NBA

Evaluating ESPN NBA Rank’s Biggest Mistakes: Which Players Are Ranked Too High, Too Low, or Not At All?

benpfeifer Sports Editor

Published5 hours ago on October 16, 2024

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ESPN dropped its top 100 player rankings ahead of the NBA season. As per usual, the basketball internet received the list with resounding disapproval. These rankings tend to feature placements that even the most opposed basketball fans would agree depart from reality. Let’s break down which players are ranked too high or too low, along with some omissions who might have been more deserving of the recognition.

Which NBA Players Does ESPN Have Ranked Too Low?

Maybe the list makers design their rankings to generate clicks and garner reactions. Maybe the way ESPN views basketball sits out of touch with the rest of the NBA space. Regardless, I’d agree that a staggering number of these placements miss the mark.

Here’s a list of the placements I think are off by at least 10 spots, beginning with the players that are ranked too low:

Anfernee Simons (100)
Herbert Jones (97)
Jalen Suggs (95)
Michael Porter Jr. (89)
Jarrett Allen (73)
Cade Cunningham (67)
Desmond Bane (60)
Jaren Jackson Jr. (55)
Alperen Sengun (54)
LaMelo Ball (50)
Jalen Williams (44)
James Harden (41)
Trae Young (37)
Zion Williamson (27)

Which NBA Players Does ESPN Have Ranked Too High?

And here are the players I think are too high by at least 10 spots:

Chris Paul (99)
Jonas Valanciunas (91)
Klay Thompson (71)
Jalen Green (69)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (62)
Josh Hart (61)
Dereck Lively (56)
RJ Barrett (53)
Dejounte Murray (43)
Mikal Bridges (38)
Paul George (21)

For my tastes, the ESPN top 100 ranking is far too conservative when it comes to young players and far too reactionary when it comes to single-season samples. Ascending stars on losing teams (Cunningham, Bane, Jackson Jr) shouldn’t sit lower than role players (Josh Hart, Dereck Lively) on good teams.

The ESPN list seems to value volume scoring far more than I and many others do, hence the high placements of players like Dejounte Murray, Jalen Green and Mikal Bridges. Let’s dive a bit deeper into a few of the placements I find most egregious.

Cade Cunningham

The ESPN top 100 list (along with many others in mainstream NBA media) struggles to separate individual and team success. Cade Cunningham represents this divide more than any other player. Following a catastrophic season in Detroit, it’s easy to underrate and ignore Cunningham’s impact.

Entering his effective third year, Cunningham continues to prove himself as an ascending offensive engine. His efficiency must continue to rise (54.6% true shooting), but Cunningham’s environment couldn’t have possibly been worse. Despite his near heliocentric offensive load, Cunningham’s shotmaking and passing talent shined through.

The Pistons should see a notable increase in roster and coaching competency this season. With improved spacing and roster talent, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Cunningham make his first All-Star game. He should at least crack the top 50, closer to other less efficient creators like Julius Randle, Paolo Banchero and Dejounte Murray.

Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr.

These placements likely result from Memphis’s disastrous season marred by injuries. That doesn’t excuse these placements, though, as Bane and Jackson are both clear fringe All-Star impact players if not more than that. Despite their unfortunate situations, both Bane and Jackson improved last season.

In his 42 games last season, Bane took on a larger playmaking role and recorded the highest assist rate (27.3%) of his career. He’s an elite off-ball shooter and scorer already. Adding more passing makes Bane one of the NBA’s best offensive wings.

Jackson’s defensive impact lowered last season, but that’s largely a result of his massive usage rate spike (24.4% -> 30.1%) as the team’s only viable creation option. Despite his drop in efficiency, his experience as a primary option should only benefit him long-term as Ja Morant, Bane and the other Grizzlies return to good health. Jackson and Bane should both sit inside the top 40 at the very minimum.

Trae Young

The ESPN top 100 list distorts Trae Young’s full-fledged stardom more than any other player on the list. Whether fueled by a distaste for his playstyle, outdated perceptions of his defense or Atlanta’s lack of team success, Young’s placement outside of the top 35 is blasphemous.

Young is still an elite initiator three years removed from his first All-NBA appearance. Even in a supposed ‘down’ year, Young managed above-league-average efficiency (58.5% true shooting) and placed second in assists per game (10.8) by a tenth of an assist. Young’s ability to generate great looks via his advantage creation and playmaking rivals anyone in the NBA.

He’s elevated his defensive impact significantly, weaponizing his quick hands and savvy positioning more than ever. Young will always have defensive limitations, but he’s far from the catastrophic defender many perceive him as. True primary initiators are the most valuable commodity in basketball. Those players shouldn’t fall out of the top 25, at the very least.

Dereck Lively

It’s easy to understand why Dereck Lively ranks highly in the eyes of mainstream media. He’s coming off of a finals run where he contributed key minutes as a rookie. Especially on the defensive end, Lively imposed his will defending the hoop with his mobility and shot-blocking goodness.

But for a 20-year-old who played under 24 minutes per game in year one, this is a rare moment where the list jumps the gun far too hard. Lively could reach top 60 player status as he continues to develop, but it’s hard to justify placing a rotational big without real standout offensive value.

Lively landed in the perfect situation for his skillset. Dallas needed paint defense and Luka Doncic might be the best lob passer in the NBA. Taking nothing away from Lively, his environment inarguably lifts the perception of Lively’s impact. Would Lively find himself this high if a team like Detroit or Chicago drafted him in 2023?

Again, Lively can reach these heights in the future. But for a 2024-25 list, it’s fairly absurd to rank him over the likes of Jarrett Allen, Draymond Green and even Isaiah Hartenstein, Myles Turner and Naz Reid.

RJ Barrett

The early returns for Barrett’s Toronto tenure look promising. In his 32 games as a Raptor, Barrett posted career highs in points per game (21.8) and efficiency (61.5% true shooting). Even with the post-trade efficiency bump, Barrett has still never eclipsed league-average efficiency across his five NBA seasons.

In a new environment, Barrett should continue to improve as a decision-maker, second-side playmaker and three-point shooter. But we’ve seen Barrett struggle enough in high-leverage situations that a half-season of progression shouldn’t have him cracking the top 55 of a top 100 for this next season.

Barrett, like Lively, could crack this point of the list at some point in his career. But it’s too early to crown him over other young wings who have shown more consistent creation and playmaking chops like Cunningham, Bane and even Brandon Miller.

Dejounte Murray

Murray represents another player who’s volume scoring carries his ranking. Last season in Atlanta, Murray’s 22.7 points per game marked the highest figure of his career. His efficiency, which reached a career-high point (55.5% true shooting), still sits nearly three points below the league average.

A classic floor-raising guard, Murray’s ball-dominant style and off-dribble shotmaking can lift a bad team to competency. This idea sputters on teams with other stars, as Murray still struggles to play without dominating the ball. Despite Murray’s assist numbers, he struggles to create passing chances outside of the confines of the spread pick and roll.

Most notably, Murray’s defense doesn’t match its general perception. He’s one of the league’s least engaged off-ball defenders, evidenced by his sharp decline in steal rates and defensive metrics. Until Murray proves he can defend at a high level and fit next to other stars, he should be placed in the back end of the top 100 alongside scoring combo guards like Tyler Herro, CJ McCollum, Austin Reaves and Simons.