Really important secondary pieces
These next players aren’t good enough by themselves to warrant a place on the list, but they’re indispensable to their current teams.
Otto Porter Jr.
There are four types of third bananas in the NBA.
The first is the guy who has the skill-set to be a first or second banana, except if he is your A or B option, the team isn’t going very far. This third banana can effectively make sacrifices and still be an incredibly effective player. Let’s call this banana “Bish Cross.” They’re a bit higher up.
The second type of third banana is very talented but can’t make the seamless transition to a supporting role that the first banana can. We can call him “Landrew Higgins.”
The third type is someone who is miscast, and should really be a fourth or fifth banana. Turn on any NBA game and there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll see one of these.
The last type of third banana is the one who was born for the role. He’s the guy who would be a fish out of water if you asked him to do any more than what he’s doing, but who does everything you need him to do and does it really well.
There are few third bananas in this final category better than Otto Porter Jr., and in a league where finding just the right puzzle pieces to make a pretty picture is a lot more difficult than just acquiring a bunch of talented players, that’s incredibly valuable.
(And now, very expensive. Porter would absolutely be in the top 50 if he wasn’t taking up a quarter of the Wizards’ salary cap.)
He’d be higher if he weren’t shooting 33 percent from deep this year. Still, the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year is key to any title chances the Houston Rockets have this year.
The moment he signed his contract extension earlier this year, the consensus was that the Sixers were getting a bargain. He is the prototypical 3-and-D wing in 2018, and is one of only four players in the league shooting 38 percent from deep on at least seven attempts per game that’s also averaging at least 1.8 steals per contest. The other three? Paul George, Chris Paul and James Harden.
The fact that he was essentially obtained as part of a salary dump earlier this season hurts the perception of Eric Bledsoe in the hierarchy of the league’s point guards, but he’s been very good for the Bucks, even if they have struggled of late.
Another member of what Milwaukee hopes will be their core moving forward, Middleton has had a rough year shooting but still provides solid two-way play. He has a player option for 2019-20 that he’s likely to decline. Still just 26 years old too.
Despite already inking his next contract – a four-year, $84 million deal which kicks in next season – Harris is still only 23. Of the dozen guys who play at least 30 minutes per night and have achieved 60 percent true shooting with a 20 usage rate, he’s the second-youngest behind Karl-Anthony Towns.
Another player who feels like he’s been around forever, Tobias Harris is just 25 years old. He’s the modern power forward, standing 6’9″ but shooting 40 percent from deep on nearly six attempts per game. He’s signed for next season at just under $15 million.