As the NBA readies for the 2026-27 season, one word dominates the discourse:

Depth.

The league is deep, and to excel in both the regular season and playoffs, teams require roster deep rosters.

No matter how many teams believe they can make the playoffs this season – and it’s a long list – quality teams will miss the postseason because draft lottery reform and the league’s collective bargaining agreement have fostered greater competitive balance.

Victories and championships don’t come easily.

There hasn’t been a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors (2017-18), and a team hasn’t returned to consecutive NBA Finals since the Warriors (2018-19). And while teams need stars to win a title, deep rosters play a significant role as the New York Knicks displayed in their 2026 championship run.

Just before the Knicks began contesting the San Antonio Spurs in June, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, “Look how deep these rosters are and look how deep teams have to be to be successful in this league.”

Similar sentiments are sung from Portland to Miami as teams must finalize their opening day rosters by 5 p.m. ET Monday.

Leadership starts at the top

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr: “The league has shown all of us that it’s all about depth this year – or this modern era – much more so than about top-end talent. It’s about having a lot of guys who can play.”

Wizards GM Will Dawkins: “The depth of our team provides optionality on a given night for Coach [Brian] Keefe and his staff to figure out how they want to play – big, small, a lot of guards, a lot of bigs.”

Thunder EVP and GM Sam Presti: “Everybody would agree that the second mountain for us to this point has been defined by continuity, cohesion and the depth of our team. Those things have done wonders for us over the course of time.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens: “The balance right now is that you do have to have that depth piece to be good. The way that the game is played, how much ground you have to cover, how versatile you have to be up and down your roster is really important.”

There are lessons learned from every season and champion. The Knicks and Spurs dispatched opponents on their way to the Finals with a combination of stars and depth.

Finding the right mix

Without question, All-NBA players are necessary. Just look at championship rosters.

So of course, the Knicks needed stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and a starting five that included Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. But they also needed Jordan Clarkson, Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride off the bench. Alvarado’s eight points, three assists and two rebounds were integral to the Knicks’ Game 4 Finals victory against San Antonio.

In the Knicks’ last seven playoff games in 2026, Shamet made 16-for-35 3-pointers, including a four-game stretch where he was 14-for-22. Robinson had 10 rebounds in the championship-clinching Game 5.

One veteran NBA coach holds this theory: Of the 16 games required to win a championship, star players will be largely responsible for 12 and then role players/reserves will have a substantial impact in the other four victories. That’s why coaches encourage players to be a star in their role.

Last season’s Spurs had 10 players who played in at least 64 games, averaging at least 11.5 minutes and used a 10-man rotation in the playoffs.

The Thunder have been at the forefront of this for multiple seasons. In a 72-game season in 2020-21, the Thunder had 12 players who played at least 12 minutes per game in a minimum of 36 appearances. In 2024-25, the season they won the championship, the Thunder had 12 players who appeared in at least 32 games and averaged at least 16 minutes.

“We put people in uncomfortable positions by design,” Presti said. “We think that’s a big part of development, not just individual development, but developing the team so that people are accustomed to playing with different lineups at different times. We might lose a little ground at different points during the regular season, but we think long term it probably benefits us.”

Depth equals sustainability

The Warriors dynasty that produced three championships in four seasons and four titles in eight seasons adopted the slogan “Strength in Numbers.” It’s a philosophy the Warriors want to embrace this season.

“Part of the reason we built this team with a good amount of depth is on certain nights we know not everybody is going to be available, and we still can expect to win games,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said of the current roster.

Depth weaves its way into the roster-building, rotation-planning calculus for basketball operations executives and coaches on multiple levels. Do you have multiple bigs who can protect the paint? Scorers who stretch the floor? Lockdown defenders on the perimeter? A playmaker?

Depth helps cover for some injuries and helps in back-to-backs and the demands of an 82-game schedule. It also creates healthy internal competition, with players working for meaningful minutes and staying ready when their number is called.

The pace, spacing and physicality of today’s game also require options. Teams want players fresh for deep playoff runs and late-game situations when a team with more options can wear down an opponent.

Coaching also plays a part. So many good coaches scheme for advantages and search for lineups they can take advantage of as the opposing coach seeks a lineup to counter. Options are valuable, and it makes for a fascinating game in which teams are going deep into their bench. Coaching staffs design individualized programs to develop players and construct a deep roster.

A coach won’t play every player in most games, but situations and circumstances mandate deeper rosters.

“It’s not like you play with a 12-man rotation. A majority of winning teams, they need 12-to-14 playable players to contribute and be ready to play,” said Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez. “And I think that that is how the league trends just because of the style of the game right now.”

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