As we build up to the coming NBA season, there’s no time like the present to rank the top 50 players coming. We’ll start with 41-50.
It is the easiest thing to argue and one of the most fun that lingers throughout the NBA season. Where players rank amongst the rest of the league is always fun to discuss and with this quick turnaround it makes it even more fun.
Plenty is up for debate entering this season with a shortened offseason for some and almost 12 months off for others. Many of these rankings will likely look foolish based on some injuries that could occur just from the mixture of rest and rust for everyone involved. This list will look to project where players will be, not just where they were at the end of the season, despite how close in proximity that is for some.
So where does everyone stand as we look for an early Christmas present? Many players stepped up in the bubble and have inflated their resume to the point that they may be coming into the season with a little more hype than what people had expected. Others are riding the waves of a breakout season to be looking for expectations to be met this season.
The beauty of the league is the overwhelming depth of talent. Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroeder, Danillo Gallinari and Gordon Hayward are great but will be adjusting to drastically new roles. Players like Lou Williams and Myles Turner are of the utmost importance to playoff teams. Terry Rozier, Spencer Dinwiddie and Buddy Hield are ever improving. Christian Wood is on the rise. Kevin Love, Victor Oladipo, Blake Griffin and DeMar DeRozan are lurking, waiting for health and opportunity to get them back in the spotlight.
The league is so deep that the top 50 is an elite place to be. Without further ado, we start from the bottom up. We will be releasing them in sets of 10 from here until the week the season returns. Let the debate begin.