NBA: Every team's projected starting lineup for opening night

An early look at every team's projected starting lineup heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.
Indiana Pacers v Cleveland Cavaliers
Indiana Pacers v Cleveland Cavaliers / Nick Cammett/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 15
Next

Memphis Grizzlies

Projected starting lineup: Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey

Looking to bounce back after an injury-plagued season, the Memphis Grizzlies are all-in on this starting 5. Getting a first look at a backcourt of Ja Morant and Marcus Smart will be interesting to watch unfold and could set the tone for this season. At least for me, the intrigue falls at the center position.

After taking Zach Edey with their top 10 pick, I'm fascinated to see how he's going to not only mesh with Morant but also how he's going to make the transition to the NBA game.

Miami Heat

Projected starting lineup: Terry Rozier, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic, Bam Adebayo

I'd say that heading into the start of the season, the Miami Heat is pretty locked into their starting 5. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of it, I do believe this coaching staff is set on trying to see how this core pans out through the first few weeks of the season. On paper, it's hard to argue against them.

The Heat has plenty of individual talents in their starting 5. The big question for the team is whether they can mesh together to help the team reach new heights this season after falling short of expectations last year.