The better the bench plays, the more the core five (Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr) gets to rest, and they’re ready to take over late.

The bench is where truth can be told, a levelling device. In 1994's Forrest Gump, the bench is where Tom Hanks's character spends about 80 per cent of the film, telling the story of his life to ...