As the NBA regular season closed with its usual display of high-flying dunks, buzzer-beaters, and star performances, the spotlight often remains fixed on the starting lineups. However, just beyond the bright lights of the starting five sits a crucial element of any team’s success: the bench. While they might not grab the headlines, the players coming off the bench play a pivotal role in a team's strategy and, in some cases, a substantial part of its payroll.
We wanted to know just how much each NBA team puts into their bench, particularly focusing on the salaries of the seven most-played bench players for the 2023-2024 season. For enthusiasts and bettors alike, understanding where teams invest their money can provide deeper insights into their potential performance and betting strategies. Whether you're looking to place a wager or are simply a fan curious about the financial aspects of basketball, this analysis offers a fresh perspective on how NBA teams value their bench players.
Methodology
For the 2023-24 NBA season, we analyzed the financial distribution between bench players and starters. Given that an NBA team has 12 players in uniform at any given game, we calculated the combined 2023-2024 salary for the seven bench players who have appeared most frequently off the bench for each team, based on NBA data. We also determined the average salary for the starting five players of each team according to its depth chart. Next, we compared the total salaries of the bench players to those of the starters and assessed what percentage of the starting lineup’s salary is equivalent to that of the bench. All player salary data is sourced from ESPN.com.
The analysis compares the total salary owed to players who commonly appeared off the bench to those who typically start, not how much the cap hit is for their current team. For example, if a player was released or traded and appeared in enough games for another team, their entire owed salary for the 2023-2024 season is the figure we used.