NBA Player Tiers Post 2024

[TomRicardo]

Top Ten Tier List ( I am sure I am missing someone)

MVP
Jokic
Giannis

1-A
Luka
SGA
Tatum
Ant

1-A when Healthy
Embiid
Kawhi
Butler
Zion

Fill in for the fallen
Brunson
AD
Brown
Booker

Lifetime Achievement guys that slip in but aren't quite there anymore
Curry
LeBron
KD
(Kyrie)

If I was going to make a Tier List going into 2024

MVP
Jokic
Giannis
Tatum - Showed up and won

1-A
Luka - defense and composure issues were exposed
SGA
Ant

Fill in for the fallen (1-B)
Brown
Anthony Davis
Booker
Brunson

1-A if Healthy
Embiid
Kawhi
Zion
Butler

Lifetime Achievement guys that slip in but aren't quite there anymore
Curry
LeBron
KD

Regular Season Stars
Wemby
Mitchell
Paul George
Haliburton
Porzingis
Ja Morant
Banchero
Bam
Sabonis
DeRozan
Fox
Randle
Dame
Maxey
Harden
Holmgren
Sengun
Gobert
Barnes
Murray
White

 

[PC Drunken Friar]

If I was going to make a Tier List going into 2024

MVP
Jokic
Giannis
Tatum - Showed up and won

1-A
Luka - defense and composure issues were exposed
SGA
Ant

Fill in for the fallen (1-B)
Brown
Anthony Davis
Booker
Brunson

1-A if Healthy
Embiid
Kawhi
Zion
Butler

Lifetime Achievement guys that slip in but aren't quite there anymore
Curry
LeBron
KD

Regular Season Stars
Wemby
Mitchell
Paul George
Haliburton
Porzingis
Ja Morant
Banchero
Bam
Sabonis
DeRozan
Fox
Randle
Dame
Maxey
Harden
Holmgren
Sengun
Gobert
Barnes
Murray
White

I think that if you were to update this in December, Wemby is in 1-B.

 

[TomRicardo]

I think that if you were to update this in December, Wemby is in 1-B.

I only kept Wemby out of the 1-B because he hasn't played a playoff game. He is so so good. That is the reason he is the top of regular season stars.

 

[dhellers]

Would you trade JT for Giannis straight up? Given their ages and wear and tear?

 

[benhogan]

Would you trade JT for Giannis straight up? Given their ages and wear and tear?

No thanks.

Games played, body type, health, and availability matter much more when you get to the extremes, and why Joel Embiid is criminally overrated.

Giannis is fully formed. Tatum can still get bigger & better.

 

[Mloaf71]

No thanks.

Games played, body type, health, and availability matter much more when you get to the extremes, and why Joel Embiid is criminally overrated.

Giannis is fully formed. Tatum can still get bigger & better.

For those of you that complained about Tatum's shooting in the playoffs, no chance you could watch Giannis be left wide open all game.

 

[benhogan]

For those of you that complained about Tatum's shooting in the playoffs, no chance you could watch Giannis be left wide open all game.

Teams definitely have to respect/guard Tatum's C&S 3s from the perimeter, especially relative to Giannis.

Tatum's playoff shooting wasn't an opinion piece by anyone around here, it was factually bad.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

Is Derrick White really that much better than Jrue Holiday? Maybe you need a category for playoff stars.

 

[the moops]

Would you trade JT for Giannis straight up? Given their ages and wear and tear?

Absolutely. I think for the next few years a White/Holiday/Brown/Giannnis/KP starting 5 would be unstoppable. Giannis allows you to still play two bigs, and while you lose the 5 out, Giannis with all that space would be devastating

 

[RorschachsMask]

Jokic

Giannis (this is the only tier where it’s in order)
Tatum

SGA
Ant
Luka
Embiid

Steph
Lebron
Kawhi
KD
AD
Jaylen
Wemby

 

[LeoCarrillo]

Could add Kyrie, Trae Young, LaMelo, Markkanen . . . Bane, Siakam, whichever Murray that isn't (Jamal or Dejounte)

 

[moondog80]

No thanks.

Games played, body type, health, and availability matter much more when you get to the extremes, and why Joel Embiid is criminally overrated.

Giannis is fully formed. Tatum can still get bigger & better.

How about JT for Wemby?

 

[benhogan]

How about JT for Wemby?

Wemby is the most valuable contract in the NBA

 

[lovegtm]

Luka's TS% was only 53%. 28-23 assist-turnovers. Forget defense as a tiebreaker; I think Tatum is just a better offensive player than Luka on a talented team, which is what you need to win a title.

View: https://twitter.com/michaelvpina/status/1803138397273231632?s=46

 

[dhellers]

Absolutely. I think for the next few years a White/Holiday/Brown/Giannnis/KP starting 5 would be unstoppable. Giannis allows you to still play two bigs, and while you lose the 5 out, Giannis with all that space would be devastating

I worry that Giannis is on the downward part of his career, with his availability questionable.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Tier 1
Giannis
Jokic
Luka
Tatum
SGA

Tier 2
LeBron
Steph
Edwards
Brown
AD
KD

Tier 3
Brunson
Haliburton
Sabonis
Booker
Kawhi
Wemby
Mitchell

 

[mikeford]

Jokic is in a tier by his damn self.

 

[tims4wins]

Jokic is in a tier by his damn self.

Why.

 

[mikeford]

Why.

Have you seen him play? He should be on his 4th MVP in a row.

 

[RorschachsMask]

Jokic is in a tier by his damn self.

Yeah I’m actually surprised I’m the only one to have him in his own tier so far lol.

He’s so much better than anyone else.

 

[TomRicardo]

Luka's TS% was only 53%. 28-23 assist-turnovers. Forget defense as a tiebreaker; I think Tatum is just a better offensive player than Luka on a talented team, which is what you need to win a title.

View: https://twitter.com/michaelvpina/status/1803138397273231632?s=46

Luka is the most brilliant creator with absolutely nothing. He doesn't really need space or help, and he doesn't rely on athletic ability. He has sneaky size which allows him to create an incredible amount space around himself.

The closest thing we have ever seen to Luka is Bird but Bird was more athletic and way more engaged in defense but Bird needed some more spacing. Luka is like Bartolo Colon if Colon was more consistently in the Cy Young race. Veľká sexy if you will.

Luka is so incredibly elite in this skill and is a top ten passer in the league. He also has Pritchardesque ability to be in the right spot for rebounds.

So Luka is the most incredible singular skill that is pretty much the most important unteachable skill in the NBA, and that is why he is elite. The easy, teachable stuff, Luka sucks at.

That is why media people can't let go of Luka. Van Pelt called it the allure of what if. If Luka could just button up the easy stuff and got into shape he would be an MVP.

 

[TomRicardo]

Yeah I’m actually surprised I’m the only one to have him in his own tier so far lol.

He’s so much better than anyone else.

I don't think Joker is that much better Giannis. Joker defense is kind of "meh" like Giannis' jump shot.

I think the two of them have a much bigger gap from everyone else than each other.

 

[Ale Xander]

Tier 1
Jokic

Tier 2
Giannis

Tier 3
Tatum
SGA
Luka


Tier 4
Lebron
Steph
AD
Embiid
Leonard
Ant

Tier 5
Brown
Brunson
Haliburton
Booker
Sabonis
Butler
Randle
Fox
KAT

 

[tmracht]

I'm confused how lists are omitting Brown. Did he not prove he's at least top 20? What more does he need to do?

 

[scottyno]

Tier 1
Jokic

Tier 2
Giannis

Tier 3
Tatum
SGA
Luka


Tier 4
Lebron
Steph
AD
Embiid
Leonard
Ant

Tier 5
Brunson
Haliburton
Booker
Sabonis
Butler
Randle
Fox
KAT

You really watched that entire playoffs and after all that still think Sabonis and Haliburton are better than Brown?

 

[lovegtm]

You really watched that entire playoffs and after all that still think Sabonis and Haliburton are better than Brown?

Numbers don't lie. In order to know which players are better than other players, you just go to BBR and sort by assist totals.

 

[scottyno]

Numbers don't lie. In order to know which players are better than other players, you just go to BBR and sort by assist totals.

Fair, after all it makes logical sense that the Kings have 2 of the top 15-20 players in the NBA and the Celtics have 1, I'm sure that was reflected in their regular season and playoff finishes

 

[riboflav]

This shit is such a joke now. We’re comparing players to those we haven’t even thought about in over a month or longer. WOW. Fuck nba analysts. They all kinda suck. And we do the do your remember Sabonis being relevant at one time???? Get a life.

 

[Ale Xander]

You really watched that entire playoffs and after all that still think Sabonis and Haliburton are better than Brown?

totally spaced on Brown

 

[Bunt Single]

Edit: "totally spaced JB"? This is laughable

 

[benhogan]

I'm confused how lists are omitting Brown. Did he not prove he's at least top 20? What more does he need to do?

Jaylen's road to ESPN rankings glory:
1. stop playing tight perimeter defense, with a focus on leaving your man early to hunt loose defensive rebounds
2. look to isolate and get his
3. boost FGA
4. more dunks on Sportscenter
5. play for a pedestrian team where he can become a heliocentric offensive star

Gil Arenas-ing

 

[tmracht]

Jaylen's road to ESPN rankings glory:
1. stopping playing tight perimeter defense, with a focus on leaving your man to hunt loose defensive rebounds
2. look to isolate and get his
3. boost FGA
4. more dunks on Sportscenter
5. play for a crappy team where he can become a heliocentric offensive star

Right empty stats matter forgot that. Thanks!

 

[Auger34]

totally spaced on Brown

you can edit the post and add him in where you see fit

 

[Auger34]

For next year

Tier 1
Jokic

Tier 2
Giannis
Tatum
Luka
SGA
Ant

Tier 3
Steph
LeBron
Jaylen
KD
Booker
Brunson
Mitchell
Wemby

Tier 3 (Injury Risk Edition)
Embiid
Kawhi
AD
Zion

 

[Justthetippett]

For next year

Tier 1
Jokic

Tier 2
Giannis
Tatum
Luka
SGA
Ant

Tier 3
Steph
LeBron
Jaylen
KD
Booker
Brunson
Mitchell
Wemby

Tier 3 (Injury Risk Edition)
Embiid
Kawhi
AD
Zion

Pretty good list. I think I'd add Halliburton in the T3/injury risk category too.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

So Luka is the most incredible singular skill that is pretty much the most important unteachable skill in the NBA, and that is why he is elite. The easy, teachable stuff, Luka sucks at.

That is why media people can't let go of Luka. Van Pelt called it the allure of what if. If Luka could just button up the easy stuff and got into shape he would be an MVP.

Yeah Luka has some great skills and I guess Harden showed that teams can get pretty far even if one person is oblivious to defense but getting in shape, being aware on defense, understanding and executing rotations - that's not really "easy" stuff and the fact that Luka hasn't been doing it for this long suggests that it may be harder for him to learn it.

I mean JB is 6'7"-ish 240-ish and he's chasing Steph Curry around the court these days. It takes a tremendous amount of work to be able to do that. It takes a tremendous amount of work to be able to guard Luka 1-1 for an entire game plus have the energy to be a primary or secondary scorer.

Can you imagine Luka trying to chase around guys like Steph Curry?

 

[mikeford]

I don't think Joker is that much better Giannis. Joker defense is kind of "meh" like Giannis' jump shot.

He had the 3rd best defensive rating in the league last year behind only Wemby and Gobert.

 

[Bunt Single]

My list looks similar to others, with a few tweaks:

Tier 1
Jokic

Tier 2
Tatum
Giannis (in that order -- reflecting Tatum's continual growth as a player, which I expect to continue. Giannis's development seems kind of frozen, to me.)

Tier 3
Brown (see my assessment of continued growth potential above)
SGA
Ant
(no Luka here for me -- because he provides no defense. It's half the game.)

Tier 3
Steph
Brunson
DeAaron Fox
LeBron
KD
Mitchell

Tier 4
AD
Booker
Wemby (would be higher if the criteria were, build a team around him; this list, for me, is for the 2024-25 season)
Ja Morant

Tier 5 (or lower, really -- basically due to injury risk, which needs to be a major factor in this accounting, IMO)
Embiid
Kawhi
Zion? Naw, strike that -- dude hasn't even put together a season of dominance

 

[Kliq]

The biggest case for Tatum and Brown to be ranked higher than they are by most people is that they have both displayed a tremendous unselfishness in willing to do things other than score the basketball to help their team win. In the prime of their careers, they have been extremely dedicated to playing defense and moving the basketball, two things that are really hard for a lot of star players to do.

If we are going to talk about skills and raw statistical production, there are going to be players ranked higher than both of them (especially Brown), and I think that is still how a lot of people look at this. But in terms of helping your team win and being dedicated to playing winning basketball, a player like Brown should be very, very high.

 

[Kliq]

I don't think I'd trade Tatum for Giannis, straight up, because Tatum is a known championship quantity at this point in Boston.

Giannis on the Celtics though would be pretty fascinating. Playing with Holiday, D-White, Brown, KP and Horford he would be completely devastating. On defense he'd play a similar role to Tatum, but with just absurd length and athleticism. On offense he is a pretty underrated passer and decision-maker, and while he isn't as multi-faceted as Tatum, he's good for a very efficient 30+ points in any playoff game. He's a very different player than Tatum--he wouldn't have made the jumpers that Tatum made and he'd be a significantly worse free throw shooter, but he wouldn't have missed all those shots at the rim either. It would be incredible to see teams try and build a wall to stop him from getting to the rim while he is playing with the Celtics group of shooters and high IQ players.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

I don't think I'd trade Tatum for Giannis, straight up, because Tatum is a known championship quantity at this point in Boston.

Giannis on the Celtics though would be pretty fascinating. Playing with Holiday, D-White, Brown, KP and Horford he would be completely devastating. On defense he'd play a similar role to Tatum, but with just absurd length and athleticism. On offense he is a pretty underrated passer and decision-maker, and while he isn't as multi-faceted as Tatum, he's good for a very efficient 30+ points in any playoff game. He's a very different player than Tatum--he wouldn't have made the jumpers that Tatum made and he'd be a significantly worse free throw shooter, but he wouldn't have missed all those shots at the rim either. It would be incredible to see teams try and build a wall to stop him from getting to the rim while he is playing with the Celtics group of shooters and high IQ players.

Yes BOS would win with Giannis replacing JT. But that's just a testament to how good they are.

I think BOS with Giannis is probably a better matchup against DEN but worse against most of the other teams. Problem is that Giannis without the ball doesn't do a lot of the little things that JT does - for example, not a great screener and not someone who makes great decisions as the roll man - so when the ball in Giannis's hands, they don't have the same spacing. Plus, JT is a more switchable defender than Giannis - so BOS wouldn't be able to play the same switch defense. Giannis has issues on the perimeter (JT for example likes to attack him), which is why they kept Jrue on Butler even though Butler was cooking Jrue.

 

[lovegtm]

A lot of JT discussion at this point is about whether he will rediscover his jumpshot. If he does, this team is winning multiple titles with relative ease.

The weird thing with the version of Tatum we had in this playoffs is that he was the best playmaker on the court in every series. I don't even know whether Luka is better than JT at playmaking now. (Raw assist/potential assist numbers miss A LOT, particularly for guys who don't always bring it up the floor, but even those were better for Tatum than Luka in the Finals, and that matched the eye test).

 

[Euclis20]

The Ringer came out with an updated (post playoffs) top 100 player ranking. Here are the Boston guys:

5. Tatum (behind Jokic, Luka, Giannis, SGA)
15. Brown
37. White
38. Holiday
42. Porzingis
100. Horford

Not too much to quibble with here, really. I like Tatum more than SGA and I'd have Horford a few slots higher, but that's mostly it. Versatility and reliability just aren't being valued properly, although it was nice to see Embiid fall to 6 (he was #2 in January) and Kawhi fall to 14 (he was 6 in April).

https://nbarankings.theringer.com/

 

[BigSoxFan]

The Ringer came out with an updated (post playoffs) top 100 player ranking. Here are the Boston guys:

5. Tatum (behind Jokic, Luka, Giannis, SGA)
15. Brown
37. White
38. Holiday
42. Porzingis
100. Horford

Not too much to quibble with here, really. I like Tatum more than SGA and I'd have Horford a few slots higher, but that's mostly it. Versatility and reliability just aren't being valued properly, although it was nice to see Embiid fall to 6 (he was #2 in January) and Kawhi fall to 14 (he was 6 in April).

https://nbarankings.theringer.com/

Going through the list makes one appreciate just how talented the league is now. I was prepared to contest White/Holiday in late 30s but…couldn’t really do so.

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

The Ringer came out with an updated (post playoffs) top 100 player ranking. Here are the Boston guys:

5. Tatum (behind Jokic, Luka, Giannis, SGA)
15. Brown
37. White
38. Holiday
42. Porzingis
100. Horford

Not too much to quibble with here, really. I like Tatum more than SGA and I'd have Horford a few slots higher, but that's mostly it. Versatility and reliability just aren't being valued properly, although it was nice to see Embiid fall to 6 (he was #2 in January) and Kawhi fall to 14 (he was 6 in April).

https://nbarankings.theringer.com/

Mentioned this in the other thread but they have Dame at 27; Maxey at 31; and Trae Young at 36. I guess defense doesn't count when it comes to guard play.

 

[Ed Hillel]

The way Wemby improved in the last 2 months or so, I wouldn't be totally stunned to see him win the MVP IF San Antonio can add another All-Star caliber player and they can finish in the top 4 or 5 in the West, which I think is totally possible.

 

[BigSoxFan]

The way Wemby improved in the last 2 months or so, I wouldn't be totally stunned to see him win the MVP IF San Antonio can add another All-Star caliber player and they can finish in the top 4 or 5 in the West, which I think is totally possible.

Yeah. He’s already a DPOY frontrunner. SA just needs to find another major piece that slides Vassell down to a 3rd option where I think he’s better suited. They’ll have 2 top 8 picks in an admittedly weak draft and Sochan looking like another solid piece.

They only won 22 games last year so hard to see a move that high barring something major, even with Wemby’s expected improvement. But this is a team I’ll be keeping an eye on.

Will be interesting to see how they approach their roster construction.

 

[Kliq]

SGA over Tatum at this point is ridiculous. What Tatum did in these playoffs is like, a top 3% outcome for SGA's career.

 

[Jimbodandy]

SGA over Tatum at this point is ridiculous. What Tatum did in these playoffs is like, a top 3% outcome for SGA's career.

Agreed. Tatum is better at both offense and defense. Props to the league commentators for being clued into SGA's skills at both end, but wouldn't the better version of that guy be ranked higher?

 

[lovegtm]

SGA over Tatum at this point is ridiculous. What Tatum did in these playoffs is like, a top 3% outcome for SGA's career.

People are really, really hung up on raw individual efficiency.