Last week Sports Illustrated.com came out with a list ranking the top 100 NBA players of 2014. Rankings like these always bring endless debate amongst sports fans. With so many great players in the league today, it is very difficult and almost impossible to create a list like this that will result in unanimous agreement. We always want others to know who we think is the best and challenge others relentlessly…this article will be no different. SI writers Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney no doubt have used their immense basketball knowledge and worked tirelessly to create this list, but as said before, these lists can create a bit of controversy.
Now…let us begin.
SI.com list Revised List
100. Nikola Vucevic 100. Will Bynum
99. Jarrett Jack 99. Kyle Korver
98. Kyle Korver 98. Matt Barnes
97. Matt Barnes 97. Jeremy Lin
96. Danny Green 96. Shawn Marion
95. Eric Bledsoe 95. Goran Dragic
94. Chandler Parsons 94. Luis Scola
93. Ricky Rubio 93. Ricky Rubio
92. Shawn Marion 92. Lou Williams
91. Brandon Jennings 91. Chandler Parsons
90. Jimmy Butler 90. Jimmy Butler
89. Klay Thompson 89. Ray Allen
88. Goran Dragic 88. Eric Beldsoe
87. Derrick Favors 87. Amir Johnson
86. Vince Carter 86. Amar’e Stoudemire
85. Amar’e Stoudemire 85. Klay Thompson
84. Amir Johnson 84. J.J. Redick
83. J.R. Smith 83. Danny Green
82. J.J. Redick 82. Kyle Lowry
81. Kyle Lowry 81. Vince Carter
80. Lou Williams 80. Brandon Jennings
79. George Hill 79. George Hill
78. Jeff Teague 78. Jeff Teague
77. O.J. Mayo 77. Kemba Walker
76. Jamal Crawford 76. Derrick Favors
100. Will Bynum (PG, Detroit Pistons)
Will Bynum has been a dynamic player on a Pistons team that has struggled greatly in recent years. He made a huge jump from the 2011-12 to 2012-13 season by averaging over 4 points and 2 assists greater than from 2011 campaign. He also improved his shooting percentage by almost 10% and is Player Efficiency Rating (PER) at the end of last season stood at 16.62 (the league average is 15), which ranks in the top 25 of point guards. Bynum being excluded from this list by SI is simply wrong. With his play over the last few years, he has earned a spot in the top 100.
99. Kyle Korver (SF, Atlanta Hawks)
Korver is a one-dimensional player; teams sign him simply to shoot 3-pointers, which up to this point in his career, he has done well. He shot 45% from beyond the arc last season and has shot above 41% from downtown for the last 4 seasons. As one of the better 3-point shooters in the league, he stands at #99.
98. Matt Barnes (SF, Los Angeles Clippers)
Matt Barnes has bounced around to quite a few teams in his career. It seems he has found a home in LA, however. Off the bench for the Clippers, he averaged 10.3 points per game, one of the best seasons of his career. He still, however, showed long flashes of inconsistency. He struggles as a rebounder with just 4.6 per game and struggles with distributing the ball even more and averages 1 assist per game. He shows his flashes of solid production but when he fades away, he completely disappears.
97. Jeremy Lin (PG, Houston Rockets)
Hard to believe Lin wasn’t in the top-100 from SI.(NBA.com photo)
Why is Jeremy Lin not on the original list? Granted, he is not one of the best point guards in the league, possibly not even in the top 15, but he still deserves a place in the top 100 list. Following the craze of Linsanity, Lin produced quite effectively on the Rockets. He averaged almost 15 points and 7 assists per game last season. Those stats alone earn him a spot on this list. He has a serious problem with turnovers, averaging 3.5 a game. He is a sub-par free throw shooter for a point guard and struggles shooting the perimeter jumper. Despite all these flaws, he has produced well for the Rockets and is for sure a top 100 player.
96. Shawn Marion (SF, Dallas Mavericks)
There is no doubt that Shawn Marion has the ugliest jump shot in the NBA, yet he still finds some way to continuously contribute to every ball club he plays on. While his jumper is not pretty, he still stands as one of the best rebounding small forwards in the game. Last year he averaged almost 8 boards a game, just 1 off of his career average of 9.1. While he is no longer “The Matrix” he is still a threat on offense and remains one of the league’s better defenders. He simply is not what he used to be, though.
95. Goran Dragic (PG, Phoenix Suns)
Dragic’s skills continue to fall under the radar. During his time on a depleted Suns team, Dragic has been a stand out by averaging almost 15 points and 7.5 assists last year. After last season, his PER stands at 17.52 which ranks 17th as a point guard. Although he has stood out in Phoneix, he does struggle to shoot a high percentage from both the field and the 3-point line; he is also a sub-par free throw shooter. He has many areas of his game to work on, but is still deserving of a spot in the top 100…just not so high as #88.
94. Luis Scola (PF, Indiana Pacers)
It baffles me how Luis Scola is not on this list. For his career, Scola shoots 50% from the field and he has averaged no lower than 15 points per game in his 6-year stint in the NBA. He has been relatively healthy for his career, playing in all 82 games 4 out of his 6 seasons. He has also been a consistently solid rebounder, posting an average of almost 9 rebounds every year. Again…why was Scola omitted from this list?
93. Ricky Rubio (PG, Minnesota Timberwolves)
I have absolutely no problem with Ricky Rubio being placed this low on the list. Ricky Rubio is a phenomenal passer who has court vision similar to that of Magic Johnson and has an incredible nose for the ball to get steals like no other. And that’s about where it ends. To say he struggles with his jump shot would be incredibly generous. Last season he shot an abysmal 29% from long-range and just 36% from the field as a whole! That’s just downright ugly. And if he is lucky enough to get to the basket, there’s only a 41% chance that he’ll finish at the rim. That’s not exactly what you want out of your point guard. By having basically no offensive weapons, Rubio makes himself incredibly easy to guard and makes it even more difficult for others on his team to score because the defense can focus on serious offensive threats, like Kevin Love.
92. Lou Williams (PG, Atlanta Hawks)
Lou Williams was placed a little too high on SI’s list for me. Let me pose this question…what could be the various jobs of a point guard? One of them is to distribute the ball. Lou Williams has averaged no higher than 4.2 assists per game in his career. Ok, well what about scoring? Last season he averaged 14.1 points per game. Ok, not bad, but not great. Ok, well if he isn’t scoring that many points, he must be a threat from beyond the arc, right? Wrong. Williams last year shot 36.7% from long range, good for 71st in the league. Don’t get me wrong, Lou Williams and every player on this list has their positives, but to rank him 80th on the list is a bit reckless.
91. Chandler Parsons (SF, Houston Rockets)
With James Harden and Jeremy Lin taking a majority of Houston’s shots last season, it would’ve been difficult for anyone to make a consistent impact. Chandler Parsons made that impact. Parsons has been seen as a three-point shooter, which he has done very well while posting close to 40% from the arc. But what he has shown us that we did not know existed is his ability to get to and finish at the basket. When getting to the basket, he has converted an incredible 62% of his shot attempts. While he still serves mostly as a 3-point shooter, he is a great athlete who can get to the basket. His game will continue to evolve.
90. Jimmy Butler (SF, Chicago Bulls)
Butler is up-and-coming, but he’s in the right spot for now. Photo Credit: Shinya, Flickr.com
Jimmy Butler is right where he should be. He is by no means a remarkable player, but he certainly proved to be a spark off the bench for the Bulls last season. As he played all 82 games last year, he averaged 8.6 points per game and proved to be even more valuable come playoff time when Luol Deng went down with an injury. He upped his point average total to 13.3 and collected 5.2 boards during the postseason. Although Butler’s game has vast room for improvement, his play has earned him the #90 spot.
89. Ray Allen (SG, Miami Heat)
How dare you leave Jesus Shuttlesworth off the list? Ray Allen may not be the dynamic scorer he once was in Seattle and Milwaukee, but he still has the best jump shot in the game (sorry Stephen Curry, you’ll get there young blood). Providing the clutch moment that saved the Heat’s championship hopes, plus many more, Allen had nothing short of a respectable season while posting almost 11 points per game while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. Again, Allen is not the dynamic player he once was, but leaving him off the list is criminal.
88. Eric Bledsoe (PG, Phoenix Suns)
Eric Bledsoe is a player on the rise. He posted the best number of his career last season while averaging 8.5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists per game while posting a PER of 17.6, good for top 15 among point guards. Now with the Suns, he will be given the opportunity to unleash his incredible quickness, ability to get to the basket and phenomenal leaping ability. Placing him at #95 on the list does not give this young man’s game the justice it deserves. He belongs at #88.
87. Amir Johnson (PF, Toronto Raptors)
Amir Johnson definitely does his job for the Raptors. At 6’9”, he is a slightly undersized PF, yet he does not let that stop him from performing at a high level. Coming off the bench for Toronto last season, Johnson averaged 10 points and 7.5 boards while ending the season with a 17.3 PER, good for top 25 among the league’s power forwards. Amir Johnson earns the #87 spot.
86. Amar’e Stoudemire (PF, New York Knicks)
So Amar’e only played in 29 games last season, so analyzing any of his in-game statistics will prove any point. Can he stay healthy? We all know what Amar’e is capable of at full health, but it has been a long time since we have seen that player. I have no choice but to put him this low on the list.
85. Klay Thompson (SG, Golden State Warriors)
This kid can really, really, REALLY shoot, and what a bright future he has ahead of him. We all saw how he torched teams during the playoffs, hitting 3 after 3. But at the moment, that’s all his game is, shooting. As he spends more time in the league I have no doubt his game will develop, but as of right now he is a one-dimensional player, it just so happens that one dimension is really good. Don’t leave him open.
84. J.J. Redick (SG, Los Angeles Clippers)
Again, another one-dimensional player whose one dimension is very strong. J.J has made a living off of knocking down 3-pointers. He has the potential to have a breakout season with the Clippers, but I must group him with Klay as a strong one-dimensional player at #84.
83. Danny Green (SG, San Antonio Spurs)
What a year this young man had. He nearly shot the Spurs to a championship…until this guy named LeBron James guarded him in the final 2 games of the championship. Still, Danny Green put on a playoff performance for the ages. Not only did he just shine in the playoffs, but he shot 43% from downtown during the regular season, good for 7th best in the league. A ranking of #96 is simply inadequate for the talent Green possesses. In order for him to become a complete player, Green needs to develop confidence with going to and finishing at the basket, and at 26 years old, he has time on his side.
82. Kyle Lowry (PG, Toronto Raptors)
Another guard that falls under the radar, Kyle Lowry is a solid player whose play has gone unnoticed by most. Last season, Lowry averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 assists per game while posting a PER of 17.51, good for 18th among point guards. As a young guard (age 27), he has a lot of room and time to improve, which is exactly what he needs to do. He gets the #82 spot.
81. Vince Carter (SF, Dallas Mavericks)
Gotta love vintage Vince Carter. (Photo by Steve Lipofsky/Basketball Photographs)
Seeing VinceSanity on this list makes me smile, as it should for all basketball fans. For years Vince as given us dunk highlight after dunk highlight. As he as aged, however, his posterizations are far and few between. Now coming off the bench for the Mavs, Carter still posts in double figures at 13.4 points and his superior athleticism helps in rebounding and defending younger players. At 36 years old, it is a wonder that Vince Carter can still do what he does. He makes the list at #81.
80. Brandon Jennings (PG, Detroit Pistons)
Wow…Brandon Jennings at #91? Last season with Milwaukee, Jennings averaged 17.1 points and 6.5 assists per game. That does not sound like the 91st ranked player in the league to me. Granted, Jennings has not lived up to the hype that has surrounded him, but he is not at the bottom of the pack. The one area that was atrocious last season was his field goal percentage: 39%. That needs to improve in order for him to be a dynamic player in the league. For now, he falls in at #80.
79. George Hill (PG, Indiana Pacers)
I think SI got this one right. A #79 ranking for George Hill is perfect. He has all the makings of an elite player but needs more experience. He has the playoff experience with San Antonio and Indiana, now he needs to elevate his game and the combination of experience and skill will be a deadly combination. Last season he posted career numbers with 14.2 points and 4.7 assists per game. Hill has the makings of a great player in the future.
78. Jeff Teague (PG, Atlanta Hawks)
Jeff Teague’s play give the Hawks a huge spark. Last season marked his best as a pro; he averaged 14.6 points and 7.2 assists per game while posting a PER of 16.82, good enough to make the top 20 among point guards. With the Hawks losing Josh Smith to free agency, they will need Teague’s performance to become even better, which he is more than capable of doing. He gets the #78 spot.
77. Kemba Walker (PG, Charlotte Bobcats)
I’m sure the SI writers just forgot to add Kemba to the list…right? Gosh I hope so. How one leaves Kemba Walker off the top 100 list is beyond me. Let’s just take a look at the numbers. 17.7 points, 5.7 assists (which on the Bobcats is extremely impressive) and a PER of 18.86, good for 8th among point guards. Yes, the Bobcats continue to be terrible, but that does not excuse leaving Kemba off the list. He goes in at #77.
76. Derrick Favors (PF, Utah Jazz)
Favors is a beast. He is the first player on this list so far to average a double-double for last season. Posting a 14.6 point and 11 rebound mark is extremely impressive. He also posted a PER of 17.57, good for 19th among power forwards. With Al Jefferson gone to the Bobcats, Derrick Favors will shoulder a bigger role on the team. We can expect big things from him this year. He earns the #76 spot.
Let the debating begin.
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