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Ranking the top 50 NBA players of the 2021-2022 season: 50-41

By Corey Rausch

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 29: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles between Malcolm Brogdon #7 and Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter of their game at Spectrum Center on January 29, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 29: LaMelo Ball #2 of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles between Malcolm Brogdon #7 and Myles Turner #33 of the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter of their game at Spectrum Center on January 29, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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NBA (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
NBA (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

For the second consecutive NBA season, we will be ranking the top 50 players heading into the regular season. Part of these rankings will be looking back to the season that was. However, most of the weight will be given to projecting the season ahead to determine what sort of impact they will have on their team and the league at large.

The top 50 NBA players for the season get started with the players who fell off the list from a year ago and numbers 50 through 41.

Before getting into the top 50, let’s quickly look at the players that fell out of last season’s rankings, found here.

  • Tobias Harris (50): Harris may have had the best season of his career last year (19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 55.6 eFG percentage) but the situation with the Philadelphia 76ers is volatile, to put it lightly.
  • John Collins (49): Collins bet on himself last season and earned a massive contract extension, However, it was also clear later in the season that he is unlikely to be as regularly featured as players like De’Andre Hunter, Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
  • Andre Drummond (48): The drop-off for Drummond in real life is much more drastic than on this list. Drummond went from playing for a max contract this offseason to being a backup behind former rival Joel Embiid.
  • Caris LeVert (47): After a year that saw him traded and dealing with a cancer scare, LeVert is looking to rebound with a new coach
  • Jusuf Nurkic (44): Turns out what Nurkic showed in the bubble did not carry through to the next season
  • De’Aaron Fox (42): Fox remains on the precipice of taking the next major step in his career. If a Ben Simmons trade ends up happening for the Sacramento Kings, his career may just take off.
  • CJ McCollum (41): McCollum looked like an All-Star before getting injured last season and was never quite the same. He will have to get back to that level to keep the situation with the Portland Trail Blazers copacetic.
  • Kemba Walker (35): When Walker was healthy last season he belonged on this list. Unfortunately, a spotty health track record does not seem likely to get better with time.
  • Kristaps Porzingis (32): Possibly the biggest dropper from a season ago, Kristaps Porzingis is no longer considered the up-and-coming All-Star he was when the Dallas Mavericks traded for him. Like Walker, health and consistency would make a world of difference.
  • Jamal Murray (25) and Kawhi Leonard (8): Little explanation is needed here. Given that they are unlikely to play much if any of next season, they cannot be in the top 50 for the season.

With that, we are on to the first 10 on the list. Let’s get started.