This will be Part 8 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 30-21 players for the 2024-25 season.
30. Karl-Anthony Towns
2023-24 Stats: 21.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 41.6 3P%, 62.5 TS%
The New York Knicks’ new center comes in at No. 30. At the end of the Knicks’ season last year, I said on my podcast that they should not run it back with the same squad and make a couple of trades to improve. They agreed with me because they traded a boatload of draft picks, an All-Star in Julius Randle, and a fan favorite in Donte DiVincenzo for Towns and Mikal Bridges. Though I probably would not have given up as many draft picks for Bridges, making these moves was essential. As elite as Jalen Brunson is, I did not think the Knicks were going anywhere with what they had. You need at least two hardcore, All-Star-caliber players to win a championship. Randle is an All-Star, but he’s not Karl-Anthony Towns.
29. Domantas Sabonis
2023-24 Stats: 19.4 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 8.2 APG, 63.7 TS%
Sabonis has been pretty polarizing the past couple of years. On one hand, many people call him a slightly weaker version of Nikola Jokic in that he can pass, rebound, and score at an extremely efficient rate. However, he is not a great defender, and many wonder if his assists come from helping his teammates or finding lucky, easy passes. The Kings were only about four points better per 100 possessions with Sabonis on the court than off the court. This is solid, but not elite. I decided to put him a little bit lower because I do have some questions about his ability to play in the playoffs, but I’d say anywhere from Nos. 20-32 is probably the right range.
28. Rudy Gobert
2023-24 Stats: 14 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 2.1 BPG, 66.1 TS%.
Perhaps the most disrespected player in the NBA comes in at No. 28. Outside of any Celtic, I have probably been in more arguments about Gobert than any other player. Yes, he is not good at all offensively, but guess what? When you are an all-time great defender, it makes up for a lot of it. When he steps on the court, teams are extremely resistant to taking things inside the paint. And they are smart in doing so because it is nearly impossible to score when Gobert is there. People can say, “Oh, but once you go five out, he isn’t as valuable.” However, not many teams have that ability. Lastly, he is not nearly as bad a perimeter defender as people say. Still, like I said earlier, he has no strengths on offense other than setting screens and offensive rebounding. That is why I can’t put him in the top 25 despite being an all-time great defender.
Breaking: Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves have agreed to a three-year, $110 million contract extension, sources tell @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/ANOF4OKKVn
— ESPN (@espn) October 23, 2024
27. Paolo Banchero
2023-24 Stats: 22.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.9 SPG
Banchero is another polarizing player on this list. On one hand, there are only four players who put up the numbers above that Banchero did. Those players are Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and LeBron James. In addition, he led the Magic to their first playoff appearance since 2020. However, there are many (in my opinion, valid) concerns that people have about him. He was extremely inefficient last year, and the turnovers have been a huge problem. It is not so much his jumper that bothers me, but his shot selection. Once he solves this, he will easily be a top 15-20 player in the NBA.
26. Paul George
2023-24 Stats: 22.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 41.3 3P%, 61.3 TS%
The Sixers’ new No. 3 is up next. Many are calling George washed, but I could not disagree more. Does he have an argument about still being in the top 20? Not much of a good one, but the idea that he completely fell off is wrong. He will be in the smallest role that he has ever been in, so there is a chance that he will get more open shots. With that being said, Joel Embiid has already come out and said he likely will not be playing any back-to-backs this year. There will be some nights where Geroge will have to be the second or even first option, which he is more than familiar with.
Paul George provides an update on his injured knee during the latest episode of his podcast#MadeForThis | @Bcass28 https://t.co/r7rhDpch46
— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) October 19, 2024
25. Bam Adebayo
2023-24 Stats: 19.3PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 52.1 FG%
The second-most-versatile defender in the NBA comes in at No. 25. Many people have proclaimed him the Heat’s best player, but I don’t think he’s there yet. I don’t think he is as good as the guy ahead of him at leading a team in the playoffs. With this being said, I’m not sure of many better second options out there. He has been the second-best player on two teams that have made the Finals, and he’s anchored multiple elite defenses. However, he is limited on offense because of his poor jumper. However, his defense and intangibles more than make up for his offensive limitations.
24. Jimmy Butler
2023-24 Stats: 20.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 41.4 3P%, 62.6 3P%
These next couple of guys are extremely hard to rank. All of them are either out of their prime or near the end of their prime. Despite Butler being an elite playoff performer, I have him down a few spots. First of all, he has only played in over 60 games once since 2020. Remember, when I am building a team to win a championship, I want my guys to play in a lot of games. The one exception would be if he was injured for a good amount of the regular season and was back for the playoffs, but he was not back for the playoffs last season. Butler just turned 35, so while I trust him more than a good amount of the guys ahead of him on this list in the playoffs, he is not good enough in the regular season and does not play in enough games for me to justify placing him any higher.
23. Damian Lillard
2023-24 Stats: 24. 3 PPG, 7 APG, 1 SPG, 35.4 3P%, 59.0 TS%
Lillard had one of the worst seasons in his career last year. Even though it was pretty bad to his standard, it was still All-Star material. The only players who scored and assisted more than him on a per-game basis were James, Doncic, and Jokic. With this being said, he was extremely inefficient compared to years past. Besides 2022 (when he only played 29 games), this was his least efficient season since 2019. However, now that he had a full offseason with his team, and the fact that he’ll have the same head coach all year long, it will be far better than last season.
22. Kyrie Irving
2023-24 Stats: 25.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 41.1 3P%, 60.8 TS%
Despite the bad NBA Finals performance, Irving had an awesome 2023-24 season. The only person who scored and assisted as much as he did while also shooting 41 percent from three was James. In addition, he played awesome in the playoffs before the NBA Finals. He averaged 27 points per game on 58.8 percent True Shooting in the Western Conference Finals with Anthony Edwards guarding him. With this being said, similar to Butler, you might trust him in the playoffs, but there is the availability issue. The last time he played over 60 games in a single NBA season was in 2019. I have a hard time putting those guys in the top 20 unless they put up superstar production consistently when they are on the court.
Kyrie Irving is locked in at Mavericks practice before the team’s season opener tomorrow.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/zrmxgRYqdy
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) October 23, 2024
21. Tyrese Maxey
2023-24 Stats: 25.9 PPG, 6.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 37.3 3P%, 57.3 TS%
The Most Improved Player finishes off this part of the list. The only guys who scored and assisted more while shooting as well as Maxey were Doncic and Jalen Brunson. Maxey began to get his flowers last year, but before that, he was one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Anytime you have a guy who plays a bunch of games, can play-make well, and shoot the ball, you have All-Star potential on your team. However, his main weakness is that he is a pretty brutal defender. In addition, the Sixers were pretty bad without Embiid last year. With this being said, with experience, Maxey will improve in both of these categories.
Conclusion
We are now entering the top 20. In other words, this is the category of guys who probably could win a championship as their team’s No. 1. Stay tuned to find out who they are.
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