Four Houston Rockets listed in ESPN’s annual top 100 player rankings

James Harden, Christian Wood, PJ Tucker, and John Wall were among ESPN’s choices for the top 100 players entering the 2020-21 NBA season.

Four members of the Houston Rockets (James Harden, Christian Wood, PJ Tucker, and John Wall) were among ESPN’s choices for the top 100 players in the upcoming 2020-21 NBA season.

An All-Star guard and the MVP or an MVP finalist in each of the past four seasons, Harden came in at only No. 9 on the 2020-21 list. “The Beard” led the league with a 34.3 points per game average last season, along with 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds on a nightly basis.

While that ninth-place ranking certainly seems low given his usual production levels, it appears to reflect the uncertainty about Harden’s state of mind after an offseason trade request and potential questions about his effort level next season, should Harden stay in Houston.

Entering the 2019-20 season, Harden ranked fourth on ESPN’s list.

As for the rest of the Rockets, Wall checks in at No. 81 on ESPN’s list. While Wall is a five-time NBA All-Star, his relatively low ranking is largely due to questions about his health, since he hasn’t played since early in 2018-19 due to a series of heel and Achilles injuries. In theory, Wall could rank much higher on that list a year from now — if he’s healthy.

The same could hold true with Wood, a 25-year-old big man who ranks No. 55 after his breakout season with the Pistons last year. Following Detroit’s trade of starting center Andre Drummond, Wood took his production to another level with averages of 22.3 points (56.2% FG, 41.0% on 3-pointers) and 9.5 rebounds per game. Should that limited sample extrapolate to his new starting role in Houston, Wood could easily jump into the game’s 50 best players in the coming season.

Meanwhile, Tucker (No. 72) remains respected around the NBA for his defense, toughness and veteran leadership — and he actually rose 10 spots on the list from No. 82 entering last season. On the other hand, veteran Houston guard Eric Gordon fell from No. 78 a year ago to out of the list entirely after an injury plagued season in 2019-20.

ESPN’s complete top 100 players list can be accessed here.

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