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Nothing generates NBA optimism like the post-free-agency haze.

This is when everyone thinks their team's starters are terrific, sure to be better than last year because of new additions or a clean slate and increased familiarity.

That's not how it works, though. There'll be great first units and terrible ones. A league with 30 teams means somebody's starters will rank 30th. There's no getting around it.

We'll order them here, using data from last year when applicable and speculating on teams with new personnel who haven't played together before. And yes, for now, we're still using five traditional spots, even as positionless roles become the norm.

Benches matter in the grand scheme, but we don't care about those at the moment. As rosters get settled following free agency, here's how all 30 first units stack up.