Five rounds of three real NBA players from one decade.
Start one, bench one, cut one. Ratings stay hidden.
Your three squads play each other, then the ratings reveal how you did.
Start Bench Cut is a free online NBA game based on the classic start, bench, cut debate, also called start, cut, bench or start, sit, cut. You get 3 NBA players per round for 5 rounds (PG, SG, SF, PF, C), tag one Start, one Bench and one Cut, and then your three squads play each other.
Yes. Start bench cut, start cut bench and start sit cut are the same basketball debate fans and podcasts play with three players. Start Bench Cut turns it into a game: your Starters, Bench and Cuts actually play each other, so a bad cut can come back to beat you.
Pick the decades you want, then in each of 5 rounds tag one player Start, one Bench and one Cut. You get one re-roll per round. Your Starters play your Bench, your Starters play your Cuts, and your Bench plays your Cuts. Then every player's hidden rating is revealed and you get a GM grade.
Ratings are built from each player's peak seasons of real Basketball Reference stats, adjusted so legends from different eras can be compared fairly. Overall ratings run from 60 to 99 and blend scoring, playmaking, rebounding, defense and real-world impact.
Hundreds of notable NBA players from the 1950s through the 2020s, from MVPs and All-Stars to one-hit wonders like Linsanity-era Jeremy Lin.
Yes. Start Bench Cut runs as an app inside ChatGPT and Claude. See startbenchcut.app/ai for setup.
Yes. It is free to play with no account needed.
© 2026 Start Bench Cut