Top 100 NBA Players (CBS)

[Roy H.]

Other notables:

100.  Grant Williams
58.  Victor Wembanyama
56.  Marcus Smart
14.  Ja Morant
13. Anthony Davis
12.  Lebron James

I know predicting Lebron's demise is de rigueur, but I have a feeling this is the last "elite" year for him.

Not because he won't be as smart, strong, or athletic (even though that is starting to fade) but because I think the miles will finally catch up with him this season and he'll start to break down with injuries.

The older you get, the easier it is to get injured, even if you have Iron Man athleticism and willpower.

If I'm wrong, I will actually truly enjoy seeing a guy his age continue to dominate and play major minutes.

Just ratchet up the roids a touch.  Problem solved.

Haha.  Come on, the only sports where people use PEDs are MLB.  Nothing to see in the NBA, or the NFL, or the NHL, etc., etc.  (Tom Brady was a user!  Book it!)

[Moranis]

So Tatum makes first team All-NBA but is 7th on this list.  It is hard to argue with the list, all the top 7-8 are great players.  But I question Durant over Tatum.  Durant has not been better than Tatum for about 2 seasons.  Why project him as being better than Tatum next season?  Seems like he is being rewarded for past performance.  So is Tatum top 5 or top 10?  What does it matter is my question.

Durant has certainly not been as healthy as Tatum, but statistically he has been better the last 2 seasons. 

Durant 29.5 p, 7.1 r, 5.6 a on a TS% of 65.3
Tatum 28.5 p, 8 4 r, 4.5 a on a TS% of 59.3

Advanced metrics
Durant WS/48 .196, VORP 8.6, BPM 7.2
Tatum WS/48 .177, VORP 10.0, BPM 5.2

Defensively both have been very good

The real difference is Durant playing 102 games verse Tatum playing 150 games, but as to who is better, I think most would take the player that acvounts for more points (both scoring and passing) and does so at a greater efficiency. 

[jambr380]

So Tatum makes first team All-NBA but is 7th on this list.  It is hard to argue with the list, all the top 7-8 are great players.  But I question Durant over Tatum.  Durant has not been better than Tatum for about 2 seasons.  Why project him as being better than Tatum next season?  Seems like he is being rewarded for past performance.  So is Tatum top 5 or top 10?  What does it matter is my question.

Durant has certainly not been as healthy as Tatum, but statistically he has been better the last 2 seasons. 

Durant 29.5 p, 7.1 r, 5.6 a on a TS% of 65.3
Tatum 28.5 p, 8 4 r, 4.5 a on a TS% of 59.3

Advanced metrics
Durant WS/48 .196, VORP 8.6, BPM 7.2
Tatum WS/48 .177, VORP 10.0, BPM 5.2

Defensively both have been very good

The real difference is Durant playing 102 games verse Tatum playing 150 games, but as to who is better, I think most would take the player that acvounts for more points (both scoring and passing) and does so at a greater efficiency.

It's close, but when you factor in playoff success and age, I think Tatum clears him pretty easily. It's not just one fluke year from Tatum - it's two years of making 1st Team All-NBA and going deep in the playoffs. His team was literally swept by Tatum's team in the 1st round.

I also think it's funny that Grant is at #100 on this list and Al isn't on it at all. Is there anybody in the world who would take Grant over Al for this upcoming season? I am sure there are a number of other omissions that Grant shouldn't be over, but that one just made me laugh.

[Vermont Green]

So Tatum makes first team All-NBA but is 7th on this list.  It is hard to argue with the list, all the top 7-8 are great players.  But I question Durant over Tatum.  Durant has not been better than Tatum for about 2 seasons.  Why project him as being better than Tatum next season?  Seems like he is being rewarded for past performance.  So is Tatum top 5 or top 10?  What does it matter is my question.

Durant has certainly not been as healthy as Tatum, but statistically he has been better the last 2 seasons. 

Durant 29.5 p, 7.1 r, 5.6 a on a TS% of 65.3
Tatum 28.5 p, 8 4 r, 4.5 a on a TS% of 59.3

Advanced metrics
Durant WS/48 .196, VORP 8.6, BPM 7.2
Tatum WS/48 .177, VORP 10.0, BPM 5.2

Defensively both have been very good

The real difference is Durant playing 102 games verse Tatum playing 150 games, but as to who is better, I think most would take the player that acvounts for more points (both scoring and passing) and does so at a greater efficiency.

It's close, but when you factor in playoff success and age, I think Tatum clears him pretty easily. It's not just one fluke year from Tatum - it's two years of making 1st Team All-NBA and going deep in the playoffs. His team was literally swept by Tatum's team in the 1st round.

I also think it's funny that Grant is at #100 on this list and Al isn't on it at all. Is there anybody in the world who would take Grant over Al for this upcoming season? I am sure there are a number of other omissions that Grant shouldn't be over, but that one just made me laugh.

I agree on both points.  It is certainly possible that Durant holds up physically and plays a full season but even then, he might only be a tick better than Tatum and maybe not even that.  But what are the odds of that for Durant relative to the odds that Tatum has a good season?  I'll put my money on Tatum.

And yes, Horford, a solid starter all season, a steady contributor in the playoffs, while Grant was up and down and really not all that much help in the playoffs, but now Grant is better than Horford?  I am sure the expectation is that Grant thrives in his new role and that Horford will age another year and decline, but I'll take Horford over Grant, at least for one more season.

[Donoghus]

The season really needs to start....

 

[celticsclay]

As more and more of these lists come out, I don't look like the crazy negative loon, I'm often projected as on here.

What other lists have come out? Don’t pull a muscle patting yourself on the back quite yet. I suspect Tatum will be top 5 on espn and ringer which is what you really hung your hat on
And repeatedly referenced. I’ll give you a bunch of Tommy points if he isn’t on either. But I have never even heard any one mention the cbs rankings before I don’t think. Most of the discussion has been centered around espn, then the ringer and then sports illustrated .

[celticsclay]

The season really needs to start....

 

I agree. Excited to see porzingas

[SHAQATTACK]

Interesting how close they have Smart (#56) and Porzingis (#49).

Smart seems too high to me.  I think he is around 70 and only going to get worse.  That said, I think he has more value to Memphis than he does here, so maybe impact wise that is close to right.

Smart is way too high .  One or two incredible great plays followed  by  a dozen bone head plays just doesn’t equal out in my book.

[Neurotic Guy]

Brown is interesting, considering he was #19 last year.

"The 2022-23 regular season was the best of Jaylen Brown's career, as he averaged career-highs across the board... overshadowed by his showing in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, which was one of the worst stretches of basketball he has ever played"

Surpassed expectations in the regular season, then one bad series and he drops in the ranking.  Had he missed the Miami series with a non-serious minor injury, I wonder where he would have been ranked?

Guys that leapfrogged him:

Haliburton, 53 to 23
Edwards: 32 to 22
Adebayo: 28 to 20
Fox: 57 to 19
Murray: 35 to 18
SGA: 36 to 11


I think it's fair for Murray and SGA to have surpassed him.  Edwards/Haliburton probably have bigger expected jumps built into their projections, which is fair, but still hit or miss.  Bam I'm surprised passed him.

Guys like Embiid and Mitchell certainly didn't shine in the playoffs, but apparently didn't get dinged for it.

And didn’t he make 2nd team all-NBA?

Anyway, of course it’s meaningless.

Two weeks till trading camp. Can’t wait.

[hwangjini_1]

As more and more of these lists come out, I don't look like the crazy negative loon, I'm often projected as on here.

maybe.

 

[Roy H.]

As more and more of these lists come out, I don't look like the crazy negative loon, I'm often projected as on here.

maybe.

 

Right.  CBS writers could be crazy loons, as well!

[celticsclay]

Is it a little crazy to have doncic in a top 5 when he couldn’t even qualify for the play in tourney last year? I get it takes talent and don’t think he needs to win the championships, but I generally think a top 5 player can bring a bunch of college players to the tenth seed.

[tazzmaniac]

Is it a little crazy to have doncic in a top 5 when he couldn’t even qualify for the play in tourney last year? I get it takes talent and don’t think he needs to win the championships, but I generally think a top 5 player can bring a bunch of college players to the tenth seed.

Yep.  I'd put him at #7 behind Tatum. 

[Donoghus]

Is it a little crazy to have doncic in a top 5 when he couldn’t even qualify for the play in tourney last year? I get it takes talent and don’t think he needs to win the championships, but I generally think a top 5 player can bring a bunch of college players to the tenth seed.

Yep.  I'd put him at #7 behind Tatum.

You two agreed on something? Should we commemorate this day?

 

[celticsclay]

Is it a little crazy to have doncic in a top 5 when he couldn’t even qualify for the play in tourney last year? I get it takes talent and don’t think he needs to win the championships, but I generally think a top 5 player can bring a bunch of college players to the tenth seed.

Yep.  I'd put him at #7 behind Tatum.

You two agreed on something? Should we commemorate this day?

 

Me and tazz agree on quite a bit. Only area we have had real different opinions is on Philly