Each season for the last 13 years, ESPN’s “NBArank” has ranked the top 100 players from across the NBA.
Comprised of nearly 150 reporters, editors, producers, and analysts, ESPN’s panel was recently asked to rank players based on predicted contributions — quality and quantity — for the 2023-24 season only.
To tabulate the final NBArank prediction, the expert panel voted on player vs. player matchups from over 15,000 possible pairings.
Though the Houston Rockets are still somewhat of a young and rebuilding team, there’s considerably more optimism for 2023-24 after the hiring Ime Udoka as head coach and the signing Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
Both VanVleet (No. 56) and backcourt mate Jalen Green (No. 80) cracked the latest rankings.
“Green has displayed the potential to be a premier scorer, averaging 22.1 points per game in his age-20 season a year ago,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes of Green. “With the arrival of Fred VanVleet, Green will play alongside a true point guard for the first time in his career, which should help boost his efficiency.”
“The Rockets recruited VanVleet to be the leader of what they’re referring to as Phase 2 of the franchise’s rebuild, signing the point guard who averaged 19.3 points and 7.3 assists per game for Toronto last season to a three-year, $130 million deal,” MacMahon notes.
“The expectation is VanVleet will instill structure and toughness while providing Houston’s young players a role model for professionalism,” MacMahon concludes.
The complete ESPN list can be viewed here.
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NBArank is BACK! 🔥
The full list of rankings 51-100 ➡️ https://t.co/j1vzUzCLO7 pic.twitter.com/cVNzWrAYFk
— ESPN (@espn) October 10, 2023