Ranking top 5 deepest NBA teams and where the Spurs land

Few things are more important in the postseason than depth. Front offices across the league must invest in building a strong bench to support their starters. It's a massive difference-maker and a huge reason why a team like the Spurs was able to make a run to the NBA Finals.

This summer, many franchises followed their blueprint, moving pieces around to expand their depth chart. Here's a ranking of five teams that did the best job of that, putting themselves in a position to be even better than what they were last season.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

It's been an eventful summer for the 76ers, to say the least. They kicked things off by trading for Jaylen Brown and, weeks later, signed LeBron James to a two-year, $8M veteran's minimum deal. This gives them one of the league's most intriguing starting lineups.

They also did a solid job at filling out their bench. Anfernee Simons is a polished scorer who can provide instant offense with his shot creation and floor-spacing prowess. Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can also hit from distance while competing hard on the defensive end.

They have other interior options with Adem Bona and Dominick Barlow, although both players need to improve next season to be reliable enough when Embiid isn't playing. Overall, the Sixers have very solid depth outside of their star-studded starting lineup.

4. New York Knicks

It's hard not to put the defending champions on this list. They brought back Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet, two players who made massive plays in the NBA Finals. This was huge, as there was plenty of skepticism around whether the Knicks could retain both of them.

They did lose Mitchell Robinson, who left to sign with the Celtics, but inked Andre Drummond to a one-year deal. He's a solid backup center who can still rebound at a high level, averaging 8.4 boards in 19.5 minutes per game last season for the 76ers.

There's also Duece McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Mohamed Diawara, who's ready to make a sophomore leap after showing some promising flashes as a rookie. With this depth, the Knicks look set to make another deep postseason run.

3. Houston Rockets

After an underwhelming 2025-26 campaign, the Rockets rebounded by building out an impressive roster this summer. Reed Sheppard, Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Tari Eason provide a ton of perimeter depth. Sheppard and Bogdanovic can space the floor at a high level while Smart and Eason wreak havoc on the defensive end.

They also have amazing interior depth. Steven Adams and Clint Capela are perfect backup options behind Alperen Sengun, as they can both rebound and protect the paint. If health isn't an issue, Houston can be very dangerous out West.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

Last season, the Thunder won over 60 games with a beat-up roster. But Jalen Williams' full return is on the horizon, and they're about to be even more dangerous.

Now, OKC does have a starting spot to fill after trading Lu Dort to the Hawks. Cason Wallace could be his replacement in that role, but they'll still have amazing options to bring off the bench. There's Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, Jaylin Williams, Jared McCain, and newcomers like Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz.

Even after losing key rotation pieces that contributed to their title run in 2025, the Thunder still have a deep bench that can hold it down in minutes where SGA or Jalen Williams are off the floor.

1. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs already had one of the best bench attacks in the NBA last season, ranking ninth in points per game. But they got even deeper this offseason by adding Tobias Harris, Tarris Reed Jr., Jayden Quaintance, and Ja'Kobi Gillespie.

It gets even better when you think about how much Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant will improve in their second seasons. Harper was already amazing in the NBA Finals, averaging 18 points per game behind De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. Through the playoffs, Bryant had some impressive defensive moments, even disrupting SGA on several possessions.

One of the NBA's deepest teams got even deeper, and that should make competitors very nervous. They'll be more difficult to contain in the playoffs and could become the first team in the 2020s to make consecutive Finals appearances.

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