[2019] SI's Top 100 List (Morey trolling it already)

I see Maker must have cracked the top 30.

 

"Clint Capela at 35 and Thon Maker isn't even in the top 100?!?!?!? HAVE THEY EVEN WATCHED BASKETBALL FOR 44 YEARS?!?!" - 'Holic

 

Lonzo Ball in the top 100 but Kuzma, Lavine, and Whiteside aren't?? Lol Morey is right

 

I disagree. Top players regardless of position makes more sense in this day and age. Players who are versatile on both ends of the floor are the most valuable to winning. The traditional division of positions is becoming obsolete.

 

Doing lists is hard. Especially ranking players 1,2,3 etc.

Personally, I would prefer "tiers" where you group a bunch together. It is easier to distinguish tier groups than "individually" ranking them.

 

That wasn't really the point, I just think it becomes unrealistic to start ranking that many players. Especially when you look at top 50-100, it's a lot of random role players, rookies, older players, defensive specialists, that are very much reliant on the system, coaching or other team mates.
How can anyone come up with a objective ranking for all these players who have marginal impact on the game and all play different roles.

If anything role players belong in tiers, they are probably interchangeable with people in their respective tiers. I think that's what Morey means by these lists are just a throw of a dice, because it's almost impossible to rank 100 players 1 by 1 like that.

 

Harden top 3 or list is bogus

 

Harden Numero Uno or list is bogus, i am serious!
going alone vs 4 allstars and 2 MVPs and being stopped only by scott foster, only number one (of all times ) can do that!

 

That I agree. But ranking them by position isn't going to solve the problem. You'd end up with the same randomness when you get to the 10th PG or the 8th center, etc. IMO, anything beyond top 20 of all players is meaningless.

I like your tier idea.

 

I refuse to ever watch that video again...I can’t do it hakeem, I just can’t

 

@basketballholic

 

All those great rankings before the season.

 

at first it was hard for me to watch too.. but later on I become proud of our boys because they played well and now I even enjoy watching it...
I learned in my life that I can not entrust my happiness into the hands of others, that is I am personally responsible for it...
It is in human nature to seek and enjoy recognition of others ie when it comes to the sports, championships trophies and popularity, but I learned in life its a loosing game to need it or be needy about it... my personal fan creed( and my creed in life in general) is to enjoy my fandom and seek pleasure by being outcome independent .

All that I ask from my team is to give it all on the floor and in the gym, what happens afterwards is outside of their(as well as mine) power, thus it makes not sense to not be happy about it....because you can not argue with the reality...the reality is the rockets were best team on the floor but another reality is it wasn't in the best financial interest of the league for rockets to win it all....And I am 100% fine with it because Rockets will do well if the league does well.

So in my personal world rockets were the champions since they played to the best of their abilities and I follow the basketball because I am fascinated by the gameand I am proud to be connoisseur of this divine game...and not because I am interested to know who will officially be recognized or awarded by mayority of people or by people in charge...so my rockets played pretty good, that the 3 zebras didnt find their game good is the least of my concerns...
They smashed the league in RS and they smashed the playoffs until they played the warriors and even then they were on their way to beat the best team of all times until the whistles got silent to the point that even the president of rocket haters Reggie Miller acknowledged it and was screaming bloody murder when the refs started helping the warriors. The fact that the zebras stopped calling fouls is the best testimony that the rockets deserved championship because they saw the worriers were on their knees helpless.

 

hey @Clutch I got an idea. Why don't you ask Morey to make his version of this list. I am sure there would be reasons he wouldn't want the league to know his ranking so maybe you can say an anonymous exec.


That would be some interesting knowledge.

 

10. Jimmy Butler
9. Joel Embiid
8. Chris Paul
7. Russell Westbrook
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo
5. Anthony Davis
4. James Harden
3. Stephen Curry
2. Kevin Durant
1. LeBron James

Spoiler

James Harden
The signature moment of his first MVP campaign came in late-February, when Harden (30.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 8.8 APG) set up one of his trademark step-back threes with a between-the-legs dribble that sent Wesley Johnson to the floor. While the Clippers forward scrambled to collect his limbs like he had just lost a game of “Twister,” Harden paused, relaxed his shoulders, and spun the ball while looking at his latest helpless victim. His body language screamed: “What are you doing down there?” Harden then proceeded to drain the three to complete the most emasculating highlight of the season.

Harden has been an All-NBA level player and one of the league’s premier scoring threats for years now, but last season saw the 29-year-old guard at his most diabolical. With a new superstar playmaking partner, shooters on all sides, and an excellent lob finisher in the middle, Harden had everything he needed to carve up defenses with his ultra-efficient diet of threes, free throws and lay-ups. He tortured defenders like Johnson in isolation with his methodical crossovers, alternating between his hop-back jumpers, gliding runners, whizzing crosscourt passes and soft-touch alley-oops.

When the dust settled, Harden ranked first in scoring, first in PER, first in Win Shares, first in free throws made, first in three-pointers made, second in Real Plus-Minus, and second in WARP. He led the league with 11 40-point games, four 50-point games and a 60-point game. Meanwhile, his Rockets set a franchise-record with a league-best 65 wins, ranking first in point differential and second in offensive efficiency while missing their first Finals trip since 1995 by one win. That breadth of high-level achievement is only possible when a methodically-constructed machine has years to address its weaker links and fine-tune its output.

A full and fair review of the Rockets’ 2018 postseason would note that they breezed through the Timberwolves and Jazz as Harden, who had three 40-point games in the postseason, and Chris Paul took turns wreaking havoc. Additionally, Houston gutted out a pair of tight wins over Golden State in the West finals, with Harden scoring 30 points on the road in Game 4 to right the ship after an ugly blowout.

For most observers, though, those accomplishments—which represented clear progress from previous postseason runs—were easily forgotten in the wake of Houston’s disastrous Game 7 collapse. Harden’s critics now had “Houston missed 27 straight threes” to add next to “2-11 in Game 6 against San Antonio” and the other demerits on his uneven postseason résumé.

Although their agonizing Game 7 meltdown was impossible to explain, Harden and the Rockets left this season with proof that their approach was good enough to win a title. They pushed the Stephen Curry/Kevin Durant Warriors much harder than any other playoff opponent had over the past two years, and Harden performed with greater ease, stability and effect against Golden State’s defense than he had in the 2015 West finals. LeBron James has a higher basketball IQ and displays greater consistency in the playoffs than Harden, Durant is a more complete two-way player, and Curry is one of the few stars in league history whose individual offense can translate to more efficient team play. Those three aside, Harden has fashioned himself into basketball’s most dangerous weapon. — BG

Chris Paul
The implicit framing of the Top 100 is this: Who are the players who really matter in the games that matter most? Paul (18.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 7.9 APG) jumps near the top of the list—not because he happens to play for one of the best teams in the league, but because he’s exactly the kind of player you want involved when your season is on the line. Houston knows this well, having built a 3-2 series lead against the Warriors thanks to Paul’s gutsy play and dropping the last two games of the series in his absence. On the one hand, Paul’s tendency to pick up injuries clearly works against him. On the other, Paul is still operating at such an incredible level that some missed time is tolerable. You make do when a player is operating this close to an MVP level, even if he misses 24 games along the way.

Paul earns this standing with the way he picks opponents apart. What a miserable thing it must be to step up, as a big man, against one of Paul’s pick-and-rolls. React to any of Paul’s feints and he’ll rock back into an easy mid-range jumper. Try to play it cool and he’ll drive past you, winding around the court in search of any vulnerability. Paul is such a high-level passer and defender that his one-on-one brilliance somehow went unnoticed. No more. Houston’s offense reached its historic heights in part because Paul can almost always get his, a genuine rarity among guards his size. Even though he plays alongside another great passer in James Harden, only 15% of Paul’s field goals last season were assisted.

It was because of that creative strength that the Rockets could stagger the minutes of their two best players, overwhelming opponents with 48 minutes of offensive pressure. Paul’s approach is quite different than Harden’s, but he runs similar lineups to great effect. For one, he scored as much on a per-minute basis as at any point in his career—even while barely getting to the rim or the free throw line. More important is that Paul always seems to know which levers to pull for the best possible result. It’s important within Houston’s system that Paul be able to score for himself, but he’s always at his most comfortable orchestrating for others—guiding his teammates into scoring positions and mismatches that best fit the moment.

There’s no real substitute for that level of situational awareness, which is why it’s important that Paul works in any lineup and in any style. There is no matchup on earth that could play him off the court, or even make him a mark. Target Paul at your own risk. This is a guard who can hang with Kevin Durant on the block in a pinch, and who can go shimmy for shimmy with Steph Curry. No matter the challenge, Paul is game to compete. — RM

 

My initial impressions:

1) PJ Tucker - Way too low. Bunch of scrubs ranked ahead of him that wouldn't see the floor against GSW.
2) Gordon - About right. #1 ranked bench player.
3) Capela - About right. #5 ranked center.
4) CP3 - About right. Maybe a bit too high but not by much.
5) Harden - About right. Can't argue against LeBron, Durant and Curry being ahead of him.
6) Melo - Not a top 100 player but Dirk, DeMarre Carroll and Lonzo Ball are?? I would put him somewhere in the 70s or 80s based on his performance last year, but being left out of the top 100 is a slap in the face.

 

True, but none in the top 15. They need Anthony Davis...otherwise I don't think they would challenge Houston or GSW in a 7 game series.

 

Spoiler

1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
2. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
4. James Harden, Houston Rockets
5. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
7. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
8. Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
9. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
10. Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
11. Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
12. Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
13. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
14. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
15. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
16. Al Horford, Boston Celtics
17. Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
18. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
19. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
20. Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
21. LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
22. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
23. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
24. John Wall, Washington Wizards
25. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics
26. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
27. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
28. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
29. Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans
30. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
31. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
32. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
33. C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
34. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
35. Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
36. Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
37. Paul Millsap, Denver Nuggets
38. Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder
39. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
40. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
41. Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
42. Otto Porter, Washington Wizards
43. DeAndre Jordan, Dallas Mavericks
44. Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets
45. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
46. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
47. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
48. Rob Covington, Philadelphia 76ers
49. Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
50. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
51. Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
52. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
53. Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee Bucks
54. Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
55. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
56. Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
57. Ricky Rubio, Utah Jazz
58. Jeff Teague, Minnesota Timberwolves
59. Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks
60. Nikola Mirotic, New Orleans Pelicans
61. Lou Williams, LA Clippers
62. J.J. Redick, Philadelphia 76ers
63. Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors
64. Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers
65. Tobias Harris, LA Clippers
66. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
67. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
68. DeMarcus Cousins, Golden State Warriors
69. Dwight Howard, Washington Wizards
70. Will Barton, Denver Nuggets
71. Josh Richardson, Miami Heat
72. Julius Randle, New Orleans Pelicans
73. Nic Batum, Charlotte Hornets
74. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
75. Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
76. Thaddeus Young, Indiana Pacers
77. Trevor Ariza, Phoenix Suns
78. Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors
79. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
80. Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City Thunder
81. Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers
82. Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics
83. Taj Gibson, Minnesota Timberwolves
84. Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls
85. P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets
86. James Johnson, Miami Heat
87. Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors
88. Kyle Anderson, Memphis Grizzlies
89. Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
90. Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
91. Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks
92. Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic
93. Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat
94. Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors
95. DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets
96. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
97. Reggie Jackson, Detroit Pistons
98. Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs
99. Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks
100. Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers

_____________________________

91. Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks

16. Al Horford, Boston Celtics
17. Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
25. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics
39. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
47. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
82. Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics

95. DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets

32. Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
73. Nic Batum, Charlotte Hornets

84. Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls

31. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers

43. DeAndre Jordan, Dallas Mavericks
59. Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks
96. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

18. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
37. Paul Millsap, Denver Nuggets
44. Gary Harris, Denver Nuggets
55. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
70. Will Barton, Denver Nuggets

41. Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
46. Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons
97. Reggie Jackson, Detroit Pistons

2. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
13. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
22. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
68. DeMarcus Cousins, Golden State Warriors
87. Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors

4. James Harden, Houston Rockets
8. Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
35. Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
49. Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
85. P.J. Tucker, Houston Rockets

20. Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
67. Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
76. Thaddeus Young, Indiana Pacers
79. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers

61. Lou Williams, LA Clippers
65. Tobias Harris, LA Clippers

1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
75. Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
100. Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers

36. Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
40. Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
88. Kyle Anderson, Memphis Grizzlies

45. Goran Dragic, Miami Heat
71. Josh Richardson, Miami Heat
86. James Johnson, Miami Heat
93. Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat

6. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
28. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
53. Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee Bucks
99. Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks

10. Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
58. Jeff Teague, Minnesota Timberwolves
74. Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
83. Taj Gibson, Minnesota Timberwolves

5. Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
29. Jrue Holiday, New Orleans Pelicans
60. Nikola Mirotic, New Orleans Pelicans
72. Julius Randle, New Orleans Pelicans

52. Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks

7. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
11. Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
38. Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder
80. Dennis Schroder, Oklahoma City Thunder

66. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic
90. Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
92. Evan Fournier, Orlando Magic

9. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
26. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
48. Rob Covington, Philadelphia 76ers
54. Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
62. J.J. Redick, Philadelphia 76ers

50. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
77. Trevor Ariza, Phoenix Suns

15. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
33. C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
64. Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers
81. Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers

21. LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs
30. DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
89. Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
98. Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs

12. Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
23. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
63. Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors
78. Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors
94. Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors

14. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
34. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
51. Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
56. Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
57. Ricky Rubio, Utah Jazz

24. John Wall, Washington Wizards
27. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
42. Otto Porter, Washington Wizards
69. Dwight Howard, Washington Wizards