Ranking the NBA’s No. 3 options: 76ers’ Paul George leads the league’s list of best ‘third stars’

Anyone can name the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is about talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams, there is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and executes their role within that hierarchy is just as important as their individual skills.

Ideally, a lineup features a superstar, a subservient co-star, a third star to play his part, a fourth option, and a fifth starter to tie it all together — clear numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In this series, we rank the top five players from each tier for a broader look at the competition. How close does your team come to an ideal lineup?

No. 1 options | No. 2 options

No. 3 options: The third stars who own their roles

What is a number 3? He’s still a star, at least on a good team, but he sacrifices some of his game for the greater good of the team. He usually leans on his biggest skill, whether that’s flaming 3s or playing defense like a maniac. Ideally, it’s both, and when you ask more of your third star, he answers the call.

There’s a balance between minimizing your role and remaining as efficient as possible, and it’s the responsibility of the third star to find that balance. Think of Kevin Love with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. He came from a lottery team in Minnesota where he was the No. 1 overall pick — and a completely different player at that, doing the most damage inside 8 feet — to a 3-and-D weapon behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

The best teams in NBA history have had Hall of Famers who might have been even more productive on lesser rosters. You know the ones: Robert Parish, James Worthy, Dennis Rodman, etc. They understood their position in the pecking order and found their own way to thrive within it.

Without further ado, your top five number 3s…

1. Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers

George has been a No. 1 and No. 2 pick on teams that reached the conference finals, and in Philadelphia he’ll likely be the No. 3 pick, joining recent MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Maxey. How well George adapts to that role will go a long way toward determining how well the Sixers play this season.

He’s got the skills. George is a four-time All-Defensive wing who made 43.5 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s last season, and if that’s all he has to do in the space created by Embiid and Maxey, Philly is going to blow it.

When there’s uncertainty over who’s going to be second on the bill, ripples can disrupt a roster’s chemistry. George is a nine-time All-Star who has subjected his skills to fellow veterans Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard. Will he do the same for Maxey, who’s an unfinished product (though an electric one in his current state)?

There’s a sense that George is comfortable on the sideline, but if (when?) Embiid misses time, someone’s going to have to fill in as the Sixers’ No. 1, and Maxey wasn’t prepared for that last season. Enter George, who has grown accustomed to spot duty as the primary option — a luxury few No. 3s can afford. That said, flipping back and forth between roles can be a tough path to tread, even for a 34-year-old.

2. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves

Despite all the jokes about Gobert, there aren’t many players who shine as brightly in their role as he does. He’s asked to defend, and he’s been named Defensive Player of the Year four times. He’s far less effective defending in space than he is as a rim protector, which presents all sorts of problems against small-ball lineups, and he was benched by his home country at times in the Olympics, but he was the anchor of the NBA’s best defense last season.

Offensively, Gobert is no better than a fifth option, catching lobs and cleaning up misses around the basket. But he’s so talented on defense that he’s paid to be Minnesota’s third star, and he carries a certain gravitas on the roster for that. Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels may attempt more shots and use a higher percentage of the team’s offensive possessions, but neither can match Gobert’s resume as a three-time All-Star; nor are they a bigger focus of an opponent’s game plan against them.

3. Kristaps Porziņģis, Boston Celtics

It remains shocking that the Celtics cruised to a championship largely without Porziņģis. Sure, their opponents had their own injury concerns, but for much of the playoffs, Boston was missing a 7-foot-3 rim protector who can score efficiently at every level — arguably one of the league’s best third stars. Porziņģis averaged 24.4 points per 36 minutes on 52/38/86 shooting splits and earned All-Star consideration last season, some six years after he made his first appearance.

Health is what’s holding him back from climbing higher on this list. Knee injuries have kept him from multiple All-Star appearances in that span, and a rare lower-left leg injury will likely sideline him until at least Christmas. That gives Porziņģis plenty of time to get in shape for another playoff run, which is bad news for the rest of the league. Just rewatch Game 1 of the NBA Finals for proof.

4. Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

Holmgren is the equivalent of an early version of Porziņģis, full of potential. He shot 37 percent on 4.3 attempts from 3-point range per game and held opponents to 15 percent below their season averages on shots around the rim. That’s all it takes to be successful at 7-foot-1, and Holmgren can do so much more. He can put the ball on the floor, keep it moving in passing and score from every level.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets most of the credit for Oklahoma City’s push for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference last season, and rightfully so, but that young team was largely the same as the one that failed to make the playoffs the year before. The Thunder added a healthy Holmgren, who played all 82 games, and suddenly they were—and are—a serious contender. This is what third stars do: clear rosters.

5. Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies

You could make a case here — or higher up on this list — for Evan Mobley, DeMar DeRozan, Mikal Bridges or Draymond Green, but Bane isn’t a developmental project adjusting to a new team or trying to turn back the clock. He’s just Desmond Bane, a vastly underrated hooper who’s quietly averaging 22-5-5 on 47/40/88 shooting splits over his last two seasons in Memphis. He nearly was an All-Star last season.

In Ja Morant’s absence last season, Bane became the primary option on an injury-plagued roster, only to miss 40 games. It was a nightmare year in Memphis. This season, he returns to his role as a fringe candidate behind All-Stars Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. When the three played together in 2022-23, the Grizzlies scored 11.7 points per 100 possessions and won 51 games in the process. That’s the team that will reintroduce Memphis to the basketball world, where Bane deserves your attention.

Honorable Mentions

6. Evan MobleyCleveland Cavaliers

7. DeMar DeRozanSacramento Kings

8. Mikal BridgesNew York Knicks

The rest

9. Draymond GreenGolden State Warriors; 10. Myles TurnerIndiana Pacers; 11. Chris MiddletonMilwaukee Bucks; 12. Dejounte MurrayPelican of New Orleans; 13. Fred VanVleetHouston Rockets; 14. Bradley BealPhoenix Suns; 15. Coby WitChicago Bulls; 16. Jalen JohnsonAtlanta Hawks; 17. Brandon MillerCharlotte Hornets; 18. Michael Porter Jr.Denver Nuggets; 19. Klay ThompsonDallas Mavericks; 20. Jalen SuggsOrlando Magic; 21. Tyler HerroMiami Heat; 22. Austin ReavesLos Angeles Lakers; 23. Ivica ZubacLos Angeles Clippers; 24. Immanuel SnelToronto Raptors; 25. Cameron JohnsonBrooklyn Nets; 26. Malcolm BrogdonWashington Wizards; 27. Jeremy SochanSan Antonio Spurs; 28. John CollinsUtah Jazz; 29. Jaden IveyDetroit Pistons; 30. Scoot HendersonPortland Trail Blazers.