Kevin Pelton, ESPN Senior Writer 2y

The NBA's most dominant height, predictive power of exhibitions and if the Bucks will miss PJ Tucker

NBA

Which team would be better: one headlined by 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant or a 6-foot-7 group with Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, Khris Middleton and Zion Williamson? We're having some fun with the primary question in this week's mailbag by constructing teams of current NBA players all listed at the same height -- which also reveals something important about the nature of versatility.

Throughout the NBA season, I answer your questions about the latest, most interesting topics in basketball. You can tweet me directly at @kpelton, tweet your questions using the hashtag #peltonmailbag or email them to peltonmailbag@gmail.com.

The best questions focus on a general topic instead of a specific player or team, and anything that allows me to do original research to understand how the game is played is welcomed.

In addition to the lead question, this week's mailbag also tackles your questions about:
• The relative predictive power of performance in the NBA summer league and during preseason.
• How the loss of P.J. Tucker might affect the Milwaukee Bucks' defense.


If you had to field a team of players all the exact same height, what would be the optimal height for success?

-- Chris Morgan

I'm going to assume we're playing a playoffs-style tournament with the best rosters each height can put together. Let's go through the rosters of the contending teams. All players are categorized by their listed height on NBA.com.

Team 6-foot-3

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Russell Westbrook
SF: Bradley Beal
PF: Jrue Holiday
C: Marcus Smart

Key reserves: De'Aaron Fox, Eric Gordon, CJ McCollum, Jamal Murray, Norman Powell

In terms of sheer talent, the 6-foot-3 team stands with anyone. Ja Morant didn't even crack my projected rotation because of the other ball handlers ahead of him and players who function bigger than their height. Still, as much as the likes of Gordon, Holiday, Powell and Smart might be capable of defending bigger opponents on switches, I think the lack of legitimate rim protection would ultimately doom this team to an early exit in our tournament.

Team 6-foot-6

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: DeMar DeRozan
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Mikal Bridges
C: Draymond Green

Key reserves: Lonzo Ball, Jae Crowder, Danny Green, Joe Harris, Caris LeVert

If we're going historical, the 6-foot-6 team (captained by Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley) has a reasonable chance of winning the whole thing. In terms of current talent, this group can cobble together enough size with Draymond Green and Crowder manning the middle, but comes up somewhat lacking in terms of star power.

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