RealGM

https://sports.yahoo.com/nbcsports-com-50-best-players-150013844.html

5. Zion
4. Joker
3. Luka
2. AD
1. Giannis

i'd probably have the same 5 but different order

1. Zion
2. Giannis
3. Luka
4. Joker
5. Towns

or Davis at #5, maybe Embiid instead of Davis if he stays healthy.

1. Giannis
2. Luka
3. Joker
4. Embiid
5. Fox

stoo wrote:https://sports.yahoo.com/nbcsports-com-50-best-players-150013844.html

5. Zion
4. Joker
3. Luka
2. AD
1. Giannis

Of that group, I'd anoint Zion's the next face of the NBA.

I remember when Andrew Wiggins was on one of these lists

Just checked out the whole list....

In prediction lists like this where it's so hard to have a definitive argument for a right or wrong answer, I just wish there would atleast be some consistency logically.


Why are Ayton/Bagley so low compared to Jaren Jackson? Why are Wendel carter and Mo Bamba completely excluded, again compared to JJ's 16th place benchmark? (not hating on JJ at all....and not saying he doesn't deserve that spot)
Why are some players getting penalized for an underwhelming year (Markannan), while other's are getting the benefit of the doubt? (J.Brown)

Now, the top 5 is solid, and honestly after Giannis, you can have 2-4 go in any order, with Zion obviously having a great chance to take that number 2 spot as well, though I need to see him play some games first.

Zion will not be top 5 in the next 5 years

Yeah i wouldnt bet on the health of 31y old Embiid and Davis.

Zion has too many questionmarks for top5

We’re gonna look at these lists in 5 years and be like “tf were they thinking”

Porzingis will be on this list if he stays healthy.

“if he (Embiid) can keep the injury woes away, we’ll probably look back wondering how we didn’t put him #1”

You will indeed NBC sports

Zion may never be a top 10 player in the league. His overrating by media and fans alike is staggering to me. This guy projects out somewhere between Julius Randle and Blake Griffin IMO. Sure he may be a more all around player, but I also think offensively he could be more challenged than these two guys even in 5 years due to his size/length. I will be stunned if he's a top 5 player at any point.

stoo wrote:https://sports.yahoo.com/nbcsports-com-50-best-players-150013844.html

5. Zion
4. Joker
3. Luka
2. AD
1. Giannis

Giannis and AD, I agree with.
Joker, okay, I ca give you that.
Luka, not there yet.

Zion? please. Give him at least one season before anointing him a top 5 player.

LakersSoul wrote:

stoo wrote:https://sports.yahoo.com/nbcsports-com-50-best-players-150013844.html

5. Zion
4. Joker
3. Luka
2. AD
1. Giannis

Giannis and AD, I agree with.
Joker, okay, I ca give you that.
Luka, not there yet.

Zion? please. Give him at least one season before anointing him a top 5 player.

No one is anointing anyone, this is a guess for 5 years into the future. If Luka or Zion ever become top 5 players, chances are they are going to be there in 5 years. That's pretty much the start of his peak for Luka, and Zion would be one year away.

Johnny Firpo wrote:

LakersSoul wrote:

stoo wrote:https://sports.yahoo.com/nbcsports-com-50-best-players-150013844.html

5. Zion
4. Joker
3. Luka
2. AD
1. Giannis

Giannis and AD, I agree with.
Joker, okay, I ca give you that.
Luka, not there yet.

Zion? please. Give him at least one season before anointing him a top 5 player.

No one is anointing anyone, this is a guess for 5 years into the future. If Luka or Zion ever become top 5 players, chances are they are going to be there in 5 years. That's pretty much the start of his peak for Luka, and Zion would be one year away.

It's just dumb to blindly put him there before a game, even if it's just a projection. Luka on the other hand has shown every bit of talent to be an MVP caliber player in the future and a realistic top 5 player. He has one of the most complete/mature rookie skillsets we have ever seen and his IQ is off the charts. Nothing about Zion is proven yet. He's an all time ATHLETE who dominates inferior athletes. Let's see how he does in the NBA when he can no longer outrun, out-jump and push people around in the paint. He doesn't have the IQ/handles/playmaking ability that made people so sure about Lebron.

Again it actually isn't even a sure thing that he ends up being better than prime Blake Griffin.

i found some similar lists from 2012 andd 2013 respectively, let's see how they hold up

bleacher report's sam cooper in november 2012
20. greg monroe
19. brandon jennings
18. andrew bynum
17. lamarcus aldridge
16. carmelo anthony
15. deron williams
14. james harden
13. anthony davis
12. rajon rondo
11. damian lillard
10. demarcus cousins
9. blake griffin
8. derrick rose
7. russell westbrook
6. kyrie irving
5. chris paul
4. kevin love
3. dwight howard
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

drew corrigan on uproxx's 15 best in 5 years, from 2013:
15. russell westbrook
14. damian lillard
13. marcus smart
12. julius randle
11. andre drummond
10. blake griffin
9. jabari parker
8. james harden
7. kevin love
6. andrew wiggins
5. kyrie irving
4. paul george
3. anthony davis
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

Kinda weird they are confident enough in AD’s health to put him #2, but use injuries to drop Embiid out of the rankings. Counting playoff games Embiid played more games than AD the last 2 years, despite the B2B rest days and freak orbital fracture.

ClipsFanSince98 wrote:Zion may never be a top 10 player in the league. His overrating by media and fans alike is staggering to me. This guy projects out somewhere between Julius Randle and Blake Griffin IMO. Sure he may be a more all around player, but I also think offensively he could be more challenged than these two guys even in 5 years due to his size/length. I will be stunned if he's a top 5 player at any point.

You are underrating Zion, friend. His projected defensive impact is far greater than Griffin or Randle. If those guys were elite defenders they would be MVP candidates.

Peja Stojakovic wrote:i found some similar lists from 2012 andd 2013 respectively, let's see how they hold up

bleacher report's sam cooper in november 2012
20. greg monroe
19. brandon jennings
18. andrew bynum
17. lamarcus aldridge
16. carmelo anthony
15. deron williams
14. james harden
13. anthony davis
12. rajon rondo
11. damian lillard
10. demarcus cousins
9. blake griffin
8. derrick rose
7. russell westbrook
6. kyrie irving
5. chris paul
4. kevin love
3. dwight howard
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

drew corrigan on uproxx's 15 best in 5 years, from 2013:
15. russell westbrook
14. damian lillard
13. marcus smart
12. julius randle
11. andre drummond
10. blake griffin
9. jabari parker
8. james harden
7. kevin love
6. andrew wiggins
5. kyrie irving
4. paul george
3. anthony davis
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

Classic to have Marcus Smart and Jennings there.

GeorgeMarcus wrote:

ClipsFanSince98 wrote:Zion may never be a top 10 player in the league. His overrating by media and fans alike is staggering to me. This guy projects out somewhere between Julius Randle and Blake Griffin IMO. Sure he may be a more all around player, but I also think offensively he could be more challenged than these two guys even in 5 years due to his size/length. I will be stunned if he's a top 5 player at any point.

You are underrating Zion, friend. His projected defensive impact is far greater than Griffin or Randle. If those guys were elite defenders they would be MVP candidates.

You didn't read my post. He is a better all around player, but likely a worse offensive player. I do not seeing him at peak Blake Griffin level offensively where he's a 25/10/5 type player who is elite in post scoring efficiency, really good with the mid and now 3 point range. Griffin also has amazing handles and court vision for his size. This is proven against the best in the NBA, not small college players he can manhandle at will.

He will be a better defender, but at the NBA level his defense won't be as good IMO due to his lack of length. We've seen it for decades, short armed bigs have trouble defending at the NBA level. If you put him at SF... he's not going to be able to utilize that physicality anyway and could be prone to fouling out often on much longer guys like Kawhi/PG/Giannis/Lebron etc. If you put him in the paint he's not blocking many shots or defending the rim with his size/length.