Yesterday, ESPN released the first half of their annual top 100 players ranking. It’s a tradition that usually ends the same way almost every time: with controversy and criticisms from fans who can’t help but disagree.
This year gave us an especially debatable list, and fans came ready to flame the network for it.
Today, ESPN released the second half of their list, featuring players ranked 50-1 and, as you might have guessed, it was no better than the one before it.
As people flooded the comments, a common theme emerged regarding Zion Williamson, who many felt was ranked way too high (at 19) given his limited experience.
Our NBA rank continues 👀
No. 50 down to No. 11 ➡️ https://t.co/5qMPvMLqLH (ESPN+) pic.twitter.com/AOXzRIEHP3
— ESPN (@espn) December 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/SASBurnerAcct/status/1336681402335686657https://twitter.com/WamiWaynwiedWo/status/1336679964691861504https://twitter.com/bron_brow/status/1336680097525293056
Zion at 19? You guys are casuals!
— Garrett Whitlock Truther (@W0lfSzn0) December 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/J_Norris21/status/1336684147889348611
zion played less games in the nba than his ranking……… espn continues to be a joke and push out bad content. this is laughable. the entire list is laughable.
— TheRealSigmund (@The_RealSigmund) December 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/abasketballgod/status/1336682877229162499https://twitter.com/LeBrow2020/status/1336683314288189440https://twitter.com/E5gaQq4/status/1336682379273007106
Despite having just played in 24 games last season, ESPN put Zion above some pretty big-name stars like Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
As we’ve pointed out before, the list by ESPN was written by a panel who were making predictions on the upcoming season, no so much rating them as they are now.
Today, Zion has yet to prove he’s on a star level, but that could change before the end of the new, upcoming season. Before the bubble, Williamson was absolutely dominant, shredding opponents and helping the Pelicans earn a net rating of plus-10.4 while he was on the floor.
If he can continue that trend into this campaign, he might just earn that spot in the ranking. More importantly, he might also lead the Pelicans back to the playoffs.
