No five-man lineup in the SLB has been more effective this season than Cheshire Phoenix’s Pat Robinson, LaQuincy Rideau, Michael Diggins, Frankie Policelli and Skyler White.
It offers a useful picture of Cheshire’s roster construction at its best, with roles that fit cleanly together and a lineup shape that makes sense.
This post uses Prophe(s)y Scout possession-level data kindly shared with Court Vision to look at how team performance changes across five-man lineups.
The Best Lineups
The table below shows the best five-man lineup for each team among units to have played at least 200 possessions together. Across the league, 18 lineup combinations have reached that threshold so far this season.
| Team | Lineup | Net Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Cheshire Phoenix | Robinson Rideau Diggins Policelli White | +26.6 |
| Bristol Flyers | J. Anderson Yoakum Z. Anderson Holden McCormack | +22.0 |
| Newcastle Eagles | Clarke Taylor Jack Hammond Long | +19.7 |
| Surrey 89ers | Polite III Lily Jr Cholevinskas Small Graham | +17.4 |
| Manchester Basketball | Smith Jr Jones Adetukasi Irvin Nicholson | +13.9 |
| Leicester Riders | Evee Johnson Sulaiman Ndoukou Martin | +3.9 |
| Caledonia Gladiators | Holland Wright Ragsdale Speelman Bryan Jr | -12.7 |
| Sheffield Sharks* | Chatman III Williams Ratinho James Deloach | -21.1 |
* Only lineup for Sheffield with more than 200 possessions
London have no lineup this season that has played more than 200 possessions together, reflecting their squad depth.
Cheshire’s Robinson-Rideau-Diggins-Policelli-White lineup sits atop the list, outscoring opponents by 26.6 points per 100 possessions.
Dean Oliver’s four factors help show where those advantages are being created.
Why the Offence Clicks
| Stat | Value | vs. Team Average |
|---|---|---|
| eFG% | 59.0 | +4.3 |
| FT Rate | 52.3 | +23.2 |
| TOV% | 12.2 | -2.6 |
| OReb% | 22.7 | -6.7 |
The biggest offensive gains come from rim pressure and shot quality. Cheshire’s effective field goal percentage rises by 4.3 points in this lineup, and their free-throw rate jumps by 23.2 points. In other words, this unit gets to the line far more often than Cheshire do overall.
That fits the personnel on the floor. Skyler White and Frankie Policelli give Cheshire a frontcourt that can stretch the floor rather than clog it. The spacing opens cleaner driving lanes for Pat Robinson, whose game is built on attacking downhill and getting to the rim.
In simple terms, Cheshire create pressure at the two most valuable areas of the floor: at the rim and from three.
Why the Defence Holds Up
| Stat | Value | vs. Team Average |
|---|---|---|
| Opp eFG% | 45.2 | -8.0 |
| Opp FT Rate | 33.3 | +2.9 |
| Opp TOV% | 11.5 | -4.6 |
| Opp OReb% | 16.7 | -11.7 |
The biggest defensive swing shows up in opponent shot-making. Opponents’ effective field goal percentage drops by 8.0 points against this lineup, which is the clearest defensive driver behind the net rating.
The rebounding profile changes in this lineup. Cheshire’s offensive rebounding rate falls, but opponent offensive rebounding drops more sharply. The group gives up some second-chance creation of its own while doing a much better job of ending opponents’ possessions after just one attempt.
Opponents do get to the line a little more in these minutes and turn it over less than they do against Cheshire overall, but the shot-making and rebounding edges are bigger.
Cheshire’s Death Lineup
What makes this lineup stand out is how naturally the pieces fit together. Cheshire have a group where the pieces complement rather than compete: spacing around Robinson’s downhill game, enough ball-handling to keep advantages alive, and a defensive shape that holds together without sacrificing what makes the offence work.
It looks like a unit with a distinct identity, and one opponents have yet to solve. If that continues, Cheshire will head into the Championship run-in and the Play-offs with a proven five-man weapon.
