Ranking The NBA’s Top 25 Players, In Tiers

The endeavor is as old as the game itself.

“Who’s the best player?”

It’s a question that is as difficult to answer as it is to best Stephen Curry in a three-point shootout. For me, the question of ranking players is most difficult because there is no specific metric or criteria to determine which player is “better” than another. Some would look at advanced statistics to determine how efficient a player is and compare them to others. But me? I think doing that unfairly penalizes a player who simply doesn’t have much around him. While efficiency certainly does play a role in how “good” a particular player is, I more determine a player’s value based on his ability to impact multiple facets of the game.

The difficult part about ranking players, generally, is the inability to easily compare players across positions. A center won’t be a dominant assist-maker, just as a point guard won’t usually provide superb rim protection.

Is Stephen Curry “better” than Chris Paul because of what Curry accomplished last season? Or is Paul better because he has been arguably the top point guard in the league for a sustained period? Are we sure that Anthony Davis is “better” than DeMarcus Cousins? Or should Davis have to continue his dominance for at least another year or two before he is anointed?

And finally, we must ask ourselves the age old question: What have you done for me lately? Or, more appropriately, perhaps, “What have you done for me lately, and does it matter?” In short, for our purposes, it does not. Our top 25 is based on what we expect from the ranked players this upcoming season, paying very little attention to what they have contributed in years past. Tim Duncan, based on this, deserves somewhat of a benefit of the doubt. As does Paul George… But does Derrick Rose? Probably not.

Tough to say…

But not as tough as ranking the NBA’s top 25 players for the 2015-16 season was.

Just Missed The Cut…

Paul Millsap (PF, Atlanta Hawks)
Kobe Bryant (SG, Los Angeles Lakers)
Dirk Nowitzki (PF, Dallas Mavericks)
Derrick Rose (PG, Chicago Bulls)
Draymond Green (SF, Golden State Warriors)

There are some that would consider Draymond Green to be a top 15 player in the NBA, so omitting him from our top 25 may seem asinine to some. While there is no denying that he was an integral cog in the Golden State Warriors becoming the 2015 NBA champions, we still can’t quite figure out whether he is a bonafide superstar in hiding like James Harden proved himself to be, or whether he is simply a player who has found the perfect situation for himself and his talents, perhaps the way Kawhi Leonard has in San Antonio or even the way Lamar Odom did while playing for Phil Jackson.

Derrick Rose, we hope, will eventually return to form and revert to the player that we saw become the league’s youngest Most Valuable Player in history back in 2011, but the simple truth is that it has been nearly five years since we saw the dominance of which we know he is capable.

Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant are among the greatest players in history, but each has been on a slow descent over the past few years. And although we were thoroughly impressed with Paul Millsap’s production and poise over his years with the Atlanta Hawks, we’re not sure he’s even the best player on his own team.

Tier Six: Still Something to Prove

25. Al Horford (C, Atlanta Hawks)
24. Carmelo Anthony (SF, New York Knicks)
23. Kevin Love (PF, Cleveland Cavaliers)

In some ways, it may be unfair to declare that Al Horford still has something to prove after helping to lead the Atlanta Hawks to the East’s top seed last season, but we expected more than 14.4 points per game over the course of their playoff run. Can he truly be the number one option on a contender? We don’t know, just like we don’t know that for Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love.

Unfortunately for Love, after recommitting to the Cleveland Cavaliers, we may never find out. Anthony, on the other hand, will have no such issue. One of the league’s most polarizing players, he can easily return to or near the top 10 if he manages to lead his New York Knicks back to the playoffs this season.

Tier Five: Legitimate Championship Pieces

22. Tim Duncan (PF, San Antonio Spurs)
21. Kawhi Leonard (SF, San Antonio Spurs)
20. Klay Thompson (SG, Golden State Warriors)
19. Dwight Howard (C, Houston Rockets)
18. Chris Bosh (PF, Miami HEAT)

Combined, there is a whopping 14 NBA Finals appearances among this group and nine championship rings. It then becomes rather obvious to anoint the group as “legitimate championship pieces,” but the title becomes more appropriate when we let it be known that we emphasize that they are pieces. Clearly, Tim Duncan is capable of carrying a team, even on his 39-year-old knees. But at this point, is he more than a supplementary piece? Will the other four ever be more than complementary pieces? We’re simply not sure, and that certainly makes a difference.

Tier Four: Still Plenty Left in the Tank

17. Dwyane Wade (SG, Miami HEAT)
16. Marc Gasol (C, Memphis Grizzlies)
15. LaMarcus Aldridge (PF, San Antonio Spurs)

This past season, Marc Gasol joined rare company in putting together his most statistically productive season after turning 30 years old. Especially as it relates to centers, this is not often indicative of a wise financial commitment on the part of the signing team. In Gasol’s case, however, we tend to think that he will continue to be an exception, due mainly to the fact that he did not begin his NBA career until he was 24 years old. Aside from that, his usage and effectiveness have steadily increased over the course of his seven-year career.

Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, is seemingly on the downside of his career, but last season, he proved that he still has plenty left in the tank. Despite his Miami HEAT missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2008, Wade scored 40 points multiple times last season after failing to do so a single time during the four years when he called LeBron James a teammate. As the HEAT’s odds of qualifying for the playoffs diminished, Wade’s effort increased. It was both admirable and eye-opening.

As for LaMarcus Aldridge, whether this is a fair standard or not, he was not able to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to being anything more than a team that made a cameo in the playoffs. At 30 years old, Aldridge opted to take his talents to San Antonio to attempt to re-open the championship window that seemed to close this past spring.

Tier Three: Sky Is The Limit

14. Jimmy Butler (SG, Chicago Bulls)
13. Paul George (SF, Indiana Pacers)
12. Damian Lillard (PG, Portland Trail Blazers)
11. John Wall (PG, Washington Wizards)
10. Kyrie Irving (PG, Cleveland Cavaliers)
9. DeMarcus Cousins (C, Sacramento Kings)

Jimmy Butler became a household name over the course of last season after proving himself to be a plus-contributor capable of impacting both ends of the floor on a day-to-day basis. John Wall, to his credit, has made the questions about his work ethic and his desire to be great a distant memory. Wall can legitimately claim to be the second best facilitator in the league behind Chris Paul, especially now that he has mastered playing the game at multiple speeds and operating either at a breakneck pace or from a half court set.

Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving, quite simply, have shown so much, so quickly that both have been deemed “untouchable” by their respective franchises. Especially as it relates to Irving, when he is at full strength, he is capable of the dominance that was on full display during Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals.

For Paul George and DeMarcus Cousins, though, the injuries are slightly different.

George is just one year removed from being anointed as the next great player, but after missing the balance of the 2014-15 season with a horrific leg injury, the hope for him is that his reversion occurs at a faster clip than Derrick Rose’s. The primary reason for the discrepancy in their rankings is that, almost five years later, we are still waiting for Rose. George, on the other hand, still gets the benefit of the doubt, especially since he would likely be a top six player if he were 100 percent healthy.

Cousins, on the other hand, is probably a top five talent. As far as his game goes, he has no discernible weakness and is one of the few centers capable of a points, rebounds, assists triple-double. The mental aspect of his game, however, leaves something to be desired.

Regardless, with the third tier, the potential—even for those that have a little more wear on their tires—is too great to look past. That is true both for their teams and for the purposes of our rankings.

Tier Two: The Untouchables

8. Chris Paul (PG, Los Angeles Clippers)
7. James Harden (SG, Houston Rockets)
6. Blake Griffin (PF, Los Angeles Clippers)
5. Russell Westbrook (PG, Oklahoma City Thunder)
4. Stephen Curry (PG, Golden State Warriors)

Without question, this past season we saw tremendous growth on the part of everyone in this tier not named Chris Paul. What James Harden helped the Houston Rockets do, despite missing Dwight Howard for 41 games was tremendous. He has easily become one of those players whose flaws are well known and well documented but almost ignored because he makes up for it. Think Allen Iverson and, at a time, Dirk Nowitzki.

In helping to oust the San Antonio Spurs this past spring, Blake Griffin became the dominant low-post player and assertive superstar that everyone around him has known he could be. If that was a sign of what lies in store for the 26-year-old, with their added firepower, the Los Angeles Clippers may surprise the entire Western Conference this coming season. That is, of course, so long as Chris Paul continues to hang on. For my money, Paul is still the best floor general in the NBA, and despite his mistakes and shortcomings, Doc Rivers is fully married and committed to him, and for good reason.

We originally ranked Russell Westbrook ahead of Stephen Curry. Westbrook turned in 11 triple doubles during the 2014-15 season and had another five games where he missed a triple-double by one assist and/or rebound. That type of dominance is seldom seen in today’s NBA, but more importantly, it is indicative of Westbrook understanding how to control a game and use his gifts to benefit his teammates. Still, it was too difficult to overlook the fact that Curry capably led his Warriors to the championship and rightfully proved himself to be the greatest shooter in NBA history. Flip a coin if you must, but there’s no question that these two round out the top five.

Tier One: The Trans-Generationals 

3. Anthony Davis (PF, New Orleans Pelicans)
2. Kevin Durant (SF, Oklahoma City Thunder)
1. LeBron James (SF, Cleveland Cavaliers)

There are All-Stars, there are perennial All-Stars and there are All-NBA players. Every so often, though, we are blessed with the good fortune to witness the players that future generations will talk about the same way that this generation discusses the previous feats accomplished by the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

While it does seem a bit premature to put Davis in such a category, we would again remind the masses that there is a certain amount of projecting that goes into these rankings. Davis’ ascent to superstardom is especially scary considering that he is only 22 years old and managed to score 24.4 points per game last season on 53 percent shooting from the field. Without even mentioning his 10.2 rebounds per game, 2.9 blocks per game or his ability to create plays of the dribble the way Kevin Garnett once did, we’ll simply ask you if you knew that he added 12 pounds of muscle to his frame this offseason and improved his three-point shot. Scary.

Davis’ bulking up, while scary, is not as scary as Kevin Durant’s right foot woes. While there is a certain amount of uncertainty revolving around his long-term health, we will give him the benefit of the doubt and look forward to him joining Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to average 35 points per game over the course of an entire season. And here’s the thing: you know he can do it if his health permits. That is a major part of why he still has all of his upside and luster.

As for LeBron James, at this point, what more do you want? A few more championship rings would be nice, sure. Still, even without them, James has already solidified a place as being one of the, at worst, top 15 players in NBA history.

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Is LeBron James still number one?

Is Kobe Bryant still a top 25 player?

Will Derrick Rose bounce back?

Can Paul George and his Indiana Pacers return to the playoffs?

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