Preview

The NBA regular season is coming to a close, and for the next few Saturdays, the HoopsTalk blog will post the top 200 players of the 2024-25 NBA season in twenty-five-player increments. As always, I will mention five snubs I thought could have made it, but I chose to keep them off the list. 

Kevin Porter Jr of the Milwaukee Bucks was the first player I decided to keep off. His lack of consistency has been shaky this year, most likely due to a change of scenery—his scoring and ability to create offensively made Porter Jr so intriguing to put on this list. Dennis Schroder was also a snub. Like Porter Jr., he had a change of scenery a few times this year, and his role varied monthly. Staying with a trend of a change of scenery, Georges Niang was the next one I considered. His play in Atlanta should deem him a spot, but his struggle to start the year kept him off the list. Also, Pelican Jose Alvarado has been outstanding despite all his teammates being injured. Finally, Keon Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets intrigued me solely because I love watching that kid hoop.

Without further ado, let’s get into it. This is solely opinionated, as there is no right answer, and with a list of two hundred players, it may not be perfect, but a lot of time was put into it, so this is as close to accurate as I could get.

200. PG T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers, 

Season stats: 17.9 MPG, 9.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Starting off our two-hundred-player list, we have a veteran point guard for the Indiana Pacers, T.J. McConnell. McConnell fits here perfectly at two hundred because he is an excellent on-ball defender. This could make it easy for the Pacers to finish playoff games with him on the court, especially if they match up with teams like New York or Milwaukee that have elite point guards when they are healthy. This makes him one of the best backup point guards in the league and only one of three bench Pacers players on this list.

He is lower than everyone else on this team because of his ability to shoot. Teams sag entirely off of him, making the paint congested for bench guys like Obi Toppin, who has had a good year but could be even better with better spacing. McConnell is averaging 31.9% from three, the lowest he has shot since 2022. 

199. PG Terry Rozier, Miami Heat

Season stats: 26.0 MPG, 10.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.6 BPG, 0.2 BPG

This has been a disappointing season for Terry Rozier. Rozier is a peer scorer who can dish down for his teammates. He is also excellent at penetration and putting pressure on his defender. However, these things this year he just hasn’t showcased. He has been an alright shooter, shooting 30.1%, his worst shooting since his rookie year. 

Rozier turned thirty years old this year, and I believe we have started to see the downfall of this speedy point guard. The Heat could have used a great point guard that could have put Tyler Herro off the ball a little, but with Rozier’s struggles, they could not do so. Rozier could improve his shooting and make better decision-making, but he might be out of the league without notice if he does not soon.

198. SF Julian Champagnie, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 23.3 MPG, 9.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG

The Spurs started off great this season, with Champagnie getting big minutes and Devin Vassell out for a month and a half. Once Vassell returned, Champagnie was still one of the best shooters in the NBA off the bench. He is shooting 36.1% on almost six attempts a game. The Spurs have lacked shooting since the departures of guys like Danny Green and Patty Mills, but now they have resurgent with Champagnie.

Shooting isn’t the only thing Champagnie has been good at this year. He is a great cutter who can finish strong at the rim. He is also a great defender and has shown flashes of what he can do despite not being aggressive enough at times. Again, similarly to Cole Anthony of Orlando, he is very inconsistent.

197. PG Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls

Season stats: 22.2 MPG, 7.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Lonzo Ball hadn’t played in an NBA game since 2022 before this year. The Bulls added him to this roster, which was already full of guards like Coby White, Josh Giddey, and Ayo Dosunmu. Out of the four, Ball is the best facilitator and plays more like a veteran than all of them. He is also an above-average defender, even though he might have lost a step since his last year’s surgery

What makes him so low on this list is his lack of scoring. His shooting is not as strong as in New Orleans, and he isn’t the same player. He is shooting 34.4% from deep, which is terrible compared to the 42.3% he shot in 2022. He also averages only 7.6 points, which doesn’t compare to everyone else on this list for the most part.

196. C Moritz Wagner, Orlando Magic

Season stats: 18.8 MPG, 12.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Mo Wagner is one of three centers on this list for the Orlando Magic. I hate to say Wagner is the worst, but in his 31-game sample size, he only did one thing: score the ball. He brings a different look for them offensively that Goga Bitadze and Wendall Carter Jr can’t, but defensively, he is a liability at times and makes me want the Magic to draft a rookie like Khaman Maluach out of Duke here soon. 

Now, they won’t get a high enough pick for Maluach, but all those centers aren’t very athletic and won’t be high-end threats at the rim. Wagner will never be a positive defender but will always be their best offensive threat, down low and on the perimeter for that position. He is also a great passer and plays well with his brother, Franz. It is unfortunate we only got to see Wagner for 31 games.

195. SG Gary Trent Jr., Milwaukee Bucks

Season stats: 25.5 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Shooting guards have been in and out of Milwaukee’s starting five all season. With injuries, they haven’t had anyone come in constantly. Now that everyone is healthy outside of Damian Lillard, that shooting guard position is locked up by Taurean Prince. 

Before the season started, however, people would have guessed it to be Gary Trent Jr. Trent Jr. isn’t shooting that bad—he is shooting about 41% from deep. But he struggled to start the year, and it honestly surprised me when I saw he averages 11.0 points a game. His lack of aggressiveness and decision-making at times leaves me questionable. That’s why he is so low here at 195.

194. SG Tim Hardaway Jr., Detroit Pistons

Season stats: 28.0 MPG, 11.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Being a three-level scorer is very valuable in this league. Tim Hardaway Jr has been a player in that category for a long time. This is his first season in a Piston uniform, and he has been a prominent member of this historic season for Detroit. He has played in 74 games and has started in every one of them. You might be wondering why he is all the way at 194 if he is a good three-level scorer and a starter on a playoff team. Here’s why.

Defense is a very valuable attribute to have, especially as a veteran. Unfortunately, Hardaway is one of the worst defenders in the league. He misses his rotation and gets beat off the dribble in multiple possessions every game. Despite his ability to knock down threes, he shoots heavily contested shots that need one more pass to be better for Detroit. Hardaway Jr is a great player but doesn’t do the little things most teams value. He has been like this for years, and even though he is getting a little better at it, that could just be the change of scenario for him.

193. SF Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats: 19.6 MPG, 9.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Being a rookie on this list is impressive. If we did this list at Christmas, Knecht would be way higher on this list. He was a knockdown shooter that seemed to fit perfectly with JJ Redick and his system. Ever since the February trade deadline, he hasn’t played the same. If you’ve lived under a rock, the Lakers sent Knecht to the Hornets for Mark Williams. The trade was canceled because the Lakers found something about Williams that they didn’t like. 

Despite his struggles and decrease in minutes, Knecht has been the best shooter of the rookies. He is shooting 37.3% from deep, and shots from deep are more difficult than most spot shooters. He will come off staggers and shoot with a hand in his face. His role is valuable to this LA team, and if they decide to keep him, he will be a good piece in their future.

192. C Jonas Valanciunas, Sacramento Kings

Season stats: 19.0 MPG, 10.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG

Jonas Valanciunas was a part of one of the best trade deadlines in NBA history. He was traded from the Washington Wizards to the Sacramento Kings. He went from backing up Alex Sarr and mentoring various young players to backing up Domantas Sabonis, now one of many veterans on that Sacramento roster. Valanciunas has played limited minutes this year, but his stats are still good.

Valanciunas is one of the most impactful backup centers in the league. He does the little things that people who don’t watch the games overlook. Similarly to Houston Rocket, Steven Adams, Valanciunas does a great job at sealing his defender to create driving lines rather than standing there and allowing his defender to help off of him. Valanciunas is also an excellent rebounder at 7.8 rebounds a game in only 19.0 minutes. We are likely seeing his career come to a close, but he is still productive and a good leader.

191. PG Scotty Pippen Jr., Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 20.9 MPG, 9.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Scotty Pippen Jr’s ranking here at 191 does hurt me a little. He is the Grizzlies’ best playmaker, one of their best defenders, and can score just as well as any other small backup guard in the league. He reminds me of 2017 Patty Mills for the San Antonio Spurs. Obviously, the reason he is so low is due to a lack of opportunity. Only twenty minutes a game limits his ability to stay consistent.

Lucky for the Grizzlies, they have role players who make plays that result in winning basketball, and Pippen is one of those players. He goes for rebounds and will jump with anyone defensively. He also causes lots of loose balls and makes players hesitate before they attack him. That is a weird thing to say about a 6’1” point guard. Offensively, he dishes the ball well and finishes strong at the rim. He is not on the ball as much as he probably should be. The Grizzlies will have to decide in the 2028 offseason whether they will want to pay him or let him walk. 

190. C Jusuf Nurkic, Charlotte Hornets

Season stats: 20.7 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.7 BPG

The Mark Williams trade screwed Jusuf Nurkic up this year. The Charlotte Hornets had traded center Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers, which freed their starting center spot since they had traded Nick Richards earlier in the season. Unsurprisingly, they moved for veteran Jusuf Nurkic of the Phoenix Suns. Nurkic had been struggling all season with the disappointing Suns team. A couple of days later, the Lakers decided to call off the trade for Williams, and now Williams is back on the team that drafted him, and Nurkic is stuck behind him.

Nurkic, like I said, has had a down season for his standards. Still, he is one of the league’s better rebounders and a good veteran on the court. His ability to stretch the floor is very valuable for the Hornets. He is shooting 30.3% from deep, which does not seem all that great, but for a center known for his post-attacks, that isn’t bad. Hopefully Nurkic can turn around next season and have a great year.

189. SG Buddy Hield, Golden State Warriors

Season stats: 22.8 MPG, 11.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG

One of the hardest players to rank on this list was Buddy Hield. In his first eight games with Golden State, he averaged 21.1 points per game on excellent shooting from the three-point line. Now he is averaging 11.0 points and shooting 37.0% from three, which is not bad, but for Hield’s standards, is a bad year. He also just looks lost sometimes. He does not know where to be, especially in the game with Stephen Curry. He just seems to get in the way off the ball.

He has been playing around 18 minutes a game recently and mostly when the starters are off the floor. He shoots well for them, but nothing too spectacular. This is another case of a great player on a team that just doesn’t fit his play style. That is very disappointing, considering it initially looked like a perfect fit. Hopefully, he can find a perfect fit before he gets to the point where he is done.

188. SF Taurean Prince, Milwaukee Bucks

Season stats: 27.0 MPG, 8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

With the Bucks’ point guard, Damian Lillard, out for now, they will need someone to pick up the scoring. Milwaukee will likely want to rely on Taurean Prince to at least get some of that scoring. The Bucks have struggled to find players to play in that starting lineup constantly, but Prince is one of those players who has started in almost every game this season. He is shooting 43.6% from the three-point line and is the main reason the Bucks play him close to thirty minutes on a nightly basis. He is also an above-average defender, mostly guarding guys who love to attack the rim first

The only negative about Prince’s game is the lack of wanting to do anything else but catch and shoot. Trust me, being able to see and shoot at a high rate in this league is more valuable than most people think, but when it is all you can do, you can only be so good. Prince is no threat to put the ball on the floor. The only times he seems to attack is when his defender has a longer closeout, and he does a pump fake and either drives and kicks or takes the wide-open line. That said, his three-point shooting will be valuable for them in the postseason.

187. SF Sam Hauser, Boston Celtics

Season stats: 21.4 MPG, 8.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Here at 187, one spot above Taurean Prince is Sam Hauser. These two players were very similar to me, which is precisely why they are next to each other on this list. Here is what sets Hauser one spot higher: his aggressiveness to seek for his shot. They are both above-average defenders and can shoot at a high rate. Prince is a starter on a playoff team. However, Hauser is a key part of the Celtics’ success this season. Hauser plays fewer minutes, however, and their stats are relatively identical.

Hauser is an elite spot shooter. He is similar to rookie Dalton Knecht in the way he can come off down screens in the motion of the offense. He is deceivingly a good defender and plays very hard, which can sometimes be hard to find in spot shooters. He is shooting 40.7% from three this season. Again, he was a big reason the Celtics have made the most three out of any team in NBA history, and he will always be on this kid’s resume.

186. C Yves Missi, New Orleans Pelicans

Season stats: 26.9 MPG, 9.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.4 BPG

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a disappointing year. Honestly, the word disappointing doesn’t even put enough emphasis on what happened. They went from being projected to be a playoff team to dealing with so many injuries that they dropped to the fourteenth seed in the Western Conference. There were few bright spots, and their rookie Yves Missi was one of them. Going into the season, their most significant question was what they would do about the center position. Many scouts were not sold that Missi was NBA-ready, but as we have seen, he definitely was.

Missi is a highly athletic center whose game reminds me much of a younger Deandre Ayton. He crashes the offensive boards very often and is excellent at blocking center from the post. He also handles the ball well for a center, especially a center who is a peer lob threat. He plays very well in the pick and roll, and I would even go as far as to say he is a top-five roller in the league. Once he becomes stronger, he will get even better and even higher on this list.

185. PG Tre Jones, Chicago Bulls

Season stats: 19.7 MPG, 7.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Tre Jones is another player on this list that was hard to rank. He started the season with the San Antonio Spurs, where he only averaged 4.4 points a game. He was not very aggressive whatsoever in San Antonio. The Spurs’ coaching staff wanted him to be more aggressive, but it did not seem to be his style of play. He was a great facilitator and a good defender. His struggle ever since he was at Duke was his shooting ability. He was shooting 30.8% from the three-point line.

Ever since getting to Chicago, he has been a different player. He is averaging 11.5 points and 4.9 assists and has impressive shooting: 50.0% from three. He only shoots one three a game, but his game is getting to the rim and finishing over defenders. He has a very pretty floater and can finish around most defenders as well. His primary thing to do, however, is drive and kick. The problem with doing that in Chicago is their lack of shooters. The only two players that I would consider great shooters are Coby White and Kevin Huerter. I am still waiting for Jones to show us that he can be unselfish at an even higher rate. 

184. C Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 21.3 MPG, 9.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG

The Memphis Grizzlies had the ninth pick in the 2024 NBA draft and decided to reach for Zach Edey. Well, “reach” is not the right word. Everyone knew he was NBA-ready, and he was, without a doubt, the best player in college basketball. There were questions about him, however, like whether his game could translate to a high level at the NBA level or whether or not he was in his prime already. Either way, he has been a good rookie for the Grizzlies.

Edey has been mediocre in most aspects of his game. He has scored around 10 points a game at about 10 rebounds on decent efficiency. He also averaged 1.3 blocks, which is good, but when you are 7’4”, you should be averaging that much. He has been an average center and a big body for the Grizzlies, allowing them to play Jaren Jackson Jr at the four, which definitely helps his individual success. Hopefully, he can grow his game and become an elite scorer on that low block.

183. SG Luke Kennard, Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 22.7 MPG, 8.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Inconsistency is a common thing in the NBA, especially for players who primarily come off the bench. Watching a game where Luke Kennard scores over twenty is like watching a veteran All-Star. He handles the ball extremely well and can control an offense when asked to. He is rarely asked to do those things, but can do when asked upon. He has definitely grown his game a ton from when he was a rookie in Detroit. He is not a terrible defender, and for a white spot-up shooter, that is pretty good that he is not a liability on that side of the ball.

When talking about Kennard, you have to mention his shooting. He attempts four threes a game and shoots 43.2% from deep, which is very similar to Keon Ellis, whom I just mentioned. However, something Kennard can do that Ellis cannot get hot about once every two weeks. As I said, inconsistency is a big question for Kennard, and if he can step up big in the playoffs, Memphis will go far.

182. PF Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs

Season stats: 25.3 MPG, 11.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG

After the point guard experiment last year in San Antonio, there was a big question on where Jeremy Sochan would fit now that he was back to playing the power forward position. Would he start ahead of Harrison Barnes? Or would they move Keldon Johnson up? Well, to start the season, he was in that lineup. It was Chris Paul, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, and Victor Wembanyama. Once Devin Vassell returned, Champagnie played back on the bench and kept Sochan in that lineup. Sochan, in fact, was playing very well this year, averaging around 17 and 8 until he dealt with injuries in December. Then Stephon Castle took his place. Now, he is only averaging around 11 and 7.

Part of Sochan’s game that stands out is how well he runs the floor. He may not get many transition points, but he will always be one of the first Spurs players at the other end of the floor after a missed shot. His finishing looks very uncoordinated but actually works most of the time. His shooting is definitely his big downfall. He is shooting 30.8% from three on a little under two attempts a game, and he even shoots his free throws with one hand. Sochan has seen the court a lot better this year after his point guard experiment last year, so I guess it wasn’t a total fail on Coach Gregg Popovich’s part.

181. PF Dorian Finney-Smith, Los Angeles Lakers

Season stats: 28.7 MPG, 8.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Starting this season with the Brooklyn Nets, everyone knew Dorian Finney-Smith would be out the door before the trade deadline. The question was where they would ship him off. It ended up being the Lakers’ first significant trade of the year. He has been a good bench piece for them, averaging 7.7 points on 38.4% from three in a Lakers uniform. He has also had to play some center minutes for them this year, especially since they shipped Anthony Davis off to Dallas. 

His defense and leadership were the two main reasons the Lakers most likely wanted this 6’7” spot-up shooter. He plays tough and is the ideal role player you want going into the playoffs. He runs the offense well and does little things that most people don’t see. He is a scrappy defender who offensively puts the ball in the right spots. There’s not much to see about Finney-Smith, as he really is not a specialist at anything particular but is good at many aspects of the game. He sits at 181 because of his well-rounded style of play and the toughness he brings nightly.

180. SG Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls

Season stats: 30.3 MPG, 12.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG

Ayo Dosunmu has given Chicago a different look this season. His versatility is extremely valuable for the Bulls. He has played the one-to-four this year and could really help a contender if the Bulls would be willing to trade him this offseason. Offensively, he can be limited from time to time. He shoots around 50% from the field and 32% from three. He lacks scoring but can be an all-around player. He is capable of scoring a triple-double if you don’t contain him.

Defensively, he is one of Chiacgo’s best. His hustle really stands out to me. I would put him close to the hustle of Alex Caruso or Marcus Smart. He is not as good as those guys defensively, but his hustle is surely just as good. His lack of scoring keeps him from being higher on this list. He does average twelve points a game, but he is one of the only people on the Bulls who constantly plays thirty minutes a night.

179. PF Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls

Season stats: 18.4 MPG, 8.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG

Matas Buzelis was very hard to rank, but since we are basing it off the whole season, he lies at 179, just ahead of his teammate Ayo Dosunmu. Buzelis may average four fewer points than Dosunmu, but he is a better peer scorer. He can do about everything on offense. He is a 6’10” forward but moves and handles the ball like a guard. He attacks the rim with a craft we see from guys who come from overseas. Buzlies is not from overseas but definitely has those tendencies. He can finish very well and crashes hard for put-backs at the rim. Defensively, he can be outmuscled, but with more experience, he will become stronger and better on that side of the ball.

Even though I emphasized his ability to attack offensively, he spends most of his time off the ball. I believe his ability to shoot has gone under the radar. He is shooting 35.8% from three, which is not great, but for a 6’10” rookie who is not a specialist from deep, is impressive. More recently, he has been better at putting the ball in the rim from a longer range. You also have to appreciate that with his ability to cut and finish and take you off the dribble. He is the whole package offensively. 

178. PG Spencer Dinwiddie, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 26.8 MPG, 11.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

We are used to seeing Spencer Dinwiddie on this list. It was questionable whether we’d see him, but Kyrie Irving’s season-ending injury really helped him succeed. Dinwiddie started this season barely in the rotation. Now, he is a starter, being a great on-court leader for these younger guys taking on bigger roles due to Dallas’ unlucky season. Dinwiddie can shoot and attack well offensively. He is also a great ball handler and controls the offense better than anyone else on that Mavericks team. 

Dinwiddie is league-average defensive. This could be due to Father Time. He is becoming a hare slower than he used to be, and we will have to see how much longer he will have after this season. The Mavericks have Jaden Hardy and Brandin Williams, so we will most likely see more of them next year than Dinwiddie. 

177. C Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks

Season stats: 21.4 MPG, 8.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG

The Atlanta Hawks disappointed lots of people this year. I was not particularly that high on them, but with a healthy Trae Young and Jalen Johnson to start the year, the media figured that should be good enough for the Eastern Conference. Right now, they are about to play in the Play-In and could miss the playoffs if they lose their next two games. Clint Capela was one player who would be traded at the deadline. He is thirty years old and had the worst season of his career. He was even benched for Onyeka Okongwu for a while

Despite having a down year, he was still a great lob threat for Atlanta and played well with Young. He averaged 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, making him still one of the best rim-protecting bigs in the league. Tons of NBA teams would love for him to be their backup this season, and if he was traded, he could have played big playoff minutes for a team like the Cavaliers. Capela will most likely sign elsewhere in the off-season next year.

176. SG Keon Ellis, Sacramento Kings

Season stats: 23.7 MPG, 8.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG. 1.5 APG, 1.5 SPG. 0.7 BPG

Keon Ellis has brought a different energy to this Sacramento Kings team. His defense is what sets him apart from everyone else on that roster. His on-ball defense, specifically, is one reason the Kings are where they are in the standings. He finishes many games for this team and sometimes sits Malik Monk because he is so valuable on that end of the ball. I would not be surprised if we saw Ellis on an All-Defensive team this season. His 1.5 steals per game stands out to me, as that is the eleventh most in the league.

What sets Ellis back is the offensive side of the ball. There are games where he plays for over thirty minutes and only scores five points, and even though his role is not to score the rock, it still sets him back on this list. He can shoot the ball, as he shoots 43.6% from the arc. He attempts about four a game, which is pretty good, but I would love to see him become more of a ball handler. The ability to be a fast guard who can control an offense is valuable and sets other backup guards ahead of Ellis.

175.  PF Naji Marshall, Dallas Mavericks

Season stats: 27.6 MPG, 13.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Having a reserve you can heavily rely on is very valuable. One that can hustle and do all the little things it takes to win. That was Naji Marshall this season for the Dallas Mavericks. He came over from the New Orleans Pelicans, where he was one of the last guys in their rotation. He signed with the Mavericks this offseason and proved he can provide more than just a glue guy off the bench. He was shown to be a tough defender and, for that reason alone, could finish games for them. 

Offensively, we saw many improvements. Firstly, he handled the ball a lot better and attacked off the dribble more and more as the season went on. He struggled from three, as he shot 27.3% from three. However, he is capable of knocking those down. Once that starts to fall, he will be an even better scorer next year, and he already averaged thirteen points this year. His health was also helpful for this Mavericks team. There is a reason he is the highest-rated person on this section of the list.

Recap

This was the list of the top two hundred players in the NBA as of the 2024-25 NBA season. Only two hundred to one seventy-five were listed on this list. The next list will be exactly one week from now. Who was missing from this list, and what do you agree with and disagree with? Comment below your thoughts, and stay tuned for the next article.