The four-time All-Star logged five fewer minutes per game during the regular season, a substantial strategic adjustment that helped him play 78 games and turn in easily the most efficient postseason of his career. Defensively, he can switch seamlessly through multiple positions and handle lead assignments thanks to his quickness and length.
The 29-year-old guard, who went undrafted in 2012, arrived on the scene with the Warriors just before Stephen Curry and Co. rocketed to dynasty mode. Last season, Griffin (21.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.8 APG) posted a points/rebounds/assists line that was matched only by a pair of MVPs: LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. It’s amazing how far Richardson’s offense has come during his three years he in the league. For Anderson, Memphis represents a fresh start, a larger role, and a chance to prove that his subtle and nuanced style can translate outside San Antonio’s structured environment. He is a more explosive offensive player with career-highs of 25.6 points and 5.5 assists per game in 2018-19. While Lowry remains a strong outside shooter and a dynamic all-around offensive player, his age might be starting to show on the other end. To date, the 22-year-old has been a tantalizing but only moderately effective NBA player. The savior scoring role on a roster built for defense. Comparing Butler and Paul George is annually one of this list’s toughest calls, given their quality two-way games and similar accomplishments. If there is any slight against Davis, it’s that his position makes it hard for him to touch as many possessions as a player like Curry or Harden.
He has the presence to protect the rim, if not the expertise to guarantee it; too often he’s positioned a half-step removed from where he should be or stuck a half-second behind the action, as is so common for bigs of his age and experience level. Instead of receiving the relief and validation that rings usually convey to superstars, Durant can’t seem to escape the “asterisk” talk, Superteam envy, and accusations of sensitivity. Don’t underestimate the power of that stability. The other is his all-around competence—faint praise, perhaps, but the kind that makes the NBA go. His raw stats—on par with prime Shaquille O’Neal—haven’t translated to elite team performance. While Booker reportedly underwent hand surgery this week, the injury did not impact his Top 100 ranking because he's not expected to miss a significant portion of the regular season. L.A. went 17-15 after the trade, as Harris displayed improved perimeter shooting and the ability to score without hijacking the offense. By 22, he had cracked the All-Star and All-NBA teams and was named Most Improved Player. By the time Conley’s defender realizes they’re stuck in the blender, it’s already too late.
Westbrook shot less than 30 percent from 3-point range over the last two seasons on nearly five attempts per game and has never been all that interested in cutting.
During the premiere of his new barbershop talk show, LeBron James marveled to Snoop Dogg about the rapper’s uncanny ability to maintain his popularity through reinvention for more than 20 years. LeBron James’s arrival, of course, should make his life easier: Ingram will face more favorable defensive matchups, receive cleaner catch-and-shoot looks, and play within a more structured and explosive style. Regardless of what happened behind closed doors or on the training table, Leonard is solely responsible for months of poor communication, for his ill-fated “Spur for life” press conference, and for the distracting “Uncle Dennis” chatter. Dribble hand-offs between Harris and Nikola Jokic were as fundamental to Denver’s flow as any other mechanism.
The Bucks ranked seventh in offense last season, and they have the potential to be a top-three unit during Antetokounmpo’s prime years if they can consistently surround him with four shooters and get him loose in the open court more often. San Antonio managed a top-five defense in spite of this, but Gasol would present much greater problems for many lesser teams. If healthy, Cousins would have placed in the top 25, but SI’s Top 100 is a one-year exercise, and this ranking assumes Cousins will miss roughly half the season, play reduced minutes upon his return, and perform at roughly 60% of his capabilities due to his age and the serious nature of his injury. 14 on one list, but three members of our NBA.com Staff didn't have him on their lists at all. Durability is a skill in itself, and Westbrook—even as his legend grows—doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his availability in the wake of hard fouls, harder falls, and freaking dents in the side of his face.
At times, Ingram brought to life the pre-draft projections that he would be a perennial All-Star wing: he displayed the handle and shake necessary to create good shots, he attacked the basket more assertively, and he deployed his spindly length to find seams through the defense and exploit size mismatches. Defensive commitment is a given, and the ability to guard multiple positions is a perk. Rubio (13.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 5.3 APG) is prone to weeks-long mirages of effective shooting, in which it appears—for some fleeting moment—that his long-range accuracy has turned a corner. Players don’t need to be dominant to help turn a specific matchup. 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.
In fact, the combo forward’s inclusion in a midseason trade for Blake Griffin provided an excellent opportunity to appreciate his potent and flexible offensive game.
On the other end, the Drummond/Blake Griffin tandem fared well in a small sample size, providing some much-needed optimism for the wheel-spinning Pistons. Kyle Lowry might be more imposing and experienced than Lillard, but he’s had his own postseason struggles despite much deeper rosters around him.
The way he takes the ball in a dribble hand-off and reads the next play in sequence opens up the scope of the entire offense. Why wait until he retires? While Murray is generally unselfish and a willing passer, he’s not adept enough in the two-man game to function as a lead distributor. He’s not a point guard?
“Slo Mo” might not be the best nickname in pro sports, but it’s certainly the most accurate. Nurkic, 24, responded in a big way in 2017-18, playing in 79 games and logging more than 2,000 minutes, well above his previous career-highs.
The Lakers have been 9.6 points per 100 possessions better offensively with James on the court this season. He’ll get his due. What a miserable thing it must be to step up, as a big man, against one of Paul’s pick-and-rolls. Not that past performances weren't taken into account - Paul George probably wouldn't be ranked as high as he is if it was - but what's been happening lately is weighted more heavily. That figure will not hold. After he was salary-dumped to the dead-end Nets, Carroll could have counted his money and jogged through a losing campaign. Last season, he missed just one game, he made Charlotte better both offensively and defensively when he was on the court, and he was one of only five NBA players to average 12 points and 12 rebounds. There is never a question of whether he’s game to compete, ready for the moment, or adequately prepared.
The Suns have thrown every conceivable monkey wrench at Booker (24.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.7 APG) during his three seasons: changing coaches, trading away veterans, tanking for months, and whiffing on high draft picks. It’s almost incomprehensible that someone who drives as hard as Westbrook could be as healthy as he’s been prior to undergoing knee surgery this week. Yet Williams, miraculously, pulled it off—transforming from a novelty scorer into the leader of a top-10 offense. Would his occasional streakiness be held against him more often if he was the No.
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