Timberwolves have the biggest starting lineup in the West

Minnesota is the only team in the West with an average starter height of 6'7''.
Timberwolves have the biggest starting lineup in the West
Timberwolves have the biggest starting lineup in the West /

If size matters, the Minnesota Timberwolves have more of it in their starting lineup than any team in the Western Conference. OK, maybe size doesn't matter. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, one of the smallest starting fives in the league who won another NBA title last season. 

But the Wolves do have the biggest starting lineup in the Western Conference, headlined by 7-footers Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. And then there's 6'9'' Jaden McDaniels, who told The Athletic a few weeks ago that he's more like 6'10'' or 6'11'' with shoes on. 

Minnesota is the only team in the West with a pair of 7-footers in the starting lineup, and one of only two teams with three starters at 6'9'' or taller. The other is the Utah Jazz, who roll out a pair of 6'1'' guards compared to Minnesota's 6'4'' duo of D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards.

The only team in the East that comes close to Minnesota's height is Orlando, who is expected to start a trio of 6'10'' players in Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr. and Franz Wagner. They could go even bigger if they put 7' Mo Bamba or 7'2'' Bol Bol in the starting five. 

Here's a closer look at the projected starters and heights of teams in the West. 

Minnesota Timberwolves – 6'7'' average height

  1. D'Angelo Russell: 6'4'' 76
  2. Anthony Edwards: 6'4'' 76
  3. Jaden McDaniels: 6'9'' 81
  4. Karl-Anthony Towns: 7' 84
  5. Rudy Gobert: 7'1'' 85

New Orleans Pelicans – 6'5'' average height

  1. CJ McCollum: 6'3''
  2. Brandon Ingram: 6'8''
  3. Herbert Jones: 6'7''
  4. Zion Williams: 6'6''
  5. Jonas Valanciunas: 6'11''

Dallas Mavericks – 6'6'' average height

  1. Luka Doncic: 6'7''
  2. Tim Hardaway Jr.: 6'5''
  3. Reggie Bullock: 6'6''
  4. Dorian Finney-Smith: 6'7''
  5. JaVale McGee: 7'

Denver Nuggets – 6'6'' average height

  1. Jamal Murray: 6'4''
  2. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 6'5''
  3. Michael Porter Jr.: 6'10''
  4. Aaron Gordon: 6'8''
  5. Nikola Jokic: 6'11''

Golden State Warriors – 6'5'' average height

  1. Steph Curry: 6'2''
  2. Klay Thompson: 6'6''
  3. Andrew Wiggins: 6'7''
  4. Draymond Green: 6'6''
  5. Kevin Looney: 6'9''

Houston Rockets – 6'5'' average height

  1. Kevin Porter Jr.: 6'4''
  2. Jalen Green: 6'4''
  3. Eric Gordon: 6'3''
  4. Jabari Smith Jr.: 6'11''
  5. Alperen Sengun: 6'11''

Los Angeles Clippers – 6'6'' average height

  1. Reggie Jackson: 6'2''
  2. Paul George: 6'8''
  3. Kawhi Leonard: 6'7''
  4. Marcus Morris: 6'8''
  5. Ivica Zubac: 7'

Los Angeles Lakers – 6'4'' average height

  1. Russell Westbrook: 6'3''
  2. Patrick Beverley: 6'1''
  3. Lonnie Walker IV: 6'4''
  4. LeBron James: 6'9''
  5. Anthony Davis: 6'11''

Memphis Grizzlies – 6'5'' average height

  1. Ja Morant: 6'3''
  2. Desmond Bane: 6'5''
  3. Dillon Brooks: 6'7''
  4. Santi Aldama: 6'11''
  5. Steven Adams: 6'11''

Phoenix Suns – 6'5'' average height

  1. Chris Paul: 6'
  2. Devin Booker: 6'5''
  3. Mikal Bridges: 6'6''
  4. Cameron Johnson: 6'8''
  5. Deandre Ayton: 6'11''

Portland Trail Blazers – 6'5'' average height

  1. Damian Lillard: 6'2''
  2. Anfernee Simons: 6'3''
  3. Josh Hart: 6'5''
  4. Jerami Grant: 6'8''
  5. Jusuf Nurkic: 6'11''

Sacramento Kings – 6'6'' average height

  1. De'Aaron Fox: 6'3''
  2. Kevin Huerter: 6'7''
  3. Harrison Barnes: 6'8''
  4. Keegan Murray: 6'8''
  5. Domantas Sabonis: 6'11''

San Antonio Spurs – 6'5'' average height

  1. Tre Jones: 6'1''
  2. Devin Vassell: 6'5''
  3. Jeremy Sochan: 6'8''
  4. Keldon Johnson: 6'5''
  5. Jakob Poeltl: 7'1''

Oklahoma City Thunder – 6'6'' average height

  1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 6'6''
  2. Josh Giddey: 6'8''
  3. Luguentz Dort: 6'4''
  4. Aleksej Pokusevski: 7'
  5. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: 6'8''

Utah Jazz – 6'5'' average height

  1. Mike Conley: 6'1''
  2. Collin Sexton: 6'1''
  3. Lauri Markkanen: 6'11''
  4. Jarred Vanderbilt: 6'9''
  5. Kelly Olynyk: 6'11''

Related: Possible Timberwolves lineup combinations

Related: 5 bold predictions for the 2022-23 Minnesota Timberwolves


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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.