The 10-man rotation, starring youth being served in Los Angeles

A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Silver Screen and Roll. Harrison Faigen on how demoted youngsters Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell forced their way onto the floor and into the crunch-time mix for the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, and how they can stay there moving forward.

PF: CBSSports.com. Ken Berger on the new pecking order in Philadelphia: “No one in the league expects [Sam] Hinkie’s voice to carry over [Jerry] Colangelo’s when it comes to personnel decisions going forward. That ship has sailed, along with the needlessly complex equations that built it.”

SF: The New York Times. Benjamin Hoffman on how, all the way back in the 1950s, the late Dolph Schayes prefigured the stretch fours of today’s game.

SG: RealGM. Brett Koremenos on how Brad Stevens’ emphasis on discipline and schematic execution has lifted the Boston Celtics to the ranks of the NBA’s elite defenses.

PG: Pounding the Rock. A survey of San Antonio Spurs-specific stuff, headlined by the search for an explanation for how the Spurs have strangled opposing offenses better than any other team thus far.

6th: BSNDenver.com. Michael Malone’s been going away from top draft pick Emmanuel Mudiay down the stretch of games lately, and Nate Timmons takes a look at why the Denver Nuggets’ head coach might be pulling back on the reins of his prized point guard..

7th: Sports Illustrated. A great chat between Rob Mahoney and Sacramento Kings forward Omri Casspi about the life of an NBA role player, and how to become a success in “the unglamorous life of making a career out of the little things.”

8th: The Orange County Register. A sad, touching read from Dan Woike about Doc Rivers’ first trip back to Chicago after losing his mother this summer: “First time in my career, in 30 years in the league, where I don’t go home for dinner.”

9th: Charlotte Observer. Scott Fowler argues that the Charlotte Hornets — now sitting at a somewhat stunning 13-8, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, with the East’s best point differential — should open up Michael Jordan’s wallet this summer to keep emergent star Nicolas Batum around, even if it means ponying up for a max contract.

10th: VICE Sports. Kevin Broom looks behind the curtain of late-game whiteboard work, and finds that coaches might not necessarily be scribbling down the winners you think they are: “The next time you see NBA Twitter lauding a coach for an [after-timeout] play he drew up in the clutch, keep in mind that the credit probably is misplaced.”

PODCAST: Chatting with Kobe’s high school point guard: