Starting-lineup discussions are liable to invite eye rolls from many NBA fans who consider themselves above debates.

"It's not who starts," they might say, as they adjust their monocle with one hand, swishing around their snifter of bourbon with the other, their pinky stretched out, pointing skyward. "It's who finishes!"

Except, it's also who starts.

Opening fives are no longer the intractable givens they used to be. Rotations are more than ever fluid, subject not only to availability but opponent matchups and stylistic preferences.

And yet, starting lineups usually represent a core part of a team's identity. They shape, if not definitively lay out, who will play the most and who will be on the court during crunch time.

In the event a starting five is considered more fluid or a placeholder that allows for different staggering patterns, well, it still matters. At minimum, these opening-tip combinations set the tone, determining whether you're working from behind or ahead. Changing them up, as a result, should not be taken lightly. Sometimes, though, it's worth a try—if not necessary.

This exercise seeks to identify the teams that could benefit from switching it up at the jump. Last year's most used starting fives will serve as a baseline—unless injuries or acquisitions render it outdated.

The New York Knicks, as an example, will have a new opening quintet after landing Mikal Bridges. His arrival will not appear under our microscope. This space is for instances in which changes are less certain and/or more debatable.

Los Angeles Lakers

Last Year's Starting Five: LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis

Proposed Change: Bring DLo off the bench

There is nothing inherently wrong with the Los Angeles Lakers' starting unit from last year. They were the team's most-used lineup on the season and outscored opponents by 6.6 points per 100 possessions.

Keeping it intact doesn't just make sense. Switching it up is a dice roll. Subbing out DLo, specifically, could backfire. He is coming off a season in which he drilled 41.5 percent of his 7.2 three-point attempts per game. Yanking that outside touch from a quintet that didn't deliver elite offensive returns poses all sorts of risk.

Still, the Lakers remain light on ball-handling as well as creation and shot-making when LeBron is off the floor. DLo already features in a lot of those combos. Bringing him off the bench more evenly distributes the roster's offensive creation, and the Lakers can always get him run with the starters if he's the right closing-time option.

Granted, planning around your minutes without LeBron gets you only so far. There is merit to just fielding your best group from the opening tip, particularly when your margin for error is as thin as it's become for the Lakers.

But trotting out a healthy Gabe Vincent or Max Christie in DLo's stead could still result in a killer starting five overall, with the added benefit of weaponizing secondary lineups and arming Los Angeles with a more wire-to-wire package.

To be sure, this isn't one of the changes that doubles as a mandate. It's more like a musing that seems worth a try.

New Orleans Pelicans

Last Year's Starting Five: CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valančiūnas

Proposed Change: Get Trey Murphy in there, dammit

Change is guaranteed within the New Orleans Pelicans starting five. Valanciunas is gone, and they didn't acquire Dejounte Murray to bring him off the bench.

Finding a spot for Murphy should be a given. And it might already be etched in stone. His spacing and shot-making and off-ball movement is invaluable to a team that's heavy on guys who prefer to operate inside the arc and on the rock.

Identifying who Murphy replaces is less certain. The center spot only complicates matters. New Orleans could spare tougher calls and begin with Zion-at-the-5, but that's a look best served as a tool in your belt rather than your crutch.

Assuming Williamson, Murray, Jones and a big (let's say Daniel Theis for now) get four of the five nods, the Pelicans are left to choose between demoting Ingram or McCollum. The former might be the better option. He is more ball-dominant and has the higher ceiling as the live-dribble playmaker. Staggering Ingram from many of the starters off rip should let him settle into more of his comfort zones.

Good luck selling him on that role, though. New Orleans will have a hard time pitching this to him even if he signs an extension. Convincing him to accept it quietly if this remains a contract year is a tall order.

Bringing McCollum off the bench is the less dramatic solution. He gives starter-light units some on-ball creativity and shot-making, and with two years left on his deal, he's less likely to wince at the idea.

Portland Trail Blazers

Best Guess Starting Five: Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton

Proposed Change: Start at least one of Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan

None of us should pretend to have a great feel for how the Portland Trail Blazers will start games. No opening five made more than eight appearances last year amid injuries and general tanky-ness, and general manager Joe Cronin set the stage for additional experimentation and anarchy after adding Avdija and Clingan.

Grant feels like the only true lock, in large part because he fits with everyone. Avdija and Henderson should be close seconds. Some think Scoot should come off the bench. I'd rather hand him the keys out of the gate, even if it might be easier to drum up spacing around him in the second unit.

Clingan over Ayton is the most obvious change. The latter is more dynamic offensively, but the Blazers have more future equity invested in Clingan. The rookie might be an immediate upgrade as a rim protector, and equally important, there is a chance he does the typical big-man stuff better or more consistently at the offensive end (like connecting on screens and battling on the glass).

Sharpe's inclusion is tougher to square away. He's more important to Portland's future than Simons, but he doesn't bring as much on- or off-ball gravity. Starting Sharpe over Simons might still be the way to go if you believe he can boost his spot-up three-point volume and want to stagger more of your ball-handlers.

Sacramento Kings

Last Year's Starting Five: De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, Domantas Sabonis

Proposed Change: Keep Keon Ellis in the starting five with DeMar DeRozan

A left shoulder injury forced Huerter out of the Sacramento Kings starting lineup (and rotation) over the final month of last season. Ellis received the nod in his stead and shined as a defensive worker bee and offensive complement (44.6 percent on triples)—so much so head coach Mike Brown should consider keeping him in the opening-tip fold.

Going back to Huerter has its virtues. His shot-making dipped last season, but his track record as a sniper and off-ball mover renders him a threat. And that utility is more valuable entering the DeMar DeRozan era.

Transitioning from Harrison Barnes to DeRozan upgrades Sacramento's offense but comes at the expense of three-point shooting. Huerter's volume (7.9 attempts per 36 minutes) makes it harder for opponents to sink in on the team's three most talented scorers (DeRozan, Fox, Sabonis).

But the Kings will be harder-pressed to insulate DeRozan on defense with that group. Fox and Murray have both come a long way on that end, but their burden—Murray's specifically—becomes outsized when trying to game out who DeRozan covers and whether he can effectively help out around the basket.

Rolling with Ellis gives Sacramento someone else capable of tackling advantage creators. The trickle-down effect benefits both Fox and Murray and should make it easier to minimize the amount of screening actions in which DeRozan finds himself.

This is yet another move that comes at the cost of three-point volume. But Ellis jacked up 6.2 long-range attempts per 36 minutes last year, so the difference isn't massive, and he knocked them down at a high enough rate to justify taking more—even if he doesn't replicate the level of difficulty on Peak Huerter's flame-throwing.

Stashing both Huerter and Malik Monk on the bench could be a no-go when looking at bench units through a defensive lens. Especially with rookie Devin Carter recovering from left shoulder surgery. This suggestion requires a certain level of trust in Jordan McLaughlin and Jalen McDaniels and deliberate staggering patterns. It might not pan out. But it's worth a shot.

Utah Jazz

Best-Guess Starting Five: Keyonte George, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Taylor Hendricks, John Collins

Proposed Change: Let's go full rebuild with Walker Kessler and/or Cody Williams

Thirty-one different starting units graced the floor for the Utah Jazz last year. Similar experimentation could define this season.

To that end, I'm not sure my best-guess arrangement is even semi-accurate. Head coach Will Hardy could give the Markkanen-Collins-Walker Kessler frontline another go.

That trio bombed to open last year and was quickly dispensed with, but the vast majority of their reps came with Talen Horton-Tucker or Kris Dunn as the de facto point guard. Giving them more time with the George-Sexton backcourt is a worthwhile venture.

Color me mostly uninterested. The Jazz are better off giving more time and space to the youth right out of the gate—and not just because it (likely) helps evade a too-hot start that warps their draft-lottery position.

Utah has tons of players entering their rookie and sophomore campaigns, and Kessler is only heading into Year 3. Playing a bunch of them, together, may not result in the prettiest product. But it'll yield plenty of information.

Besides, the Jazz can still have the best of both worlds. Markkanen and Sexton can stick in the new iteration, Kessler isn't exactly inexperienced, and George spent plenty of time in core lineups as a rookie. Starting those four with Hendricks or Williams (an actual wing!) does a nice job juggling the future with the present and balancing offensive and defensive skill sets.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac. Draft-pick obligations via RealGM.