There was one surprising player included in the top 10 of ESPN’s NBA Player Rankings.
Every year, ESPN releases its NBA Player Rankings and there is always polarizing discussion that surrounds the list. The entire ESPN NBArank list can be found here. However, specifically, there was one inclusion in the top 10 that is going to have many people talking.
ESPN released its top 10 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was ranked the No. 8 player in the NBA. It’s a huge jump compared to other players on this list as he was ranked as the 48th best player in the league during last season’s yearly rankings.
While SGA is a rising player in the league, I don’t think there are many unanimous discussions that would rank him as a top 10 player at the moment. Maybe I’m wrong, but this seems like a surprising overreaction to a great season from SGA.
At least in my opinion, it was certainly one of the biggest surprises from the list.
The one big surprise in ESPN’s NBA Player Rankings
Even though SGA is one of the emerging stars in the NBA, it was at least somewhat surprising to see him ranked No. 8. He’s probably the one player in the top 10 that still hasn’t reached superstar status in the league. Does that mean he doesn’t belong in the top 10? Not necessarily. However, that also doesn’t mean that his inclusion in the top 10 wasn’t surprising.
SGA is coming off a great season in which he averaged 31 points, six assists, and five rebounds per game on 51 percent shooting from the field. The production is there for SGA. Up until now, SGA has lacked the team success that would make him a superstar in the league. And if there’s one gripe against him, it’s that.
If the Oklahoma City Thunder are able to make a big jump this season, and SGA is a big part of it and can replicate some of the same production he had this past season, there’s no question that he’s going to be considered a superstar and quite possibly one of the top 10 players in the league. However, there are some who believe that including him as a top-10 player right now may be a bit premature.
Time will tell whether ESPN was right with this ranking or if they got a bit ahead of themselves. Nevertheless, there’s no question that SGA has the talent to be considered a top-10 team.