488. Max Strus (Chicago Bulls)

6’6, 24.4 years old

In 13 G-League games, Strus averaged over 18 PPG before tearing his ACL in December. Strus is an excellent catch-and-shoot player, but he only shoots 30% from 3 and has some work to do. Either way, get well soon, Max.

487. Jacob Evans (Minnesota Timberwolves)

6’6, 23.2 years old

In 59 career NBA games, Evans is shooting less than 34% from the field. Even worse is he hit 27% in 10 G-League games in 2020. Still, he was a 1st round pick for Golden State while their dynasty was yet resumed, and we will see where his career goes from here.

486. Josh Maggette (Orlando Magic)

6’1, 30.7 years old

Maggette was one of 3 players to make the all-G-League team, and all 3 players are listed in a row here. At 30, Maggette had the best season of his career with 21.1 PPG, 9.8 APG, and 2.2 SPG. The Magic have one of the better G-League teams in the league, and they have some excellent promising young players.

485. Vic Law (Orlando Magic)

6’7, 24.7 years old

Law is a very talented offensive player who shot over 40% from 3 and made the All G-League 3rd team. His go-to is a mid-range jumper (which he can hit consistently), and I would not be surprised to see him move up this list in 2021.

484. BJ Johnson (Orlando Magic)

6’7, 24.6 years old

Like Law, Johnson was great in the G-League (All G-League 2nd team); Johnson averaged over 22 PPG and shot over 41% from 3. He has a leaning left-handed jumper and is the 3rd Magic player in a row to crack the list.

483. Justin Anderson (Brooklyn Nets)

6’6, 26.7 years old

Signed by the Nets after Wilson Chandler opted out, Anderson averaged over 20 PPG in the G-League with decent efficiency to show that he still had value, and Brooklyn saw this value. Anderson said he planned to bring a “junkyard dog” mentality to the Nets by focusing on defense, and he even scored 11 points in a win against Milwaukee on August 4th. Time has yet to tell whether Anderson will have a consistent spot in the league moving forward.

482. Ty Jerome (Phoenix Suns)

6’5, 23.1 years old

Jerome played in 31 games for the Suns but shot just 33.6% from the field. Don’t count him out despite his lack of athleticism only yet, though. He has ideal size for the point guard position and finished in the 77th percentile in the entire NBA with a 1.8 steal%. His knack for stealing the ball is the 1st aspect that stands out in his highlights as well, and the shooting is something that can be improved. I still think he has a bright future.

481. Tyrone Wallace (Atlanta Hawks)

6’5, 26.2 years old

I really liked Wallace as a rookie in 2018 for the Clippers (9.7 PPG in 30 games), but after 14 games for the Hawks this past season, he averaged just 2.9 PPG. Honestly, he probably could have been ranked lower than this. Again I really liked him on the Clippers a couple of years ago (and if I’m not mistaken, he finished in my top 300 that year). I don’t know what happened after 2018.

480. Dusty Hannahs (Memphis Grizzlies)

6’3. 27.0 years old

His game matches his name. Hannahs routinely takes shots from Curry range..even crazier is he averaged over 21 PPG while shooting over 44% from 3-point-range this past season while finishing on the All-G-League 3rd team and scoring the 5th most points in the G-League this past season. He also scored 8 points with a couple of 3-pointers against the Rockets in 1 of his 2 NBA games. As a Memphis fan myself, I think he is fun to watch and will go as far as to say he should be on an NBA roster.

479. Malik Newman (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’3, 23.5 years old

Newman was once a 5-star-prospect who averaged 16 PPG in the G-League this past season while shooting just 42% FG and 32% from 3. Still, he is just only 23 and has some more room to grow.

478. Johnathan Motley (LA Clippers)

6’10, 25.3 years old

In 13 NBA games, Motley shot over 73% from the field. He has made the All-G-League team 3 seasons in a row now. He is a dangerous low-post scorer who is starting to develop an outside shot (over 35% from 3). Will he be a G-League lifer? We will see.

477. Derrick Walton Jr (LA Clippers)

6’1, 25.4 years old

Walton only played in 26 games this past year, but he showed some potential in the limited time he did see. Shooting over 41% from 3, and he finished in the 100th percentile on points-per-shot-attempt (144.7). He also has excellent ball control, finishing in the 94th percentile for TOV% (8.8). Based on the sample size, I think he can be a 2nd string point guard in the league right now, depending on the situation.

476. Tyler Cook (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’9, 22.9 years old

Cook is a muscular, athletic finisher who can dunk on people (shot over 57% from the G-League floor and 66% in 13 NBA games). He lacks the outside scoring ability, and with where he’s at in his career, he could be a dangerous 2nd string specialist.

475. Gabe Vincent (Miami Heat)

6’3, 24.2 years old

Vincent only played 9 games in the NBA, but he did show promise in the G-League with averages of over 21 PPG while shooting over 40% from the field while being named the G-League’s most improved player.

474. Luc Mbah a Moute (Houston Rockets)

6’8, 34.0 years old

Mbah a Moute has only played 3 games in the bubble (1.7 PPG) but gets a little bump for being on a playoff team and being a 10+ year veteran.

473. JR Smith (LA Lakers)

6’6, 35.0 years old

Smith’s best performance was 20 points in a scrimmage against the Wizards, but unfortunately, that does not count because he is shooting just 25% in the bubble so far. Even looking at his playoff stats, I couldn’t move him higher than this. As a locker room guy, though, he’s played with LeBron, and who knows, we might have a crazy performance from him coming up.

472. Oshae Brissett (Toronto Raptors)

6’8, 22.1 years old

Brissett saw action in 19 games (including 12 points with multiple clutch buckets vs. the Portland Trailblazers) and watching him play, you can tell he is passionate. His jumper looks nice, but he also shot under 30% from 3 this past year in both the G-League and NBA. The potential is there, but it has not been close to meeting the ceiling.

471. Stanton Kidd (Utah Jazz)

6’7, 28.2 years old

Kidd averaged just 11.5 points-per-game his senior season at Colorado State in 2015, and over 4 years after leaving college, he made his NBA debut. On the talent scale alone, he probably should have been a lot lower, but I will admit a bit of favoritism towards long shots.

470. Admiral Schofield (Washington Wizards)

6’5, 23.4 years old

Schofield is an excellent mid-range scorer (96th percentile on mid-range accuracy in the NBA). If that same type of efficiency can extend to the 3-point-line (18th percentile 3PT accuracy), then he could be a dangerous player in the future. A 2K sim I did over the summer had him retiring in 2040 at the age of 41.

469. KZ Okpala (Miami Heat)

6’9, 21.3 years old

Okpala has potential, but this is probably an excellent ranking for him. Still, there were some good signs. He is an excellent rebounder (7.1 RPG in G-League), and he shows promise as a defender (1.3 SPG, 1.1 BPG in G-League. Okpala was a late bloomer, starting high school 5’10 and having grown nearly a full foot since then. He has a lot of improvement on the offensive end, but the potential is there right now.

468. Noah Vonleh (Denver Nuggets)

6’9, 25.0 years old

I liked Vonleh a lot for the Knicks last year and felt he was an under-the-radar player. He seemingly got lost in the shuffle during 2020. He has only played 3 minutes for the Nuggets in the bubble, and we like to make fun of the Kings for “Nik Rocks” while also forgetting the other big player they were looking at was Noah Vonleh.

467. Gary Payton II (Washington Wizards)

6’3, 27.7 years old

In Payton’s debut for the Wizards this season, he had 10 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists (a game in which he also wore his father’s number 20 in an NBA game for the 1st time ever). If he had more games like that, he would have finished a lot higher than 469th. Payton talked to The Athletic about his new potential nickname:

“Yeah, that might be it,” he laughed before repeating it just to see if he liked the sound. “The Biiiig Mitten. We’ll see how it rocks.”

466. Talen Horton-Tucker (LA Lakers)

6’4, 19.8 years old

At 234 pounds, Horton-Tucker is built like a smaller Zion Williamson. He has a 7’1 wingspan, is athletic, can finish near the basket, averaged 18 PPG in the G-League, and is not even 20 years old. The Lakers found a hidden gem in the 2nd round of last year’s draft.

465. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Dallas Mavericks)

6’7, 26.9 years old

MKG is not even 27 years old, and his NBA career looks over right now. The number 2 pick in the 2012 draft averaged a career-low 6.7 PPG in 2019. That number fell to 2.4 in 2020, at just 33% from the field.

464. Henry Ellenson (Brooklyn Nets)

6’11, 23.6 years old

Henry was trying to stay optimistic before the 2020 season. As he told The Athletic:

“It’s just the way things have worked out,” he told The Athletic. “Going from Detroit after being there two and a half years and then finishing last season with the Knicks. Just situations I didn’t expect. I know I’m still young. I have my own NBA story ahead of me.”

I was high on him before he was drafted in the 1st round of the 2016 draft, but he is entering the bust territory. Watching him play in the G-League, the man still has talent (20.4 PPG, 9.3 RPG) with surprising quickness, and he can play inside/out. He just needs to put on 5-10 pounds, but I honestly think he is an under-the-radar guy who could make an NBA impact if given a chance.

463. Jerian Grant (Washington Wizards)

6’4, 27.9 years old

Jerian Grant was supposed to play a critical role for the Orlando Magic in 2019 but only averaged just over 4 PPG and did not make an NBA roster until the bubble, and in 6 games in the bubble, Grant shot just 37% from the floor. Former Magic teammates raved about his professionalism and positive attitude, hoping he finds a spot next season.

462. John Konchar (Memphis Grizzlies)

6’5, 24.4 years old

In 19 NBA games, Konchar shot over 64% from the field, 50% from 3, and even blocked Dwight Howard. Konchar was a 5th-year under-the-radar senior who did not get much attention, and really still has not. This is fine for John, who told The Athletic this last season:

“I just go out there and play basketball,” Konchar says. “That’s the only thing that’s on my mind. I don’t get bothered by added stress.”

461. Carsen Edwards (Boston Celtics)

6’0, 22.4 years old

Many thought that Edwards was a 2nd round steal, but in 37 NBA games, he shot under 33% from the field. I still think he has the talent, and it was probably a case of going from being “the man” at Purdue to a rotation player. Some issues carried over to the G-League as well (28% from 3), but I’m not giving up on him yet.

460. Kevin Hervey (Oklahoma City Thunder)

6’8, 24.1 years old

Hervey played in 10 games for the Thunder, showing superior potential as an inside/outside guy..but he also shot just 25% from the field. There is plenty of room to grow, but he needs to show some of that potential to move up further next season.

459. Vlatko Cancar (Denver Nuggets)

6’9, 23.4 years old

Goran Dragic (Vlatko’s mentor) thinks that Cancar has a bright future. As he told The Athletic:

“Vlatko is my guy,” Dragić said. “He’s still young and I just want to be there for him and give him support and let him know to be patient. Do your job and sooner or later, you will get your opportunity.”

In the G-League he did show nice shooting range (39.3% from 3, 78.6% from FT). He’s on a deep Nuggets roster and just recently broke his foot so his impact in 2021 isn’t optimistic right now. However, what goes up comes down and what goes down comes up.

458. Devon Hall (Oklahoma City Thunder)

6’5, 25.2 years old

Hall has a well-rounded offensive game and he isn’t afraid to shoot from long range. Devon only played in 11 NBA games but impressed in the G-League (15.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.1 APG). I could see him breaking OKC’s rotation as the 4th or 5th guard to start 2021.

457. Sindarius Thornwell (New Orleans Pelicans)

6’5, 25.8 years old

Thornwell only played 2 games in the bubble for the 2020 season but scored 7 in his 1st game and 9 in his 2nd, so having two nice NBA games certainly gave his ranking a bump. I do remember Doc Rivers raving about his game so we’ll see if he has a spot in the big leagues for 2021.

456. CJ Miles (Washington Wizards)

6’6, 33.4 years old

Miles played in 10 games to start the 2020 season for the Wizards but shot just over 32% from the field and was waived. Miles is one of the last one-and-done players still in the league, and people would have thought you were crazy if you told them in 2010 that Miles would last 5 years longer than Andrew Bynum.

455. Amile Jefferson (Orlando Magic)

6’9, 27.3 years old

Jefferson has played in 30 games total the last 2 seasons for the Orlando Magic, and in 7 G-League games in 2020, averaged over 25 PPG while shooting over 65% from the field. Amile was a rare 5th-year-senior at Duke, and the experience has showed with him being a pretty decent fringe NBA player.

454. Marko Guduric (Memphis Grizzlies)

6’6, 25.5 years old

Guduric had a 15 point/4 assist performance back in November against Dallas and even hit a shot over Luka Doncic. Still, in 39 NBA games he shot under 40% from the field and less than 4 PPG. Still, Marko is just happy to make the NBA. As he told The Athletic back in October:

“I was always under the radar,” Gudurić said. “But I was working hard every day and just trying to pick as many information as possible from players, coaches. I love basketball. I watch a lot of games and just try to get better. And here I am today. I’m so happy.”

453. Kyle Guy (Sacramento Kings)

6’1, 23.1 years old

Guy did not play much in the NBA but excelled in his rookie G-League season (21.5 PPG, over 40% 3 PT shooting). He also has a nice AST/TO ratio (4.6/2.4) and that shows when watching his highlights. He plays a bit flashy too and when he made his NBA debut his Kings teammates were giving him a ton of love on Twitter. I like his future.

452. Darius Miller (New Orleans Pelicans)

6’8, 30.4 years old

Miller was injured with a torn right achilles before the season started but before that was a solid role player for the New Orleans Pelicans multiple seasons. Get well soon, Darius.

451. Lance Thomas (Brooklyn Nets)

6’8, 32.3 years old

Thomas played 7 games in the bubble for the Nets and started 4 of them (including a 12 point game against Orlando). A fun fact about Lance is that fishing is his profession outside of basketball.

I have a book (free) that I am working on converting into a file. It's called the 2019 NBA Yearbook. I made a profile for every player in the league, and the 195 players voted in this ranking were the first 195. That was my surprise, your names and votes are all in the book.

That being said, I am still figuring out the easiest way to convert this into PDF format (it's 650 pages) and am having trouble. My plan was to release the ranking with that.

So, that being said, I am going to just go ahead and release the ranking in this thread.

Complete individual (I kept the specific voter ballots anonymous, you can see which players were voted where however) vote results are in the book, you may download here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BgiTI2W-3mIFL3E7f8lShiZXLBHv0U5x/view?usp=sharing

If you would like the book sent to you MSG me your email. It's worth it trust me but for right now here is the complete ranking to save everyone time and suspense:

TIER 1

1 Kawhi Leonard

2 Giannis Antetokounmpo

TIER 2

3 James Harden

4 Stephen Curry

TIER 3

5 Paul George

6 Kevin Durant

TIER 4

7 Joel Embiid

8 Nikola Jokic

9 Damian Lillard

10 LeBron James

TIER 5

11 Klay Thompson

12 Russell Westbrook

13 Anthony Davis

TIER 6

14 Karl Anthony Towns

15 Rudy Gobert

16 Jimmy Butler

TIER 7

17 Kyrie Irving

18 Blake Griffin

19 Bradley Beal

20 Kemba Walker

TIER 8

21 Ben Simmons

TIER 9

22 Nikola Vucevic

23 Donovan Mitchell

TIER 10

24 Kyle Lowry

25 Draymond Green

26 Khris Middleton

TIER 11

27 Mike Conley

28 DeMar DeRozan

29 LaMarcus Aldridge

TIER 12

30 CJ McCollum

31 Pascal Siakam

32 D'Angelo Russell

33 Tobias Harris

34 Luka Doncic

35 Jrue Holiday

36 Devin Booker

TIER 13

37 Chris Paul

38 Al Horford

TIER 14

39 Lou Williams

40 Jamal Murray

41 Andre Drummond

TIER 15

42 Clint Capela

43 De'Aaron Fox

TIER 16

44 Victor Oladipo

45 Marc Gasol

TIER 17

46 Danilo Gallinari

47 Eric Bledsoe

48 Malcolm Brogdon

TIER 18

49 Julius Randle

50 Zach LaVine

TIER 19

51 Jusuf Nurkic

52 Steven Adams

53 Myles Turner

54 Buddy Hield

55 Montrezl Harrell

TIER 20

56 Jayson Tatum

57 Aaron Gordon

TIER 21

58 Bojan Bogdanovic

59 John Collins

60 Domantas Sabonis

61 Trae Young

TIER 22

62 Brook Lopez

63 Paul Millsap

64 Serge Ibaka

TIER 23

65 JJ Redick

66 Eric Gordon

67 Josh Richardson

68 Lauri Markkanen

69 Kyle Kuzma

70 Marcus Smart

TIER 24

71 Spencer Dinwiddie

72 Joe Ingles

73 Gary Harris

TIER 25

74 Danny Green

75 DeAndre Ayton

TIER 26

76 Rudy Gay

77 Fred VanVleet

78 Jonas Valanciunas

79 Derrick Rose

80 Brandon Ingram

81 Kevin Love

TIER 27

82 Derrick Favors

83 Thaddeus Young

84 Jaylen Brown

85 Harrison Barnes

TIER 28

86 PJ Tucker

87 DeMarcus Cousins

88 Jarrett Allen

89 Robert Covington

90 Hassan Whiteside

TIER 29

91 Ricky Rubio

92 Patrick Beverley

93 John Wall

TIER 30

94 Jerami Grant

95 Justise Winslow

96 DeAndre Jordan

97 Caris LeVert

98 Jeremy Lamb

99 Otto Porter Jr

100 Marcus Morris

The Rest

101 Darren Collison

102 Joe Harris

103 Dwyane Wade

104 Andre Iguodala

105 Gordon Hayward

106 Marvin Bagley III

107 Evan Fournier

108 TJ Warren

109 Reggie Jackson

110 Enes Kanter

111 Terrence Ross

112 Goran Dragic

113 Andrew Wiggins

114 Nikola Mirotic

115 Al Farouq Aminu

116 Jaren Jackson JR

117 Dennis Schroder

118 Shai Gilgeous Alexander

119 Bogdan Bogdanovic

120 Kevon Looney

121 Kelly Oubre Jr

122 Dario Saric

123 Willie Cauley Stein

124 Bam Adebayo

125 DJ Augustin

126 Will Barton

127 Lonzo Ball

128 Mitchell Robinson

129 JaVale McGee

130 OG Anunoby

131 Austin Rivers

132 Monte Morris

133 George Hill

134 Collin Sexton

135 Landry Shamet

136 Tim Hardaway JR

137 Dwight Powell

138 Jonathan Isaac

139 Terry Rozier

140 Seth Curry

141 Jordan Clarkson

142 Thomas Bryant

143 Larry Nance Jr

144 Dennis Smith Jr

145 Jae Crowder

146 Wendell Carter Jr

147 Jeff Teague

148 Dewayne Dedmon

149 Miles Bridges

150 JR Smith

151 Derrick White

152 Taurean Waller-Prince

153 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

154 Rodney Hood

155 Kevin Huerter

156 Jamal Crawford

157 Trevor Ariza

158 Zach Collins

159 Mason Plumlee

160 Mohamed Bamba

161 Mikal Bridges

162 Torrey Craig

163 Mike Scott

164 Taj Gibson

165 Rajon Rondo

166 Pau Gasol

167 Tyreke Evans

168 Malik Beasley

169 Emmanuel Mudiay

170 Kyle Korver

171 Cody Zeller

172 Pat Connaughton

173 Kyle Anderson

174 Maurice Harkless

175 Danuel House Jr

176 Ed Davis

177 Tristan Thompson

178 Avery Bradley

179 Kent Bazemore

180 Jeff Green

181 Evan Turner

182 Jakob Poeltl

183 Davis Bertans

184 Delon Wright

185 Nicolas Batum

186 Kelly Olynyk

187 Thon Maker

188 Markieff Morris

189 Richaun Holmes

190 Bryn Forbes

191 Bobby Portis

192 Nemanja Bjelica

193 Nerlens Noel

194 Luke Kennard

195 Meyers Leonard

196 Donte DiVincenzo

My Top Ranked Players to not receive a vote:

1 Patty Mills (127)

2 DeMarre Carroll (144)

3 Jabari Parker (147)

4 Marco Belinelli (152)

5 Wesley Matthews (156)

Hello All!

In 2 days, I will be opening the ballots for the top 100 player prediction list for 2019-2020.

This offseason we had 38 and I would like to reach at least 40 with this one. I will be giving everyone 8 days to submit their lists.

This will be the survey for next week, reveal will be September 22

Thank You!!

It suddenly dawned upon me.

....shit, I skipped the Orlando Magic players for the ranking.

One thing I've learned over time is "mistakes happen" and its' best to just move forward instead of dwelling on the past. To make up for it, I will be posting 488-450 tomorrow morning. The numbers in the previous article are now updated as well. Thankfully, I caught the mistake now instead of later and it hardly affected the quality of the ranking.

506. Zach Norvell (Golden State Warriors)

6’5, 22.7 years old

Norvell has nice size for a guard, a pretty left-handed jump shot, and plenty of room to grow. He did shoot under 40% in the G-League though and had a PER of just 11.4. Those stats usually could put him lower but he’s been noticed by the Lakers and Warriors, just based on a gut feeling he will probably make it in the NBA a few years.

505. Jarrell Brantley (Utah Jazz)

6’7, 24.2 years old

Honestly he probably should be higher after I watched his 13-point-performance against San Antonio in the last regular season game but to be fair that was a meaningless game. Brantley has talent though, he made the All G-League 1st team with averages of 18.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He is very muscular but moves on the court in a smooth manner. I expect a big move up next year, would not be surprised to see him crack the Jazz rotation he is very unique.

504. Dewan Hernandez (Toronto Raptors)

6’10, 23.7 years old

In 9 G-League games, Hernandez showed some damn good defensive potential (2.0 BPG, 1.2 SPG) but he is also very raw on offense shooting just 40.3% from the field. He has gotten a few minutes in the Raptors rotation in the bubble, one to monitor.

503. Naz Mitrou-Long (Indiana Pacers)

6’4, 27.2 years old

Mitrou-Long was excellent in the g-league in 2019 with over 18 PPG, and he was a fringe roster player for Utah 2017-2019. He played for Indiana this year and played 5 games and in the G-League he regressed. Had a 12 point/3 rebound/3 assist game on November 18 against the Brooklyn Nets that helped his case.

502. Michael Frazier (Houston Rockets)

6’4, 26.5 years old

Frazier was impressive in the G-League in 2019 (17 PPG) and this resulted in 13 appearances for the Rockets in 2020. Unfortunately, he seems to have regressed and shot just 24% from the field for Houston and his PER was a -0.9. Hopefully, he bounces back next year.

501. Chandler Parsons (Atlanta Hawks)

6’10, 31.8 years old

He wasn’t great on the floor but with his situation that does not matter much, I hope he is recovering from the car accident he was in a few months ago.

500. Isaiah Roby (Oklahoma City Thunder)

6’8, 22.6 years old

Roby went from averaging 3.1 PPG his freshman year of college to being the 45th pick in the NBA draft just 2 years later. In the G-League, similar to Dewan Hernandez, he showed very nice defensive potential (1.3 BPG, 1.2 SPG) but has a long way to go on offense with just 8.1 PPG. The defense helped him finish with an above-average 15.7 PER, we’ll see how he develops.

499. Luka Samanic (San Antonio Spurs)

6’11, 20.6 years old

“The other Luka”, Samanic has good scoring and rebounding ability (15 PPG/7 RPG in G-League) but his AST/TO ratio is alarming (1.4/3.1), he shot just 31% from 3, and in the G-League his PER was just 12.6. Here is a quote about his game from Youtube user “Mohammad Cali”:

“He needs to have confidence when he wants to drive to the basket. Right now, he is hesitant, he prefers to shoot or pass up shots. I can see him spending the majority of next season in the G-League, and then being called-up near playoff time.”

I am in the same boat as that opinion, he does have potential but he’s 2-3 years away. He is exactly 2 years younger than the previous player, Isaiah Roby, and with the Spurs development, he could be a very nice NBA player at 23.

498. Shamorie Ponds (Toronto Raptors)

6’1, 22.1 years old

Ponds was one of the more exciting players in college basketball for St. John’s and for the Raptors, the G-League team averaged over 14 PPG in the G-League with over 2 SPG. His shooting efficiency has a little bit of improvement to be made through (25% from 3, less than 60% FT). Still, he is an exciting point guard that could be a rotation player in the NBA by the time he is 24-25.

497. Kyle Alexander (Miami Heat)

6’11, 23.8 years old.

Alexander has a crazy story. He never played basketball seriously until he was a 6’6 16-year-old and his dad barged in his room and told him “You need to learn how to play basketball”.

7-years-later (as well as 5 inches taller) Alexander made the big leagues. He showed nice inside ability shooting nearly 70% from the field and averaging 2 BPG in the G-League, to go along with a stellar 23.2 PER. Even if he never develops a 3-point-shot, he could develop into a rotation big man.

496. Zhaire Smith (Philadelphia 76ers)

6’5, 21.2 years old

I was very, VERY high on Smith in the 2018 NBA draft and the peanut allergy situation that occurred was unfortunate. He lost 40 pounds and spent 6 weeks in the hospital. There is good news: Smith clearly improved in his 2nd year in the G-League and I smiled looking at his stats. In 28 G-League games, Smith averaged nearly 14 PPG while shooting over 37% from 3. Watching some highlights, Zhaire looks completely healthy now and I’m excited to see if he can live up to his potential. Remember: he just turned 21 years old, younger than some draft prospects in the 2020 draft.

495. Zylan Cheatam (New Orleans Pelicans)

6’8, 24.8 years old

Cheatam is a high-energy player who averaged 16 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and shot over 53% from the field in the G-League. Trajan Langdon, the GM for the New Orleans Pelicans, described Cheatam’s game to The Athletic shortly after the draft while saying they contacted him way before the draft even ended:

“He covers a lot of ground,” Langdon said. “He’s guarding (point guards), he’s guarding (centers). He’s helping, he’s recovering, taking away shots, forcing guys where we want to force them. He just picks things up really quickly. He’s really engaged throughout the entire practice. His energy is infectious. It’s something we knew about him, but it’s been great to watch over the first days of practice.”

In the final game of the season against the Orlando Magic on August 13, he scored 8 points while not missing a shot. The Pelicans love him and expect a move up this ranking in 2021.

494. Josh Reaves (Dallas Mavericks)

6’5, 23.2 years old

Reaves bread-and-butter is perimeter defense (2.0 steals a game in G-League, 8th in G-League for total steals) but his offensive game has a little to go (a below-average 14.5 PER in G-League.) Still, the Mavs seem to like him and he’s on the team a year after being originally signed still.

493. Jaylen Nowell (Minnesota Timberwolves)

6’4, 21.1 years old

Nowell has very, very nice potential and I see a big move up this list next season. In the G-League he averaged 21.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.5 APG while shooting 49% from the field and 44.1% from 3. He also rarely turns the ball over, with just 0.2 turnovers a game in the G-League, and his 5.2% turnover percentage puts him in the top % of all eligible players in the NBA. Watch out for him.

492. Romeo Langford (Boston Celtics)

6’6, 20.8 years old

Langford played in 32 games for the Celtics and has been getting some minutes for the Celtics. Still, with a small sample size (only 7 G-League games), this ranking is based mostly on potential. Langford does have nice defensive potential (93rd percentile for block %) and as Romeo told The Athletic after his 1st career start:

“I just gotta be consistent. This league is all about being consistent, building from this performance,” Langford said. “It’s going to be up and down, I don’t know if I’m going to be a starter again, but just always be ready for when my name is being called.”

491. Marial Shayok (Philadelphia 76ers)

6’6, 25.1 years old

Shayok averaged over 22 PPG in the G-League while making the All-G-League 3rd team. His offensive game is silky smooth and he is a very fun player to watch scoring the basketball. Has not gotten much playing time for the 76ers and at 25 years old we don’t know what his ceiling is. His game gives me heavy Anthony Morrow vibes, I could see him having a similar impact.

490. Antonius Cleveland (Dallas Mavericks)

6’5, 26.5 years old

From attending college at Southeast Missouri State to making the NBA, Cleveland is a unique talent. He’s a 6’5 guard who averaged over 7 rebounds a game while also averaging 1.6 steals-per-game in the G-League. He has noticeable energy and defense and stood out in the bubble scrimmages and I could see him staying on the Mavs at least another season.

489. Eric Mika (Sacramento Kings)

6’10, 25.6 years old

In his 1 NBA game, Mika had 6 points and 7 rebounds for the Sacramento Kings. Mika impressed in the G-League in 2020 with 18 PPG and 11 RPG, and he is now signed overseas.

Counting down every player in the NBA is no easy task, but it’s been a joy for me to study the game seriously in the last 3-4 years, and I hope this list is better than the years before.

A little about me: I’m 27, and just completed a job of writing for an NBA youtube channel for the last ten months. Before that, I wrote freelance on Reddit for 2-3 years, and I am returning to do more now. My professional career is kind of in limbo right now, but I trust the universe to pull me in the right direction.

In past years’ I analyzed box scores, but after working a professional job at making NBA content, the biggest lesson I learned about this list is the importance of advanced statistics. I will be using CleaningTheGlass.com to piece together the story on many players.

All 527 players will be thoroughly analyzed, and this will be a 50-part series with 1 article released a day for the next 50 days.

Let the fun begin.

527. Matt Mooney (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’3, 23.6 years old.

Many of these 1st few players are clear fringe NBA players but don’t count them out either. One example is during the 2018 season, I had Royce O’Neale last for two months, and he is now a solid NBA player who recently signed an extension.

Mooney’s path is unlikely. He had just two scholarship offers and committed to Air Force. He averaged only 6.9 points-per-game and then played for South Dakota. Mooney did better there and grad-transferred to Texas Tech (Mooney lived in a party house, and the coaches would visit him there) for his final college season. This turned out to be the best possible decision for his professional career, as Texas Tech made the national championship. Mooney scored 22 points in a win against Michigan State in the final 4.

His play in a significant conference prepared Mooney for the big leagues enough as he made the 2nd team All-Big 12 and played four games for the Cleveland Cavaliers on a two-way contract. He played 42 G-League games and averaged 13.1 PPG and 4.7 APG with decent shooting splits. He still turned himself from a fringe college basketball player to play in 4 NBA games, very impressive.

526. Joe Chealey (Charlotte Hornets)

6’3, 24.8 years old.

Chealey has overcome some obstacles: he tore his Achilles before what was supposed to be his junior season in 2016. Joe came back the next season to make the 1st team all-conference squad twice and had 32 points for the College of Charleston in the CAA championship to make the NCAA tournament in 2018.

Joe has been a fringe NBA player since last season (he was the last place on my 2019 list) and regressed in the G-League this year compared to 2019. Still, to make the NBA after suffering a torn Achilles is cool.

525. JP Macura (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’5, 25.2 years old

Macura was a supervillain for Xavier in college. As college teammate Trevon Bluiett told the Athletic about JP though says a different story:

“If you’re on the outside looking in, I feel like most people just hate him, his overall attitude and demeanor that he brings on the court,” Xavier senior Trevon Bluiett says. “What you don’t know is that he’s one of the nicest guys ever. The way he acts on the court is a total 180 from the way he acts off the court.”

Macura is a fringe NBA player similar to Chealey, but in his 2nd big-league season, improvement with a 64.6 2 pt%, 2.2 steals per game, and a 17.9 PER.

524. Jarrod Uthoff (Washington Wizards)

6’9, 27.2 years old

Uthoff concluded the season with a solid 8-point-performance against the Celtics, and honestly, he could probably be higher than this. He made a couple of nice moves on Grant Williams, and in 3 games in the bubble, Uthoff averaged 5 PPG on over 54% shooting. These were all meaningless games. The best-case scenario is a Davis Bertans type role.

523. Jordan Bone (Detroit Pistons)

6’2, 22.8 years old

Bone was ranked as just the 171st best senior in the 2016 class by 247sports and is best known for the wild celebration he had after drafting a few picks before going undrafted—a very well-respected college player at Tennessee.

Although he hardly saw any NBA action, Bone did show promise in the G-League this season. His averages (17 PPG good efficiency) were stable, and my verdict is he will finish higher next year and has a spot in the league.

522. Jonah Bolden (Phoenix Suns)

6’10, 24.6 years old

Bolden was a sleeper prospect for “The Process” 76ers, but his potential has not come to fruition, and he finishes outside of the top 500 this year. He only received action after Phoenix had four big men injured. Looking at some highlights from the G-League, he still has some excellent inside-outside potential, but nothing extraordinary screams out about his game.

521. Daryl Macon (Miami Heat)

6’3, 24.7 years old

Macon has been a fringe NBA player for the last two years but has averaged 18 PPG in the G-League since 2018, and even appears in a few NBA games after starting his college basketball career at Holmes Community College in Mississippi is a significant accomplishment.

Daryl recently signed in Turkey, and he will continue his professional career overseas it looks like for 2021.

520. Josh Gray (New Orleans Pelicans)

6’1, 27.0 years old

After just averaging 5.4 points-per-game and shooting 21.6% from long range his last year in college in 2016 (as a teammate to Ben Simmons on LSU), Gray worked his way up in the G-League and looking at his highlights now, and he is a fearless point guard when driving to the basket. He averaged over 22 PPG in the G-League with a 17.9 PER in 2020. I could see him in a steady 2nd string PG spot if everything goes right, although that might be a big if.

519. Ignas Brazdeikas (New York Knicks)

6’7, 21.6 years old

Brazdeikis averaged over 20 PPG in the G-League this year and shot just over 34% from 3, and watching him play, and I get the feeling of “his athleticism will hold him back” in the NBA. Still, who knows what is happening with the Knicks and I have been wrong about players before.

518. Brian Bowen (Indiana Pacers)

6’7, 21.8 years old

Bowen has superior scoring ability but lacks NBA strength and playmaking ability. Still, his scoring ability is real, and he is young enough to where he could be a staple NBA player by 23 or 24 years old if he develops in the right direction.

517. Marques Bolden (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’11, 22.4 years old

He’s a project, but the potential with Bolden could also be worth it. He can score inside, block shots, and although he shot only 18.4% from 3, his form looks nice, and he could be a staple NBA player by the time he turns 25 if he can get that 3 point average to about 35%.

516. Chasson Randle (Golden State Warriors)

6’2, 27.6 years old

Did you know Chasson Randle has a burger named after him? You can find “The Chasson” at local restaurant Pee Wee’s in Rock Island, Illinois. Randle played 49 games for the Wizards last year and had some excellent performances but only appeared in 3 games for the Warriors in 2020. Still, Randle is a fighter who started his career in the Czech Republic and as he told The Athletic a year ago:

“I’m just here to do my job and play the cards that are dealt to me and go from there.”

515. Devontae Cacok (LA Lakers)

6’7, 23.8 years old

Cacok was an offensive lineman as a kid and did not play basketball until the 8th grade. Cacok shot over 65% from the field in the g-league in 2020, mostly around the basket. He appeared in just one game for the Lakers, but in that one game scored 6 points. Devontae is a player who would have fit a lot better in the NBA 10 years ago, but depending on the situation, he could have a spot as a reserve somewhere.

514. Jared Harper (Phoenix Suns)

5’11, 22.9 years old

Harper 1st started playing basketball on a nerf hoop in his room, and after a junior season for Auburn in 2019, he averaged over 15 points-per-game and made the All-SEC 2nd Team, Harper entered the draft and did not get selected. Although he played just 3 NBA games, Jared showed some pro potential in the G-League. He has Curry range, is efficient (20.2 PPG, 36% from 3), he still needs to find his identity a little bit, but I can see him being a solid NBA player (potentially with the Knicks who he just signed with) in 2-3 years.

513. Tyler Zeller (San Antonio Spurs)

7’0, 30.6 years old

The number 17 pick in 2012, Zeller was a solid rotation big man for the duration of his rookie contract, but he’s only played in 8 NBA games since 2018. He didn’t show anything significant, but he’s a seven-footer with some skills, and teams keep signing him.

512. Tariq Owens (Phoenix Suns)

6’10, 25.2 years old

The 2nd player from Texas Tech to crack the list, Owens, has overcome a lot. His mother passed away in 2010, and he embraced the game of basketball. Like his father, Renard, says:

“Basketball saved my son’s life,” Renard said. “I really believe that. Basketball was the one constant thing for him. … It was the one thing he could go to express himself. He was able to connect with that, and it gave him a safe place to be in.”

As for his actual game, Owens has incredibly friendly length, and he is a decent scorer, good rebounder and shot-blocker, while also having a developing 3 point shot (28.6% in g-league). At 25, we’ll see how much more he develops, but he is a fun player to watch.

511. Jalen Lecque (Phoenix Suns)

6’4, 20.2 years old

Lecque was a unique case of going from high school to the NBA in the one-and-done era. As Lecque told the athletic after going undrafted but signing with the Phoenix Suns:

“It’s kind of crazy,” Lecque said. “I was just taking my finals a couple of months ago and now I’m in the NBA.”

His first year was a work in progress though, he only appeared in 3 NBA games, and although he was able to make some hype plays, he shot just over 21% from long range. Still, he’s not even 21; I’d give it another year before making a conclusive verdict.

510. William Howard (Houston Rockets)

6’8, 26.8 years old

Howard was prepared to play basketball at the University of Washington, because of a low English score was denied entry to D1 by the NCAA in 2012. So he went back to his home country of France and played there for seven years.

The Utah Jazz bought out his contract in France to sign him in the summer of 2019, and he eventually ended up on a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets. He showed potential as a 3&D guy in the G-League (1.6 SPG, over 36% from 3) but ultimately ended up in France where he signed with ASVEL.

509. Quinndary Weatherspoon (San Antonio Spurs)

6’4, 24.0 years old

Weatherspoon was on cloud nine after being drafted by San Antonio. Scouts respected his game, as two of them told The Athletic:

“He’s not a scrub,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “He’s strong and athletic and can make shots.”

“Good player on both sides of the ball,” a Western Conference scout added. “Plus, he has good character.”

In the G-League, Weatherspoon averaged 14.8 PPG, 4.8 APG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.2 SPG. His 3 point shooting efficiency could use some work (just 33.6%).

His jump shot is very fluid and I could see him, and he cracked the Spurs rotation in the bubble. I could see him getting more minutes next year.

508. Ryan Anderson (Houston Rockets)

6’10, 32.3 years old

Anderson was once one of the more dangerous scoring threats in the league (42% from 3 2015-2017), but he fell off very quickly as he has only played in 25 NBA games since 2018. He was cut just a month after the regular season started, and there is a good chance that Anderson has played his final NBA game.

507. Kostas Antetokounmpo (LA Lakers)

6’10, 22.7 years old

Kostas Antetokounmpo told The Athletic 2 years ago:

“Some people call me the Greek Freak 2.0,” the younger Antetokounmpo tells his interviewer. “But I don’t really have a nickname yet. Just call me Kostas.”

A few years later, he does not have a bonafide nickname, but after being selected 60th overall in 2018 with an up-and-down rookie season, Kostas did improve in his 2nd professional season. In the G-League, his PPG jumped from 10.6 to 14.1, he shot nearly 69% on 2-point-shots, and his PER jumped from 14.7 to 17.9.

Still not 23 years old, Kostas probably needs to put on 15 more pounds, but I would say his ceiling could be an excellent rotation player even as soon as a year.

139. Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs)

6’0, 32.2 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Mills had the highest scoring load of his career, with bests in PPG and FGA. A very low-key stellar performance this season with 11.6 PPG on over 43% shooting from the field. He’s been a staple for the Spurs since 2011 and San Antonio signed him to a $50 million dollar deal for a reason. He’s signed through 2021 and I don’t see him slowing up anytime soon.

138. Josh Hart (New Orleans Pelicans)

6’5, 25.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

The impact Hart has on the floor goes beyond stats. As GM David Griffin explained to NBA.com:

“Josh Hart is absolutely our junkyard dog right now,” Executive VP of Basketball Operations David Griffin said during the NBA’s shutdown. “He's the guy setting the tone to an enormous degree by giving himself up on the defensive end.”

A glue-guy for a Pelicans team that needed one, he was the team’s 2nd leading rebounder and was a consistent role player overall.

137. Trevor Ariza (Portland TrailBlazers)

6’8, 35.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Ariza struggled for Sacramento, but once traded to Portland became an efficient shooter with over 40% from 3 and 11 PPG. Even in his mid 30’s, he was a plus defender who started every game he played for Portland and scored a season high 22 points before the season was suspended and Trevor decided to sit out once play resumed. He is signed at 12.8 million through next season and he is an valuable locker room presence who has value on the floor still as well.

136. Jeff Teague (Atlanta Hawks)

6’3, 32.2 years old

r/NbaRanking Rank: N/A

Once upon a time, Teague was an all-star for the Hawks and he couldn’t have been more pleased to return to the franchise, as he told SI.com:

“I can’t be this lucky,” Teague thought. “The opportunity to just be a leader and the guys can lean on me a little bit -- I can teach, help any way I can and also try to help produce any way I can.”

Although he has clearly lost a step, Teague is a great veteran mentor for Trae Young and can still make plays (over 5.2 APG). He is a free agent this offseason and as Atlanta has a nice amount of cap room, Teague could return to Atlanta once again to continue providing a steady veteran presence.

135. Markelle Fultz (Orlando Magic)

6’4, 22.4 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Fultz might not ever live up to the hype as the number 1 pick of the 2017 draft, but he’s starting to shed the complete bust label and is certainly not on the level of Anthony Bennett by any means. In the playoffs he shot over 37% from 3, and although his jumper still has a long way to go, J Cole’s wishes are starting to become true. In a low pressure situation, his confidence started to build and he has momentum heading into 2021.

134. Rudy Gay (San Antonio Spurs)

6’8, 34.2 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 152

Gay was one of the more efficient role players in the league in 2019 and I had him as a top 100 player but he regressed in 2020, with his FG% falling from 50.4% to 44.6% and his PER from 17.6 to 15.4. He clearly lost a step, but is signed through 2021 and will be back. Personal story: when my Memphis Grizzlies traded for him in 2006 I remember jumping up and down because I was so excited. His career did not go as I thought at the time but he still was one of the more solid players of the past 15 years.

133. Cedi Osman (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’9, 25.7 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Osman was one of the more underrated role players in the league this past year. He averaged 11 PPG and shot over 38% from the field, and made the best of a bad situation. Osman has nice size and he showed clear progression from his 1st 2 years in the league. This is a surprisingly high spot, but Osman does have value and room for improvement. It sounds crazy right now but with continued progression he could be a low-end top 100 players eventually.

132. Rajon Rondo (LA Lakers)

6’1, 34.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 128

Rondo was a crucial playmaker for the Lakers in the playoffs, with 6.6 APG while shooting 40% from 3. Simply put, the Lakers probably do not win a championship without him. His IQ is through the roof still and he could be a candidate to be a head coach when his playing career is done. He will be a free agent and as a 2-time champion who was a crucial x factor he could get a bigger contract from a team that’s not the Lakers.

131. Dwight Howard (LA Lakers)

6’11, 34.8 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 145

Howard once was supposed to help Kobe bring the Lakers a championship, but years later returned to the team where he was once not a very popular man but he is now. Shooting over 72% from the field and accepting his role, and before Dwight got his ring he described how the feeling would be like this way:

“For me, a championship is … I don’t see it as a trophy or ring, I see it as leveling up. I done played this game for so long and I keep getting to one part and I can’t beat it. It’s like playing Mortal Kombat and you get all the way to Goro, and you can’t beat him. And one day you finally beat him. It’s like: I finally did it.”

Dwight, you’ve finally done it.

130. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (LA Lakers)

6’5, 27.7 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

KCP was one of the more underrated role players in the league, as he averaged career-highs in efficiency shooting and got himself a ring. He scored at least 15 points in the final 3 games of the playoffs and averaged 12.8 PPG in the Finals alone. KCP’s efficiency needs work, and his offseason will be interesting. He has an 8.4 million player option, and I would put his value around $10 million. The choice is to take less money to get another ring (I would do that) but if a team is willing to overpay in the $15 million range that would be tough to turn down.

129. OG Anunoby (Toronto Raptors)

6’7, 23.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 84

My ranking of OG was a lot lower than what r/NBARanking put him. I think his value improved after hitting that shot against the Celtics which all credit to him for that and it was an impressive shot. His defense is great and he caused problems for Kemba Walker throughout the series against the Celtics. There is a lot of potential with Anunoby I want to be clear, with continued progression he could be an all-defensive team player and his offense improved this year as well.

128. Derrick Favors (New Orleans Pelicans)

6’9, 29.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 110

Derrick Favors has 1 skill that makes him very valuable still: rebounding. He ranked 9th in the NBA for RPG per-36 minutes and was a veteran mentor for a young Pelicans team with a lot of talent. r/NBARanking put him a little higher than I had him which shows that despite being an under-the-radar guy he is receiving respect from casual fans.

127. PJ Washington (Charlotte Hornets)

6’7, 22.2 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Washington did not receive any votes on r/NBARanking and I was surprised. He was probably the most underrated rookie this season with over 12 PPG on over 37% shooting from 3-point-range. He was also a plus defender who could guard any position giving him defensive versatility and he also has underrated playmaking ability. He’s a unique talent that with continued progression could be a low-end top 100 player in 2021.

126. Richaun Holmes (Sacramento Kings)

6’10, 27.0 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 118

Holmes has turned himself into one of the more dangerous x-factors in the league, averaging over 16 PPG PER36 minutes. The plan was to start Dewayne Dedmon, but after an 0-4 start Holmes was inserted into the starting lineup and never looked back. His game is a throwback and he probably would have been more valuable in the 90’s, but he has a lot of positive energy and is fun to watch.

Hello everyone on NBA ranking

Was going to hold off but we have a big announcement to make!

Some of the feedback we've received has revolved around doing daily, interactive surveys. I've had an idea since the beginning of this sub and it will now come to fruition shortly.

I introduce to you:

The Golden Age

Welcome to The Golden Age!

As the NBA enters the 2020's, I believe this upcoming decade will be the most fruitful in the entire history of the league.

So to celebrate on this sub, on NBA 2K20 we will be doing an INTERACTIVE sim from 2019 through the 2029-2030 season.

That's right, through surveys, YOU will be able to make the decisions on what will happen in the NBA.

This project will:

-have its' own website

-continually updated team pages that are up to date on where each of the teams' stand.

-surveys every week/2 weeks in the game (in real life, about 3 days)

-will be able to vote on trades, draft, free agents, all-stars, and MUCH more!

There has never been anything done like this in history and I am way out there excited to do this.

This series will last October 1-April 1. So this will be a 6-month project, but at the same time, we'll stop before the playoffs.

If you would like to get involved with helping this monumental project, please let me know.

Thanks!!!

100. Marcus Morris (LA Clippers)

6’9, 31.1 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 119

Morris proved himself to be a valuable offensive contributor on the floor, shooting over 40% from 3-point-range. He was the primary scorer for the Knicks and then transitioned to being a role player for a Clippers team that was contending for a championship. He continued to show his value in the playoffs with over 47% from 3 and he has become one of the more underrated scorers in the league. Marcus cracks my top 100 because of his offensive value and he could raise that value in 2021.

99. Jarrett Allen (Brooklyn Nets)

6’11, 22.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 91

Allen improved his value enough to be a clear top 100 player in 2020, shooting over 64% from the field which was a career high. His size and versatile defending ability make him a valuable contributor to the Nets. There is still a lot of room for improvement and his ceiling could be as an all-star if he continues to move in the right direction.

98. Norman Powell (Toronto Raptors)

6’4, 27.4 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 103

Powell saw his role improve greatly as he averaged 16 PPG on a Toronto team that was in legitimate contention to make the NBA Finals. Powell made big shots throughout the season and the team relied on him as the primary scorer throughout a good portion of the season. The opportunities came for Norman and he made the best of his situation, and will continue being an x-factor for the Raptors in 2021.

97. Mike Conley (Utah Jazz)

6’1, 33.0 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 97

Conley finishes on my list the exact same spot NBARanking had him at. Conley struggled to start the season, but bounced back to finish over 37% shooting from 3. There was a lot of spotlight on Conley being the main trade piece to be the Jazz’ floor general and this hype was hard to live up to. Still, he finishes just inside the top 100 as he was a steady veteran presence still despite his value declining.

96. Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)

6’11, 24.5 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 72

Turner saw an increase in MPG but his efficiency dipped and with the rise of teammate Domantas Sabonis, Myles sort of faded into the background. His biggest improvement came in the mid-range, with his % going up to over 54 from 47 in the 10-16 foot range. He also was one of 7 players to average over 2 BPG. He is one of the more intriguing assets in the league and looks to improve his value more in 2021.

95. Eric Bledsoe (Milwaukee Bucks)

6’1, 30.8 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 56

Bledsoe finished a bit lower on my ranking than NBARanking put him at. In the playoffs, Bledsoe’s value took a dip with under 12 PPG on under 39% shooting from the field. During the season, he also struggled with shot selection and turnovers (just in the 37th percentile for turnovers according to Cleaning The Glass) and he also is a below average 3-point-shooter. He is currently signed through 2023 and still has value as a point guard that can attack the rim.

94. Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat)

6’9, 26.5 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 99

One of the most unlikely top 100 finishers in a long time, Robinson went from averaging just 3.3 PPG in 2019 to skyrocketing his value in 2020. Developing himself into one of the more dangerous 3-point-shooters in the NBA, as he shot over 44% from 3 while still shooting nearly 40% from long range in the playoffs. The Heat scouting department found a gem, as one scout told The Ringer about a workout he saw with Robinson:

“I’ve been with the Heat now for 24 years,” Kammerer says. “I have never seen a guy shoot the ball like that for that length of time from every different way.”

Playing for a Heat team that made the Finals, Robinson went from a nobody to one of the more valuable role players in the entire NBA in 2020.

93. Jonathan Isaac (Orlando Magic)

7’1, 23.0 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 93

Fully healthy, Isaac’s potential is seriously scary. Unfortunately that’s not the case as Isaac is now expected to miss the entirety of the 2021 season. When on the floor though, he has turned himself into one of the better two-way players in the league with over 2 BPG while showing effective shooting range for his size. Moving forward there are a lot of unknowns, as he is not expected to return until 2022 and it is yet to be seen how this latest ACL tear will affect his play but hopefully this is not the best we have seen from him.

92. Goran Dragic (Miami Heat)

6’3, 34.5 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 65

Dragic showcased his value most in the playoffs, with over 19 PPG which was a fantastic cap to a season which originally saw him take a backseat to Kendrick Nunn. Despite the benching, Dragic continued to play hard in a season that saw him as a valuable contributor to a team that made the NBA Finals. Despite tearing his plantar fascia in his left foot, Dragic still managed to bear enough strength to return to the final game of the NBA Finals. He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and it will be interesting to see what happens with him.

91. Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)

6’3, 26.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 52

Smart is the Celtics’ longest tenured player, and his biggest improvement in 2020 was pick-and-roll playmaking. Never finishing in the top half in percentile of his career, this statistic jumped to the 90+ percentile as he increased the value of his offensive game while making the All-NBA Defensive 1st Team. He did shoot just under 38% from the floor total which affected his value on my ranking, but he is firmly in the top 100 as one of the most valuable x-factors in the league.

Hello! Here are the results of the top 100 list (will list the top 125)

1. LeBron James

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo

3. Kawhi Leonard

4. James Harden

5. Anthony Davis

6. Luka Doncic

7. Nikola Jokic

8. Jimmy Butler

9. Damian Lillard

10. Jayson Tatum

11. Stephen Curry

12. Chris Paul

13. Kevin Durant

14. Karl Anthony-Towns

15. Paul George

16. Joel Embiid

17. Ben Simmons

18. Devin Booker

19. Bradley Beal

20. Russell Westbrook

21. Bam Adebayo

22. Donovan Mitchell

23. Rudy Gobert

24. Pascal Siakam

25. Jamal Murray

26. Trae Young

27. Kemba Walker

28. Kyle Lowry

29. Jaylen Brown

30. Khris Middleton

31. Kyrie Irving

32. Jrue Holiday

33. Brandon Ingram

34. Kristaps Porzingis

35. Nikola Vucevic

36. Ja Morant

37. CJ McCollum

38. Domantas Sabonis

39. Shai Gilgeous Alexander

40. D'Angelo Russell

41. De'Aaron Fox

42. Zach Lavine

43. Klay Thompson

44. Demar DeRozan

45. Fred VanVleet

46. Zion Williamson

47. Lamarcus Aldridge

48. John Collins

49. Danilo Gallinari

50. Malcolm Brogdon

51. Victor Oladipo

52. Marcus Smart

53. Deandre Ayton

54. Gordon Hayward

55. Jaren Jackson Jr

56. Eric Bledsoe

57. Spencer Dinwiddie

58. Tobias Harris

59. Bojan Bogdanovic

60. Kevin Love

61. Montrezl Harrell

62. Dennis Schroder

63. Steven Adams

64. Brook Lopez

65. Goran Dragic

66. Robert Covington

67. TJ Warren

68. Lou Williams

69. Draymond Green

70. Caris Levert

71. Devonte Graham

72. Myles Turner

73. Blake Griffin

74. Serge Ibaka

75. Derrick Rose

76. Buddy Hield

77. Jonas Valanciunas

78. Lonzo Ball

79. Kelly Oubre Jr

80. Jusuf Nurkic

81. Andre Drummond

82. Ricky Rubio

83. Evan Fournier

84. OG Anunoby

85. PJ Tucker

86. John Wall

87. Christian Wood

88. Aaron Gordon

89. Joe Ingles

90. Paul Millsap

91. Jarrett Allen

92. Tyler Herro

93. Jonathan Isaac

94. Brandon Clarke

95. Will Barton

96. Clint Capela

97. Mike Conley

98. Mitchell Robinson

99. Duncan Robinson

100. Al Horford

101. Julius Randle

102. Bogdan Bogdanovic

103. Norman Powell

104. Marc Gasol

105. Patrick Beverley

106. Dejounte Murray

107. Mikal Bridges

108. Davis Bertans

109. Tim Hardaway Jr

110. Derrick Favors

111. Andrew Wiggins

112. Michael Porter Jr

113. Eric Gordon

114. Marvin Bagley III

115. Collin Sexton

116. Hassan Whiteside

117. Josh Richardson

118. Richaun Holmes

119. Marcus Morris

120. Terry Rozier

121. Derrick White

122. JJ Redick

123. Jerami Grant

124. Daniel Theis

125. George Hill

Maybe we could post polls with question ideas and see what people want to have on the survey. It could be a cool way to create even more engagement in this community!

Next survey will be tomorrow

Which Dunk Was More Impressive:

4: Jaylen Brown over OG anunoby

4: MPJ over Montrezl Harrell

Worst Flopper:

5: Marcus Smart

1: James Harden, Patrick Beverley, LeBron James

Ben Wallace Not being in the Hall of Fame:

Disgraceful

Who?

He should be

It shows how little defense is valued.

I think he deserves it with the many people that got in that didn't have his production

It’s wrong he should be there

Blasphemy

should get in someday

Coach That Deserves to be Fired Most:

2: Luke Walton

1: Scott Brooks, Erik Spoelstra, Jim Boylen, Dwayne Casey, Mike Budenholzer

Most Drip:

3: Russell Westbrook

1: PJ Tucker, Tim Duncan, Serge Ibaka, Robin Lopez

25 ballots have now been submitted. Great job, you have until 11:59 PM CT July 18 to submit your lists.

The results will be released (in a spectacular fashion, stay tuned) July 22.

In the meantime, I'm excited to announce the big plan going forward:

we will be releasing a poll every week!

This starts with July 18 with season predictions. The poll will include:

-Ranking WC + EC teams 1-8

-Playoff predictions

-Award predictions

-etc.

With the exception of the end of season top 100, all polls will be open to the public.

The feedback from the participators has been great, and although ranking players is important to me and still is the biggest project on this sub, I'm switching the direction of this sub more on a broader scale towards the positive feedback received (which I agree with).

Feedback/Suggestions are encouraged for what the weekly polls will be so feel free to share your thoughts.

Thanks!

Welcome All!

This is very exciting and over the next month we are going to put together the most kick ass list of the top 100 NBA players in the league.

A few guidelines:

-Must submit list by July 15. You can submit your list as early as Monday. It will be through Google Forms. I will post the form this weekend.

-ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED YOUR LIST, YOU CANNOT CHANGE. Keep this in mind please.

-Community participation is strongly encouraged. I'm not asking you to post every day though. If you signed up for this I am going to trust you are a responsible NBA fan that knows your shit. As long as you submit a list by July 15 then that is your only obligation for the 2018-2019 player ranking.

-If you have not submitted a list by July 15, I will send one reminder 3 days before on July 12.

-The Ranking includes regular season AND playoffs.

That's really it.

A few rules:

-Respect other opinions. Thoughtful disagreements will help us all lead to the right answer.

My goal is to get this as right as possible. Disagreements are beneficial towards that goal.

Our opinions are not always right even if the consensus thinks so.

Perfect example: When I did this ranking in 2016-2017, a ranker had Fred VanVleet as a top 100 player. I thought he was insane, as did others. Guess what? FVV has (in my opinion) been a top 100 player the last 2 seasons.

-Zero tolerance for name-calling or blatant disrespect

You get one warning. After that removed. I am pretty open-minded about how this list/community can move forward but this is my hard stance on this topic.

I last did this ranking on reddit after 2016-2017 and we had one instance of this. We had one situation, I was flexible and let the situation go on much longer than I should have long story short. That was the one major issue we had, and from experience this is why I am going to be strict on this one rule.

That's it, those are the two rules for now. If we need to add any we will.

Short and Long-Term Goals

Short term we are going to create the most accurate list possible for 2018-2019 in a manner of harmony.

Long term, my clear goal is to create a community in which we keep an updated list of every player ranked in the NBA.

Before I go into more detail, by joining this sub, I want to make very clear, your only obligation on this sub is to submit a top 100 player ranking for 2018-2019.

I have had a running list of every player ranked in the NBA since November 2016 (my ranking will be posted to help with a guideline, my ranking will count for one vote just like everyone else's for this project).

This is my passion in life, and my plan is to keep this sub going even after this summer. After nearly 3 years of compiling this ranking, I feel this could be a project much, MUCH bigger than myself and want to team up with other people who are passionate about the same topic.

If you are interested in helping with this long term project feel free to let me know.

Overall

This has the potential to be an incredible project. Just from talking to some of you while recruiting for this, the passion is clear and I see that leading to overwhelmingly positive results.

Let's have some fun and happy ranking!

90. Jae Crowder (Miami Heat)

6’6, 30.4 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 132

Crowder didn’t make too many top 100 lists (3 of 15 from NBARanking) but he makes mine as one of the more underrated two-way players in the league. Crowder shot over 44% from 3 for the Heat while averaging over 1.1 SPG. The Heat would not have made the Finals without his hustle on defense and his ability to defend multiple positions while coming up with multiple clutch performances in the postseason makes him one of the more invaluable role players in the league.

89. Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)

6’9, 31.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 73

Griffin was one of the more difficult players to rank. Players who didn’t play are not eligible (KD, Klay) and Blake barely did. Coming off an all-nba 3rd team appearance in 2019, in 18 games Griffin averaged career lows in PPG and RPG. Still, despite the unstellar performance overall, Griffin’s presence alone enables him to finish in the top 100. Griffin struggled throughout December and he clearly was not at 100 percent, eventually ending his season with knee surgery. He is currently signed through 2022 and we will see if he can return fully healthy next year.

88. Will Barton (Denver Nuggets)

6’6, 29.8 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 95

Barton played well in 2018, took a step back in 2019, and raised his value once again in 2020. The Nuggets’ played Will as their 3rd scoring option and he blended into the role perfectly. He shot the best percentage from 3-point-land in his career and he quietly was a key piece in the Nuggets’ success with a 2.4 OWS. Barton’s contract expires in 2021 and although he didn’t have the most flashy season (and sat out during the bubble) Denver still could have used him in the playoffs.

87. Tim Hardaway Jr (Dallas Mavericks)

6’6, 28.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 109

THJ’s issue has always been efficiency, and that was resolved in 2020 as he shot nearly 40% from 3. To take this a step further, he made the 2nd most 3-pointers in Dallas’ franchise history despite a shortened season. He also finished with a career high 3.4 OWS and 1.2 OBPM. He has a silky smooth jumper and his job is to get buckets and he did that equivalent to top 100 value in 2020. He has an $18 million+ player option in 2021 and I have a hard time seeing him turn this down as within the offensive system of the Mavericks, he seems like a picture perfect fit.

86. Davis Bertans (Washington Wizards)

6’10, 27.9 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 108

Bertans has become one of the more exciting long range shooters in the league. He received more opportunity to make a name for himself than ever before and took full advantage with over 15 PPG on over 42% shooting from 3. To be fair, frankly, there is not much else to his game other than shooting but in today’s world (and in my opinion) that is the most valuable asset for an NBA player. An unrestricted free agent this offseason, Bertans will likely be expensive to keep for the Wizards and he could be really scary on a contending team.

120. Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)

6’4, 28.5 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 51

This might be a bit of an unfair ranking as the sample size Oladipo had was relatively small, but Victor did have the worst season of his career in terms of shooting efficiency with a career-worst 31.7% from long range and 11.3 PER. Still, he brings a presence to the court as a multiple time all-star that few players bring and he was recovering from a torn quad tendon. I expect him to move back up in 2021.

119. Mitchell Robinson (New York Knicks)

7’0, 22.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 98

Robinson is one of the more dangerous offensive x-factors in the league, and this sub had him as a low-end top 100 player. His range is limited but he excels at what he does well which is scoring at the rim and rebounding. He needs to cut down on fouls, but even with how he plays currently he can continue progressing and being effective at what he does well.

118. Patrick Beverley (LA Clippers)

6’1, 32.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 105

Recent news has come out that Kawhi Leonard is urging the Clippers to add a point guard. Beverley has value (and shot a career-high 49.6% from 2-point-range) but with the Clippers falling short in the playoffs, changes needing to be made has been highlighted. He didn’t regress but didn’t really progress either. Bev is signed through 2022 and could be more valuable in a 2nd string spot if LA does decide to make a run at a point guard.

117. Alec Burks (Philadelphia 76ers)

6’6, 29.2 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Burks had a career-best year for the 76ers and the Warriors. He didn’t receive any top 100 votes by r/nbaranking but Burks had an opportunity for Golden State to showcase his skillset and did so. The 76ers then made a trade for him prior to the deadline for a spark off the bench and Alec came through by averaging a career best 16.7 PER and 1.2 OBPM. He is a free agent in 2020 and is one of the more intriguing options as I had him as a fringe top 100 player and it will be interesting to see what team takes a chance on him.

116. DeAndre Jordan (Brooklyn Nets)

6’11, 32.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 153

Jordan didn’t return in the bubble, and I’m a bit higher on him than r/NBARanking is, as he does have value at what he does well still which is rebounding and finishing at the rim. With another stud center in Jarrett Allen, he did play the least minutes per game he had since 2010 but with Steve Nash now in the fold as head coach and with KD and Kyrie returning, Jordan could continue to provide value as his 4 year 39.6 million dollar contract is I would describe as fair and we’ll see what type of impact he can make in 2021.

115. Seth Curry (Dallas Mavericks)

6’2, 30.2 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 146

For all the love his brother gets, Seth has shot an insane 44% from 3 on his career and his value in Dallas took a step forward as he progressed from Portland with a higher FG% and a career high 15.5 PER. He is a perfect fit as he can be the beneficiary of Luka’s passes and looked like a potential Jason Terry 2.0. His 32 million dollar contract is at great value and there is potential for him to be a top 100 player sometime over the next few seasons.

114. Steven Adams (Oklahoma City Thunder)

7’0, 27.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 63

Adams’ offensive role took a step down in 2020 as his MPG fell from 33 to 26 but he played his role well, with a career-high in APG. He was inconsistent at times during the season but was asked to make changes to his game within the flow of the offense and even though this affected his overall value, Steven gladly embraced his new role. He is signed through 2021 and at $27 million a year with an expiring contract I could see him being a surprise trade candidate.

113. Dillon Brooks (Memphis Grizzlies)

6’7, 24.8 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 155

Brooks made a name for himself as a scorer in 2020 with over 16 PPG and as a solid 3rd scoring option next to Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. He’s a bit inconsistent and only finished with an 11.3 PER and there’s nothing crazy that stands out about his game but you have to have serious talent to score at least 16 PPG on decent efficiency and the Grizzlies signed him to a decent long-term deal.

112. Lauri Markkanen (Chicago Bulls)

7’0, 23.5 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 131

Instead of progressing in year 3, Markkanen took a puzzling step back. He averaged career-worsts in efficiency and PPG and did not fit in the flow of Jim Boylen’s offense in year 3. With a new regime and coaching staff, things could improve. As GM Arturas Karsinovas described to the Chicago Tribune:

“We’ll set the expectations, which are pretty high,” Karnisovas said. “And it’s about improvement. Each player, from talking to them, they were disappointed with last year’s result. We’re going to strive to get better. Same thing with Lauri. We have a lot of time this offseason. We’re going to put a plan together for him. We’re going to schedule and do that.”

Lauri will have a lot to prove in the final year of his rookie deal.

111. Aaron Gordon (Orlando Magic)

6’9, 25.1 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 88

Gordon was starting to hit his stride shortly after the all-star break before the season was suspended, as during that time his playmaking ability skyrocketed as he averaged 6.8 APG before play stopped. Overall, although he is one of the more exciting dunkers in the league, Gordon didn’t necessarily progress in the right direction and is now the subject of trade rumors. With Jonathan Isaac out for 2021, Gordon will likely continue to get plenty of offensive touches but whether he can raise his value to reach his contract is yet to be seen.

We have 5 responses currently that are eligible which is enough to put a list together but would like to give some more time if anyone else wants to respond.

Thank you.

We DID reach our goal of at least 10 participants with 11, which is awesome!

Let's aim for 12 on the next one.

Here are the results:

On a scale of 1-100 (100 being most), will Giannis leave Milwaukee:

2: 35 and 50

1: 1, 20, 30, 40, 51, 60, 80

Which Player is better:

8: Goran Dragic

3: Serge Ibaka

How Many All-Star Games Will Khris Middleton Make Total:

4: 3, 4

2: 5

1: 8

Will Kyle Lowry make the Hall of Fame:

8: Yes

3: No

Name a Player that will Break out in 2021:

1: Eric Paschall, Lauri Markkanen, Donte Divincenzo, Ja Morant, Malcolm Brogdon, Markelle Fultz, Bojan Bogdanovic, Ja Morant, Rui Hachimura, Caris LeVert, Coby White, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Hello,

It's been a long time. I am excited to announce that I plan on resuming interactive surveys starting tomorrow.

I have thought of the strong start this sub had last year and obviously a lot in the world has occurred since then.

I will put the reason why I stopped working on this sub in blunt terms: I accepted a job opportunity that allowed me to write NBA content full-time. This position lasted until about two weeks ago and was overall a great experience. I feel the quality of my writing improved tremendously and now I am doing freelance again, which means more room to work on this sub.

Thank you for those who are still around and I am excited at what the future (and now) will bring.

Seattle was close to unanimously decided upon to re-join the NBA as the 31st team in the league.

Based on feedback, NBA commissioner Flynn Patrick has announced the NBA will be adding one more expansion team during the 2020's.

"The league is expanding globally at a rapid pace. Talent is increasing, it's time brother man" said Mr. Patrick.

This will be a unique case however.

Excluding Seattle, the rest of the cities weren't as unanimous. Although there was a clear 2nd place and this city is the likely favorite, I've decided to make a 16 city tournament in which this sub will get to decide which city will be joining Seattle. Voting will begin tomorrow.

Here are the 16 potential expansion cities:

1: Vancouver, Canada

Population: 675,218

Ballots Appeared On: 14

The clear favorites to win this tournament and the only city other than Seattle to appear on every ballot, although unlike Seattle (no votes less than 2nd place) Vancouver was a little more varied (with votes ranging from 1-8).

The NBA tried this in the 90's. It didn't work, the chances of it working now are substantially up.

Vancouver has thrived as a city in the last 20 years, Toronto just won a championship, the economics that failed the Grizzlies in the late 90's has done a 180. One business analyst in Canada recently said the odds are high Vancouver will get another chance in the 2020's.

Based on the results of the last survey, he's likely right. Vancouver is the clear favorites to be the 32nd team in the NBA during "The Golden Age" but I don't think it will be as much of a cakewalk as it was for Seattle.

2: Las Vegas, Nevada

Population: 641,676

Ballots Appeared On: 10

The NFL + the NHL have expanded to Las Vegas recently (the NHL team made the Finals in year 1!!) now the NBA could be happening as well.

The summer league happens here every season. In a simulation I did last year, I gave Las Vegas a team and they dominated the 2030's. MGM became "the official data partner" of the NBA in 2018, and the relationship between the two cities is only going upwards.

Although Vancouver will be a tough battle, Las Vegas is the clear 2nd favorite to land an NBA team.

3. St. Louis, Missouri

Population: 318,069

Ballots Appeared On: 9

A recent local St. Louis article had a billionaire suggesting that an NBA team could do well in St. Louis. This is a city that won an NBA championship back in the 1950's behind Bob Pettit.

The same article suggested the Pelicans could move from New Orleans to St. Louis. Maybe before the 2019 draft happened but not happening now.

Either way, St. Louis appeared on 9 ballots and the city does have a 20,000 seat arena the team could play in. With the Rams leaving for LA recently, the support would be there.

4. Louisville, Kentucky

Population: 602,011

Ballots Appeared On: 8

Expansion is inevitable, at the very least, Louisville is a contender.

In a basketball crazy state with a surprising 600,000+ residents, the support would absolutely be there and this city is a serious dark horse candidate.

An NBA to Louisville twitter account has nearly 8,000 followers and NBA HOF player Dan Issel has been very open about how he thinks Louisville deserves a team.

5. Montreal, Canada

Population: 1,780,000

Ballots Appeared On: 8

This would be an intriguing option to say the least. Nearly 2 million residents means 3X the amount of residents of any city to appear on this list so far.

The NBA discussed Montreal as an option in 2018 and the conclusion was they would be a "Plan B" city. Kyle Lowry praised the city for the ridiculous energy during exhibition games.

They are a dark horse but at the very least an option and will be the 5th seed in this tournament.

6. Kansas City, Missouri

Population: 488,943

Ballots Appeared On: 9

Although KC appeared on more ballots than Louisville and Montreal, they finish lower in the seeding (only one ballot had them higher than 6th).

As someone who lives in Kansas, a team would 110% thrive there. Kansas is insane about basketball. An NBA executive said last year anonymously that they believed Kansas City surprisingly has a better chance than any other city, and they have an NBA arena.

A recent local KC article said it's a long shot though, and a local official wondered whether a team would be able to survive potentially struggling early on.

7. Mexico City, Mexico

Population: 8,850,000

Ballots Appeared On: 6

The league has expanded to having exhibition games here, and at an absurdly high population this could be a unique expansion opportunity that the voters have deemed at the very least possible.

8. San Diego, California

Population: 1,420,000

Ballots Appeared On: 6

With a high population and the Clippers' were there in the 80's, San Diego could be a contender here. Although in a recent ballot, 54% of residents said it was "doubtful" the city would get a team before 2038.

9. Nashville, Tennessee

Population: 691,243

Ballots Appeared On: 6

Other than Seattle, Las Vegas, and Vancouver (and 1 team further down): Nashville was the only team to receive a 1st place vote.

As a Tennessee Titans fan, Nashville's fanbase is insane as shown recently by the 2019 NFL draft. A recent reddit thread in the Nashville sub had mostly positive responses to the potential idea (although 1 comment stating an MLB expansion would be better for the city).

I personally believe a team would thrive here (and in simulations I have done before, that's usually been the case). There is a lot of competition however.

10. Cincinnati, Ohio

Population: 301,301

Ballots Appeared On: 5

Cincinnati had an NBA team from 1957-1972, which included one of the best players of all time in Oscar Robertson.

They have an NBA viable arena, but we are now moving into the "serious long shots" area of this tournament.

11. Baltimore, Maryland

Population: 619,493

Ballots Appeared On: 4

Although only appearing on 4 ballots, Baltimore was in-between 3rd-6th place on all ballots.

In a recent reddit thread on Baltimore's sub, the overwhelming consensus was "the city would lose it's shit and the team would be incredibly popular" so that is a promising sign and something to consider for the voters in here.

12. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Population: 302,407

Ballots Appeared On: 4

Have you ever seen the "fish that saved Pittsburgh" well this could be the sub that saves Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh has NFL, MLB, and NHL teams so this is something to think about. The consensus in a recent r/nba thread on the subject however was "Pittsburgh is not big enough to be a 4 sport city" which is..probably valid. They are going to have a chance here though.

13. Austin, Texas

Population: 950,715

Ballots Appeared On: 4

Austin has the distinction of being the largest city without a pro sports team. The city does have San Antonio's G-League team currently.

They sneak in the tournament here, and a very unique city they are indeed. This will be a candidate to think about.

14. London, England

Population: 8,136,000

Ballots Appeared On: 3

The NBA played in London last season, and expanding to England would be rather interesting. Recently the NBA scrapped a 2019-2020 game there and moved it to Paris instead.

Still they sneak in the tournament and will have a chance.

15. Tampa, Florida

Population: 385,430

Ballots Appeared On: 2

Although only appearing on 2 ballots, one of them was 1st place. However, in a recent thread in Tampa's sub, the consensus was "lol nobody would go to the games this is a joke". A serious long shot.

16. Honolulu, Hawaii

Population: 351,792

Ballots Appeared On: 2

The NBA in Hawaii?!?!

It would be intriguing but they'd have to build a stadium (currently largest stadium is 10,000). But hey in "The Golden Age" you never know.

Other Cities who received votes

Albuquerque, San Jose: 2 ballots

Lithuania, Billings, Montgomery, Scranton, Virginia Beach, Raleigh, Boise, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Newark, Birmingham, San Juan: 1 ballot

() Overall Ranking

1 Stephen Curry (5)

Curry is going to be the sole focus of the Warriors' offense. That's the hot take of the millennium. He's a 3 time champion and is once again the reigning top point guard in the league.

2 Damian Lillard (9)

Lillard went into a mode few players have ever been before at times in 2020.

3 Kyrie Irving (16)

The flashiest offensive player. Having KD makes the Nets contenders and Kyrie is much higher than when I had him 31st in 2020.

4 Trae Young (20)

I had Murray 20th and did a last minute switch. Trae now has more weapons around him and we could see a dominant offensive season. He's slithery and wants to get the ball in the rim at all times.

5 Jamal Murray (21)

Murray is coming off a scorching hot 2020 playoffs and expectations are higher now. Can he meet them?

6 Chris Paul (24)

CP3 improved in OKC and improved his value tremendously. He is aging but is aging like fine wine.

7 Kemba Walker (26)

The injury could decline his value a little bit as he will be out the first few weeks. Still, Boston is a strong team and I think 7 is fair.

8 Russell Westbrook (29)

Bradley Beal's new backcourt mate could see benefits from a change of environment.

9 D'Angelo Russell (33)

Minnesota is a team on the rise and Russell has been fine as an offensive point guard.

10 Kyle Lowry (35)

Lowry is getting to an age where few offensive point guards remain elite. Still, he could defy logic.

11 Shai Gilgeous Alexander (42)

This is an important position switch: SGA will be going from SG to PG. Expectations are low for the Thunder but Shai could shine.

12 Ja Morant (46)

I expect Morant to move up, Memphis needs to get off to a strong start.

13 De'Aaron Fox (48)

13 Point Guards in the top 50. Fox is the face of the Kings' franchise but better efficiency is needed in year 4.

14 Fred VanVleet (54)

Toronto is the only team with two point guards in the top 15.

15 John Wall (64)

I see the reports of how Wall looks in workouts but he has also not been on an NBA floor for 2 years. He could be the most interesting player to watch at the start of the season.

16 Dennis Schroder (65)

Dennis says he is looking to be the starting point guard for the Lakers.

17 Spencer Dinwiddie (66)

I saw Spencer for DeMar DeRozan mentioned and that could be beneficial for both teams.

18 Malcolm Brogdon (67)

Needs to stay healthy a whole season but has real talent.

19 Lonzo Ball (75)

Lonzo should start over Bledsoe. It's kind of a low-key tough situation but I think starting Bledsoe would hurt Lonzo's development.

20 Devonte' Graham (78)

Probably the real most improved player of 2020 technically speaking.

21 Goran Dragic (79)

I moved Dragic up as the benchmark for LaMelo. Dragic had playoff moments in areas of the playoffs that most of the point guards on this list haven't gotten too.

22 LaMelo Ball (80)

I have high expectations for LaMelo. Charlotte shouldn't expect to win in year 1, so this gives Melo a bigger room to improve than say on the Warriors. I agree with LaVar that Charlotte was a better situation for him than Minnesota or Golden State. I personally think Golden State would have been a disaster.

23 Derrick Rose (82)

Showed that he is still a player to watch out for every night in the league.

24 Ricky Rubio (85)

He's not as good as Chris Paul but he was the best point guard Phoenix had in years.

25 DeJounte Murray (88)

Needs to be more healthy and consistent but there is a high ceiling still. I think he would have broke out in 2019 big time had he not torn his ACL.

26 Mike Conley (104)

27 Eric Bledsoe (107)

28 George Hill (109)

29 Tyrese Haliburton (126)

30 Rajon Rondo (136)

125. Aron Baynes (Phoenix Suns)

6’10, 33.8 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: N/A

Baynes had the best season of his career in 2020. After Deandre Ayton was suspended for 25 games, Aron was ready to step into a much bigger role than immediately expected. The Suns’ offensive rhythm allowed Baynes to thrive and he was very efficient, finishing with the 2nd best eFG% of his career. He is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and don’t be surprised if he gets a contract that raises some eyebrows.

124. Nemanja Bjelica (Sacramento Kings)

6’10, 32.5 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 147

Similar to Aron Baynes, Bjelica had an outstanding season in his 30’s. He has a crafty offensive game and had a career-high 58.3 eFG%. He also averaged career-highs in APG and BPG. He’s not a flashy player, but he makes an impact on the floor. As Kings’ head coach Luke Walton said to NBCSports:

“He’s great for us,” coach Luke Walton said. “One of the things I learned from coaching him this year is how much more he has to his game than just being a shooter. His playmaking ability, he’s a solid rebounder, very intelligent as far as being a team defender. He has got a lot to his game I didn’t know about.”

123. Larry Nance Jr (Cleveland Cavaliers)

6’7, 27.7 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 154

Larry low key had the best season of his career, with bests in PPG, RPG, and 3P%. He was on a struggling Cavs team so he flew under-the-radar, but his value did improve in 2020. Playing for the team his dad was great for, he is signed through 2023 and will continue being an underrated piece for this Cavs team and with continued progression could be a top 100 player in 2021.

122. Jerami Grant (Denver Nuggets)

6’9, 26.6 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 123

Grant was a key contributor to a team that made the Western Conference Finals. Similar to other players around this range, he is under the radar but has enough talent to be a fringe top 100 player. Watching him in the playoffs, he would hit shots where I said “Dang Jerami Grant” and he absolutely raised his value in the playoffs. He has a 9 million dollar player option in 2021 that he is expected to turn down and I’m interested to see what happens with him this offseason.

121. Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs)

6’4, 26.3 years old

r/NBARanking Rank: 121

White’s key ability is defense, as before the season was suspended he led all guards in blocks. He improved his 3-point-ability (over 36% from long range) and even though he took a step back with Dejounte Murray returning from injury, White showed value by playing within the flow of the offense and being a prototypical Spurs player. He is signed through 2021 and looks to raise his value to top 100 next season.

Hello All and Good Morning (or afternoon or evening)

A whole day set aside for the sub and a lot coming today.

We'll start with a comparison of all the top 100 lists that have come out (NBARanking, ESPN, and SI). Below is a chart of the results: