Another incredible NBA season has come to a close. The talent and competitive balance in the league were at an all-time high in 2022-23. Amazing individual performances were put on nightly. Playoffs droughts were snapped. Cinderella runs were made. And finally, in the end, the Denver Nuggets won their first championship in franchise history.
With the offseason well underway, it is time for my annual top 100 players list. To create this list, I painstakingly cut down a pool of over 170 players until I had my final 100 (plus ten “honorable mentions”). I did so by considering a variety of factors. The eye test. Statistics, regular and advanced. Playoff performance. Impact on winning. Individual talent. Offense. Defense. Ranking players is not an easy task, but after a lot of careful consideration, I have my final list.
Throughout the list, I have provided a collection of trends and tidbits explaining the rankings and the thinking behind them. A few related NBA thoughts have been mixed in as well.
Let’s dig in!
(Note- this list is based solely on the 2022-23 season. Past years and future potential were not considered.)
Injury Leaveoffs: Zion Williamson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Cade Cunningham, Lonzo Ball, Jonathan Isaac, Chet Holmgren
The above players did not appear in at least 30+ regular season contests and therefore did not qualify for the list. Had they not been injured, they would have made it.
Honorable Mentions (110-101):
110: Bruce Brown
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
Quick shoutout to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope— he was number 111 on my rankings and deserves as much credit for Denver’s ring as Bruce Brown does.
109: Bogdan Bogdanovic
2022 Rank: 110
Prediction: N/A
108: De’Andre Hunter
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
107: Bobby Portis Jr.
2022 Rank: 93
Prediction: N/A
106: Gordon Hayward
2022 Rank: 59
Prediction: 73
Gordon Hayward is past his All-Star prime but still has the skill set to really aid a contender. If he gets moved and is able to contribute to winning (and stays healthy, a big if), he will become a firm top 100 player once again.
105: Malik Monk
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
104: Austin Reaves
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
103: Walker Kessler
2022 Rank: N/A (rookie)
Prediction: N/A
Nobody expected Walker Kessler to be this good. He was a late first-round pick but was an all-league caliber rim protector from day one, a ridiculously impressive feat for a rookie.
102: Mitchell Robinson
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
Crazy but true: Mitchell Robinson was the most impactful player in a playoff series that featured four All-Stars (and Jalen Brunson who many argued should have been one this year).
101: Norman Powell
2022 Rank: 76
Prediction: 87
The Top 100
100: Kevin Huerter
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
99: Spencer Dinwiddie
2022 Rank: 108
Prediction: 110
98: Al Horford
2022 Rank: 94
Prediction: N/A
97: Buddy Hield
2022 Rank: 91
Prediction: 98
96: Immanuel Quickley
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
95: Jordan Poole
2022 Rank: 52
Prediction: 54
94: Russell Westbrook
2022 Rank: 46
Prediction: 89
93: Trey Murphy III
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
92: Scottie Barnes
2022 Rank: 77
Prediction: 62
91: Markelle Fultz
2022 Rank: INJ
Prediction: 94
90: Jordan Clarkson
2022 Rank: 105
Prediction: N/A
89: RJ Barrett
2022 Rank: 56
Prediction: 49
R.J. Barrett, Jordan Poole, and Scottie Barnes all dropped significantly from where they ranked last year. This is because all three flatlined instead of growing as expected. When you aren’t getting better, you’re getting worse, and while Barrett, Poole, and Barnes all project to climb back up the rankings in the near future, they all fell victim to that saying this season.
88: Jonas Valanciunas
2022 Rank: 55
Prediction: 70
87: Christian Wood
2022 Rank: 64
Prediction: 60
86: Wendell Carter Jr.
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2022 Rank: 81
Prediction: 63
85: Cam Johnson
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2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
84: Jalen Green
2022 Rank: 107
Prediction: 50
Jalen Green has all the tools to be much higher than 84th. He just needs to put all the pieces together and find consistency.
83: Robert Williams III
2022 Rank: 75
Prediction: 76
82: Jakob Poeltl
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2022 Rank: 78
Prediction: 93
81: Josh Giddey
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2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: 95
80: Kyle Kuzma
2022 Rank: 79
Prediction: 96
79: Marcus Smart
2022 Rank: 69
Prediction: 83
78: Malcolm Brogdon
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2022 Rank: 65
Prediction: 71
77: Terry Rozier
2022 Rank: 45
Prediction: 58
76: Mike Conley
2022 Rank: 90
Prediction: 103
2022-23 was a renaissance for Mike Conley and it was beautiful. The 35-year-old is still a high-end starting point guard. He shoots the skin off the pill, he’s a seasoned floor general, and he is a plus defensively despite a lack of size. He made Minnesota look like a much more complete team when he arrived there mid-season.
75: Chris Paul
2022 Rank: 17
Prediction: 37
74: Clint Capela
2022 Rank: 68
Prediction: 84
73: Jaden McDaniels
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
Jaden McDaniels is a future DPOY, and his offense has more juice to it than most realize. He will be much higher very soon.
72: Keldon Johnson
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2022 Rank: 84
Prediction: 69
71: Tobias Harris
2022 Rank: 66
Prediction: 72
70: D’Angelo Russell
2022 Rank: 44
Prediction: 53
69: Derrick White
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2022 Rank: 82
Prediction: 97
Derrick White’s season should have woken up anybody still sleeping on him, but he still flies somewhat under the radar of everyone but ball-knowers and Celtics fans. He’s the exact type of supporting player a contender would want and undoubtedly makes the impact of a top 75 player.
68: Deandre Ayton
2022 Rank: 43
Prediction: 56
68th is very disappointing for Deandre Ayton. He isn’t aggressive or assertive enough to consistently match the highs he’s reached so far in his career and needs to be better.
67: Bojan Bogdanovic
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2022 Rank: 83
Prediction: 92
66: Myles Turner
2022 Rank: 71
Prediction: 88
65: Devin Vassell
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: 108
Devin Vassell missed significant time due to injury, but when he played he looked like a future star. He is San Antonio’s second-best prospect and will rank even higher next year.
64: Tyler Herro
2022 Rank: 61
Prediction: 78
63: Nikola Vucevic
2022 Rank: 63
Prediction: 85
Nikola Vucevic ranked 63rd for the second consecutive time, which is funny because he averaged exactly 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in both seasons. Definition of consistency!
62: Franz Wagner
2022 Rank: 87
Prediction: 82
61: Michael Porter Jr.
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2022 Rank: INJ
Prediction: 61
60: C.J. McCollum
2022 Rank: 39
Prediction: 45
59: Aaron Gordon
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2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
Aaron Gordon was this year’s Andrew Wiggins, a former high lottery pick who reinvented his game and became an elite role player for a championship team. I can’t say I expected it but he is getting his deserved flowers here.
58: Fred VanVleet
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2022 Rank: 35
Prediction: 44
57: Jerami Grant
2022 Rank: 62
Prediction: 65
56: Nic Claxton
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
55: Paolo Banchero
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2022 Rank: N/A (rookie)
Prediction: 80
It’s not often that a rookie scores 20+ points per game and puts themself in All-Star conversations, but Paolo Banchero did. He had his ups and downs, as all rookies do, but the raw talent and production are undeniable and he is without doubt a borderline top-50 player.
54: Klay Thompson
2022 Rank: 58
Prediction: 79
53: Anfernee Simons
2022 Rank: 50
Prediction: 46
52: Evan Mobley
2022 Rank: 74
Prediction: 52
51: OG Anunoby
2022 Rank: 57
Prediction: 64
50: Tyrese Maxey
2022 Rank: 53
Prediction: 51
49: Khris Middleton
2022 Rank: 34
Prediction: 28
Khris Middleton was injured for most of the year and he barely met the 30 games played threshold, which prevented him from finding a consistent rhythm, but he was Milwaukee’s best player in the playoffs and ultimately still cracked the top 50.
48: Andrew Wiggins
2022 Rank: 42
Prediction: 55
47: Jarrett Allen
2022 Rank: 33
Prediction: 39
46: Rudy Gobert
2022 Rank: 24
Prediction: 26
45: Desmond Bane
2022 Rank: 51
Prediction: 48
44: Brook Lopez
2022 Rank: 104
Prediction: 102
Top 50 for Brook Lopez will be shocking to the casual fan, but he fully deserves that ranking. He was my DPOY and his offensive output was ridiculously efficient. The Bucks may not have finished the year how they wanted, but they wouldn’t have been the best regular season team without Lopez.
43: Draymond Green
2022 Rank: 32
Prediction: 57
42: LaMelo Ball
2022 Rank: 37
Prediction: 38
41: Dejounte Murray
2022 Rank: 26
Prediction: 34
40: Jaren Jackson Jr.
2022 Rank: 54
Prediction: 59
39: Mikal Bridges
2022 Rank: 60
Prediction: 67
Mikal Bridges’ growth this season was evident in Phoenix and shined in Brooklyn after the trade. While he very likely isn’t the long-term number-one option for the Nets, nothing about what he did screamed fluke. Brooklyn Bridges is for real.
38: Bradley Beal
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2022 Rank: 41
Prediction: 30
37: Kristaps Porzingis
2022 Rank: 49
Prediction: 66
36: Lauri Markkanen
2022 Rank: N/A
Prediction: N/A
Lauri Markkanen’s out-of-left-field jump from decent starter to certified All-Star is beyond impressive.
35: Tyrese Haliburton
2022 Rank: 47
Prediction: 40
34: Darius Garland
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2022 Rank: 21
Prediction: 22
33: Jrue Holiday
2022 Rank: 19
Prediction: 27
Jrue Holiday adds so much value in the regular season that 33 feels low, but his playoff struggles are too much to gloss over.
32: Zach LaVine
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2022 Rank: 20
Prediction: 29
31: DeMar DeRozan
2022 Rank: 11
Prediction: 25
30: Bam Adebayo
2022 Rank: 28
Prediction: 35
29: Jamal Murray
2022 Rank: INJ
Prediction: 43
28: Julius Randle
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2022 Rank: 73
Prediction: 86
Yes, the flaws in his game are obvious and yes, his playoff performance was poor, but the Knicks would not have been nearly as good as they were this season without Julius Randle. He fully deserved his All-NBA nod.
27: Domantas Sabonis
2022 Rank: 40
Prediction: 41
26: Brandon Ingram
2022 Rank: 23
Prediction: 23
25: Kyrie Irving
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2022 Rank: 18
Prediction: 18
Kyrie Irving, as a pure basketball player, is better than 25th. In the context of this season, though, I couldn’t rank him above players who accomplished more from a winning/playoff standpoint.
24: Jalen Brunson
2022 Rank: 70
Prediction: 75
I should not have slept on Jalen Brunson prior to this season. He was the engine that kept the Knicks chugging along and he had a borderline superstar playoff run.
23: Anthony Edwards
2022 Rank: 36
Prediction: 33
It won’t be long until Anthony Edwards is knocking on the door of the league’s upper echelon. His playoff performance was special.
22: De’Aaron Fox
2022 Rank: 38
Prediction: 36
“De’Aaron Fox is most likely to rise above the rest if he can take a leap as a shooter and defender and lead the Kings to the playoffs.” That’s a quote from my prediction top 100 article, and it tells the story of Fox’s 2022-23 campaign.
21: Paul George
2022 Rank: 16
Prediction: 11
20: James Harden
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2022 Rank: 29
Prediction: 24
19: Jaylen Brown
2022 Rank: 27
Prediction: 32
18: Pascal Siakam
2022 Rank: 25
Prediction: 31
Pascal Siakam is an interesting player to judge. He had a stretch early in the season where he was playing legitimate top-ten caliber basketball, but it’s clear he can’t be the guy on a high-end playoff team. He is a certified All-NBA caliber guy, though, and is comfortably a top-20 player.
17: Trae Young
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2022 Rank: 12
Prediction: 12
16: Ja Morant
2022 Rank: 10
Prediction: 13
15: Donovan Mitchell
2022 Rank: 15
Prediction: 15
14: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2022 Rank: 22
Prediction: 21
Top 10 Shai coming soon, don’t sleep.
13: Kawhi Leonard
2022 Rank: INJ
Prediction: 6
Kawhi Leonard would have ranked higher had he been more healthy. He had a borderline All-NBA regular season and his first two playoff games before the injury were incredible.
12: Jimmy Butler
2022 Rank: 13
Prediction: 17
11: LeBron James
2022 Rank: 7
Prediction: 7
It’s kind of crazy to say LeBron wasn’t a top-ten player or even the best player on his team this year. Father Time is finally starting to catch up to him.
10: Devin Booker
2022 Rank: 9
Prediction: 14
Devin Booker’s otherworldly shot-making combined with his growth as a playmaker and defender have cemented him as the best shooting guard in the league. That shouldn’t even need to be said but some people still think Jaylen Brown is better.
9: Damian Lillard
2022 Rank: 31
Prediction: 10
8: Anthony Davis
2022 Rank: 30
Prediction: 16
Anthony Davis is the best defender in basketball. He was LA’s best player in their surprise Conference Finals run and looked more like the AD of old. He earned the mantle of top dog on the Lakers.
7: Jayson Tatum
2022 Rank: 8
Prediction: 9
6: Luka Doncic
2022 Rank: 6
Prediction: 4
5: Kevin Durant
2022 Rank: 3
Prediction: 5
The NBA community’s opinion of Kevin Durant has become more sour, but the man averaged 29 points on almost 60/40/90 splits while having one of his best defensive seasons in a minute. His efficiency was down in the playoffs, but his mere presence opened things up for Devin Booker to torch nets. KD is still top five.
4: Joel Embiid
2022 Rank: 4
Prediction: 3
3: Stephen Curry
2022 Rank: 5
Prediction: 8
Steph Curry is 35 and still playing best-in-the-world-caliber ball. We are spoiled with his greatness.
2: Giannis Antetokounmpo
2022 Rank: 1
Prediction: 1
1: Nikola Jokic
2022 Rank: 2
Prediction: 2
Jokic at number one should be of no surprise to anyone. His season was an all-timer.
The Bench Mob Blog 