ESPN just released its 14th annual Top 100 NBA players list, where they attempt to predict who will be the best players in the upcoming season. To get their rankings, they present 15,000 player matchups to their “expert panel” to determine who will be better for the 2024-25 season.
Tuesday was the release of players ranked 100-51. Wednesday will be 50-11, while Thursday will be the top 10, where Luka Doncic is likely to slot in. In Tuesday’s 100-51 release, two Dallas Mavericks appeared.
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Klay Thompson was the first Mavericks to appear, checking in at 71st. He was 41st last season but is on a new team for the first time in his career and has struggled in the preseason so far.
Tim McMahon said of the selection, “Thompson slipped 30 spots after averaging just 17.9 points per game and shooting 38.7% from 3-point range last season in what ended up being the Splash Brother’s swan song with the Warriors. As the 34-year-old future Hall of Famer said after joining the Mavs in free agency, Thompson firmly believes he has “a lot of great basketball left” and is eager to prove it while playing for a contender in Dallas. The Mavs hope Thompson’s title experience and 3-point shooting are the missing elements needed for them to take the final steps to a championship.”
The other Maverick in this group was Dereck Lively II, who came in all the way up at 56th. For a second-year player who won’t have the ball in his hands a lot, that is some major credibility to how people view his ceiling.
McMahon said of this selection, “Lively wasn’t on this list a year ago, when he was considered a raw project entering his rookie season. He quickly established himself as an essential part of the Mavs’ core. Lively is a springy pick-and-roll partner for Luka Doncic and a spectacular finisher (141 dunks, 74.7% from the floor). He is just starting to tap into his immense defensive potential as a rim protector who is comfortable switching onto elite perimeter scorers. At 20 years old, Lively projects as a premier center for years to come.”
Lively is ahead of players such as Darius Garland, Cade Cunningham, and Desmond Bane, as well as fellow 2023 draft classmates Brandon Miller and Brandin Podziemski. That’s a lot of love for a player who may never make an All-Star Game with some of the centers in the Western Conference. He was vital to the Mavericks’ success last season, anchoring a defense that went to the NBA Finals last season.
Kyrie Irving is likely to appear on Wednesday’s list in the 50-11 rankings, but this means we aren’t likely to see P.J. Washington, who was also a major piece of last year’s Finals run.
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