Over the past week ESPN released their projected top 100 NBA players for the 2020-2021 season. Although you need an ESPN+ account to see the full list, some of the rankings have been released on Twitter. Some of their rankings are, for lack of a better term, horrible. I’m here to breakdown some of their rankings, and show just how crazy some of their placements are.
100-51
Lonzo Ball at 54
I am personally a fan of Lonzo Ball’s game, but do I think he is a top 55 player in this league? No, I do not. Ball does show a lot of potential, with his playmaking and high energy defense, but this is way too high of a ranking. Last year for the Pelicans, Ball shot 40% from the field, 37% from three, and 56% from the line. Despite his above average passing and defense, how can someone with those kind of shooting splits be anywhere close to the top 50. Ball may not even be the starting point guard for New Orleans, after their acquisition of veteran point guard Eric Bledsoe.
Lonzo is ranked higher than guys like D’Angelo Russell (69), John Collins (84), Bojan Bogdanović (73), and John Wall – which leads us to our terrible ranking.
John Wall at 81
It is hard to argue the fact that when John Wall is healthy, he is one of the top guards in the NBA. Wall is coming off a torn Achilles. It is prevalent that ESPN thinks he won’t be able to bounce back from the injury, and won’t even be a top 80 player in this league. I really do not understand this ranking. Assuming James Harden will be traded, the Rockets are going to be Wall’s team. Paired with big-man Demarcus Cousins, I see Wall playing at a very high level. Assuming Wall is fully healthy, he is a top 50 player in my eyes.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at 77
I genuinely laughed when I saw this ranking. I want an explanation. KCP might not even be the fifth option on his team! Yes, I realize the Lakers are loaded, but what makes them think KCP is going to perform better than last year in a smaller role. This is criminal. Caldwell-Pope averaged 9.3 PPG last year in 25 minutes a game. ESPN is going to tell me that KCP will have a better season than guys like Buddy Hield (87), Demar DeRozan (82) or even his teammate Dennis Schroder (79)? Yeah, not buying it.
Zach LaVine at 56
Yes, I know the Bulls were very bad, and that 25.5 PPG from LaVine didn’t translate to wins. Despite that, opposing teams really only had to worry about LaVine, so that caused the other teams best defender to guard him and he attracted more double-teams. It’s not like he was inefficient, either. LaVine shot 45% from the field and 38% from three. I don’t see him taking a step down this year, so if ESPN is telling me a player with a stat line of 25, 5, and 4 isn’t a top 50, 40, or even 30 player in the league, then I guess I don’t know anything.
Top 50-11
Domantas Sabonis at 50
Sabonis took a huge step in the right direction last season. He made his first All-Star game while averaging 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5 assists for the Pacers. He has proved to be one of the best big men in the league, but ESPN put him at 50. I think there is a legitimate argument that Sabonis could be in the top 30-25 range in the league. He will most likely be the first option in Indiana, unless TJ Warren carries his performance from the Bubble into the 2020 season. Sabonis will prove this year that he is one of the top players in the NBA.
CJ McCollum at 27
Remember the Zach LaVine stat line I gave you earlier? Compare that to CJ McCollum’s 22.2 PPG, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. So, according to ESPN, a player with worse stats, is 29 spots higher than a guy with better stats? I know what you’re thinking, McCollum made the playoffs. The Trail Blazers BARELY made the playoffs, beating Memphis for the 8th seed by a game. Damian Lillard absolutely carried that Portland team to the playoffs in the Bubble, as he averaged 37, compared to McCollum’s 20 PPG on 41% shooting in the Bubble. This spot is way too high for McCollum, and I don’t see how ESPN can picture his game this much next season where we will see him as the 27th best player in the league.
Chris Paul at 15
Remember, this list is ESPN predictions for the top 100 players, not the top players from 2019-2020. Chris Paul is 35 years old, and is only going to regress. Thinking he is going to have a better season than players like Kyrie Irving (25), Bradley Beal (22), and Paul George (20), is just wrong. They even have him above his new teammate, Devin Booker (17). Booker is without a doubt the number 1 option in Phoenix, so why does ESPN think Chris Paul is going to have a better season than him? Blows my mind.
Zion Williamson at 19
I’m sure many of you have seen this one, as it is going around social media. Zion Williamson will not be the 19th best player in the league next season, plain and simple. Although he played very well offensively while on a minute restriction in New Orleans, there are still so many things he has to work on before he becomes a top 10 or 20 player. For example, he was not good on defense. In 76 Bubble minutes, Zion did not record one block or steal. Also, the Pelicans allowed 26 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor than without him. I do believe he will work on his defense, but I don’t see him figuring it out next season. I would put him in the 30-40 range right now.
Top 10
Damian Lillard at 7, Steph Curry at 8
No. ABSOLUTELY not. Love or hate him, Steph Curry is better than Damian Lillard. Steph Curry is the best shooter of all time, along with being arguably a top 3 point guard of all time. I really have nothing to say else to say about this, the disrespect of Steph Curry is insanity. These two should be flipped.
Kawhi Leonard at 5, Kevin Durant at 6
I think people forgot just how dominant KD is. Yes, Kawhi is maybe the best perimeter defender in the NBA, but KD is no slouch on defense, either. His length and athleticism makes it very difficult to score on him. I think it’s clear to say Durant is better on offense, too. Also with Leonard missing one out of almost every 4 games for rest, I’m not sure how they could say Kawhi will be more successful next season, even with Durant coming off injury. Give me Leonard at at 6, Durant at 5.
There were many more rankings I could’ve spotlighted, but I decided to cut ESPN some slack today. This list is so bad, and I encourage everyone to go check out the list themselves, if you need a good chuckle.