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Starters can take you far in the NBA, but they can't do everything.

For proof, look no further than the league leaders in minutes played per game. Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James are both riding the bench for 10.5 and 10.7 minutes, resepctively, during the average contest, while Paul George (10.9) and Damian Lillard (11.0) fall just behind. That's a significant chunk of the action for which those stars aren't available, and most normal players don't come close to logging that type of volume.

Benches matter. They can squander leads earned by the starters, or they can keep producing and give substantial boosts to the players on the floor for the opening tip. It's the latter bunches with whom we're concerned today.

To determine the league's best benches, we're turning to a simple calculation. Take the net rating earned by each bench and multiply it by the minutes they've spent on the floor, as determined by NBA.com. That accounts for both volume and efficiency, allowing the cream of the crop to rise to the top through exaggerated run or remarkable per-possession prowess.