2016-17 NBA preseason player rankings: 20-11
As part of our 2016-17 season preview, theScore's seven NBA editors each ranked their top-30 players heading into the new year. Here are the results of that collaboration.
Related: 30-21
20. Klay Thompson
The knock on Thompson has always been that as a pure spot-up shooter, he's buoyed by the team around him and can't carry an offense.
Perhaps, but he also averaged more pull-up attempts per game last season (4.1) than ball-dominant players like Tony Parker, Rudy Gay, and Danilo Gallinari, and he looked just fine as a focal point with Stephen Curry hurt for stretches of the playoffs.
Bottom line: Thompson has become one of the league's most efficient high-volume scorers while often expending energy defending the opposing team's best guard.
19. Damian Lillard
From the two-way perimeter play of Thompson, we move to the pure offensive brilliance of Lillard.
The 26-year-old's defensive ineptitude is well-documented, but there are maybe five-to-10 players alive who can score as efficiently as Lillard does while also shouldering the offensive burden he's asked to carry.
18. John Wall
Wall has shaken off early concerns regarding his durability and shooting by suiting up for 238 of a possible 246 games over the past three seasons, averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals during that time, knocking down 33.8 percent of his 3-point attempts along the way.
Couple that production with All-Defensive Team potential and you have one of the NBA's most complete guards.
17. LaMarcus Aldridge
Don't let his suppressed numbers in pass-happy San Antonio fool you. Aldridge is still capable of carrying a team on any given night, is one of the few modern stars who can torch a defense from the mid-range area, and is an underrated post defender.
If it's truly not working out with the Spurs, a rival contender could take quite the leap by betting on Aldridge.
16. Paul Millsap
One of the game's most complete big men - and one perfectly suited for the modern game - there was a time, not too long ago, when Millsap was the league's most underrated star.
| Multiple 15-8-3-1-1 seasons in last 10 yrs | No. |
|---|---|
| Josh Smith | 6 |
| Kevin Garnett | 2 |
| DeMarcus Cousins | 2 |
| Paul Millsap | 2 |
That shouldn't be the case in 2016. Millsap is a three-time All-Star, a reigning All-Defensive Team member, and should command maximum offers if he chooses to test free agency again next summer.
15. Karl-Anthony Towns
A 20-year-old sophomore being labeled a top-15 superstar might jar some people, but it shouldn't.
Towns enjoyed one of the finest rookie seasons we've seen, is already a two-way force, and might be a more dynamic all-around big than Anthony Davis - a possibility that seemed ludicrous when The Brow broke into the league.
With more eyes focused on Minnesota for the first time in a generation, and with a Timberwolves team built to start winning next week, Towns' place among the game's best won't seem all that silly soon enough.
14. Jimmy Butler
Butler's evolution into a legitimate superstar and the face of the Bulls has been one of the most enjoyable storylines of the last couple years.
The two-time All-Star has averaged 20.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, four assists, and 1.7 steals over the last two seasons, adding his second and third All-Defensive Team selections.
Outside of LeBron James and Paul George, it's tough to think of a player forced to carry more of a two-way load than Butler, who's averaged a league-leading 38.1 minutes per game over the last three years. His body has paid the price, as the 27-year-old missed 47 games during that time.
13. Draymond Green
Teams can talk about playing small, position-less basketball with the lineup versatility the Warriors have popularized perfected, but unless you have a Green-type player at the center of it all, it's a fool's errand.
The All-NBA big man can run and initiate an offense with his ball-handling and passing. He shot nearly 39 percent from deep last season, competently defends all five positions, and crashes the glass like a traditional big.
12. Blake Griffin
A healthy Griffin, for all the criticism he's endured, is an undeniable top-10 talent. One of the strongest players in the game, Griffin can bully his way to the rim or use his evolving post repertoire to get around defenders. He can also run the offense as a point-forward, and is trying to extend his range beyond the arc.
But since appearing in 308 of 312 games to begin his career, Griffin has missed 62 contests over the last two seasons, and that can't be ignored when evaluating his rank among the game's absolute best.
11. Kyle Lowry
Lowry averaged better than 21 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two steals last season. The only other active players who've put together such seasons at any point in their careers are LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, and Stephen Curry, so it's no surprise Lowry finished top 10 in virtually every all-encompassing statistical ranking last year.
If it's consistency you're looking for, there are only a handful of players who've been unquestionably better than Lowry over the past three seasons, during which time his Raptors have won 153 games.