What Starting Lineup Will OKC Thunder Use in First Round vs. Grizzlies?

Oklahoma City has used a variety of starting lineups this season and will soon debut its playoff starters.

The Thunder cruised through the regular season, going 68-14 and securing the best record in the NBA. Despite numerous injuries to key players, the Thunder never wavered behind MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and are now set for their first-round matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.

While the Grizzlies were near the top of the Western Conference for a large part of the season, the team has taken a turn for the worse in the past few weeks and has slipped to eighth after firing head coach Taylor Jenkins. With Tuomas Iisalo in charge, Memphis has at least saved itself from missing the playoffs entirely.

Still, the Grizzlies are unlikely to pose much of a threat to the Thunder in the first round. In any case, Oklahoma City would love to continue its dominance, and of course, that starts with the starting lineups.

Memphis has rolled out some different starting lineups, but they have all included Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey. The Thunder are also in a similar spot with their starting lineups.

Oklahoma City’s starting five will feature Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, but the fifth starter is still up in the air. Against Memphis this season, the Thunder have only had one game at relatively full strength, and Isaiah Hartenstein took the final spot to form a double-big lineup.

While the double-big lineup looked clunky at points in the season, it might be the best way to limit the effectiveness of Memphis' size with Jackson and Edey down low. Of course, the Thunder could also opt to set the tone themselves and go smaller with someone such as Cason Wallace as the final starter.

With Morant and Bane in the backcourt, it would make sense that Oklahoma City would want another elite defender alongside Dort to limit those two. Considering Jackson plays almost entirely on the perimeter despite his size, the Thunder wouldn’t be sacrificing much inside if Holmgren were to match up against Edey.

In any case, the Thunder dominated the season series against the Grizzlies, and their depth will also prove to be a huge factor in the series. But if the Thunder can create a clear advantage in the starting five, this series might not be all that interesting.