Ranking the top 50 NBA players of next season: 50-41

47. Caris LeVert

If you were just looking at the bubble games Caris LeVert would be in the top 10. During the seeding games and the first round of the playoffs he looked like a sure-fire All-Star going forward. This is the second small sample in as many season where LeVert’s potential truly shined through.

He improved across the board this season, averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. His efficiency increased (36.4 percent) while shooting more (3.9 to 4.9 per game). So why is he not higher on this list?

First of all, health is always a concern. He has only appeared in a total of 213 of a possible 318 games over his four year career. None of it is particularly career threatening but it is a realistic concern. Yes, he only has to be a third option with the Brooklyn Nets but he is essential to a team that is coming into the season with title aspirations.

The other issue is will he actually be there this coming season? As these rankings are done with consideration for opportunity and team setting the variability of his future causes some chaos. Should LeVert be shipped away for a star and see his usage increase to bubble-levels it is not hard to imagine an All-Star level campaign. Until then, third banana status and injury risk keeps him lower than his talent likely warrants.