SI.com's Top 100 NBA players of 2017

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/09/12/nba-top-100-player-rankings

 

93. Mason Plumlee, C, Trail Blazers

The eye test (9.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.8 APG) can lead to all sorts of conflicting conclusions about Mason Plumlee. In the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers, the 26-year-old Duke product was a force, grabbing rebounds by the dozens, dishing assists like a point guard, and going head-to-head with DeAndre Jordan. In the next round against the Warriors, though, Plumlee looked hapless as he struggled mightily to finish around the hoop and was regularly pushed out of the paint. So which is it? On balance, the advanced stats treat Plumlee’s all-around game kindly, as he ranked in the top 70 in Player Efficiency Rating, Win Shares and Real Plus-Minus last season. Terry Stotts deserves credit for playing to his center’s strengths, turning him loose as a high-post distributor and keeping him out of less efficient post-up isolations. Perhaps the biggest question about Plumlee concerns his ceiling: Can he get much better if he’s not a true one-on-one option, if he’s not a scoring threat outside five feet, and if he grades out as a shaky pick-and-roll defender? (Last year: Not ranked)

+ His 226 assists ranked third among centers behind PauGasol and Al Horford
+ His mobility makes him a target in pick-and-roll scenarios and secondary transition
– His 18.8 turnover % was the highest among centers who played at least 2,000 minutes
– Opponents regularly break out the “Hack-a-Shaq” to exploit his career 58.3 FT% shooting

 

92. Wesley Matthews, SG, Mavericks

Only Matthews would return from a ruptured Achilles tendon to lead his team in minutes played. His resolve is undeniable. Matthews has forged a career from grit, both in the macro sense as an undrafted player and in the micro sense of working his way through every possession. None of that has changed. Last we saw Matthews, he was doggedly chasing Kevin Durant around the floor, doing all he could to bother a superstar with a seven-inch height advantage. What has changed is the dividends of Matthews’s hard work; try as he might, Matthews could never explode off the dribble or connect on open shots like he did prior to his injury. At his best last season, Matthews was a quality spot shooter and a hard-working defender. That alone isn’t generally enough to rank in the league’s top 100 players. As such, we’re projecting some improvement for Matthews in his second full season back from debilitating injury. To return as quickly as Matthews did shredded all reasonable timetables. To average 34 minutes in 83 total games (between the regular season and playoffs) shattered even optimistic projections. Yet recovering from an Achilles tear—to the extent that one can—takes more time and more rest. This season should mark the return of a more able Matthews, if still one noticeably diminished from his prime years. (Last year: 99)

+ When healthy, Matthews had the balance in his game to make him an ideal complement
+ Utterly relentless
– We still don’t quite know how closely Matthews will be able to approximate his prime
– Historically, Achilles injuries have not been kind to the careers of NBA players

 

64. Zach Randolph, PF, Grizzlies

Randolph, after 15 years in the league, is bullying a new wave of slighter, smaller power forwards. His rump does the heavy lifting; tough as it is to push back against Randolph’s post-ups or contest his long-armed hook shots, such tasks are that much harder when Randolph first bumps away defenders off his backside. Sophisticated, preemptive team defenses make it more challenging every year for players to operate from the post. Yet Randolph comes back, season after season, with the fakes and footwork he needs to get by. There’s room, still, for Randolph’s particular brand of mid-usage bullyball. (Last year: No. 49)

+ Remains a solid mid-range shooter, shooting 43.1% last season
+ A load of a rebounder. Opponents advised to use heavy machinery, tow cables, etc.
– Slow-footed defender who doesn’t much protect the rim
– Face-up game is in decline now that his jab step is something of an empty threat

 

The biggest snubs from SI.com's Top 100 NBA players of 2017

Al-Farouq Aminu, Blazers
Things are trending up for Aminu, 25, who enjoyed a career year (10.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG) in his first season in Portland. A combo forward whose value was long limited by atrocious outside shooting and a lack of playmaking, Aminu made progress from deep (shooting near league average on a career-high number of attempts) and found a quality fit as a tertiary, catch-and-shoot option on a Blazers roster that relies on its backcourt for initiating. With his offense now approaching passable, Aminu was in a better position to shine defensively, as he has the versatility to switch on the perimeter, the toughness to defend most traditional power forwards on the block, and the ability to rebound well enough to get by in small ball looks. Look for Aminu to make a run at next year’s list if he can solidify his outside shooting (despite a stroke that looks like he’s flinging a grape with a rubber band) and continues to thrive as a power forward against spread lineups. — BG


Evan Turner, Blazers
What exactly is Portland getting for its $70 million off-season investment in Turner? That’s not the easiest question to answer. Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick, isn’t an alpha dog scorer, he isn’t an imposing athletic freak, he isn’t a lockdown perimeter defender, and he certainly isn’t a reliable outside shooter. At 27, he’s on his fourth team in seven seasons, he’s not a guaranteed starter, and he’s at or near his career apex despite relatively modest numbers (10.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.4 APG) and middling advanced stats. But Turner can claim to be a jack of many trades, even if he’s not necessarily a master of any. He’s a capable shot-creator and offense-initiator with good size, a willing passer, and a solid defender who has enjoyed remarkable durability throughout his career (he’s missed just seven total games in six seasons). Next season will be an interesting value test for Turner, who will need to find a way to complement Portland’s lead guards without cutting too far into their touches or shrinking the floor too much with his lack of three-point range. — BG

 

Who will be ranked higher, Batum or CJ?

 

50. C.J. McCollum, SG, Trail Blazers

McCollum’s secondary billing on the Blazers camouflages just how remarkable a scorer he’s become. Only 22 players in the league finished the season averaging 20 points per game. Among them, McCollum ranked sixth in effective field goal percentage. Some players buoy their efficiency by driving in volume and creating opportunities for fouls. McCollum manages it by making good on a startling percentage of his pull-up jumpers, both inside the arc and out. That kind of shot profile is amazingly difficult to maintain at McCollum’s clip but benefits from just how difficult it is to deny. When a guard like McCollum can pull up or step back any time he has the ball, the floor for a typical possession becomes a quality look. Accessibility of offense—a crucial element for players who create in volume—just isn’t an issue for a player who can handle and rise up so easily. McCollum also meshes that skill set with complementary function in a way that benefits high-usage teammates. At minimum, he’s an elite shooter running off of pin-downs and spacing the floor from the weak side, perfectly cable of counter driving when the defense overextends. The only awkwardness in McCollum’s game comes from the fact that he hasn’t shown the chops to work as a primary playmaker and doesn’t have the size or length to safely defend top shooting guards. There’s nothing distinctly wrong with falling into that combo guard middle ground, though it does require particular skill compensation from players around him that isn’t always available. (Last year: Not ranked)

+ Rained threes from all over: 40.8% above the break, 44.9% from the corners
+ Effective in-between game of lofty floaters and tricky bank shots
– Doesn’t have much of a feel for defense, either in coverage or rotation
– Ordinary athlete by NBA standards

 

43. Nicolas Batum, SF, Hornets

In fairness to Michael Jordan and Rich Cho, this is a good time to reassess the Hornets’ decision to trade Noah Vonleh for Nicolas Batum last summer. At the time, the move seemed short-sighted and risky: Vonleh was a 2015 lottery pick, Batum was coming off a down year and his contract was up after the season. But so far, everything has been peaches for Charlotte, as Vonleh hasn’t shown much in the way of development, Batum bounced back to have a good contract year, and the Hornets successfully inked him to a $120 million contract this summer. While there’s still plenty of time to worry about whether Batum (14.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.8 APG) will live up to his new deal, which runs through his age-32 season, for now the focus should be on the present. As a versatile playmaker, proven pick-and-roll initiator and passable outside shooter, Batum injected significant new life into Charlotte’s attack, making life easier for Kemba Walker and facilitating a transition to a more modern, less post-centric team approach. His presence paid dividends in the standings and from an entertainment value perspective: Charlotte was not only winning more than it lost, but it was finally a better show than drying paint.Batum, 27, will never rise to the level of a No. 1 option, but the Hornets would have been ruined in the short-term if he had left this summer, which says a lot. (Last year: No. 55)

+ His arrival helped lift Charlotte to its most wins (48) and best offensive efficiency rating (107.1) since the franchise was reestablished in 2004
+ One of only five to average at least 14/6/5 last season (LeBron, KD, Westbrook, Harden)
– Shot just 28.8% in clutch situations and 19.4% from deep last season
– Despite his long-standing reputation as a good defender, lapses in awareness take a toll on his impact

 

To go from not ranked to ranked 50th is pretty damn impressive.