Depth Charge

We all know That One Guy who argues that the starters should never leave the game. Or, at least, That Guy who never stops saying "get {starter} back in the game!!" when said starter is on the bench. Basketball is viewed through a "shouldn't the coach have had {starter} in the game?" lens.

And it makes for a fun debate at times. I'll engage with That Guy. Because, really, it's hard to prove him wrong. The conversation generally goes like this:

"Why wasn't {starter} in the game?"

"Because he needed a breather?"

"Why? Is he not in shape? We should get these players in shape."

"They're 'in shape'. You simply can't play your five starters for 40 minutes."

"Why not?"

That's where the interesting debate begins. I mean, you can't play five starters for 40 minutes each – 75 years of basketball data says that you can't – but it's really hard to argue this point with That Guy. You say things like "because every starter will be tired at the end of the game and their performance will fall off sharply" and then That Guy will come back with something about that just being 'an excuse'. To That Guy, you should just play your five best players 40 minutes each and forget about ever going to the bench.

Well, That Guy, let me introduce you to the Illinois/Minnesota game on January 17, 2026. Living, breathing proof that a team only playing their starters will fade (and fade quickly) at the end of a game. The minutes played in this game: