The ESPN top 100 list isn’t a definitive ranking of players in the NBA, but it is used as sort of a barometer to see who is good and who isn’t. It is the sort of list that everyone looks at and bases their own opinions on. Most of the time, the lists are fairly well rounded, and most rankings are fair. However, some fans have griped at the inclusion of certain players while excluding others from that list.
As fans, people are always going to root for their favorite players to be on the list. It is only natural that we support the players that we watch. However, sometimes they have a point: there were some interesting omissions on the ESPN top 100 list, some of which were strange, to say the least. Here, we bring the best players who didn’t make it.
10. Al Horford
Season Stats: 11.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.0 APG
Al Horford is a 5-time All-Star who was given a big contract by the Philadelphia 76ers to lure him away from Boston at the end of the 2018-19 season. Obviously, Al Horford took the money and went to Philadelphia, but his fit on the roster next to two subpar floor spacers wasn’t the best, and he seemed a step slower on the defensive end. Combine that with the contract, and the public perception of Al Horford has shifted to a negative one. While he is overpaid, Al Horford is still a capable player.
Hearing some reporters talk about Al Horford this year might make you think that he was abysmal. However, Al Horford shot 4.2 3PT shots a game, and made 35% of them in the 2019-20 season, meaning that he was a passable floor spacer for the 76ers. He is taking 1.2 more attempts as well, up from 3.0 last season. The 76ers envisioned Al Horford as a passable floor spacer for their other big men: he is okay, but not great. While Horford had a down season on a roster where he didn’t fit, he ranked 37th in last season’s ESPN top 100 last season. His decline did not warrant a drop out of the top 100, but a ranking far below 37th would have been warranted.
9. Collin Sexton
Season Stats: 20.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 SPG
Collin Sexton is a player who has his flaws. He gets tunnel vision. Sexton is a small scoring point guard with subpar assist numbers. He was also on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were the worst team in the league. While a team record can tell us a lot about a player, a top 100 list should be based on individual ability. Perhaps it was the fact that Sexton was on a losing team that brought down his standing with ESPN. Regardless of their justification, it seems strange to leave a talented scoring point guard off of the top 100 rankings.
Collin Sexton is a score-first point guard with little regard for passing. Playmaking can come with time, and as the game slows down for him at the NBA level he could become a better passer. Sexton averaged a healthy 20.8 PPG and 38.0% from the 3PT line while sharing the floor with other good players like Andre Drummond. Someone who can score this efficiently shouldn’t have been left off the rankings, but perhaps Sexton can show us why ESPN should have included his name in their list.
8. Julius Randle
Season Stats: 19.5 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.1 APG
Julius Randle is a good player, but he needs to make some glaring improvements to his game. Randle has the tendency to dominate the ball and be a black hole on offense: his contribution to the team relies on his inside game rather than shooting and setting up his teammates. Randle can put up amazing stats on the box score, but the team won’t necessarily be good. His defense is also not the best, due to him being undersized for a big man.
While Randle isn’t a perfect player, he is still a good player. Randle averaged 19.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG which shows his impact as a scorer and on the boards. While he isn’t a capable playmaker and is undersized for a big man, Randle still had a stellar season. Randle could yet be unleashed in a system that could utilize his talent, and if he works on his playmaking out of the inside, he could become even better. Randle had a solid year and should have made the rankings, but he would be very close to the bottom.
7. Evan Fournier
Season Stats: 18.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.1 SPG
Evan Fournier isn’t a well-known name among NBA fans. Perhaps it is because he plays for a bottom playoff seed team like the Orlando Magic. Or maybe he isn’t as flashy. Evan Fournier is a solid fundamental shooting guard who can do all the things asked of him on the offensive end. Fournier isn’t the best scorer but he is still very good. He would be an elite piece on a contender while not dominating the scoring. Fournier has to score on the Orlando Magic though, as their offense isn’t particularly notable.
While Fournier shouldn’t be even in the top 50 of the ESPN list, he certainly is one of the best 100 players in the league. Fournier was an elite shooter this season (39.9% from 3PT) and averaged 18.5 PPG while being the second-best offensive weapon on a weak playoffs team. While that isn’t anything to write home about, Fournier deserves to be recognized for his season despite being on a middling playoff team.
6. Devonte’ Graham
Season Stats: 18.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.0 SPG
Devonte’ Graham isn’t a household name yet. But he could be in the future. This season Graham had a huge breakout season. Graham improved in almost every category this season, becoming a high-tier shooter off the dribble, and being a big source of offense for the Hornets. Graham improved at an expedited rate, which is a huge boon for the Hornets. Based on last season, Graham deserved to be on the rankings, as he was the best player on last year’s Hornets team and showed solid playmaking for his teammates while bombing threes from downtown. His defense could use heavy work, but his offense is built for the modern game.
Graham is a great NBA player on the offensive end. The Hornets’ offense was so stagnant, they had Graham taking 9.3 3PT shots a game. He made 37.3% of them and averaged 18.2 PPG. While people lament his efficiency overall, it makes sense that it would be lower since the majority of his shots are 3PT attempts. Graham is severely underrated and was in the talks for Most Improved Player during the 2019-20 season, finishing fifth in the voting. If you’re in those talks then you’ve probably caught some eyes around the league. Surely, being a candidate for Most Improved Player warrants selection in the top 100.
5. Andrew Wiggins
Season Stats: 21.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 BPG
Andrew Wiggins has been in the league for a while now. People expected Wiggins to be one of the best prospects coming out of college due to his athleticism: perhaps those expectations are overblown. Andrew Wiggins isn’t a superstar, but he is still a good scorer. Wiggins can be an athletic wing that slashes to the basket while having a passable jumper. Wiggins was scoring 20.0 PPG or more in a system that didn’t quite fit his talents. The Timberwolves asked Andrew Wiggins to be a playmaker for his teammates during his time there, but that’s not this strength. Wiggins’ strength is simply scoring the ball and worrying about nothing else.
People paint Wiggins as being a high volume scorer who is inefficient, but he has never been the No. 1 option on a team. The volume of shots that he takes is similar to most second scoring options on contending teams. Wiggins could easily become a productive and winning player on the Warriors, and his time on a winning culture should help him make the list next year.
4. Lou Williams
Season Stats: 18.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 5.6 APG
Lou Williams is one of the players whose omission from the rankings is blasphemous to many NBA fans. Most people who watch the NBA would agree that Williams is one of the most productive 6th men in the league, and someone who can contribute through scoring and playmaking. Williams won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2019. In 2020 his numbers slightly dropped, but that was due to a slightly smaller role on the scoring end because of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Even with those two around, Williams managed to average 18.2 PPG even with two stars in town: that speaks to his ability as a scorer.
While Williams isn’t the best on defense, that is not his role on a team. Williams is passable against guards and on the perimeter, but he is never going to be a lockdown defender. His offense makes up for subpar defense, and his role on offense coming off the bench allows for further mitigation of his defensive flaws. As one of the best bench players in the league, it is simply crazy that Williams didn’t meet the requirements to be a top 100 player.
3. Kelly Oubre Jr.
Season Stats: 18.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 SPG
In NBA circles, Kelly Oubre Jr. is known for his good looks, but he should also be known for being a pretty decent basketball player. Last season on the Phoenix Suns, he had himself a breakout season as a scoring two-way wing. Oubre Jr. is a good slasher to the rim who provides elite defense on top of that. With the Warriors acquiring him this season, he is one of the people slated to help carry the scoring load on the Warriors. While Oubre Jr. is a passable shooter that isn’t his forte. If Oubre Jr. is allowed to spend ample time on the ball for the Warriors, then we can expect a great season.
While Oubre Jr. is a bit of a meme, he is also a very capable basketball player. There is a reason that the Warriors acquired him in the wake of Klay Thompson’s devastating injury. Oubre Jr. can be a star in this league who deserves to be on the top 100 list. Hopefully, he will prove ESPN not putting him on the list as a wrong decision this upcoming season.
2. Andre Drummond
Season Stats: 17.7 PPG, 15.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG
Andre Drummond is the best rebounder in the league. That is an undisputed fact. During his career, Drummond has won four rebounding titles and garnered two All-Star nods and one All-NBA selection. He is a former All-Star in the midst of his prime, who is averaging amazing rebounding numbers, with 4.4 offensive rebounds in a game. Offensive rebounds create more scoring opportunities for his teammates. Drummond is also a pretty good defender overall, averaging 1.9 SPG and 1.6 BPG on the season. What’s surprising is that Andre Drummond was actually better at stealing the ball than blocking shots this season, not something we usually expect from a center.
If Andre Drummond was on a good team for the last few years, he would have had a lot more All-NBA and All-Star selections, while getting the recognition he deserves. Despite the Pistons never truly competing, Drummond has played in the playoffs and is an underrated defender due to playing on bad teams for most of his career. Drummond could have an elite bounce-back season and remind people why he is an All-Star caliber center.
1. Derrick Rose
Season Stats: 18.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 5.6 APG
Derrick Rose is a former MVP who has entered a sort of renaissance during this late stage of his career. Rose has become one of the best 6th men in the league and acts as a spark plug scorer off the bench while playing with the starting lineup during crunch time situations. That is a perfect role for Rose, as it utilized his shot-making abilities when they are needed the most while preserving his body to prevent injury. While his averages aren’t stat popping, it is more about his impact.
Rose’s per 36 numbers for the season were 25.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 7.7 APG, and if he could have played more minutes he might have had similar stats to his MVP season. While per 36 numbers aren’t a completely accurate depiction of how Rose would perform as a starter, they show the impact that he’s had in the limited minutes he played. Rose’s impact as a 6th man scorer was the lone bright spot on a middling Pistons team, so it seems like Rose should at least be somewhere within the top 100. It seems as if ESPN highly underrated scoring 6th men such as Rose, but his impact on the Pistons should have placed him firmly within their list.
ESPN 2020-2021 NBA Top 100:
100. Joe Harris
99. Marcus Morris Sr
98. Otto Porter Jr
97. Derrick White
96. Marc Gasol
95. LaMarcus Aldridge
94. Jarrett Allen
93. Ricky Rubio
92. Mitchell Robinson
91. Seth Curry
90. Patrick Beverley
89. Joe Ingles
88. Jerami Grant
87. Buddy Hield
86. Brook Lopez
85. Danilo Gallinari
84. John Collins
83. Dejounte Murray
82. DeMar DeRozan
81. John Wall
80. Josh Richardson
79. Dennis Schroder
78. Aaron Gordon
77. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
76. Montrezl Harrell
75. Duncan Robinson
74. Myles Turner
73. Bojan Bogdanovic
72. PJ Tucker
71. Mike Conley
70. Steven Adams
69. D’Angelo Russell
68. OG Anunoby
67. Eric Bledsoe
66. Serge Ibaka
65. Blake Griffin
64. Kevin Love
63. TJ Warren
62. Bogdan Bogdanovic
61. Davis Bertans
60. Robert Covington
59. Tyler Herro
58. Goran Dragic
57. Tobias Harris
56. Zach LaVine
55. Christian Wood
54. Lonzo Ball
53. Jusuf Nurkic
52. Deandre Ayton
51. Michael Porter Jr
50. Domantas Sabonis
49. Spencer Dinwiddie
48. Kemba Walker
47. Victor Oladipo
46. Caris LeVert
45. Gordon Hayward
44. Draymond Green
43. Jaren Jackson Jr
42. Nikola Vucevic
41. Kristaps Porzingis
40. Fred VanVleet
39. Malcolm Brogdon
38. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
37. Marcus Smart
36. Russell Westbrook
35. Khris Middleton
34. De’Aaron Fox
33. Jrue Holiday
32. Jaylen Brown
31. Ja Morant
30. Kyle Lowry
29. Trae Young
28. Brandon Ingram
27. CJ McCollum
26. Rudy Gobert
25. Kyrie Irving
24. Pascal Siakam
23. Karl-Anthony Towns
22. Bradley Beal
21. Jamal Murray
20. Paul George
19. Zion Williamson
18. Donovan Mitchell
17. Devin Booker
16. Ben Simmons
15. Chris Paul
14. Joel Embiid
13. Bam Adebayo
12. Jimmy Butler
11. Jayson Tatum
10. Nikola Jokic
9. James Harden
8. Stephen Curry
7. Damian Lillard
6. Kevin Durant
5. Kawhi Leonard
4. Luka Doncic
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Anthony Davis
1. LeBron James
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