Top 5 NBA hometown squads

Some stars have already exercised their right to play at home, but if every NBA player represented their hometown, which five North American cities would form the best teams?

There are only two rules to this exercise: a player must have spent a non-insignificant portion of their youth in the city or the surrounding metro area in question, and they must have played in the league this season.

With that said, let's jump in.

5. Houston

This squad of Houstonians would rely heavily on its defense. With strong wing defenders in Butler and Winslow, in addition to Jordan's rim protection, this group would make it challenging for opponents to consistently score.

On the offensive end, Butler and Winslow would handle the bulk of ball-handling duties given the team's weakness at point guard. House's floor-spacing presence would be crucial given the team's lack of 3-point shooting.

Aside from outside shooting, this quintet's other noticeable weakness would be a lack of shot-creators outside of Butler.

4. Toronto

Thanks to an upswing in Canadian NBA talent over the past decade, Toronto produces one of the more balanced, youthful quintets in this exercise.

Staying in front of Joseph and Gilgeous-Alexander on a regular basis would give opposing defenses a major headache. Both are capable of initiating an offense, spacing the floor, and switching interchangeably at either guard position. Couple that with Barrett and Wiggins' speed and athletic slashing abilities on the wings and you're left with a potential two-way powerhouse.

Thompson - the veteran leader of this group at only 29 years old - is a seamless fit at center thanks to his stellar rim protection and championship experience.

3. St. Louis

St. Louis hasn't boasted an NBA franchise since the Hawks bolted to Atlanta in 1968, but an assortment of homegrown talent from The Lou would give other cities a run for their money.

The lack of a bona fide point guard and center complicates matters, but a solid trio in Beal, Tatum, and Porter could bring plenty of wins to St. Louis. They would have to carry a majority of the offense, but McCaw's occasional stints running the point with the Toronto Raptors could help free them up in off-ball roles.

Defensively, St. Louis would struggle mightily to handle a dominant frontcourt star, but good luck trying to score from anywhere else against this team.

2. Chicago

The flaws of this Windy City squad are pretty apparent. A Rose-Nunn backcourt is below average defensively, a weakness that would be exacerbated with the 6-foot-1 Beverley as the primary defender against opposing wings. Even having someone of Davis' caliber awaiting in the paint probably isn't enough to compensate.

But defensive frailties aside, this team would be tough to stop. Nunn and Rose are both capable ball-handlers, while Parker and Davis can space the floor.

1. Los Angeles

It should come as no surprise that Los Angeles is a hotbed for some of the greatest talents across the league. While we should note that Leonard is technically from Moreno Valley, which falls in Riverside County, he has admitted to spending plenty of time in his youth in Compton.

L.A. undoubtedly boasts the strongest and most complete squad on this list. Westbrook, Harden, George, and Leonard are all arguably top-10 players in the league right now. Lopez may rank a few tiers below them, but the Milwaukee Bucks center gives this squad necessary rebounding and even more outside shooting.

Even those who don't crack the starting five are worth mentioning. Guys like DeMar DeRozan and Spencer Dinwiddie are starters in the Association, but they're sixth men for their hometown.