5 Deepest Teams In The NBA For 2026-27

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.

5. Houston Rockets

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.

4. Atlanta Hawks

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.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

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.

2. San Antonio Spurs

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.

1. Indiana Pacers

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.