This will be Part II of a 10-part series ranking the top 100 players in the NBA for the 2024-25 season.
A few things to note before I start:
- This is a projective list of what I think will happen this upcoming NBA season.
- Does track record matter? Absolutely. Does last year matter? It matters the most. This list is based on what the players have shown they can do during the previous two or three years and how much it will carry over to this upcoming year.
- My criteria are simple: if I am building my team to win a championship, who do I want on my team? This is factoring in talent, availability, and how much I can trust you in the playoffs. It is a projective list in a vacuum, but I also tend to give a little bit of a boost to guys who have proven they can come up big in the playoffs.
- This is a ceiling-raising, not a floor-raising list. In other words, I am prioritizing players who can make a good team great, rather than a bad team good.
Click here for the rest of Driscoll’s Top 100.
Without further ado, here are the Top 90-81 players for the 2024-25 season.
90. D’Angelo Russell
2023-24 Stats: 18 PPG, 6.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 41.5% 3P%, 58.8% TS%
I think that Russell is relatively underrated. Call me crazy, but a guy who is an elite three-point shooter and plays the pick-and-roll well is an ideal fit next to LeBron James. Sure, he could be better at defense and in the playoffs, but despite what Laker fans think, there are not many better options at point guard than Russell. I’m not sure what the Lakers’ ceiling is, but I would be surprised if they are worse than they were last year, assuming everyone stays healthy.
89. Austin Reaves
2023-24 Stats: 15.9 PPG, 5.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 36.7% 3P%, 61.3% 3P%
Russell’s teammate comes in right after him. These two are interchangeable, but I give the edge to Reaves because you can plug him into more systems. He is a great shooter, is solid off the ball, and, though not great at defense, is better than Russell. The Lakers’ ceiling probably is not that high with either Reaves or Russell as the third option, but both are great fourth options.
88. Immanuel Quickley
2023-24 Stats: 17 PPG, 4.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 39.5% 3P%, 57.7% TS%
The other piece of the OG Anunoby trade comes in at No. 88. Quickley is one of the harder players in the NBA to rank. When the Knicks played solid at the beginning of the season, a lot of his fans said he should have received more playing time. Then, when he was traded, he played pretty well in his new role in Toronto. Even if his team did not win a lot, he was still pretty solid. I have very few expectations for the Raptors this year, but if they overachieve, Quickley will be the main reason why.
Immanuel Quickley is Averaging 7 APG As a Raptor.
Playmaking Leap Next Season🙏 pic.twitter.com/284Pjwt0lc
— MVP4 (@UTD_m4) July 7, 2024
87. Clint Capela
2023-24 Stats: 11.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.5 BPG, 0.6 SPG, 57.1% FG%, 59.0% TS%
Did you know that Capela just turned 30 in May of this year? Capela feels older than that, and for the most part, he has been the same player for the past few years. He is an elite rim defender who is pretty limited offensively outside of being one of the best lob catchers in the league. Capela is also extremely efficient, but he had his least efficient season since his rookie year. He is not in a good situation by any stretch. He could be a solid role player on a championship team in the right situation, but he is not in that situation now.
86. Jalen Johnson
2023-24 Stats: 16 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 51.1% FG%, 58.4% TS%
Johnson’s role more than doubled last year. In 2023, he played 14.9 minutes per game, and in 2024, he played 33.7 minutes per game. Johnson also significantly improved his three-ball, jumping from 28.8 percent to 35.5 percent. Similar to the Raptors, I also have very few expectations for the Hawks, but Johnson should continue to develop and be a super solid NBA player.
85. Jalen Suggs
2023-24 Stats: 12.6 PPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 39.7% 3P%
One of the best guard defenders in the NBA comes in at No. 85. People give all the credit in the world for the Magic’s success to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jamahl Mosley, but their role players deserve a ton of flowers as well. Their defense is what got them so far, and Suggs was one of the main guys leading it. Even though he is also an elite three-point shooter, I would like to see his playmaking improve. If he became a solid playmaker with everything else involved in his game, he could become one of the better point guards in the East.
Jalen Suggs triple, Paolo Banchero assist pic.twitter.com/cAc06RUFMV
— The Magic Way (@MagicFilmRoom) October 10, 2024
84. Anfernee Simons
2023-24 Stats: 22.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 38.5% 3P%, 56.8% TS%
At No. 84, we have a player who is the complete opposite of Suggs. Simons is super solid on offense. He is a great three-point shooter and has underrated playmaking abilities. Per BBall Index, he was in the 96th percentile in Box Creation (a method measured for creating opportunities for teammates). However, both his injuries and his extremely poor defensive abilities move him down so low. He has not played over 70 games since 2020. The Blazers are going to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this year, so seeing what Simons can do in this situation will be interesting, to say the least.
83. Collin Sexton
2023-24 Stats: 18.7 PPG, 4.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 39.7% 3P%, 60.7% TS%
The Jazz’s second option, Sexton very quietly had a super solid season last year. First off, he played 78 games last year. He had not played over 65 since his rookie season in 2019. In addition, he was solid offensively, being a pretty solid number 2 next to Lauri Markkanen, However, similar to a lot of the guys at the back of this list, he is one of the poorer defenders in the NBA. The Jazz are clearly in rebuild mode now. I am not sure if Sexton is in the team’s future, but watching him play this year could very well be a showcase for other teams that might be interested in him.
82. Isaiah Hartenstein
2023-24 Stats: 7.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 64.4% FG%, 67% TS%
Hartenstein is the textbook definition of someone who does everything that is not on the box score. He is an awesome rim defender and an even better post defender. Hartenstein played awesome defense on Joel Embiid in the playoffs last year. He will be with a brand new team this year. Oklahoma City is very well constructed, and it will be interesting to watch how he guards most teams’ big men while Chet Holmgren plays the “roamer” role. Their defense was elite last year; it will be even better this year because of Hartenstein.
Isaiah Hartenstein vs San Antonio Spurs highlights
4 PTS
8 REB
7 AST
17 MIN
+20Included a lot of actions that don’t show up in the box score. It’s refreshing to have a big man with this kind of skillset. Feel like it’s going to unlock alot more depth in our guard play aswell. pic.twitter.com/aBrioA3M4w
— 𝐙 (@homahoops) October 9, 2024
81. Marcus Smart
2023-24 Stats: 14.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, 2.1 SPG
2022-23 Stats: 11.5 PPG, 6.3 APG, 1.5 SPG
Marcus Smart only played 20 games last season, which is why I also included his stats from the season prior. In addition to his injury, this was Smart’s first year with a new team where his role was not really clear. Now that he has been in the locker room for a full year with his new team (and is hopefully fully healthy), he will be much better. In addition, I am also predicting the Grizzlies to be a top contender in the Western Conference this year. Smart’s leadership will be a top reason for their success.
Conclusion
This was an interesting group of guys, and it will only get more interesting from here on out.
Main Image Credit:
