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20. Miami Heat: Josh Richardson, James Johnson, Hassan Whiteside (16.48)

2017-18 results together: minus-4.6 net rating in 534 minutes

Though this lineup should be an imposing trio with quality stoppers at every spot, that wasn't the case in 2017-18. It could only muster a 108.3 defensive rating, which would've ranked No. 22 in the season-long standings. But what happens if we remove Hassan Whiteside from the equation?

Sans the ostensible starting center, the Josh Richardson-James Johnson duo earned a minus-0.4 net rating while ceding 109.9 points per 100 possessions. That mark would've placed No. 29 in the league hierarchy.

Confused? You should be, because these Heat are a conundrum. Whiteside, in particular, is a tough evaluation, as his actual skills often run counter to his on-court impact. Maybe he'll remain the starter. Perhaps he'll fall behind Bam Adebayo, which happened a bit more during the second half of the big man's rookie season.

Richardson is a tremendous three-and-D talent. Johnson is a walking mismatch with the physical tools necessary to shut down multiple positions. Whiteside can look like the game's best center one night and then play his way onto the pine the next. And yet, the results just haven't been there.

Good luck figuring this one out.

19. Los Angeles Clippers: Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, Marcin Gortat (16.69)

2017-18 results together: N/A

Danilo Gallinari struggled through injuries during his first season with the Los Angeles Clippers, and Tobias Harris arrived in late January after the Detroit Pistons shipped him out in the package for Blake Griffin. But since new starting center Marcin Gortat will likely attempt to become a DeAndre Jordan simulacrum on his best nights, how did the two fare while paired with the big man who departed for the Dallas Mavericks in free agency?

The three spent 208 minutes together and were outscored by 4.5 points per 100 possessions. That's...less than ideal, particularly because the number could trend in either direction moving forward.

While Gortat is one of the league's best screeners, he isn't nearly as talented as Jordan when rolling to the hoop or protecting the interior. On the other, a healthy Gallinari makes a big difference through sheer versatility, as does an on-the-rise Harris ready to build synergy with his new teammates in his first full season as a Clipper.

18. Dallas Mavericks: Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, DeAndre Jordan (16.74)

2017-18 results together: N/A

Finally, everyone is playing the right position after the arrival of DeAndre Jordan, who should immediately settle in as a spectacular pick-and-roll partner for the backcourt combination of Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic. This could change if the Dallas Mavericks attempt to pigeonhole Wesley Matthews into the starting lineup, moving Doncic up to the 4 and bringing Dirk Nowitzki in off the bench. Head coach Rick Carlisle has indicated this might be the case, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon, and a Matthew-Doncic-Jordan frontcourt would earn a score of 16.48, thereby falling behind the Clippers in our rankings.

The Barnes-Nowitzki-Jordan trio, meanwhile, would run counter to the numbers.

Harrison Barnes was slightly more effective at power forward than small forward last year, but that should change with a more traditional group of teammates surrounding him. He's a far better defender at the 3, and his offensive game lends itself toward efficiency at small forward as opposed to forcing the issue out of the post when playing up in small-ball lineups. Nowitzki, meanwhile, followed the exact same pattern.

In other words, the numbers indicate that the Mavericks were better with Barnes and Nowitzki functioning as the biggest players on the floor. (They still weren't good.) But that was with last year's roster, and this new-look outfit, if used, should find more success with a more traditional alignment.

17. Washington Wizards: Otto Porter Jr., Markieff Morris, Dwight Howard (16.88)



2017-18 results together: N/A

In an ideal world, Dwight Howard won't demand post-up touches with the Washington Wizards. He'll be content to thrive as a rebounding deity who expends most of his energy in the pick-and-roll game when he isn't busy stifling the opposition's looks at the rim. He'd basically be a Marcin Gortat replacement, appeased while filling the same nondescript but vital role previously occupied by the man who the Wizards shipped off to the Clippers this summer.

After all, the Wizards outscored their adversaries by a respectable 3.6 points per 100 possessions when Otto Porter Jr., Markieff Morris and Gortat were all on the floor in 2017-18. Even in the 767 minutes during which only one of the starting guards played alongside them, they maintained a positive net rating.

Morris remains a behind-the-scenes glue guy, and is Porter an advanced-stats darling. So long as Howard fills his role advantageously, not much should change in the nation's capital.

16. Indiana Pacers: Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner (16.95)

2017-18 results together: 5.2 net rating in 1,337 minutes

Though it can be tough to remember while Victor Oladipo is blossoming into a full-fledged superstar and gaining the lion's share of the national spotlight earned by the Indiana Pacers, this outfit is much more than a one-man wrecking ball. That'll become more commonly recognized if Kevin O'Connor's writing for The Ringer proves prophetic:

"Remember last summer when Victor Oladipo got swole one month into the NBA offseason? Probably not. I didn’t care until the regular season when Oladipo made a leap and we learned that his training improved his flexibility and biomechanical range, which made him visibly more dynamic on the court. Oladipo’s teammate, center Myles Turner, is undergoing a similar physical transition turning from doughy to jacked while changing his diet and using yoga to improve his pliability.

"Turner has always had skill: He was an elite high school recruit who had shooting range, natural instincts in the post, and rim-protection ability. Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis are the premier bigs from the 2015 draft class, but Turner, drafted 11th, is good in his own right. He’s just never made the leap from good to great as a rebounder or an interior scorer, which is partially due to his lack of strength. The hope is the work he’s done this summer helps him make tougher plays, hold box-outs, and finish through contact. If it helps him even 75 percent as much as it did Oladipo, Turner might finally be in line for the type of season fans have been waiting for the past two years."

Even if it helps him only 75 percent as much, that's great news for a frontcourt that also includes the ever-underrated Thaddeus Young and Bojan Bogdanovic's potent offensive skills while Domantas Sabonis waits for more opportunities.