With the 2024-2025 NBA season beginning later this month, ESPN took on the annual challenge of ranking the league’s top 100 players coming into the year.
While the Oklahoma Sooners don’t have very many players currently in the league (a total of four on active rosters at this time), OU did see two players make ESPN’s list.
In a bit of a surprise, Los Angeles Lakers guard [autotag]Austin Reaves[/autotag] made the rankings, checking in at No. 71 on the list. The former undrafted free agent enters he fourth season with the Lakers. He was actually ranked all the way up at No. 66 on this list last year.
Coming off an arduous summer playing for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, Reaves took some time to find his groove last season after bursting onto the scene in the 2023 playoffs. His slight slip in NBA Rank mirrors his shooting efficiency from Year 2 (52.9% from the field and 39.8% from 3) to Year 3 (48.6%/36.7%) and L.A.’s abbreviated postseason run after being ousted in the first round, but it fails to recognize Reaves’ improvement as a playmaker and credit him for playing all 82 games. He should be back on the climb after this season. – Dave McMenamin, ESPN
Atlanta Hawks guard [autotag]Trae Young[/autotag] dropped ten spots from his No. 27 ranking last season, landing at No. 37 on this list. He’s been a Hawk for his entire professional career, and has become the team’s franchise player. He enters Year 7 of his NBA career.
Young appearing in only 54 games last season was concerning enough, but Atlanta winning only 22 of those games was even more troubling. His averages of 25.7 points and 10.8 assists sparkle on the stat sheet — marking the second straight season he averaged 25 and 10 — but his relatively pedestrian shooting numbers (43% overall and 37.3% from 3) dulls that shine just a bit. With Dejounte Murray now in New Orleans, Young should get the ball in his hands more. How well Young vibes with No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher will impact his future ranking. – McMenamin, ESPN
Both Reaves and Young played for the great [autotag]Lon Kruger[/autotag] during his excellent tenure in Norman. Young was one of the best players in college basketball during his one season at that level, while Reaves helped the Sooners to their most recent NCAA Tournament appearance and victory, all the way back in 2021.