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ESPN’s top 25 players under 25:

1. Victor Wembanyama
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Paolo Banchero
4. Franz Wagner
5. Chet Holmgren
6. Tyrese Haliburton
7. Tyrese Maxey
8. Evan Mobley
9. Jalen Williams
10. Alperen Sengun
11. Scottie Barnes
12. LaMelo Ball
13. Cade Cunningham
14. Darius Garland
15. Brandon Miller
16. Zion Williamson
17. Jalen Johnson
18. Jalen Suggs
19. Dereck Lively
20. Jalen Green
21. Tyler Herro
22. Amen Thompson
23. Dyson Daniels
24. Tari Eason
25. Bilal Coulibaly

Banchero was the number one pick in 2022.

Sengun was picked in 2021.

Yeah. Sloppy work here. Banchero is highlighted and presumably one of the 'five' but wasn't in the 2021 draft class.

Otherwise I don't see what the point of this thread is. Are folks supposed to be surprised by this ranking?

Snakebites wrote:Banchero was the number one pick in 2022.

Sengun was picked in 2021.

Fixed, thanks.

Invictus88 wrote:Yeah. Sloppy work here. Banchero is highlighted and presumably one of the 'five' but wasn't in the 2021 draft class.

Otherwise I don't see what the point of this thread is. Are folks supposed to be surprised by this ranking?

I'm not, but some of his stans might be.

The only one I could see as a point of contention is Haliburton, who has struggled mightily at the end of the last season and the start of this one. He has worse stats than Cade does this year and their records are virtually the same this year.

It really comes down to whether you view his recent play as an abberation that he'll recover from or a downward spiral. Lamelo has been playing out of his mind this year, so that tells me this list is factoring in injury history and team success. Both of which weigh against Cade heavily.

It's not a great spot for him to be in but I think it's fair.

Laimbeer wrote:

Invictus88 wrote:Yeah. Sloppy work here. Banchero is highlighted and presumably one of the 'five' but wasn't in the 2021 draft class.

Otherwise I don't see what the point of this thread is. Are folks supposed to be surprised by this ranking?

I'm not, but some of his stans might be.

Okay. So you didn't add any opinion or commentary in the original post to give context. Can I conclude you purposely posted this to surprise / provoke some of his 'stans' then?

Cade puts up great "raw" stats but he's bad when it comes to TS% (being able to score well) and he leads the league in TOs. He isn't known for his defense and his teams have been garbage since he's been here. He hasn't been a floor raiser.

I think Cade still has a decent chance to be #1 from his draft class but I wouldn't blame anyone for having him #4 or #5 at the moment.

Yeah Cade flat out has to be more efficient and stop the silly TOs

That’s been the case though

Alternate title: Cade Cunningham ranked higher than Darius Garland, Brandon Miller, and Zion Williamson

I think there's an argument for Sengun and Wagner both being more impactful players at the moment. Mobley is good but his case is helped by being on a much better team. Barnes and Cade I'd put in a similar tier.

They are all still not in their primes yet which is scary.

Jalen Williams is ranked so high wow

Arguably, Ivey or Duren should have Amen's spot.

Uncle Mxy wrote:Arguably, Ivey or Duren should have Amen's spot.

I know he's coming off the bench, but Amen Thompson has been one of the best defenders in the league this year. I think he's deserving his spot based on his impact on winning/losing.

bstein14 wrote:

Uncle Mxy wrote:Arguably, Ivey or Duren should have Amen's spot.

I know he's coming off the bench, but Amen Thompson has been one of the best defenders in the league this year. I think he's deserving his spot based on his impact on winning/losing.

I didn't mean that about Amen specifically, just that position in the "top 25 under 25" list. I suspect if either were on a .500 team like Houston was last year, they'd be in the twentysomething range.

I don't think our destiny is really particularly different if we have any of these other players in Cade's draft class instead of him. It might be worse in a few cases. I don't think the ceiling is really any higher with any of them, though, with the current roster.
Cade's a top 50 player in the league - our only one. We're only going to be so good until that changes.

I guess I should folow up that he's also our only top 100 player ... which is also an issue.

The career wreck, historic, losing of last season is going to require monumental proof for any Puston to get rid of that stench.
Our players have to start winning games before anyone will bat and eye over them.

Thanks Monte/Weaver/Gores, thanks a lot.

Cade just named Player of the Week

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/awards/by-type/Player-Of-The-Week/30

Uncle Mxy wrote:

bstein14 wrote:

Uncle Mxy wrote:Arguably, Ivey or Duren should have Amen's spot.

I know he's coming off the bench, but Amen Thompson has been one of the best defenders in the league this year. I think he's deserving his spot based on his impact on winning/losing.

I didn't mean that about Amen specifically, just that position in the "top 25 under 25" list. I suspect if either were on a .500 team like Houston was last year, they'd be in the twentysomething range.

If they were on a .500 team, that probably means they aren't playing. I can't think of a .500 or better team that would give either significant minutes.