Perhaps no team in the NBA is as reliant on its starters as the Portland Trail Blazers. Last season, the Blazers' starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez was the third-most-heavily used unit in the league, averaging just under 20 minutes per game together on the floor. This lineup appeared in 69 games, second most in the league, and four of the five starters played all 82 games together. Both Minnesota and Indiana (the two teams with lineups that played more minutes per game) lost key personnel, and indeed, eight of the top-10 most-used lineups in the league experienced roster turnover that ensure those lineups won't appear again this season.
In a league where roster upheaval has become the norm, there is incredible value in the chemistry built by putting out players who are in tune with one another's tendencies and roles, and the Blazers' starters definitely exhibited signs of that value, outscoring opponents by 3.1 points per 100 possessions.
But over-reliance on one particular lineup over several seasons also has a flip side: It creates undue stress and wear and tear on your best players. The Blazers were sort of the anti-Spurs last season, as one of just three teams to feature five players who averaged more than 30 minutes per game.