Ranking the NBA’s Top 100 Players, Part 6: Building Blocks (and Key Pieces)
Welcome the final installment of my Top 100 list. I land awkwardly because I want to restrict this list to 100 players but definitely found a tier divide right around player 90. Tier 6 exists and goes deeper than the 10 players I’ll include here, but I didn’t feel like expanding this list to 125 players or whatever to include them all.
The list so far:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. Stephen Curry
4. Joel Embiid
5. Luka Doncic
6. Jayson Tatum
7. Kevin Durant
8. Jimmy Butler
9. Devin Booker
10. LeBron James
11. Damian Lillard
12. Anthony Davis
13. Kawhi Leonard
14. Ja Morant
15. Anthony Edwards
16. Zion Williamson
17. Donovan Mitchell
18. Paul George
19. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
20. Trae Young
21. Bam Adebayo
22. Karl-Anthony Towns
23. Domantas Sabonis
24. Jamal Murray
25. Tyrese Haliburton
26. De’Aaron Fox
27. Jaylen Brown
28. Pascal Siakam
29. James Harden
30. Kyrie Irving
31. Brandon Ingram
32. DeMar DeRozan
33. Jrue Holiday
34. Zach LaVine
35. Jaren Jackson Jr.
36. Desmond Bane
37. Jalen Brunson
38. Julius Randle
39. Darius Garland
40. Cade Cunningham
41. Paolo Banchero
42. Lauri Markkanen
43. Khris Middleton
44. Evan Mobley
45. Bradley Beal
46. Mikal Bridges
47. CJ McCollum
48. Michael Porter Jr.
49. Klay Thompson
50. Chris Paul
51. LaMelo Ball
52. Tyrese Maxey
53. Jalen Green
54. Russell Westbrook
55. Josh Giddey
56. Dejounte Murray
57. DeAndre Ayton
58. Jordan Poole
59. Rudy Gobert
60. Kristaps Pozingis
61. Kyle Kuzma
62. Fred VanVleet
63. Andrew Wiggins
64. Scottie Barnes
65. Brook Lopez, C, Milwaukee Bucks
66. Myles Turner, C, Indiana Pacers
67. Draymond Green, PF, Golden State Warriors
68. Alperen Sengun, C, Houston Rockets
Brook Lopez very nearly up and won Defensive Player of the Year last year. Lopez was stellar in drop coverage against the pick and roll, with an aggressive tack and timing toward blocking shots. Lopez averaged a career high in blocks last year with 2.5 per game in 78 games a year after he played just 13 regular season games due to back surgery. Lopez also upped his rebounding to levels it hadn’t seen since 2015–16 with Brooklyn. Lopez’s initial rise in the league gets regarded as some kind of past life in Bucks games, “he used to be a 20-point-per-game scorer,” announcers chime in anytime he breaks 15 in a nationally televised contest. The fact of Brook Lopez’s career is it’s been a triumph of exploration, with 3-point shooting added in his ninth season, and an out-of-nowhere DPOY campaign in year fifteen. He also jumped his scoring with career highs in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. After averaging between 12 and 13 points a game since his Nets tenure ended in 2016–17, Lopez put in 15.9 points a game last year, a de facto third option on a Bucks team that was usually missing one of its real big three. Winning a bidding war against Houston to retain Lopez was Milwaukee’s major move of the offseason (UPDATE: LOLOLOL), keeping intact a core with championship experience that still feels like it can win with the pieces employed correctly.
Similarly, Myles Turner’s production jumped seemingly out of nowhere last season. His career-high in scoring had been 14.5 points, set in his second season. After five years of averaging between 12 and 13 points, he poured in 18.0 points a game in 62 games last season. After a season of trade rumors was put to bed with a hefty extension, Turner played some of the best ball of his career, making Indiana a serious fringe playoff contender for stretches with the young nucleus of Turner, Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Bennedict Mathurin. The Pacers with Rick Carlisle figure to take another step forward, and may have a fairly simple path to a playoff spot in the East.
Draymond Green has always been a difficult player to consider in rankings of this nature, where his statistical production is such a far cry from his impact on the game. Last season seemed to be the first time this manifested negatively, as Green’s infamous punch of teammate Jordan Poole cast a pall over the entire Warriors’ season. Green has been on shaky ground with the Warriors in recent years, from being benched in the series against Memphis two years ago, to being deferred in favor of Poole for a contract extension, but he seems to have gotten his way in the end. The Warriors ultimately sided with Draymond, shipping Poole to Washington, and appear determined to go down with the ship. Green remains an elite defender, and a critically important hub in the Warriors offense, but there’s a very real possibility that his star is waning and that Golden State bet wrong when they kept Green and moved on from Poole. It seems, however, that Green and the Warriors are going to get every last chance to prove GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office correct.
While the Houston Rockets’ young core is dominated by headline-grabbing, high-end draft picks, perhaps their most interesting and vital piece going forward is Alperen Sengun, Turkish trickster demigod center. Sengun plays a stylish game full of over-the-head interior passes and odd shooting angles, which clashes pretty significantly with the AAU ball the rest of the Rockets seem interested in. Whenever you see a player of Sengun’s caliber, the combination of size, style, and aggression, you plot him somewhere between Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic and pray for the best. Sengun is young enough to believe in, and popped enough last year to remove the ceiling on his game, at least for now. He’s already a better scorer than Draymond Green’s ever been, and there’s a lot of room for potential growth both on defense and in running the offense on a wider scale. His fit under Ime Udoka will be critical to his continued development. Will Udoka entrust him with a larger offensive role, or will he try to temper his sense of flair and mold him and refine him into a more boring but reliable player? Right now Sengun’s potential outstrips his output significantly, but he’s big, he’s smart, he’s sassy, and those guys usually figure it out.
69. Bojan Bogdanovic, SF, Detroit Pistons
70. Franz Wagner, SF, Orlando Magic
71. Aaron Gordon, PF, Denver Nuggets
72. Nic Claxton, C, Brooklyn Nets
Bojan Bogdanovic seemed to always want a larger role in Utah than what he got. Being shipped to Detroit for parts, he felt he might as well take the role he wanted. The result was a career high in scoring for a terrible Pistons team. He wound up missing 23 games as the Pistons unsuccessfully tanked, and now he’ll be a key scoring option on a team that has to figure out whether to spend another year tanking or try to compete. With Cade Cunningham back in the mix, the Pistons have a serious engine to build from, and Bogdanovic can be the second scorer that holds the offense up. With Monty Williams in the fray, the defense should take a step forward, even though the Pistons still lack a significant defensive presence up and down the lineup.
The Orlando Magic weren’t quite bad enough to tank last season, thanks to a runaway Rookie of the Year campaign from Paolo Banchero and a sizable sophomore leap from Franz Wagner. Banchero and Wagner appear to be the core pieces for Orlando going forward. Wagner has great scoring ability in one-on-one situations and has sneaky deep range from three. Absent a point guard to glue it together, the Magic are likely to continue to toil near the bottom of the East play-in picture, but a jump into the meat of the playoffs is a possibility for this Magic team.
While Wagner is presently the future of the Magic, the former future of the Magic, Aaron Gordon, struck gold when he landed in Denver to be paired with Nikola Jokic. Gordon was a huge player in the postseason, easily claiming to be the Nuggets’ third best player over that run with Michael Porter Jr.’s struggles. Gordon and Jokic have developed a chemistry on offense and defense that makes the Nuggets championship-viable for years to come. Gordon is a player who benefits a lot from the specific situation he’s in right now, and you wouldn’t want him as your team’s first or second option. He’s essentially way better off in the reality of team basketball than he is in a ranking like this. I think he’s OK with that.
Nic Claxton shot 70.5% from the field last season, averaging 12.6 points, a career high. Claxton still needs to grow on that end of the floor, getting more comfortable finding reliable scoring underneath to add depth to his awesome defensive play. Claxton is a scrappy rebounder with DPOY ambitions, but was exposed in the Nets’ first round series against Joel Embiid and Philadelphia. Unless the Nets, as a team, find a way to defend against bigger centers, Claxton is going to eventually find himself overmatched defensively every year. He’s still rounding out his game, which is exciting if you’re into the Brooklyn Nets, and there’s plenty of potential for growth alongside Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.
73. Marcus Smart, PG, Memphis Grizzlies
74. Spencer Dinwiddie, PG, Brooklyn Nets
75. OG Anunoby, SG, Toronto Raptors
76. Jordan Clarkson, PG, Utah Jazz
Marcus Smart and Spencer Dinwiddie are a couple of big-game ball-handlers that were delivered from promising situations since the trade deadline last season. While Smart and the Boston Celtics’ ethos were a dream fit, the team opted to move on and acquire Kristaps Porzingis. Filling the leadership void Smart left will be a huge task in Boston, but for Smart, you wonder if he’ll have the same gravity in Memphis, especially since he’s going to likely come off the bench once Morant returns (that, or Memphis will roll out a lineup with three players of 6'4" or below, which feels irresponsible even if it includes two former Defensive Players of the Year). Dinwiddie, meanwhile, was victimized by the allure of Kyrie Irving, as the Mavs moved on from Dinwiddie after a season and a half of successfully pairing him with Luka Doncic. Dinwiddie finds himself back in Brooklyn, building a new thing yet again, and he’s probably a piece they look to move when they inevitably try to find a point guard of the future.
OG Anunoby was one of the most appealing pieces available at the trade deadline, but I’ve never really seen what made Toronto inflate his trade value to the point that no one was willing to pay the cost to acquire him. At 6'7", his size projects him as a potentially valuable defensive wing, and his shooting has hovered in the upper-thirties the past four seasons, making him enticing as a three-and-D wing, but that’s a role player’s job description, and he’s being bandied about as a potential star. He may need a change of scenery to achieve that potential, or it just might not be there for him.
Jordan Clarkson, a Sixth Man of the Year promoted to starter when the Jazz realized they didn’t care about anything anymore, continues to put in work toward a respectable career. In his first season starting since his second year in the league, Clarkson averaged a career high 20.8 points per game and helped pushed Utah to the brink of playoff contention despite the departures of all five starters from their playoff core. The hope for Clarkson is that he can get out of Utah and find work as a sixth man on a contending team. Otherwise, he’ll continue to score and keep Utah in games while they toil in the lottery and wait for their assets to mature.
77. Malcolm Brogdon, PG, Boston Celtics
78. Norman Powell, SG, Los Angeles Clippers
79. Jarrett Allen, C, Cleveland Cavaliers
80. Tobias Harris, SF, Philadelphia 76ers
Malcolm Brogdon won the Sixth Man of the Year award this year, with Norman Powell being among the principle contenders for the award. Brogdon was a perfect fit in Boston, a cloyingly perfect fit, someone any playoff team could have used, but who fell into Boston’s lap. Brogdon was nearly moved in the first iteration deal for Kristaps Porzingis, where Marcus Smart would remain in Boston and Brogdon would end up in Los Angeles as a Clipper. That deal fell through when Brogdon was revealed to have a significant injury, the same wrist injury that rendered him helpless in Boston’s playoff series against Miami. Brogdon may not be able to come back as the same player this season, but if he’s able to, he’s a huge asset for Boston. Norman Powell has had a huge role to play, filling the scoring gap that is perpetually created in Los Angeles with the frequent absences of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
The Cavaliers’ formidable frontcourt pairing of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen was unmade in the first round playoff series against New York. Allen averaged fewer than 10 points a game, with 7.4 rebounds. Cleveland finds itself in the position of having had its best season without LeBron James, and yet questioning every part of its core rotation, including the 25-year-old center. Allen has been an All-Star, but appears to have hit something of a ceiling as a 15-point, 9-rebound center who is sneakily undersized at just 6'9" (wingspan of 7'6" helps make up for that, however). A bounce-back season from Allen would be nice, but unexpected. Meanwhile, Tobias Harris continues being something of a barometer for effective NBA play. As a fourth option on the 76ers, his scoring fell off a bit, but he still shot 38.9% from three, still played 74 games, and he’s still just 30. He could easily rocket up these rankings if he’s thrust into a bigger role with James Harden’s situation unraveling.
81. Jalen Williams, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder
82. Jerami Grant, PF, Portland Trail Blazers
83. Anfernee Simons, SG, Portland Trail Blazers
84. Nikola Vucevic, C, Chicago Bulls
85. Tyler Herro, SG, Miami Heat
Jalen Williams, dubbed J-Dubb to distinguish from teammate Jaylin Williams (not sure it helps!), was a pleasant consolation prize for the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose prized top pick Chet Holmgren was forced to miss the season with a broken foot. Holmgren was picked second, and Jalen Williams was picked twelfth. Williams slowly emerged as a distant rookie of the year candidate, averaging 19.8 points per game in the month of March, as Oklahoma City fought its way toward the play-in tournament. Williams is poised for some solid year-two growth and provides a promising wing player for a Thunder team that has plenty of moldable talent around that spot. Giddey, Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, Williams, and Holmgren make for an effective, if undersized, lineup. The talent crunch in Oklahoma City is going to become very real over the next couple seasons, but Williams, who’s a stocky 6'6", has an inside track toward being part of the core going forward.
A couple of Blazers fall in behind here, Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant. After a promising 10–4 start, the Blazers went 23–45 the rest of the way, squandering any future with Damian Lillard in it. Grant and Simons were the chief culprits in that failure, despite Simons making strides to crack 20 points per game for the first time in his career, and Grant living up to his billing as a scoring small-ball four. Now, Simons and Grant will have to mesh with Scoot Henderson as he tries to find a fit in the league. Simons continues to be a liability as a small two-guard, and Grant seems far removed from his days as a defensive stopper.
The Bulls traded for Nikola Vucevic in 2021 to turn a borderline roster into a competitive one. As they brought in DeMar Derozan, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball to round their team into form, Vucevic was again thought of as something of a centerpiece. He simply hasn’t played his part. He has scored, provided spacing, and functioned okay on offense, but his defense hasn’t been helpful for Chicago, and the team hasn’t really felt much of a difference with his presence. Despite a torrid start with Ball at the helm in early 2022, the Bulls haven’t ever felt like serious contenders with Vucevic at center. He’s too good to move on from, as evidenced by his contract extension he received this summer that will be a slight pay cut for him, but not good enough to move the needle for a team that has desperately needed the needle to move.
Tyler Herro had a terrible postseason in Miami. He broke a finger, and the team seemed to jell around his absence. Role players finally went all-in on their roles and the team upset everyone on the way to an NBA Finals berth, all while Herro sat watching. Herro was a sensation in the bubble as a rookie, and the potential seemed great for him. It hasn’t panned out. He still lacks the efficiency you want from a scoring two who is a defensive liability. He shows occasional feistiness on defense, but it hasn’t been enough to convince Miami to build around him. He’s been one of the key turnoffs in the Damian Lillard trade discourse, as Portland refuses to accept a trade built around the 23-year-old Kentucky alum. His scoring remains valuable, and the Blazers could probably do a lot worse than a package of Herro, Jaime Jaquez, Kyle Lowry, Nikola Jovic, a 2024 first-round pick, and some additional second round fodder for Lillard. Only, they don’t like Herro. Something about Herro’s game turns a lot of people off, but his potential as a scorer is overlooked, mistakenly I believe. He’s quite capable of being a lethal three-level scorer and a neutral or marginally minus defender. There’s been times where the Herro-Adebayo fit has felt really seamless, and times — most definitively the recent playoff run — where it’s felt that Herro has no future in Miami. We’ll see where he lands.
86. Austin Reaves, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
87. Derrick White, PG, Boston Celtics
88. Malik Monk, SG, Sacramento Kings
89. Keldon Johnson, SF, San Antonio Spurs
90. RJ Barrett, SF, New York Knicks
Austin Reaves has gone from deep-bench gimmick to internationally understood potential future All-Star. Reaves has been the cure for Lakers fans’ Alex Caruso-departure-induced scrappy-lil-white-feller blues. Reaves seems to just get better and better, tapping into more of his game the more he is entrusted by Darvin Ham and LeBron James. His success with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup gives some healthy context to Rob Pelinka’s unbelievable find (just don’t let him fend for himself in the post). Continuing the trend of scrappy lil players is Derrick White, whose scrappiness was on full display on a miracle putback bucket that forced a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Beyond that highlight play, however, White played really solid in his role as an off-ball guard for Boston. He’s a capable scorer when handling, and a really solid spot-up shooter from the corners, providing a perfect complement to the styles of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Boston nearly traded Malcolm Brogdon and then did trade Marcus Smart, but Derrick White was kept close to home, as he’s shown he can provide heady play in chaotic playoff moments.
Reaves’ original bench bro, Malik Monk, found greater success as a bench scorer in Sacramento’s frenetic system. Monk had some marvelous games in big moments for Sacto, none bigger than his 45-point outburst in the infamous triple-overtime thriller against the Los Angeles Clippers that saw Sacramento prevail 176–175. Monk also had 33 in a home win against eventual champion Denver in December. His scoring in the first round series against Golden State was a huge lever. His 32 in Game 1 and 28 in Game 6 helped the upstart Kings push the defending champs to seven games. His chemistry with De’Aaron Fox dates back to their days at Kentucky, and when they’re both firing, it feels like Drew League or Rucker Park type atmosphere, the swagger brims and Monk hits another plane.
In a year of empty calories, Keldon Johnson ate the most in San Antonio. As the Spurs shapeshift from unabashed tank artists to serious team built around potential league face Victor Wembanyama, Johnson’s role will be interesting to monitor. Many are higher on the prospects of Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell, but Johnson was the clear clubhouse leader in 2022–23. RJ Barrett, meanwhile, had a regression year in New York even as the team around him rebounded. Two things he has going for him are that he had a nice summer with Team Canada at the FIBA World Cup, and he’s still only 23, with plenty of time for growth, even if that means getting out of New York to find it.
Tier 6
91. Cameron Johnson, SF, Brooklyn Nets
92. Wendell Carter Jr., C, Orlando Magic
93. Bobby Portis, PF, Milwaukee Bucks
94. Dillon Brooks, SF, Houston Rockets
95. Devin Vassell, SG, San Antonio Spurs
The difference between Tier 5 and Tier 6, I think, is that Tier 5 guys are going to have to be featured when they are in the game. The players in Tier 6 are often quiet and don’t really dominate your picture of what a team is. They can, and often do, but Tier 6 players aren’t breaking games open the way players in Tier 5 are expected to.
To start here, we’ll throw Cam Johnson into the mix. Johnson had an opportunity in being traded from Phoenix to Brooklyn to redefine his role. Mikal Bridges embraced this opportunity wholeheartedly, and his scoring jumped 8.9 points per game. Johnson had a modest improvement, 3.7 points per game, but remained a role player on a Brooklyn team where role players needed to step into starring roles. In my eyes, it was a huge missed opportunity for Johnson, who will turn 28 at the end of the season. When Phoenix made the Finals, Johnson seemed like the more promising of Phoenix’s two young wings, with Bridges more tailor made for a three-and-D role and Johnson flashing more potential as a slashing scorer. Instead, Bridges has added a pesky below-the-arc shot catalogue and Johnson continues to improve at a modest pace. Johnson can still break into the higher tiers, it’s just that I thought he’d be there already.
Wendell Carter Jr. and Bobby Portis, a couple of former Bulls draft picks, have found relative success in new roles on new teams. Carter Jr. has developed nicely for the Orlando Magic as the center they traded away Nikola Vucevic for. Portis found gold in Milwaukee, and is a Sixth Man of the Year finalist there, averaging a near double-double off the bench. His love affair with the city that kept him there after 2021 despite what his value could have been elsewhere is turning a little more tepid with each passing non-championship season. Within a year or two, unless the Bucks surge back into the Finals, Portis and Milwaukee will likely mutually agree to find him a bigger role elsewhere.
Dillon Brooks was positively scapegoated in Memphis after an ugly playoff showing against the Los Angeles Lakers. And while he may have pushed some buttons that were dumb of him to push in that series, this notion that he’s a minus player and Houston can’t use him is laughable. Brooks’ defense and tenacity have the potential to change the Rockets’ prospects as much as VanVleet’s ballhandling and scoring do. Putting up 39 on Team USA in the bronze medal game is likely all Brooks needs (the $86 million contract helps) to get his confidence back to despicable levels. Devin Vassell is a rangy two guard that could very well wind up leading San Antonio in scoring this season. Things with Wembanyama will be different, but Vassell should be able to fit in nicely.
96. Trey Murphy III, SF, New Orleans Pelicans
97. D’Angelo Russell, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
98. Harrison Barnes, SF, Sacramento Kings
99. Jaden Ivey, SG, Detroit Pistons
100. Bennedict Mathurin, SG, Indiana Pacers
And here we are, the end of the list. Trey Murphy’s potential in New Orleans is great, and he may end up encouraging the Pels to move on from one of their other stars to make room. He has an incredibly smooth game at the rim and above the arc. D’Angelo Russell had a terrible conference finals series against Denver in May, but was a huge addition that shifted the chemistry for Los Angeles in a necessary way. He should be starting alongside Reaves and playing a huge role in LA. Harrison Barnes finally found some success after toiling in obscurity with the Mavericks and then Kings after being sent away from Golden State to make room for Kevin Durant. Barnes’ solid presence helped the Kings stay consistent on their way to their first playoff berth in 17 years, even while his role diminished with the arrival of Domantas Sabonis and development of Keegan Murray.
Rounding out the list are two consecutive ’22 draft picks whose rookie seasons were encouraging albeit not sensational. Jaden Ivey averaged 16.3 points, including 19.5 points a game in March and April; the Pistons went 1–16 in March and April. Bennedict Mathurin is a bit taller, more physical, not as quick, and he averaged 16.7 points. Ivey and Mathurin represent the potential of the 2022 draft class, as both could become awesome players in the Eastern Conference, but need to refine their games significantly.
The complete list (and their NBA 2k24 rating):
1. Nikola Jokic (98)
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (96)
3. Stephen Curry (96)
4. Joel Embiid (96)
5. Luka Doncic (95)
6. Jayson Tatum (95)
7. Kevin Durant (96)
8. Jimmy Butler (95)
9. Devin Booker (94)
10. LeBron James (96)
11. Damian Lillard (94)
12. Anthony Davis (93)
13. Kawhi Leonard (94)
14. Ja Morant (92)
15. Anthony Edwards (88)
16. Zion Williamson (90)
17. Donovan Mitchell (92)
18. Paul George (89)
19. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (93)
20. Trae Young (89)
21. Bam Adebayo (87)
22. Karl-Anthony Towns (85)
23. Domantas Sabonis (87)
24. Jamal Murray (88)
25. Tyrese Haliburton (88)
26. De’Aaron Fox (88)
27. Jaylen Brown (89)
28. Pascal Siakam (86)
29. James Harden (89)
30. Kyrie Irving (90)
31. Brandon Ingram (85)
32. DeMar DeRozan (86)
33. Jrue Holiday (87)
34. Zach LaVine (86)
35. Jaren Jackson Jr. (86)
36. Desmond Bane (84)
37. Jalen Brunson (88)
38. Julius Randle (85)
39. Darius Garland (86)
40. Cade Cunningham (84)
41. Paolo Banchero (84)
42. Lauri Markkanen (86)
43. Khris Middleton (85)
44. Evan Mobley (85)
45. Bradley Beal (86)
46. Mikal Bridges (86)
47. CJ McCollum (84)
48. Michael Porter Jr. (83)
49. Klay Thompson (85)
50. Chris Paul (85)
51. LaMelo Ball (86)
52. Tyrese Maxey (85)
53. Jalen Green (83)
54. Russell Westbrook (81)
55. Josh Giddey (83)
56. Dejounte Murray (84)
57. DeAndre Ayton (83)
58. Jordan Poole (82)
59. Rudy Gobert (84)
60. Kristaps Pozingis (86)
61. Kyle Kuzma (83)
62. Fred VanVleet (83)
63. Andrew Wiggins (82)
64. Scottie Barnes (83)
65. Brook Lopez (84)
66. Myles Turner (83)
67. Draymond Green (83)
68. Alperen Sengun (83)
69. Bojan Bogdanovic (82)
70. Franz Wagner (82)
71. Aaron Gordon (84)
72. Nic Claxton (84)
73. Marcus Smart (82)
74. Spencer Dinwiddie (81*)
75. OG Anunoby (82)
76. Jordan Clarkson (80*)
77. Malcolm Brogdon (83)
78. Norman Powell (79*)
79. Jarrett Allen (83)
80. Tobias Harris (81)
81. Jalen Williams (82)
82. Jerami Grant (81)
83. Anfernee Simons (83)
84. Nikola Vucevic (84)
85. Tyler Herro (83)
86. Austin Reaves (82)
87. Derrick White (82)
88. Malik Monk (82)
89. Keldon Johnson (80*)
90. RJ Barrett (82)
91. Cameron Johnson (81)
92. Bobby Portis (82)
93. Wendell Carter Jr. (81)
94. Dillon Brooks (78*)
95. Devin Vassell (81)
96. Trey Murphy III (79*)
97. D’Angelo Russell (82)
98. Harrison Barnes (79*)
99. Jaden Ivey (80*)
100. Bennedict Mathurin (80*)
*-were not ranked in NBA 2k24’s top 100
Some guys who almost made it:
Buddy Hield: Probably better than Mathurin right now, but won’t stay that way for long if Mathurin continues developing. Again, projecting growth is part of the deal here.
Keegan Murray: Poised to take a big jump after starting 78 games his rookie year. A lot to like, just didn’t show enough to crack the list.
John Collins: Finally off the trade block, can show out in Utah, but was too baggagey to make the list yet again despite being unwanted in Atlanta.
Mike Conley: Really steadyhanded point guard, and the Wolves considered him an upgrade over D’Angelo Russell.
Immanuel Quickley: Sixth man of the year candidate but his trajectory in New York took a hit with Jalen Brunson’s arrival.
Walker Kessler: Standout rookie big man who is spending the summer with Team USA. Should develop into a premier big man, but needs to score more.
Ivica Zubac: Incredibly reliable presence at center. Seems to have hit his ceiling and can’t dominate a game.
Kevin Huerter: Starting two guard on the West’s three seed, over Malik Monk, but is more one-dimensional and had just one 30-point game; a role player.
Christian Wood: Similarly, Wood’s offensive numbers are strong but no one seems to want him. Fit in LA is dicey to me. Hope he can bounce back.
DeAndre Hunter: His development allowed Atlanta to move on from Collins. I still don’t know if he makes a difference for them going forward.
Kyle Lowry: Was very far off this list before the playoffs, where he rose up like a groundhog and indeed saw his shadow. He can still play, and gave a mighty effort in those Finals.
Further down:
Al Horford: I don’t really care for Al Horford. He makes open threes in the playoffs and is a smart player, playing great into his late thirties, but I don’t see him as a coveted building block.
Robert Williams: Another player I just don’t love individually. Great on defense, though not the same after injuries in late 2022. His fit (and Horford’s) are up in the air with the arrival of Porzingis.
Jaden McDaniels: Lots of folks high on McDaniels. I need to see more. Has potential but he’s a fourth banana on a play-in team.
Jakob Poeltl: Just a guy. Similar to Zubac, but perhaps less consistent.
Steven Adams: Really not sure how Adams comes back after his knee injury. He’s also one-dimensional and not always playable in the playoffs.
Mitchell Robinson: Again, a center I don’t go crazy for. I love Robinson’s defensive presence but don’t love crediting guys whose main avenue for points is lobs. I’m 5'6" though, so.
Kevon Looney: Very important part of the Warriors, but that’s a specific role he fills well, and his production in it is still pretty small.
Clint Capela: Again, lob guy, doesn’t change the equation enough on defense for me.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Solid role player but I am taking upside guys like Ivey and Mathurin over him now even though he rounds out a championship roster better than those guys do right now.
Bruce Brown: Another winner, but he’s more likely to give you winning plays within games, a la Alex Caruso, than to give you winning games within seasons.
PJ Washington, Kelly Oubre Jr., Terry Rozier: Like the Rockets, the Hornets are a peak empty-calories team. These guys either didn’t do enough in that type of spot (Washington) or are veterans exploiting those circumstances for numbers (Oubre Jr., Rozier). Not that I don’t like some of what those guys do, I just don’t see them as bona fide top 100 players because of that.
I could keep going…
…but I won’t. There are so many talented players in the NBA and it’s awesome to take a deep dive look like this and try to determine who’s better. I know that I’m wrong, I’m always wrong in some way or another, but I’m also pretty sure I’m right, as I’m always right in some way or another. This exercise is fully about me, and I enjoy doing it. If you managed to read all this, holy shit, thanks.