We do this every year. In the weeks leading up to the NBA season, companies release their top 100 NBA players for the upcoming season, and none get more attention than ESPN's list. Maybe it's because they've been around the longest and have the best reputation. Or maybe it's because their list sucks. Every. Single. Year.
This will be for the "mainstream" players, the guys that almost every casual NBA fan will know and be able to discuss their game a bit. I've posted another article on the lower-tiered players for you NBA diehards out there in the world.
We'll start with Kawhi Leonard, the 2-time Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. The last time we saw him, he averaged 30 points per game and 2 steals per game in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. He went toe-to-toe with Luka Doncic in round 1, put up 45 points in an elimination game, and was the only one on the Clippers that could slow Doncic down. It was one of the best series we've seen in recent years.
ESPN ranked him 12th.
He's below James Harden and Devin Booker. Nothing against those players, but I refuse to rank Harden, who quit on two teams in less than two years, above Kawhi. Or Booker, who put up 22 points per game on 42 FG% in the last five games of his series loss to Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Offensively, Booker and Leonard is a toss-up. But Kawhi's defense is top tier, while Booker is closer to average.
Next up is Jimmy Butler, who is ranked 17th, below Trae Young (who he helped clamp up in the playoffs), Karl-Anthony Towns, and Damian Lillard. Trae Young is objectively speaking better skilled offensively than Butler, even though I would rather have Butler taking the last shot of a game over Young. Add the minor detail that Trae is literally a bottom 5 defender in the NBA, and I have no idea how ESPN thinks Trae is better than Butler.
While Butler's regular season stats last year were a bit lackluster, he is a player that shines in the postseason. He never disappoints in the playoffs, and he was one game - one shot - away from a 2nd Finals appearance in 3 seasons.
The biggest reason KAT should be lower than Butler is that he's unproven. This is only the 2nd time KAT's been in the playoffs, and the first time he was actually playing second fiddle to Jimmy Butler. There are too many questions with KAT right now. Is he actually a good defender? Can you run your playoff offense through him? Next season may be different, but currently, there is no excuse for Butler being below KAT.
Lillard is someone that could go either way. He shot 40% from the field in 29 games last season but also had an abdominal injury that required surgery. Regardless, he's an older point guard that seems to have already peaked. On the other hand, Butler is often the best weapon offensively and defensively for the Miami Heat.
The last mainstream player I'll discuss is Zion Williamson, who was ranked 40th. ESPN put him below Marcus Smart, Klay Thompson, and Cade Cunningham. None of these players are current all-stars. Zion didn't play last season because of a foot injury, but in 61 games in the 2020-21 season, Williamson was an All-Star who put up 27 points per game on 61% from the field. Unheard of! The only person who can come close to that currently is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who ESPN ranked first (deservedly).
Smart's offensive game is limited and very sporadic. Regardless of how good of a defensive player he is, there will always be players like Stephen Curry and Fred VanVleet who can get around him and have their way.
Thompson used to be the primary example of a 3-and-D player and even made a couple of all-star games. But he just came back from ACL and Achilles tears and only shot 38.5% from three in the playoffs while giving up the primary perimeter defense role to Andrew Wiggins. Cunningham is a very good young player, but he's literally a 21-year-old kid. He's only played 64 NBA games and averaged 17.6-5.5-5.6 with 3.7 turnovers for a bottom three team last season. It's too soon for Cade.
I lied. I want to write about Russell Westbrook right now. ESPN ranked him at 58. Some of you might be wondering why he's so low on the list, and others might be wondering why he's so high on the list. It really depends on how you view this list. Is it talent? Impact? Reputation? For me, this list is of players that I would want on my basketball team. If I drafting a fantasy team from this list, there is no way I am taking Westbrook unless I absolutely have to.
He's never won anything. His athleticism continues to decline, and he continues to be in denial about the impact he has on a team. I genuinely have a hard time seeing him on a winning team. If I have a solid team foundation and I have to pick between adding Westbrook or Al Horford, I am taking Big Al 100% of the time. If the Bucks had to choose between adding Westbrook and Desmond Bane, I guarantee that they add Bane every time. That would be a wild scenario, and I am disregarding their contract situations for that hypothetical. This current version of Westbrook is incapable of winning you a championship.
This has been my views on the disgraceful ESPN Top 100 list, at least in regards to the top talent and mainstream players. Click here to read part two!