toppin isn’t having a good night.

The easiest way to see the depth is to build the second unit: McConnell, Oubre, Toppin, Walker, and Huff. All five averaged at least 9.4 points last season, and none of them has to play outside their normal role just to make the lineup work.

That is what puts Indiana first. The Pacers have a backup point guard who can run the offense, multiple wings who can score, two forwards with size, and a real center behind Zubac. There isn’t one superstar on the bench carrying everything, but there also isn’t one spot where Carlisle has to hide somebody.

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Much has been made of Kirk Cousins ' impact on Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza's development.

But there's another veteran QB in Las Vegas who could have a role in helping Mendoza begin to live up to the expectations that come with being the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick.

Aidan O'Connell enters his fourth season and provides guidance through words and actions. He led two lengthy fourth-quarter touchdown drives to rally the Raiders to a 22-20 preseason victory at Houston on Thursday night.

“I think we’ve said all offseason how much we value Aidan, and what a heck of a second half,” coach Klint Kubiak said Friday. "He goes out and leads us to (a) 19-point half and two 90-plus yard drives in the fourth quarter. He did it with his teammates, but he was a big part of it and was very happy for him.”

Kubiak said he and the staff were considering keeping all three quarterbacks this season.

“Those guys are going to make us make hard decisions, which is a great thing, that competition,” Kubiak said. "We’re talking through it.”

Much of the discussion likely also centers around when Mendoza will get the chance to start this season.

He played the entire first half against the Texans and produced mixed results. Mendoza threw behind running back Mike Washington Jr. only to see an interception go the other way for an 80-yard touchdown. But he also completed six passes in a row during one stretch.

By the time he was done, Mendoza had completed eight of 15 passes for 86 yards, his five drives totaling just three points. He was victimized by two dropped passes from rookie wide receiver Malik Benson, one that would have been a big gainer on third down.

Kubiak praised Mendoza's work in the meeting room Wednesday night and said much of it translated to the game.

“I was pleased with watching the tape,” Kubiak said. “I really like what he did on third down. We were only 1 of 5 on third down in the first half. However, we did drop the ball twice, and we threw one short of the sticks on third-and-long. He had really good ball placement on the first third down of the game with a guy in his face. So, in the critical downs, I thought he was playing his best.

"There are things that we must get corrected that will be addressed ASAP.”

As Kubiak indicated, there were issues at wide receiver. Benson had appeared to calm some nerves about the position with his excellent play in training camp, but Kubiak clearly had a hard time overlooking those two drops.

One of the main questions this preseason is what the Raiders will do without a true No. 1 receiver. Tight end Brock Bowers, who has had a tremendous camp, will likely get most of the targets.

“I learned a lot in that we have to get a lot better very fast, that we took a step backward," Kubiak said of the receivers. "Doesn’t mean we can’t go forward. But right now, we are trying to find someone that is accountable and can help us on Sunday. Still looking.”

The Raiders wrap up their preseason schedule by hosting former Bay Area rival San Francisco on Thursday night.

Cousins, who has been quarterbacking the starting offense in practice, is expected to be the starter when the season — his 15th in the NFL — begins Sept. 13 against Miami.

The challenge, if Cousins does start, will be finding enough snaps for Mendoza so that he can improve and put himself in position to eventually take over. Kubiak said the coaching staff would need to get creative, even if it means putting in extra hours to make it work.

“There are things you can do,” Kubiak said. "It’s never as good as getting all the reps in practice, but you do the best you can with what you got.”

A week after committing eight penalties for 75 yards against Arizona, the Raiders had nine for 83 against the Texans.

Six of the infractions at Houston were on special teams, costing the Raiders 51 yards.

“It’s on us as coaches to get it fixed,” Kubiak said. "I don’t know if I’ve seen that many special teams penalties in a game. You look at the guys that are committing these penalties, these are some younger guys and it’s not acceptable.

"We have to get it fixed defensively. We get a stop on third down, we taunt a guy and let them stay on the field. Unacceptable. One was a face mask defensively. It’s two weeks in a row that, as a coaching staff, we’ve got substitution penalties. Unacceptable.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Yes, you read that right: Not a typo. Kentucky Football could potentially add a player who has played in an NFL uniform to the 2026 football roster 15 days before the season kicks off.

TJ Harden most recently played football in the NFL preseason for the Seattle Seahawks last Saturday. Harden ran the ball a couple of times against the Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks waived Harden two days after that preseason game, and since then, he’s entered the NCAA transfer portal.

How in the world could he do that? Well, Harden is one of 16 athletes who received a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in Louisiana, which means the athletes involved can have an extra year of eligibility granted and enter the transfer portal if they wish. So now, Harden, along with the others involved in the case, will be able to play college athletics one more year.

Pete Nakos of On3 reports that Kentucky was in the mix for the former Seahawk, along with Kansas, Baylor, and Syracuse.

The running back room has been a position of need due to lingering injuries throughout the offseason, with injury history in the room already. Kentucky has already made some big moves in that room over the last few months. The staff decided to move Martels Carter Jr. from safety to running back, as well as pick up a JUCO running back in Ahmir Smith.

Harden played his college days at UCLA and then transferred to SMU to round out what he thought was his college career. In his three years as a Bruin, Harden had 325 yards his freshman year, 827 his sophomore year with eight touchdowns, and 506 his junior year. Then, transferred to SMU and racked up 787 yards and nine touchdowns as a Mustang.

Overall, that makes 2,445 total yards in his four years at UCLA and SMU for Harden, giving Kentucky a proven backfield threat if he ends up as a Wildcat.

All eyes are on Will Stein’s debut against Youngstown State on September 5, but the roster may not be set in stone with just two weeks left in the offseason.

Azzi Fudd’s ‘disgusted’ courtside reaction to girlfriend Paige Bueckers has fans buzzing originally appeared on The Sporting News.\n Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Dallas Wings beat the Indiana Fever 91-85 on Thursday behind a huge 32-point game from Arike Ogunbowale. For the Fever, Kelsey Mitchell put on a show with 37 points and five assists. Paige Bueckers struggled with her shot but still put up a solid line for the Wings with 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists. 

But her teammate Azzi Fudd missed the game. The No. 1 overall pick hasn't played since August 5 due to right knee soreness. Dallas recently announced she will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery.

She was courtside during the game and her epic reaction quickly became one of the biggest highlights of the game after a six-second video went viral online. Sitting on the bench with her sunglasses on and arms crossed, she gave an exasperated side-eye look. 

Azzi Fudd is DISGUSTED by how her girlfriend Paige Bueckers is playing 😭 pic.twitter.com/uabYCGFve2

Right before that look, Fudd stretched out her hand to dap Bueckers, but fans in the comment section claimed that Bueckers didn't even touch Fudd. The irony? Bueckers didn't even notice Fudd's disgusted look and just kept walking.

But fans noticed the rookie's hilarious side-eye look and didn't waste time reacting on X. 

One fan wrote, "Azzi's reactions say it all—Paige is putting on a show." 

Another said Fudd was "giving Paige the full girlfriend stare like 'babe... what the hell was that.'"

A third one added, "She didn't even touch her hand.”

The fourth joked Bueckers had "sweat on her hand and Azzi doesn't like that."

A fifth fan noted, “But I’m supposed to believe those two are still a couple? LMAO 😂”

Fudd's rehab timeline hasn't been announced beyond the surgery itself, with the team saying updates will come once available. Without her in the lineup, the Wings' winning percentage recently plummeted below 20%. 

However, in this rematch against Indiana, they managed to escape with a close win. Still, they have a long way to go to secure a playoff ticket.

• Angel Reese breaks her own WNBA record during Dream’s West Coast trip
• Cathy Engelbert singles out haters 'who never have watched the WNBA' in latest rant
• Lexie Hull’s blunt assessment reveals Fever’s biggest failure against Wings
• Indiana Fever celebrate Sophie Cunningham with special message on 30th birthday
• Why Indiana lieutenant governor is calling for Stephanie White's firing