Is the little guy a top 20 player in the NBA

[Donoghus]

This season, he is.

[Granath]

This list has him 24th in trade value:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/ranking-curry-lebron-harden-top-50-nba-players/story?id=36990635

Trade value is not the same thing as pure skill but on the whole the list is probably pretty close. Some guys lower on the list are almost certainly better players - Blake Griffin, Aldridge - but that's balanced out by players with cheaper contracts and more potential in ranked front of IT (Porzingis, Towns).

Not bad for a crappy late 1st round pick. 

[danglertx]

I'm shocked by some of the names people are throwing out there.  Paul Milsap?  The 4 is probably the easiest position to fill in the NBA.   People are throwing out injured players, old guys, and everything else.  IT is an all-star on a good contract when Enes Cantor is making max money.  Have people seen Ibaka play this year?  He is a shell of IBlocka.

There are times when IT can be a defensive liability, but for the most part, there are very few teams with two guards on the floor at a time that can post up well enough to make IT a liability.

[PhoSita]

The 4 is actually a really hard spot to fill with a highly productive two-way player these days.

[Chris22]

I don't know where IT ranks, but he does some things that I have never seen anyone do, and I have been watching pro basketball for 45 years.

[loco_91]

TP, good question. Another interesting question is: is IT a top-5 player in the star-starved East? There are only four players who are obviously much better than IT:

Lebron, Lowry, George, Butler (edit forgot Butler)

and I'd say his strongest competition for the #5 slot is

DeRozan, Love, Irving, Horford.

In any event IT is easily top-10 in the East, and there is an argument to be made for him at #5 (although I'd probably slot him at #8-9 myself).

IT has had a phenomenal season. He is the inch-for-inch champion of the NBA.

[danglertx]

The 4 is actually a really hard spot to fill with a highly productive two-way player these days.

I disagree.  Even bad teams have good 4s.  I can't think of a lot of teams who don't have a serviceable power forward.  Lee was jettisoned for nothing and he is pulling down double doubles.

[Rosco917]

IT has made me a believer. When he got here, I had a preconceived notion of what he was all about. Man was I wrong. For a burst of energy, and instant scoring, few others can hang with the little guy.

I don't think I've ever seen a player so physically tested night in and night out, like he is. He's always being knocked to hardwood, after driving the ball into the tree's to score a needed basket. Or being knocked down at the 3 point line.

IT just keeps on ticking!

[mctyson]

No

....and it doesn't matter

[Celtics18]

My favorite comparative ranking system for NBA players is BBallReference's VORP (value over replacement player).  I find the name to be stupid, and I have no idea how they formulate the numbers, but I'be found it to coincide the most with how I see players' respective values to their teams.  One of my co-gms in the DKC (I think it was MarinadeinRA) turned me onto it.

Anyway, here is their top twenty by VORP:

1.  Steph Curry
2.  Russell Westbrook
3.  Lebron James
4.  Kyle Lowry
5.  James Harden
6.  Kevin Durant
7.  Kawhi Leonard
8.  Chris Paul
9.  Draymond Green
10.  Paul George
11.  Paul Millsap
12.  Damian Lillard
13.  Kemba Walker
14.   Al Horford
15.  John Wall
16.  Pau Gasol
17.  Jimmy Butler
18.  Isaiah Thomas
19.  Deandre Jordan
20.  Gordon Hayward

That seems about right to me.  I agree that our Isaiah Thomas is somewhere between the 15th to 20th best player in the league right now.

[Csfan1984]

No

....and it doesn't matter

Exactly. Who cares where he ranks he is a great player on this team. The best guy we got.

[KG Living Legend]

My favorite comparative ranking system for NBA players is BBallReference's VORP (value over replacement player).  I find the name to be stupid, and I have no idea how they formulate the numbers, but I'be found it to coincide the most with how I see players' respective values to their teams.  One of my co-gms in the DKC (I think it was MarinadeinRA) turned me onto it.

Anyway, here is their top twenty by VORP:

1.  Steph Curry
2.  Russell Westbrook
3.  Lebron James
4.  Kyle Lowry
5.  James Harden
6.  Kevin Durant
7.  Kawhi Leonard
8.  Chris Paul
9.  Draymond Green
10.  Paul George
11.  Paul Millsap
12.  Damian Lillard
13.  Kemba Walker
14.   Al Horford
15.  John Wall
16.  Pau Gasol
17.  Jimmy Butler
18.  Isaiah Thomas
19.  Deandre Jordan
20.  Gordon Hayward

That seems about right to me.  I agree that our Isaiah Thomas is somewhere between the 15th to 20th best player in the league right now.

 To Celtics for that. I think he's [dang] close to a top 20 player and this somewhat proves it.

 For the record Steph is not a very good defender, but that doesn't stop him from being by far the best player in the league.

[pearljammer10]

My favorite comparative ranking system for NBA players is BBallReference's VORP (value over replacement player).  I find the name to be stupid, and I have no idea how they formulate the numbers, but I'be found it to coincide the most with how I see players' respective values to their teams.  One of my co-gms in the DKC (I think it was MarinadeinRA) turned me onto it.

Anyway, here is their top twenty by VORP:

1.  Steph Curry
2.  Russell Westbrook
3.  Lebron James
4.  Kyle Lowry
5.  James Harden
6.  Kevin Durant
7.  Kawhi Leonard
8.  Chris Paul
9.  Draymond Green
10.  Paul George
11.  Paul Millsap
12.  Damian Lillard
13.  Kemba Walker
14.   Al Horford
15.  John Wall
16.  Pau Gasol
17.  Jimmy Butler
18.  Isaiah Thomas
19.  Deandre Jordan
20.  Gordon Hayward

That seems about right to me.  I agree that our Isaiah Thomas is somewhere between the 15th to 20th best player in the league right now.

Interesting. I like this.

[Csfan1984]

My favorite comparative ranking system for NBA players is BBallReference's VORP (value over replacement player).  I find the name to be stupid, and I have no idea how they formulate the numbers, but I'be found it to coincide the most with how I see players' respective values to their teams.  One of my co-gms in the DKC (I think it was MarinadeinRA) turned me onto it.

Anyway, here is their top twenty by VORP:

1.  Steph Curry
2.  Russell Westbrook
3.  Lebron James
4.  Kyle Lowry
5.  James Harden
6.  Kevin Durant
7.  Kawhi Leonard
8.  Chris Paul
9.  Draymond Green
10.  Paul George
11.  Paul Millsap
12.  Damian Lillard
13.  Kemba Walker
14.   Al Horford
15.  John Wall
16.  Pau Gasol
17.  Jimmy Butler
18.  Isaiah Thomas
19.  Deandre Jordan
20.  Gordon Hayward

That seems about right to me.  I agree that our Isaiah Thomas is somewhere between the 15th to 20th best player in the league right now.

You want to go by that as a list? There is no Cousins or Anthony Davis

[PhoSita]

The 4 is actually a really hard spot to fill with a highly productive two-way player these days.

I disagree.  Even bad teams have good 4s.  I can't think of a lot of teams who don't have a serviceable power forward.  Lee was jettisoned for nothing and he is pulling down double doubles.

You'll notice I said "two way player."

Many of the most productive 4s are one way players, can't shoot, or both.