Welcome back for Round 3 of my systematic destruction of ESPN's laughable "NBARank." If you missed out on the fun of Volumes 1 and 2, I encourage to go back and catch up.
While ESPN had some real head-scratchers from players 100 down to 51, it only gets worse on the second half of their list. Let's get right into it...
I don't want to beat a dead horse, but we're in the same old situation here: Major outlets like ESPN and Sports Illustrated tend to severely overvalue role players. And, that's exactly what Steven Adams is. Adams averages 7.5 PPG and 6.4 RPG for his career. The only reason he gets so much love is because Russell Westbrook is a marquee name; therefore, Adams gets a lot of exposure during nationally-televised games.
On the other hand, Dragic -- who averaged 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and nearly 4 rebounds per game out of the point guard position last year -- along with Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters (who ESPN also undervalues), nearly carried Erik Spoelstra's surprising Heat to a playoff spot. "The Dragon" has been an all-star caliber floor general for quite some time now, and he's the type of guy who can carry a struggling team when necessary.
Is Adams a solid role player? Sure. He's big, tough, coordinated and finishes nicely at the cup. He's a useful, physical presence. But Dragic is an effective standalone player. He doesn't need Westbrook to spoon feed him. He feeds himself, and his teammates.
Johnny Fro's Rankings: Adams (81) and Dragic (35)
Don't get me wrong -- Jae Crowder is a solid all-around NBA basketball player. He exerts effort defensively, always works hard to improve his offensive game and provides consistent, positive energy on both ends of the floor.
But, this one is a no-contest. DeMar DeRozan averaged more points per game (27.3) than LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, while shooting 46.7% from the floor. DeRozan's quietly a star player. He always leads his Raptors to the postseason. Crowder averaged 13.9 PPG on 46.3% shooting. 'Nuff said.
Johnny Fro's Rankings: Crowder (53) and DeRozan (14)
3. DeAndre Jordan (#30) is better than Isaiah Thomas (#33)???
The Suns wouldn't trade Tyson Chandler (and a pick) for DeAndre Jordan. The Suns. The same Suns who won 24 games last year, and 23 the season before that. If DeAndre is such a superstar, why couldn't the Clippers find any takers?
I'm going to answer my own question:
1. Today's NBA is all about floor spacing, stretching the floor, opening up drive-and-kick lanes and knocking down threes. DeAndre Jordan doesn't help your team in any of those ways.
2. For two consecutive postseasons, Doc Rivers' Clippers desperately needed DeAndre to step into a prominent production role. Two years ago, against Damian Lillard and the Blazers, both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin went down. Last season, Griffin went down again, and CP3 nearly beat a very good Jazz team by himself.
In both instances, DeAndre was unable to step up and help the Clippers get out of the first round. That's because he's a limited player. His true impact is mostly smoke and mirrors.
3. Most teams are wise to the fact that Jordan's offensive stats (12.7 PPG, 71.4% FG) were entirely dependent on CP3's world-class skills at the point. Talk about being fed by a silver spoon.
Isaiah Thomas, on the other hand, averaged 28.9 PPG (a career high) on 46.3% shooting (also a career high). He was third in the league in scoring, behind only Westbrook and James Harden. He finished 5th in the MVP voting. Where did DeAndre finish?
Come on, this ranking is a joke. Absolutely pathetic, ESPN.
Johnny Fro's Rankings: Jordan (45, I commend his durability) and Thomas (10)
4. Kyrie Irving is #25????
That's just plain insulting. Kyrie Irving is one of the most gifted offensive basketball players in the entire universe. He's a Game 7 NBA Finals hero. He's a top-10 player (at worst, top 15, if you want to play Devil's advocate). I'll get into the players who are inexplicably ranked ahead of him in my 4th-and-final installment of this series.
Thank you all for reading, as always. Have a wonderful weekend.
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