NBA Top 100 Players of 2019-2020: Top 10

How Rankings are Determined

As always, everyone is entitled to their own opinions about who is more talented than who, and who deserves to be ranked where. We acknowledge this, and because of the impossible task of ranking raw talent, this list is based on a model fair to everyone that considers only objective stats from this season. This keeps players such as Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant from their usual place in the top 10 due to their lack of playing time this season. The weight each stat carries when determining the overall ranking was determined by NBA writers from Overtime Heroics. The weight assigned to each stat is the only subjective part of the list. For a full breakdown of which stats and metrics were included and how important we considered them, check out our calculation breakdown here. Enjoy the NBA Top 100!

Rankings Breakdown | 100 – 76 | 75 – 51 | 50 – 26 | 25 – 11

NBA Top 100

10 – 6: Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic

10. Rudy Gobert

Undoubtedly one of the biggest surprises in this entire
series, Rudy Gobert sneaks his way into the top ten of this NBA Top 100.
Recently, Gobert has been well-known for his careless antics in starting the
spread of COVID-19 among NBA players. However, before his antics caused him to
go viral for the wrong reasons, Gobert put together one of the best defensive
performances of the season. He finished top 6 in the league in five different
stats including DRB (3^rd), DWS (3^rd), WS (4^th),
OWS (5^th), and ORB (6^th). His elite rim protection and
rebounding had him firmly in the defensive player of the year conversation yet
again. Not having to have the ball to be effective allows Rudy to be one of the
most efficient players in the league in nearly every stat category.

9. Hassan Whiteside

Personally, this was the biggest surprise on the list for
me. Whiteside had a resurgence in Portland, but I had no idea just how big of a
resurgence until I dove a little deeper into the stats. Whiteside led the
league in blocks with 3.1 per game. He finished 4^th in both
offensive and defensive rebounding. Whiteside also finished top 10 in win
shares with 8.1. His most notable negative stats include personal fouls and low
assist rate, both of which are to be expected from a defensive minded center.
Whiteside’s lack of injuries and abundance of efficient play around the rim
make him the most surprising addition to the Top 10 list.

8. Kawhi Leonard

Joining the newest super team in Los Angeles did little to hurt Kawhi’s standing in the league. He finishes in 8^th place in our NBA Top 100 in large part due to his elite two way play. He finished 5^th in steals at 1.8 per game as well as 9^th in points at 26.9 per game. This includes an incredible stretch in which Kawhi scored 30 or more points in nine consecutive games played. His usage rate this season was the highest of his career, and his number of games missed caused him to slip out of our top 5. Kawhi has become infamous for “load managing” his knee. Although NBA officials determined his knee injury to be legit, Leonard caught a lot of criticism for missing so many games, and his absences hurt him more than anything else on our list.

7. Damian Lillard

With Stephen Curry and John Wall injured, Chris Paul aging, and Russell Westbrook taking a backseat to James Harden, the stage was set for Lillard to be the best point guard in the league this year. Little did we know that CP3 had no plans of regressing and a couple of young guys by the names of Trae Young and Luka Doncic would make a push for that title. Nevertheless, Lillard graded out as our highest ranked true point guard. Although guys like Doncic and LeBron James run most of their team’s offense, their size and combination of teammates that share the court with them keep them from being true point guards. Lillard’s top ranked OWS and 5^th ranked PTS (28.9) and WS (9.6) land him firmly in our top 10. His lowest ranked stats include offensive and defensive rebounding rates.

6. Luka Doncic

The young Maverick proved his worth last year by winning
rookie of the year, but Doncic has solidified his super star status with his
stellar play this season. He made his first All Star appearance, and start. He
finished top 10 in AST % (3^rd), AST (4^th), PTS (6^th),
BPM (6^th), and PER (7^th). Doncic’s across the board
talent, consistency, and leadership have planted him firmly in the running for
best player in the league in only his second
season. The young European star averaged a very poor turnover rate this
year, but with age and experience I don’t expect a healthy Doncic to fall any
lower than his 6^th place finish this season.

Top 5

5. Nikola Jokic

Jokic gained some bad press when he seemingly started the
season out of shape. His opening performances were underwhelming, so the
general NBA fandom wrote him off early. However, the Nuggets’ big man found
ways to impact every single game his team played this year. He did not miss any
games, and found himself in the top 11 in OWS (5^th), WS (7^th),
DWS (11^th), and BPM (11^th). While all of these are
unconventional metrics, they are widely used measurements that can help paint
the full picture of exactly how impactful a player can be. Jokic was a prime example
of that this season. The lone All Star on his team, he had Denver sitting at
third place in the West behind the two LA teams poised to make another playoff
push. His unusually good passing and awkward scoring techniques land the 7’0 Serbian
inside the top 5.

4. LeBron James

After finally getting his man with him in LA, LeBron took the reigns as the primary playmaker for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Starting alongside two guards in Avery Bradley and Danny Green, I still consider LeBron as a SF, but regardless of position, The King put up a career high in assists per game at 10.6, good for 1^st in the league. His playmaking paired with contributions from new teammates such as Bradley, Green, Javale McGee, and Anthony Davis have vaulted the Lakers to first place in the West.

They were on pace for their first playoff appearance in seven years, and look poised for a deep championship push. Despite being in the top 5 NBA players yet again, it’s almost strange to see James fall as low as 4^th. However, it’s hard to make an argument that any of the three players above him have a less deserving resume.

3. Anthony Davis

The counterpart to The King. Anthony Davis got his wish this
offseason as he was finally traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to play
alongside his longtime idol, LeBron James. His first season in the City of
Angels did not disappoint. Davis finished top 3 in blocks per game, DWS, OWS,
and total WS. He also finished 10^th in scoring, 15^th in
steals, and had the 6^th highest Player Efficiency Rating of anyone
in the league. His elite efficiency and relentless tenacity around the rim on
both ends of the court earns him the nod over his Lakers running mate, LeBron.

2. James Harden

The reigning MVP runner-up finds himself in second place yet again in this NBA Top 100. As a “Harden Hater” myself, it pains me to recognize just how great The Beard’s game is. He once again led the league in scoring at 34.4 points per game, and finished 1^st in WS, 2^nd in OWS, 3^rd in BPM, and 4^th in PER. His play style may not be aesthetically pleasing to some, but no one can argue it’s not effective. His ability to hit contested shots, drive effectively, and draw fouls at will is a combination unprecedented in the league. Combine his video game like scoring abilities with his 6^th place finish in steals per game and 9^th place finish in assists, and it’s a near-impossible task trying to find anyone that had a better season. Near-impossible, but not quite impossible.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo

The reigning MVP made his case once again as the best player
in the league. His team had the best record in the entire league. He was the
only player to finish in the top 2 in five of the stat categories used: DRB (1^st),
DWS (1^st), WS (2^nd), BPM (2^nd), and PER (2^nd).
Not to mention a 3^rd place finish in scoring with 29.6 per game. He also
finished top 40 in assists and blocks per game. Despite having one of the highest
usage rates in the league and a high turnover rate, his positives heavily
outweigh any negatives on his resume. With his all-around ability, league
leading statistics, and overall team success, it’s easy to understand why Giannis
lands at #1 in our NBA Top 100.