The volume. Oh my god, how could he do that? By don't want what Charles Darwin? The nerves is where it's at.

The volume. Oh my god, how could he do that? By don't want what Charles Darwin? The nerves is where it's at.

Welcome everybody back into Nerds, sesshon As always, I'm Carson Brevn. Alongside me is Logan Kmden, and today we are probably gonna make some of you mad because we are gonna be ranking the top ten scores in the NBA. I'm really excited. I think this is a pretty fascinating conversation. And I gave my top five early in the year, I think the opening week of the season. Some of you guys asked for it, and so I gave it. My top five is a little bit different from then, and now we get the full top ten list. In Logan, you haven't revealed your thoughts to the people at all. So let's start with some honorable mentions. Who were some guys were very pained to leave off this list, if any.

Welcome everybody back into Nerds, sesshon As always, I'm Carson Brevn. Alongside me is Logan Kmden, and today we are probably gonna make some of you mad because we are gonna be ranking the top ten scores in the NBA. I'm really excited. I think this is a pretty fascinating conversation. And I gave my top five early in the year, I think the opening week of the season. Some of you guys asked for it, and so I gave it. My top five is a little bit different from then, and now we get the full top ten list. In Logan, you haven't revealed your thoughts to the people at all. So let's start with some honorable mentions. Who were some guys were very pained to leave off this list, if any.

Yeah, I was really paying to leave a few guys off this list. I think my most controversial cut is probably Jason Tatum. Oh, I don't have Tatum in my top ten, and I omitted him for somebody that I think is more physically imposing, a guy that you know, his jump shot waxes and wanes, but his physical imposition on the game when he is at his best and when he is fully locked in, I think overwhelms and is a little more consistent than Tatum's inconsistent games. So Tatum was probably my toughest omission. My next toughest omission was probably Zion Williamson. I really debated what I should do with Zion man because damn dude, Zion, the way he absorbs contact, his touch around the rim, I think that can kind of get lost, Like we're so obsessed with how physically imposing and how strong Zion is and what a freak athlete he is, but that's really taking away from the grace and elegance that comes with his game. Like again, he's so good at taking that body contact, still going up, finishing through and yeah, you know, and he's got great touch with both of his hands. So it's like I debated Zion because I do have a couple of those really physically imposing guys, but that's gonna be a big difference for me on guys that are really high on this list and guys who are low on this list. Like, if you don't have touch shot making. If you're not a great shot maker from everywhere on the floor or at least multiple areas on the floor, I have to hold that against you. Again, it's like I wouldn't hold a prime Shack off of this list because of how dominant he was in the paint. But it's like there's nuance to this and there's levels to it, where in different scenarios where if you're starting with the ball in an ISO situation at the top of the key, I may be more inclined to give it to a guy who's a little more skilled and graded over the top shot making than a guy that is great in the paint. But I can't completely count out a guy whose game is predicated on interior scoring. So there's there's a lot of different ways you can go with this list. But Zion take them were probably my two toughest cuts, and then the next three guys are the next four guys, excuse me, all guards. Jalen Brunton, Kyrie Irving, Dearn Fox, and Donovan Mitchell were all very tough emissions for me, but I had to leave them off. There's so many great scorers in the league today and I'm always gonna fall on the side of bigger guys, physical guys. Guys who have really well rounded scoring skill sets and physical profiles are definitely important that and I think that's what holds some of these guards back from being higher on my list. But this is a tough list to come up with, Carson, I'm I'm really excited to get into the weeds and kind of debate where these guys should rank. This was a excruciating list to make.

Yeah, I was really paying to leave a few guys off this list. I think my most controversial cut is probably Jason Tatum. Oh, I don't have Tatum in my top ten, and I omitted him for somebody that I think is more physically imposing, a guy that you know, his jump shot waxes and wanes, but his physical imposition on the game when he is at his best and when he is fully locked in, I think overwhelms and is a little more consistent than Tatum's inconsistent games. So Tatum was probably my toughest omission. My next toughest omission was probably Zion Williamson. I really debated what I should do with Zion man because damn dude, Zion, the way he absorbs contact, his touch around the rim, I think that can kind of get lost, Like we're so obsessed with how physically imposing and how strong Zion is and what a freak athlete he is, but that's really taking away from the grace and elegance that comes with his game. Like again, he's so good at taking that body contact, still going up, finishing through and yeah, you know, and he's got great touch with both of his hands. So it's like I debated Zion because I do have a couple of those really physically imposing guys, but that's gonna be a big difference for me on guys that are really high on this list and guys who are low on this list. Like, if you don't have touch shot making. If you're not a great shot maker from everywhere on the floor or at least multiple areas on the floor, I have to hold that against you. Again, it's like I wouldn't hold a prime Shack off of this list because of how dominant he was in the paint. But it's like there's nuance to this and there's levels to it, where in different scenarios where if you're starting with the ball in an ISO situation at the top of the key, I may be more inclined to give it to a guy who's a little more skilled and graded over the top shot making than a guy that is great in the paint. But I can't completely count out a guy whose game is predicated on interior scoring. So there's there's a lot of different ways you can go with this list. But Zion take them were probably my two toughest cuts, and then the next three guys are the next four guys, excuse me, all guards. Jalen Brunton, Kyrie Irving, Dearn Fox, and Donovan Mitchell were all very tough emissions for me, but I had to leave them off. There's so many great scorers in the league today and I'm always gonna fall on the side of bigger guys, physical guys. Guys who have really well rounded scoring skill sets and physical profiles are definitely important that and I think that's what holds some of these guards back from being higher on my list. But this is a tough list to come up with, Carson, I'm I'm really excited to get into the weeds and kind of debate where these guys should rank. This was a excruciating list to make.

Man, So I think I may know who you have at number ten just based off of the brief description that you gave there. It sounds like it may be Lebron James. I'm not sure, but Lebron is maybe my toughest cut because I do think that when he is the level jump shooter, he's been thish when you think about his ability to attack and brutalize mismatches at will, like the guy who's still a hyper efficient, physically dominant scoring machine. To me, it just comes down to the fact that everybody else on this list, I think can Harry can carry that true number one load for an extended run in a way that Lebron hasn't shown us this last year and a half and maybe he is just saving that level for the postseason, but I left him off because of that. Zion is a really good choice. He is one of the very rare guys who feels truly unguardable in a lot of matchups just because his physical tools are so overwhelming. I do think though he hasn't been at that peak physical dominance throughout this whole year. He's gotten there as of late, but hasn't quite produced with the volume that he would need to be on this list for me, and the lack of over the top shot making does matter some, although I think again you'd be hard pressed to find the defenders who can really make that matter against Zion because he's mostly gonna get where he wants. And then if you're talking about the small, hyper skilled guards, where there are a few good candidates, Brunson is the one for me because of his variety as a shot maker. Compared to Donovan Mitchell, who's been awesome this year. I just think there's some more volatility there. There's some more questions about shot selections settling repeatedly for these tough pull up threes, whereas Brunson is going to play with this incredible methodical pace, get wherever he wants on the floor, and I mean his shooting efficiency, right, He's fifty five percent on floaters, He's insane from mid range, he's forty three percent from deep. The guy is just an assassin shot maker. So those are probably my toughest cuts, But I ultimately feel pretty good about the ten who I have on this list. I do lose a little bit of sleepover Lebron though, the more I think about it. So why is it that he's on your list?

Man, So I think I may know who you have at number ten just based off of the brief description that you gave there. It sounds like it may be Lebron James. I'm not sure, but Lebron is maybe my toughest cut because I do think that when he is the level jump shooter, he's been thish when you think about his ability to attack and brutalize mismatches at will, like the guy who's still a hyper efficient, physically dominant scoring machine. To me, it just comes down to the fact that everybody else on this list, I think can Harry can carry that true number one load for an extended run in a way that Lebron hasn't shown us this last year and a half and maybe he is just saving that level for the postseason, but I left him off because of that. Zion is a really good choice. He is one of the very rare guys who feels truly unguardable in a lot of matchups just because his physical tools are so overwhelming. I do think though he hasn't been at that peak physical dominance throughout this whole year. He's gotten there as of late, but hasn't quite produced with the volume that he would need to be on this list for me, and the lack of over the top shot making does matter some, although I think again you'd be hard pressed to find the defenders who can really make that matter against Zion because he's mostly gonna get where he wants. And then if you're talking about the small, hyper skilled guards, where there are a few good candidates, Brunson is the one for me because of his variety as a shot maker. Compared to Donovan Mitchell, who's been awesome this year. I just think there's some more volatility there. There's some more questions about shot selections settling repeatedly for these tough pull up threes, whereas Brunson is going to play with this incredible methodical pace, get wherever he wants on the floor, and I mean his shooting efficiency, right, He's fifty five percent on floaters, He's insane from mid range, he's forty three percent from deep. The guy is just an assassin shot maker. So those are probably my toughest cuts, But I ultimately feel pretty good about the ten who I have on this list. I do lose a little bit of sleepover Lebron though, the more I think about it. So why is it that he's on your list?

Yeah, Lebron is in the number ten spot for me, and it's the physical control that I know that Lebron can reach when he's on. Now we have to address where Lebron lacks and where he's lost a little bit of a step over the past few years. He doesn't have that elite quick burst that Lebron once had, Like he doesn't explode out of the gates to the hoop. But to me, it's just he's still strong as a freaking ox and when he wants to that if he wants to go on the low block and he wants to big body someone, he's just gonna get there. And in transition, he is still a monster at finishing off plays like if you give Lebron a runway or you give him an open lane to the hoop, that is an easy bucket. And considering where his jump shot has been this year, I don't think I can leave him off. He's over forty percent from behind the arc. He's still up in your twenty five points per game, and that's on you know, him being on a bit of a minute restriction too. Lebron hasn't been really efficient in a bunch of different play varieties, Like Lebron hasn't been a great over the top shot and maker two Carson, he's shooting just thirty one percent on five pull up attempts per game. When you can wall off Lebron from getting fully downhill to the hoop, or you can take away that open three point look like, Lebron hasn't been a great score. But like I said, it's a level of trust and confidence that comes with Lebron that in those matches where he can just back somebody down or he can impose his will on a guy. He's still super strong, he's still got great touch, he's and he's good without the ball, and I still have to value that a little bit, you know, he's a ninety second percentile or he's a ninety first percentile cutter this year. He's still really effective off screen and in transition, he's effective as a role man. He's a ninety second percentile score out of handoffs. Like, Lebron still does a lot of great things. He's obviously not what he once was, you know. I mean, Lebron from last year would probably be higher on my list. Lebron from two years ago may crack my top five. This Lebron is barely getting into my top ten. And it is partly due to what you said, Carson. It's like if a guy wasn't healthy, or if a guy, you know, if I couldn't trust the guy tod always be out there, that might come into play. And I think you have to consider the fact that Lebron's stamina and cardio at this point in his career, in his body, it's just he's forty, man, I mean, he just physically cannot take the toll. So I understand I understand completely you not having him on your list if it is a concern of physical exertion and how much he really can do that possession to possession. I completely understand that argument, But in my eyes, it is a single game scenario, and in a single game scenario where I need a guy to flip that lever, to flip the switch, even though Lebron is forty, I still have a baseline level of confidence that is a top ten scorer on the planet when it comes to him flipping that switch. So I'm gonna put Lebron in my ten spot. I just would at the end of the day, Carson, I just looked at this list and it just did it felt incomplete without Lebron on it.

Yeah, Lebron is in the number ten spot for me, and it's the physical control that I know that Lebron can reach when he's on. Now we have to address where Lebron lacks and where he's lost a little bit of a step over the past few years. He doesn't have that elite quick burst that Lebron once had, Like he doesn't explode out of the gates to the hoop. But to me, it's just he's still strong as a freaking ox and when he wants to that if he wants to go on the low block and he wants to big body someone, he's just gonna get there. And in transition, he is still a monster at finishing off plays like if you give Lebron a runway or you give him an open lane to the hoop, that is an easy bucket. And considering where his jump shot has been this year, I don't think I can leave him off. He's over forty percent from behind the arc. He's still up in your twenty five points per game, and that's on you know, him being on a bit of a minute restriction too. Lebron hasn't been really efficient in a bunch of different play varieties, Like Lebron hasn't been a great over the top shot and maker two Carson, he's shooting just thirty one percent on five pull up attempts per game. When you can wall off Lebron from getting fully downhill to the hoop, or you can take away that open three point look like, Lebron hasn't been a great score. But like I said, it's a level of trust and confidence that comes with Lebron that in those matches where he can just back somebody down or he can impose his will on a guy. He's still super strong, he's still got great touch, he's and he's good without the ball, and I still have to value that a little bit, you know, he's a ninety second percentile or he's a ninety first percentile cutter this year. He's still really effective off screen and in transition, he's effective as a role man. He's a ninety second percentile score out of handoffs. Like, Lebron still does a lot of great things. He's obviously not what he once was, you know. I mean, Lebron from last year would probably be higher on my list. Lebron from two years ago may crack my top five. This Lebron is barely getting into my top ten. And it is partly due to what you said, Carson. It's like if a guy wasn't healthy, or if a guy, you know, if I couldn't trust the guy tod always be out there, that might come into play. And I think you have to consider the fact that Lebron's stamina and cardio at this point in his career, in his body, it's just he's forty, man, I mean, he just physically cannot take the toll. So I understand I understand completely you not having him on your list if it is a concern of physical exertion and how much he really can do that possession to possession. I completely understand that argument, But in my eyes, it is a single game scenario, and in a single game scenario where I need a guy to flip that lever, to flip the switch, even though Lebron is forty, I still have a baseline level of confidence that is a top ten scorer on the planet when it comes to him flipping that switch. So I'm gonna put Lebron in my ten spot. I just would at the end of the day, Carson, I just looked at this list and it just did it felt incomplete without Lebron on it.

I get it. I do just think though, it is so much more about him picking his spots at this stage, and if I need a guy for a fourth quarter, I'm taking Lebron over Jason Tatum. I just think that ability to hunt those specific mismatches, right, if he's gonna have Austin Reeves come over for a ghost screen, that two man game is so deadly. If he's gonna be able to hunt a switch out of the post, if he's able to get those catch and shoot looks on the wing, He's been pretty lethal from deep this year, and obviously that didn't hold up in last year's playoffs, but he just was a bad jump shooter throughout the regular season last year, and he's been really good this year. I do think that there is that feeling that when he is at his best, it's just still so physically imposing. But I also think I have to give credit to the guys who are carrying that load for seasons, who I think for an entire playoff run would be more equipped to do it. And so I get the argument for Lebron, I'm gonna have to leave him as my first guy off, and I do have Tatum in that ten spot, who this year is giving you twenty seven a night on sixty point five percent through shooting. And even though his regular season production maybe isn't as great as last year in terms of scoring, I think that he's pretty clearly better than ever. And there's a couple of reasons for that. Number One, something that we've talked about lacking in his game is a shot variety at times just not physically imposing himself as much as he can, especially this year when he's added fifteen to twenty pounds of muscle and you look at him and you think this is a six ' eight tank of a man who sometimes just wants to take ten pull up threes in a game, and if those aren't following, that can be a real problem. That dynamic has been a bit different this year. He's posting up over twice as much as he was last year, when that really wasn't a prominent part of his game at all, and he's scoring with eighty fifth percentile efficiency there and it just works. He's a strong wing, he has great balance, he has good footwork, and he's a skilled shot maker who at six ' eight can shoot over a lot of people, and particularly if he's hunting a mismatch like he's a real problem down there. He is still quite reliant on the pull up three, which isn't ideal because I do think he can let defenses off the hook with that. But he has improved. Last year, Tatum shot twenty nine percent on pull up threes in the regular season and didn't have a good pull up shooting run in the playoffs. And when you were talking about that level of inefficiency like that can sink you. When you look at the guys who are at the top of the leaderboard in terms of pull up three's attempted, like Tatum was well below everybody else this year. He's shooting thirty four percent on pull up threes. That's still the lowest of the nine guys who take five or more pull up threes a game, so of the real high volume pull up shooters, he is still the weakest. But it's a significant improvement from twenty nine percent, and if he can sustain that efficiency throughout a playoff run, then it's probably not so much of an issue. But I do still worry a bit about the volatility that comes with his reliance on those pull up threes when he's not great at making those shots. The guys above him are pretty consistently just elite in terms of shot making there, and his reliance on those is a big reason that he's shot below forty percent from the field in fifteen playoff games over the last two runs. That is more than one on every three games. The one in every three games Tatum shoots six of eighteen from the field meme like is very much base in reality, and it's because of that, and so overall, his production over these last two postseasons compared to these other guys just doesn't quite stack up. Of course, he's got a larger sample size because those are two deep runs but twenty six points per game on fifty seven percent true shooting very good. But we're talking about some really exceptional scores above him. So he is better than ever. And if he can really change that dynamic and more consistently impose himself physically, I think that he has the ceiling to be above this. But when I look at the dudes above him, it's like, all right, they are either like more consistently just physically dominant, right A janis on Tetakupo, who I know is going to get to the rim at will over the course of a game. Or they are elite pull up shooters a Kevin Durant, a Devin Booker, Guys who are just nails on those shots. And Tatum theoretically has the ability to combine like being a really good physical force not Yiannis level, with being a really good pull up shooter. But unfortunately we've seen a bit too much of the not imposing himself physically and then not being a great pull up shooter in these playoff settings, So I kind of need to see it to move him higher than this. But I think he's done enough work to be in.

I get it. I do just think though, it is so much more about him picking his spots at this stage, and if I need a guy for a fourth quarter, I'm taking Lebron over Jason Tatum. I just think that ability to hunt those specific mismatches, right, if he's gonna have Austin Reeves come over for a ghost screen, that two man game is so deadly. If he's gonna be able to hunt a switch out of the post, if he's able to get those catch and shoot looks on the wing, He's been pretty lethal from deep this year, and obviously that didn't hold up in last year's playoffs, but he just was a bad jump shooter throughout the regular season last year, and he's been really good this year. I do think that there is that feeling that when he is at his best, it's just still so physically imposing. But I also think I have to give credit to the guys who are carrying that load for seasons, who I think for an entire playoff run would be more equipped to do it. And so I get the argument for Lebron, I'm gonna have to leave him as my first guy off, and I do have Tatum in that ten spot, who this year is giving you twenty seven a night on sixty point five percent through shooting. And even though his regular season production maybe isn't as great as last year in terms of scoring, I think that he's pretty clearly better than ever. And there's a couple of reasons for that. Number One, something that we've talked about lacking in his game is a shot variety at times just not physically imposing himself as much as he can, especially this year when he's added fifteen to twenty pounds of muscle and you look at him and you think this is a six ' eight tank of a man who sometimes just wants to take ten pull up threes in a game, and if those aren't following, that can be a real problem. That dynamic has been a bit different this year. He's posting up over twice as much as he was last year, when that really wasn't a prominent part of his game at all, and he's scoring with eighty fifth percentile efficiency there and it just works. He's a strong wing, he has great balance, he has good footwork, and he's a skilled shot maker who at six ' eight can shoot over a lot of people, and particularly if he's hunting a mismatch like he's a real problem down there. He is still quite reliant on the pull up three, which isn't ideal because I do think he can let defenses off the hook with that. But he has improved. Last year, Tatum shot twenty nine percent on pull up threes in the regular season and didn't have a good pull up shooting run in the playoffs. And when you were talking about that level of inefficiency like that can sink you. When you look at the guys who are at the top of the leaderboard in terms of pull up three's attempted, like Tatum was well below everybody else this year. He's shooting thirty four percent on pull up threes. That's still the lowest of the nine guys who take five or more pull up threes a game, so of the real high volume pull up shooters, he is still the weakest. But it's a significant improvement from twenty nine percent, and if he can sustain that efficiency throughout a playoff run, then it's probably not so much of an issue. But I do still worry a bit about the volatility that comes with his reliance on those pull up threes when he's not great at making those shots. The guys above him are pretty consistently just elite in terms of shot making there, and his reliance on those is a big reason that he's shot below forty percent from the field in fifteen playoff games over the last two runs. That is more than one on every three games. The one in every three games Tatum shoots six of eighteen from the field meme like is very much base in reality, and it's because of that, and so overall, his production over these last two postseasons compared to these other guys just doesn't quite stack up. Of course, he's got a larger sample size because those are two deep runs but twenty six points per game on fifty seven percent true shooting very good. But we're talking about some really exceptional scores above him. So he is better than ever. And if he can really change that dynamic and more consistently impose himself physically, I think that he has the ceiling to be above this. But when I look at the dudes above him, it's like, all right, they are either like more consistently just physically dominant, right A janis on Tetakupo, who I know is going to get to the rim at will over the course of a game. Or they are elite pull up shooters a Kevin Durant, a Devin Booker, Guys who are just nails on those shots. And Tatum theoretically has the ability to combine like being a really good physical force not Yiannis level, with being a really good pull up shooter. But unfortunately we've seen a bit too much of the not imposing himself physically and then not being a great pull up shooter in these playoff settings, So I kind of need to see it to move him higher than this. But I think he's done enough work to be in.

My top ten. The shortcomings that you mentioned about Tatum are ultimately why I left him off. And in my opinion, Tatum is one of the more inconsistent superstars that we've seen in the League in recent memory. And what you mentioned about his skill set, cards and is what makes the Jason Tatum experience so frustrating is that it's like he has all of these traits and he has all of the skills. The one delineation I want to make between the great pull up shooters that you mentioned with Tatum is that I feel like all of those other guys also, not all of them. I feel like most of them SGA, KD Kawhi, they all weaponize their physicality a little better. And then when you're talking about the Devin Bookers, the Lucas, the SGAs, the other really reliant pull up jump shooting guys, they all also create more separation on their jump shots. Like with Tatum, it's like, again, that's what makes it so frustrating, is he has all the tools in his bag, he just doesn't utilize them to his full strength. And he has these bad tendencies, Like there's just a level of faith with all the other guys, even including Lebron, Like Lebron it's like watching an old point guard. Man like dude, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley. Sorry, this is a bit of a tangent. Sure, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley fascinate me. Man, it's like the old guy playing pickup at the park. Their level of control of the game and how they see the floor, and it's like they're not the fastest anymore, they're not the strongest, they're not the best shooters anymore, but they know exactly where the ball needs to go and what play needs to be made, and if you were out of position in that one spot, they're gonna find the pass. And I think as Jason Tatum gets older and he's just played more basketball, I think he's gonna grow into just being a better basket players that knows what shot he needs to get, how to counter. I think Tatum's gonna get better, is what I'm saying. And that's ultimately like why I go with a guy over Lebron. It's like, I know Lebron knows what shot to hunt. I know Lebron knows where the ball needs to go. Like with Tatum, there's just a level of inexperience and a level of inconsistency that I still think is there with him, and I want to give him credit for what he does, because sometimes I feel like I can take Tatum for granted, you know, like we can we can move too far in the other direction where we rag on him too much. But that level of inexperience and inconsistency is still there a little too much for me to put Tatum there. And he just isn't as a lite at those other skills as the guys above him. But Tatum is probably my toughest cut. I mean, he's been putting up twenty five a night for a while now. Like it's hard to admit a guy like that from the list, And these are really minute differences, but those are the differences of being on and off the list.

My top ten. The shortcomings that you mentioned about Tatum are ultimately why I left him off. And in my opinion, Tatum is one of the more inconsistent superstars that we've seen in the League in recent memory. And what you mentioned about his skill set, cards and is what makes the Jason Tatum experience so frustrating is that it's like he has all of these traits and he has all of the skills. The one delineation I want to make between the great pull up shooters that you mentioned with Tatum is that I feel like all of those other guys also, not all of them. I feel like most of them SGA, KD Kawhi, they all weaponize their physicality a little better. And then when you're talking about the Devin Bookers, the Lucas, the SGAs, the other really reliant pull up jump shooting guys, they all also create more separation on their jump shots. Like with Tatum, it's like, again, that's what makes it so frustrating, is he has all the tools in his bag, he just doesn't utilize them to his full strength. And he has these bad tendencies, Like there's just a level of faith with all the other guys, even including Lebron, Like Lebron it's like watching an old point guard. Man like dude, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley. Sorry, this is a bit of a tangent. Sure, Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley fascinate me. Man, it's like the old guy playing pickup at the park. Their level of control of the game and how they see the floor, and it's like they're not the fastest anymore, they're not the strongest, they're not the best shooters anymore, but they know exactly where the ball needs to go and what play needs to be made, and if you were out of position in that one spot, they're gonna find the pass. And I think as Jason Tatum gets older and he's just played more basketball, I think he's gonna grow into just being a better basket players that knows what shot he needs to get, how to counter. I think Tatum's gonna get better, is what I'm saying. And that's ultimately like why I go with a guy over Lebron. It's like, I know Lebron knows what shot to hunt. I know Lebron knows where the ball needs to go. Like with Tatum, there's just a level of inexperience and a level of inconsistency that I still think is there with him, and I want to give him credit for what he does, because sometimes I feel like I can take Tatum for granted, you know, like we can we can move too far in the other direction where we rag on him too much. But that level of inexperience and inconsistency is still there a little too much for me to put Tatum there. And he just isn't as a lite at those other skills as the guys above him. But Tatum is probably my toughest cut. I mean, he's been putting up twenty five a night for a while now. Like it's hard to admit a guy like that from the list, And these are really minute differences, but those are the differences of being on and off the list.

Yeah, you make the separation point, and Tatum loves his side step threes and that just to me speaks to a general shot variety point where it's not just about Tatum getting to the rim more in relation to settling for threes, it's also about utilizing that mid range area right, and he's improved there and the increased use of post ups is a big part of that. Last year, he was like seventy fifth or something in midrange makes per game. There was that whole thing about how analytics ruined Jason Tatum. He stopped utilizing that part of the floor. It made him too predictable. This year he's twenty second in mid range. I still think a guy like Devin Booker has more variety as a shot maker, has a deeper bag, has more counters, but Tatum has narrowed the gap by a bit. It's still a difference. It still matters to me in those playoff environments, but I am somewhat hopeful that those improvements on the margin can make a difference. And maybe he just has a better pull up shooting run than last year from deep regardless, but it is those little differences. Versatility is huge, huge, Yeah, when you talk about maintaining consistency as a score, having options to go to when option one A isn't working and Tatum just isn't the most proven. Okay, who do you have in the nine spot?

Yeah, you make the separation point, and Tatum loves his side step threes and that just to me speaks to a general shot variety point where it's not just about Tatum getting to the rim more in relation to settling for threes, it's also about utilizing that mid range area right, and he's improved there and the increased use of post ups is a big part of that. Last year, he was like seventy fifth or something in midrange makes per game. There was that whole thing about how analytics ruined Jason Tatum. He stopped utilizing that part of the floor. It made him too predictable. This year he's twenty second in mid range. I still think a guy like Devin Booker has more variety as a shot maker, has a deeper bag, has more counters, but Tatum has narrowed the gap by a bit. It's still a difference. It still matters to me in those playoff environments, but I am somewhat hopeful that those improvements on the margin can make a difference. And maybe he just has a better pull up shooting run than last year from deep regardless, but it is those little differences. Versatility is huge, huge, Yeah, when you talk about maintaining consistency as a score, having options to go to when option one A isn't working and Tatum just isn't the most proven. Okay, who do you have in the nine spot?

Logan at number nine is a guy who honestly has a very very simple game and the fact that his buckets all kind of come in the same way. It's Giannis on Tetsukumpo and The reason that I can't put Giannis higher is the skill factor, the over the top shot and making element of Giannis's game. Is the fact that we have seen in the playoffs in fourth quarter environments where they give him the rock. You think about the last series against the Heat. They don't have Damian Lillard, they have Chris Middleton and Drew Holliday, and it's like, man, Giannis is scared of taking the basketball. He doesn't want the ball in his hands. And it's that's a little detail of why I can't put Giannis higher. Is it's like, just in those grimy I need one bucket. We're gonna start with it at half, or we're gonna bring it up. I just you know, I don't trust Jannis to make a tough jump shot. He has to get to the rim or somebody has to manufacture that for him. But he's so dominant doing that that he has to make the list right, thirty over thirty points per game on sixty five percent true shooting it. I've been a Gianna's detractor for a long time, and I've once said that Giannis is one of the least aesthetically pleasing basketball players that i've watched and I want to clear the air. Jannis still has these uncoordinated gangly moments that are just funny to watch. It's like cartoon esk almost where like you could put some Benny Heel music, or you can put some whoooooop like, you know, like some mow and curly noises behind him and it would make sense because it's like he just loses the ball in transition or you know. Jana still has these really goofy moments, but he also has these other ones where you know, he's spinning like the Tasmanian devil to the rack, weaponizing his weight and just bouncing off of somebody to an easy dunk. Jannis's footwork is a lot better than it once was. He is a lot better at operating through the lane. He is still super strong in an athletic freak. And if he gets within thirteen to ten feet of the hoop and there's a body on him, he is one step away from Yam in that thing home and it is insane. And like I said, Giannis has grown on me a lot. I enjoy watching Giannis a lot more than I have over the past two years. There's just a level of poise in control with Giannis now that it's just not as ugly and there's a lot less foul baiting and contact grifting with Giannis. You know, it's a lot more old school shack dominance where it's just like damn man, He's he's unstoppable. And so that's why Yannis makes my list is in ninety nine percent of matchups in the NBA that he is going to draw today, no matter the player, he can physically overpower them and overwhelm them. And again I can't put him higher on this list because when he gets walled off for two guys, he doesn't turn to pull up over the top shot making. He kicks the ball out. We don't consider play making in this, so you have to consider the totality of his scoring arsenal in this argument. And that's why I can't be higher. But he is such a dominant, overwhelming, interior athletic physical force that he has to be here because in if you don't double team, if you're putting a single guy on him, Jannis is basically getting a bucket every time. There's just guys that can do it in a more variety of ways. They can do it in basically any matchup. Again over the top, shot making is huge. You have to consider one possession scenarios. But I think Giannis is a lock for the top ten. His physical dominance. You have to have him in here.

Logan at number nine is a guy who honestly has a very very simple game and the fact that his buckets all kind of come in the same way. It's Giannis on Tetsukumpo and The reason that I can't put Giannis higher is the skill factor, the over the top shot and making element of Giannis's game. Is the fact that we have seen in the playoffs in fourth quarter environments where they give him the rock. You think about the last series against the Heat. They don't have Damian Lillard, they have Chris Middleton and Drew Holliday, and it's like, man, Giannis is scared of taking the basketball. He doesn't want the ball in his hands. And it's that's a little detail of why I can't put Giannis higher. Is it's like, just in those grimy I need one bucket. We're gonna start with it at half, or we're gonna bring it up. I just you know, I don't trust Jannis to make a tough jump shot. He has to get to the rim or somebody has to manufacture that for him. But he's so dominant doing that that he has to make the list right, thirty over thirty points per game on sixty five percent true shooting it. I've been a Gianna's detractor for a long time, and I've once said that Giannis is one of the least aesthetically pleasing basketball players that i've watched and I want to clear the air. Jannis still has these uncoordinated gangly moments that are just funny to watch. It's like cartoon esk almost where like you could put some Benny Heel music, or you can put some whoooooop like, you know, like some mow and curly noises behind him and it would make sense because it's like he just loses the ball in transition or you know. Jana still has these really goofy moments, but he also has these other ones where you know, he's spinning like the Tasmanian devil to the rack, weaponizing his weight and just bouncing off of somebody to an easy dunk. Jannis's footwork is a lot better than it once was. He is a lot better at operating through the lane. He is still super strong in an athletic freak. And if he gets within thirteen to ten feet of the hoop and there's a body on him, he is one step away from Yam in that thing home and it is insane. And like I said, Giannis has grown on me a lot. I enjoy watching Giannis a lot more than I have over the past two years. There's just a level of poise in control with Giannis now that it's just not as ugly and there's a lot less foul baiting and contact grifting with Giannis. You know, it's a lot more old school shack dominance where it's just like damn man, He's he's unstoppable. And so that's why Yannis makes my list is in ninety nine percent of matchups in the NBA that he is going to draw today, no matter the player, he can physically overpower them and overwhelm them. And again I can't put him higher on this list because when he gets walled off for two guys, he doesn't turn to pull up over the top shot making. He kicks the ball out. We don't consider play making in this, so you have to consider the totality of his scoring arsenal in this argument. And that's why I can't be higher. But he is such a dominant, overwhelming, interior athletic physical force that he has to be here because in if you don't double team, if you're putting a single guy on him, Jannis is basically getting a bucket every time. There's just guys that can do it in a more variety of ways. They can do it in basically any matchup. Again over the top, shot making is huge. You have to consider one possession scenarios. But I think Giannis is a lock for the top ten. His physical dominance. You have to have him in here.

Giannis was tough to rank. I had him at number nine for a while. I moved him up one spot, and we have the same fundamental concerns, the same reason that I couldn't have him in my top five, regardless of maybe what the box score effectiveness says, when you have that one clear limitation, when you are capable of a meltdown in crunch time like he had in the playoffs last year. Obviously it's just a couple of games, but he shot fifteen percent from the field, three and a half points per game in fourth quarters in the playoffs last year, couldn't make a free throw. We saw in those stagnant one on one isolations and post ups against a guy I who physically could hold up against him, like bam Adebayo, he really struggled because he couldn't overpower him. So it led to these out of control drives and offensive fouls and turnovers and a lot of misshots because he is still completely lacking in touch he shoots thirty seven percent in the paint outside the restricted area. Every time that Yannis takes a three, you still cringe. And it does matter that there are those very specific situations, in specific matchups where it almost feels like Jannis is more helpless than anybody else here because everybody else is always going to have that difficult shot making that Yannis just completely lacks. At the same time, in ninety percent of matchups, there's almost nobody who makes the defense feel more helpless than Yannis because he is just that freak physical force, and so I think he is a higher ceiling than some of the guys above him, Like if you are just looking at front lines that cannot match up with him. If you think about what he did in that twenty one title run, like that was just consistent physical dominance that really nobody in the sport can replicate. But he also does have a low because of that lack of half court skilled shot making, and ultimately I do think that he needs to have a great perimeter shot maker alongside him to succeed in these situations in a way that other guys don't. It doesn't have to be a superstar, but even the level Chris Middleton was at in that twenty twenty one run. If we get a better version of Dame, he needs somebody who he can lean on to some extent in those spots. But I think that I prefer his overwhelming physical dominance to the guy who I initially had one spot above him, now I have one spot behind him, because the thing is they both have a weakness, and Giannises pops up more in these crunch time situations specifically, but over the course of a game, I mean in the playoffs. Since twenty twenty one, he has still mostly gotten what he wants. He averages thirty points per game, fifty seven and a half per century shooting. Even in the disaster class we think of last year he had thirty eight and twenty. He just melted down in the fourth quarter, and he will never disappear for a game because of that. He might disappear in a fourth quarter, but not for a game. And the guy who I do have in one spot above Logan, also has a limitation, and his is that he can't get to the rim at this point. And I think that there are certain matchups in which he is so specifically dependent on these same sort of pull up jumpers that he can fade away a little bit, and that is Kevin Durant. And this makes me a little bit nauseous frankly to have Kevin Durant at number nine on my list. Man, I think that Kevin Durant is one of the three greatest scores in NBA history. But he's thirty five years old now, and the fact that he's still here at all is amazing, And it's because he is an absurd jump shooter. He's averaging twenty eight points per game on over sixty four percent true shooting. He shoots fifty three percent in the paint outside the restricted area. Those short range jump shots and touch shots, he's nails forty nine percent from mid range and forty four percent from three. And because of his size and fluidity and handle and jump shooting, he can still rise up and get a shot pretty much whenever he wants. He's also great away from the ball. He's a ninetieth percentile spot up score this year and makes forty eight percent of his catch and shoot threes. Just unconscious in terms of knocking down shots off ball. But the reason that he can't be higher, to me, there's actually a few. Number one is that his rim pressure is the weakest of really anybody who we're talking about on this list. You could argue Steph Curry is in that same range. I would say that we've seen a few more moments from Steph where he's able to get to the rim in these playoff settings. But also the difference is Katie is more prone to settling for tough twos, whereas Steph is going to take twelve threes and make forty percent of them. And that's just going to lead to more efficient offense because Katie isn't going to shoot sixty percent on those tough twos in these playoff environments. Last postseason, seven percent of KT's shots came at the rim, very low number. In twenty twenty two, just fourteen percent of his shots came inside of ten feet, Like he was barely getting into the paint period. And there are those big, physical wings who have given him some trouble Jason Tatum and a little bit of Jalen Brown two years ago in the postseason, Aaron Gordon last year, Like, if guys can bump him off of his spots a little bit and somewhat effectively can test those jumpers. He just can't get to the rim in the same way that he used to. And again, he's not gonna have those flamethrowing performances from deep because he doesn't take enough of them. So he's still a monster, but over the last two postseasons that efficiency has taken a hit down a fifty eight percent. Through shooting. The production is still good twenty eight points per game, but there have been moments where you feel like boy Katie is just not able to get what he wants regardless of matchup in the way that some other guys are. And again, because he doesn't take those volume pull up threes, only makes one every other game this year at thirty four percent, he doesn't have that same explosive potential. So when I compare him to his own teammate, Devin Booker, I think they have the same fundamental limitation, which is that they aren't great rim pressures and they are relying on those pull up jumpers. But book is a bit more physical, a bit quicker, so he's able to generate a bit more of that rim pressure. I think in terms of counters, he's a bit more versatile. When you think about the ability to spin off of a guy to throw a fake to attack out of the post, like the footwork and everything down there is just remarkable, whereas Katie it's oftentimes crossing to pull up jumper and that works really well. But we're really picking knits here, and there are certain dudes who just have more ways to dominate. And Book has actually now been a more efficient pull up shooter than Katie throughout this regular season and throughout last postseason. So he is such an insane jump shooter that he still mostly thrives regardless of matchup, and I could see him having a nuclear playoff run just because the guy doesn't miss. But that lack of variety compared to some of these other guys does matter. And again, like he has obviously an advantage as a skilled shot maker over Yannis, but he has a physical limitation in the way that Yannis is a skill imitation. And for the most part, I just think Jannis gets what he wants more than Kevin Durant at this point.

Giannis was tough to rank. I had him at number nine for a while. I moved him up one spot, and we have the same fundamental concerns, the same reason that I couldn't have him in my top five, regardless of maybe what the box score effectiveness says, when you have that one clear limitation, when you are capable of a meltdown in crunch time like he had in the playoffs last year. Obviously it's just a couple of games, but he shot fifteen percent from the field, three and a half points per game in fourth quarters in the playoffs last year, couldn't make a free throw. We saw in those stagnant one on one isolations and post ups against a guy I who physically could hold up against him, like bam Adebayo, he really struggled because he couldn't overpower him. So it led to these out of control drives and offensive fouls and turnovers and a lot of misshots because he is still completely lacking in touch he shoots thirty seven percent in the paint outside the restricted area. Every time that Yannis takes a three, you still cringe. And it does matter that there are those very specific situations, in specific matchups where it almost feels like Jannis is more helpless than anybody else here because everybody else is always going to have that difficult shot making that Yannis just completely lacks. At the same time, in ninety percent of matchups, there's almost nobody who makes the defense feel more helpless than Yannis because he is just that freak physical force, and so I think he is a higher ceiling than some of the guys above him, Like if you are just looking at front lines that cannot match up with him. If you think about what he did in that twenty one title run, like that was just consistent physical dominance that really nobody in the sport can replicate. But he also does have a low because of that lack of half court skilled shot making, and ultimately I do think that he needs to have a great perimeter shot maker alongside him to succeed in these situations in a way that other guys don't. It doesn't have to be a superstar, but even the level Chris Middleton was at in that twenty twenty one run. If we get a better version of Dame, he needs somebody who he can lean on to some extent in those spots. But I think that I prefer his overwhelming physical dominance to the guy who I initially had one spot above him, now I have one spot behind him, because the thing is they both have a weakness, and Giannises pops up more in these crunch time situations specifically, but over the course of a game, I mean in the playoffs. Since twenty twenty one, he has still mostly gotten what he wants. He averages thirty points per game, fifty seven and a half per century shooting. Even in the disaster class we think of last year he had thirty eight and twenty. He just melted down in the fourth quarter, and he will never disappear for a game because of that. He might disappear in a fourth quarter, but not for a game. And the guy who I do have in one spot above Logan, also has a limitation, and his is that he can't get to the rim at this point. And I think that there are certain matchups in which he is so specifically dependent on these same sort of pull up jumpers that he can fade away a little bit, and that is Kevin Durant. And this makes me a little bit nauseous frankly to have Kevin Durant at number nine on my list. Man, I think that Kevin Durant is one of the three greatest scores in NBA history. But he's thirty five years old now, and the fact that he's still here at all is amazing, And it's because he is an absurd jump shooter. He's averaging twenty eight points per game on over sixty four percent true shooting. He shoots fifty three percent in the paint outside the restricted area. Those short range jump shots and touch shots, he's nails forty nine percent from mid range and forty four percent from three. And because of his size and fluidity and handle and jump shooting, he can still rise up and get a shot pretty much whenever he wants. He's also great away from the ball. He's a ninetieth percentile spot up score this year and makes forty eight percent of his catch and shoot threes. Just unconscious in terms of knocking down shots off ball. But the reason that he can't be higher, to me, there's actually a few. Number one is that his rim pressure is the weakest of really anybody who we're talking about on this list. You could argue Steph Curry is in that same range. I would say that we've seen a few more moments from Steph where he's able to get to the rim in these playoff settings. But also the difference is Katie is more prone to settling for tough twos, whereas Steph is going to take twelve threes and make forty percent of them. And that's just going to lead to more efficient offense because Katie isn't going to shoot sixty percent on those tough twos in these playoff environments. Last postseason, seven percent of KT's shots came at the rim, very low number. In twenty twenty two, just fourteen percent of his shots came inside of ten feet, Like he was barely getting into the paint period. And there are those big, physical wings who have given him some trouble Jason Tatum and a little bit of Jalen Brown two years ago in the postseason, Aaron Gordon last year, Like, if guys can bump him off of his spots a little bit and somewhat effectively can test those jumpers. He just can't get to the rim in the same way that he used to. And again, he's not gonna have those flamethrowing performances from deep because he doesn't take enough of them. So he's still a monster, but over the last two postseasons that efficiency has taken a hit down a fifty eight percent. Through shooting. The production is still good twenty eight points per game, but there have been moments where you feel like boy Katie is just not able to get what he wants regardless of matchup in the way that some other guys are. And again, because he doesn't take those volume pull up threes, only makes one every other game this year at thirty four percent, he doesn't have that same explosive potential. So when I compare him to his own teammate, Devin Booker, I think they have the same fundamental limitation, which is that they aren't great rim pressures and they are relying on those pull up jumpers. But book is a bit more physical, a bit quicker, so he's able to generate a bit more of that rim pressure. I think in terms of counters, he's a bit more versatile. When you think about the ability to spin off of a guy to throw a fake to attack out of the post, like the footwork and everything down there is just remarkable, whereas Katie it's oftentimes crossing to pull up jumper and that works really well. But we're really picking knits here, and there are certain dudes who just have more ways to dominate. And Book has actually now been a more efficient pull up shooter than Katie throughout this regular season and throughout last postseason. So he is such an insane jump shooter that he still mostly thrives regardless of matchup, and I could see him having a nuclear playoff run just because the guy doesn't miss. But that lack of variety compared to some of these other guys does matter. And again, like he has obviously an advantage as a skilled shot maker over Yannis, but he has a physical limitation in the way that Yannis is a skill imitation. And for the most part, I just think Jannis gets what he wants more than Kevin Durant at this point.

This is a good take. This was the hardest spot on my list to debate between on who to go with Yiannis and KD, and my distinction, the reason i'ming with KD over Jannis, which I'm now second guessing. I mean, you make a good point. It feels like KD struggles to get what he wants more than Yannis does, and that ultimately is what we're getting at here. Who gets them buckets easier? You know, who can manufacture the easiest buckets. The reason I'm wing with KD is I was thinking in that individual possession scenario, KAD can Basically, it's the inverse of Yanni's. Jannis can only score in this one area. KD can score in every other area but this one area. So I'm gonna stick to my guns here just because KD can get me a bucket from anywhere on the court. Because basically, in like Giannis can dominate physically in ninety percent of matchups, KD can shoot over the top of ninety percent of matchups where he can just get whatever he wants. So I'll stick to my guns here. But what you're talking about is very real in the terms of Katie's burst. He doesn't blow by guys anymore. Katie's slight frame, so physically against stronger guys, he is gonna just gonna kind of bounce off those guys and be forced to redirect into a tough jumper where his feet aren't set, and the numbers that you talk about are very real. Just eighteen percent of his shots are coming in the rim. At the rim, that's the third percent tile of everybody in the NBA. Fifty seven percent of his shots are coming out of the mid range. That's in the ninety nine percent tile of the NBA. And it's stupid. It's stupid how efficient that Kevin Durant has been on all of these shots. He's shooting eighty three percent at the rim, He's shooting fifty percent in the mid range. He's shooting forty four percent from deep like Katie's stupid efficient, But that lack of rim pressure in dynamic shot making is ultimately what keeps him from climbing higher. I'll stick to it just because in an end of game scenario, I still I think I'd rather have Kevin Durant than Yannis. But this was the toughest one for me to rank, trying to pick between Yiannis and KD because they are similar in their limitations, but I ultimately sided with Kevin Durant, and man number seven is a debate. I don't I don't want.

This is a good take. This was the hardest spot on my list to debate between on who to go with Yiannis and KD, and my distinction, the reason i'ming with KD over Jannis, which I'm now second guessing. I mean, you make a good point. It feels like KD struggles to get what he wants more than Yannis does, and that ultimately is what we're getting at here. Who gets them buckets easier? You know, who can manufacture the easiest buckets. The reason I'm wing with KD is I was thinking in that individual possession scenario, KAD can Basically, it's the inverse of Yanni's. Jannis can only score in this one area. KD can score in every other area but this one area. So I'm gonna stick to my guns here just because KD can get me a bucket from anywhere on the court. Because basically, in like Giannis can dominate physically in ninety percent of matchups, KD can shoot over the top of ninety percent of matchups where he can just get whatever he wants. So I'll stick to my guns here. But what you're talking about is very real in the terms of Katie's burst. He doesn't blow by guys anymore. Katie's slight frame, so physically against stronger guys, he is gonna just gonna kind of bounce off those guys and be forced to redirect into a tough jumper where his feet aren't set, and the numbers that you talk about are very real. Just eighteen percent of his shots are coming in the rim. At the rim, that's the third percent tile of everybody in the NBA. Fifty seven percent of his shots are coming out of the mid range. That's in the ninety nine percent tile of the NBA. And it's stupid. It's stupid how efficient that Kevin Durant has been on all of these shots. He's shooting eighty three percent at the rim, He's shooting fifty percent in the mid range. He's shooting forty four percent from deep like Katie's stupid efficient, But that lack of rim pressure in dynamic shot making is ultimately what keeps him from climbing higher. I'll stick to it just because in an end of game scenario, I still I think I'd rather have Kevin Durant than Yannis. But this was the toughest one for me to rank, trying to pick between Yiannis and KD because they are similar in their limitations, but I ultimately sided with Kevin Durant, and man number seven is a debate. I don't I don't want.

It interesting similar in their limitations in the sense that they both have a limitations are much flipped. Again, it just comes down to me to over four quarters. If you think about what Yannis can do that twenty twenty one run or twenty twenty two where even though his efficiency isn't great, I mean giving the Celtics a defense equipped with great personnel that was totally keened on stopping him, still giving them like thirty five a night. Again, the efficiency wasn't great, but he was so so physically dominant, and that doesn't account for the playmaking value that he also had, which does just raise his overall level as a player. Like that's why I think Giannis is a top three guy even and if he's number eight on my scores list, it's because his offensive value, I mean, the rim pressure he exerts goes beyond just his scoring value. And then also he's an all world defender and an all world rebounder, so those things certainly matter, But it just comes down to be able to get what you want. And there are matchups in which both of them struggle, But I think that Katie can struggle a little bit more, and I think Giannis's ceiling is a little bit higher when you just don't have the dudes who can match up with him. It's tough, though, It's tough, Okay, who is in that seventh spot for you? Logan Bro doesn't even want to say.

It interesting similar in their limitations in the sense that they both have a limitations are much flipped. Again, it just comes down to me to over four quarters. If you think about what Yannis can do that twenty twenty one run or twenty twenty two where even though his efficiency isn't great, I mean giving the Celtics a defense equipped with great personnel that was totally keened on stopping him, still giving them like thirty five a night. Again, the efficiency wasn't great, but he was so so physically dominant, and that doesn't account for the playmaking value that he also had, which does just raise his overall level as a player. Like that's why I think Giannis is a top three guy even and if he's number eight on my scores list, it's because his offensive value, I mean, the rim pressure he exerts goes beyond just his scoring value. And then also he's an all world defender and an all world rebounder, so those things certainly matter, But it just comes down to be able to get what you want. And there are matchups in which both of them struggle, But I think that Katie can struggle a little bit more, and I think Giannis's ceiling is a little bit higher when you just don't have the dudes who can match up with him. It's tough, though, It's tough, Okay, who is in that seventh spot for you? Logan Bro doesn't even want to say.

Man, dude, I I don't know where to rank this guy. I can't tell if it's personal bias or not. At number seven, if Joel Embiid, And I'll put it like this, the only reason that a beat is this low is just because I haven't seen it on the playoff stage this year. Like you're just going off this year, man, I mean, Embiad's probably somewhere in the top three. It's literally the fact that for most of these other guys, and like you can't say this for SGA because we haven't seen him on the big stage. But I trust SGA's game so much to just translate there because we've seen Embid's jump shot fail him on the biggest stage. It's literally just battle scars and wounds because this year, man, the array in the different ways that Embiid was getting buckets. Man, they're running dribble hand off top of the key, They're getting Embiid a lane, and he's just big body and a guy. If it's him just physically overpowering a dude to the paint and getting whatever he wants, if it's him catching a jump or catching a pass at the elbow and immediately getting into a jumper, embiid can really do it all. And with his physical advantages that he has, he's unstoppable. It's just that I haven't seen it on the biggest stage. That's the only reason that he's not higher. Like he was efficient basically out of everything, fifty one percent on jumpers, fifty one percent on pull ups, over forty percent on fadal ways, the guy shooting over forty five percent out of the mid range and bid was nuts, like thirty five point three points on sixty five percent true shooting. A very limited sample size here, Carson, he was one hundred percent tile as a pick and roll ball handler this season. Like, that's what's so crazy is and Beads such a big dude who has these physical advantages but is also such a fluid athlete and has a great handle and is great on the low post, is great out of isolation, is great and spot ups again, you can run all you can run invers pick and roll with him, you can run dho's with him, or he's the handoff guy. It's ridiculous, Carson. He's shooting forty five percent on eight pull up attempts per game. That's insane for a guy that has all of these advantages physically. To couple that with elite jump shooting is insane. And again, if he was still healthy and still doing this at this point in the season, maybe he would be higher on my list. But it's just a and beads. Playoff runs have left a really sour taste in my mouth that I just can't wash out. That stings me that I wonder if his touch goes away, how effective is this guy the didn't matchups against great centers you know out East, if it's an Al Horford, if it's you know, a Porzingis this year. If he comes back healthy, you know that he can get walled off by these other really strong, stout guys. And then if his jump shot leaves him, it's like, okay, well, you've gone from the best scorer on planet Earth to a really just average scorer. And that's the only reason Embiid this year was the best scorer in the NBA. I can't act like he wasn't. When Embiid is consistently done in the regular season, warrants him. It's like saying that I'll make a comp like this to wrap up on Embid. It's like Peyton Manning in the regular season. Peyton Manning in the regular season is the greatest quarterback of all time. Ultimately, regular season football is not the standard that we should judge the greats on, especially quarterbacks. All credit to what you do during the regular season, but we all know that when Peyton got to the play he didn't perform up the standard. The regular season was Peyton's, but the playoffs were Tom Brady's. You know, the regular season can be Joel Embi's, but the playoffs are nicolea Jokicic's. And so until that dynamic changes, and tell Embiid shows me that on the biggest playoff stage that he can do what he does in the regular season. And again, it took Peyton a really long time. It took Peyton nearly a decade to finally prove that he could climb them out. And guess what, Peyton really didn't perform all that well during that playoff run. They don't really want you to talk about.

Man, dude, I I don't know where to rank this guy. I can't tell if it's personal bias or not. At number seven, if Joel Embiid, And I'll put it like this, the only reason that a beat is this low is just because I haven't seen it on the playoff stage this year. Like you're just going off this year, man, I mean, Embiad's probably somewhere in the top three. It's literally the fact that for most of these other guys, and like you can't say this for SGA because we haven't seen him on the big stage. But I trust SGA's game so much to just translate there because we've seen Embid's jump shot fail him on the biggest stage. It's literally just battle scars and wounds because this year, man, the array in the different ways that Embiid was getting buckets. Man, they're running dribble hand off top of the key, They're getting Embiid a lane, and he's just big body and a guy. If it's him just physically overpowering a dude to the paint and getting whatever he wants, if it's him catching a jump or catching a pass at the elbow and immediately getting into a jumper, embiid can really do it all. And with his physical advantages that he has, he's unstoppable. It's just that I haven't seen it on the biggest stage. That's the only reason that he's not higher. Like he was efficient basically out of everything, fifty one percent on jumpers, fifty one percent on pull ups, over forty percent on fadal ways, the guy shooting over forty five percent out of the mid range and bid was nuts, like thirty five point three points on sixty five percent true shooting. A very limited sample size here, Carson, he was one hundred percent tile as a pick and roll ball handler this season. Like, that's what's so crazy is and Beads such a big dude who has these physical advantages but is also such a fluid athlete and has a great handle and is great on the low post, is great out of isolation, is great and spot ups again, you can run all you can run invers pick and roll with him, you can run dho's with him, or he's the handoff guy. It's ridiculous, Carson. He's shooting forty five percent on eight pull up attempts per game. That's insane for a guy that has all of these advantages physically. To couple that with elite jump shooting is insane. And again, if he was still healthy and still doing this at this point in the season, maybe he would be higher on my list. But it's just a and beads. Playoff runs have left a really sour taste in my mouth that I just can't wash out. That stings me that I wonder if his touch goes away, how effective is this guy the didn't matchups against great centers you know out East, if it's an Al Horford, if it's you know, a Porzingis this year. If he comes back healthy, you know that he can get walled off by these other really strong, stout guys. And then if his jump shot leaves him, it's like, okay, well, you've gone from the best scorer on planet Earth to a really just average scorer. And that's the only reason Embiid this year was the best scorer in the NBA. I can't act like he wasn't. When Embiid is consistently done in the regular season, warrants him. It's like saying that I'll make a comp like this to wrap up on Embid. It's like Peyton Manning in the regular season. Peyton Manning in the regular season is the greatest quarterback of all time. Ultimately, regular season football is not the standard that we should judge the greats on, especially quarterbacks. All credit to what you do during the regular season, but we all know that when Peyton got to the play he didn't perform up the standard. The regular season was Peyton's, but the playoffs were Tom Brady's. You know, the regular season can be Joel Embi's, but the playoffs are nicolea Jokicic's. And so until that dynamic changes, and tell Embiid shows me that on the biggest playoff stage that he can do what he does in the regular season. And again, it took Peyton a really long time. It took Peyton nearly a decade to finally prove that he could climb them out. And guess what, Peyton really didn't perform all that well during that playoff run. They don't really want you to talk about.

That they don't want you to talk about it.

That they don't want you to talk about it.

But Embiid is very similar in that career arc and tell Embiid shows me on the playoff stage that he can do that. I just frankly cannot move him any higher on this list because there's going to be that sinking feeling in my stomach that says, is he going to disappear? And that's what holds him back from being higher on this list.

But Embiid is very similar in that career arc and tell Embiid shows me on the playoff stage that he can do that. I just frankly cannot move him any higher on this list because there's going to be that sinking feeling in my stomach that says, is he going to disappear? And that's what holds him back from being higher on this list.

I get it, dude, you're obviously preaching to the choir. I do feel like what we saw from Embiid this season was even a little bit different from last season, which was different from the season prior when he was already averaging a super efficient thirty points per game. I have him a couple spots higher at number five, and the reason for that is that number six and number seven on my list are more proven playoff performers, and they are spectacular pure shot makers. But Embiid has the skill set to blend overwhelming physical dominance with elite shot making, and the ceiling that that presents to me is almost unfathomable, but not really, because it's just what we see mb do in the regular season, where it is historic scoring production, and if he can put those things together for one run, he can go nuclear nuclear in a way that almost nobody else on the planet can. The reason I can't have him higher, even though he is the best regular season scorer in basketball, is because of what we've seen in the postseason. Last two runs. He's twenty three point six points per game on fifty seven and a half percent through shooting. Huge hit in terms of production, huge hit in terms of efficiency, and there's a few reasons for that. One of them, which is a little bit tough to calculate for in this list, is that he hasn't held defenses accountable with his playmaking, which means teams are more comfortable doubling him, which doesn't necessarily reflect his scoring ability. That's more his overall offensive ability that's been part of his hit and efficiency. But also he just hasn't been the same shot maker this year. He's fifty percent from mid range, thirty seven percent nearly from three. Over those last two postseasons, he's forty four percent from mid range, which is okay, but significantly worse in nineteen percent from three, So his jump shot has just completely left him. And the other key thing is the reliance on getting to the line at times through grifting. That's the difference between him and Aianis on Tetakupo. Yiannis's free throw rate is going to stay quite similar because Yannis gets to the line by just going through you right with these hard, hyper physical drives. Abe sometimes it's the rip through. It's very conscious decisions of Okay, your hand is in this position, I am going to try to get to the line right now. And sometimes those things just don't translate to the playoffs. Historically they don't. Your free throw rate is going to go down if you play like that. It happened to James Harden, it's happened to Joel Embiid. He's gone from twelve free throws a game over the last two regular seasons to nine point four over the last two postseasons. That's a real chunk out of his free throw production, which he can rely on in spots. But again it's that ceiling, and yeah, the reliance on free throws concerns me, but if he's a great shot maker, then it doesn't matter. The problem has been that he's losing a couple free points and he can't make these jump shots that in the regular season are routine. I mean, when he is dialed in, what feels more inevitable than embiid jabstep nails, a face up, jumper in your face, embiid rhythm dribble, pull up right in your face from eighteen feet like he's unconscious. And I have to believe that some extent, at some point that'll translate. But there are guys above him who I just I don't even really have a question about that. But the guys below him, again, don't have those same physical advantages. So I am giving embiid the nod, although they are more proven. My number seven. I know that I just went on an embiid monologue, but we got to keep pace with the list. Here is Devin Booker. I'm interested in where you have him. It seems maybe you have him a little bit higher. Book is maybe the most versatile shot maker on the planet. This year, He's giving you twenty eight points per game on sixty two percent true shooting. But the versatility is unfathomable. I thought that Hoop Venue, who makes awesome content, he made a video about book which I haven't had a chance to watch, but in like the tweet advertising it, he said something along the lines of like Book scores with the efficiency of an elite modern big with the shot profile of an early two thousand's guard, which is very, very true. But he is such a great shot maker his shot quality just doesn't matter all that much. He shoots over fifty three percent in the paint outside the restricted area, taking over four shots a game in that range. He's over forty seven percent for mid range, where he takes six shots a game, and he's thirty eight percent from three where he takes six shots a game. So it's incredible variety and incredible shot making from everywhere. And it's not just the locations on the floor, it's the number of ways that he can get to those shots. There was a three minute stretch in the third quarter last night Logan where my jaw just dropped at what Book was doing. And he makes this stuff pretty routine. But the sequence starts, he hits a spinning jumper, leaves a dude in the dust, creates separation. It's beautiful fluid shot making and shot creation. Then a couple possessions later gets by Luca hop steps to then fade away from the drop defender to hit a beautiful fade away jumper, then a couple possessions later gets hacked, puts up a one legged fallaway rainbow that goes for an and one, then a couple possessions, spins off a defender, pump fakes, nails a fifteen footer Like that's within a three minute span, just four incredibly impressive displays of shot creation and shot making from the short, mid range and mid range. And that's just what he does. The footwork, the balance, the pure shot making, it's so great, and he has so many counters, so many ways to get to those shots. So because of that, because of how great he is from everywhere on the floor, and because of how many ways he can get to those looks, I don't worry as much about volatility with him as I do some other guys who are specifically reliant on pull up jumpers, like say, hey, Kevin Durant. And again, Book is able to pressure the rim a little bit more as a younger, better athlete who's a bit more physical. And we can't downplay what he did last year in the playoffs thirty four points per game over eleven games on sixty nine percent through shooting. It was one of the most disgusting pull up jump shooting runs that we have ever seen. You can't expect him to replicate that, but it shows you what he is capable of as a pure pull up shooter and why he's different from almost everybody else on the planet in that respect. Again, I mean, he was more efficient than Katie is a pull up shooter in last run. Katie struggled at times, Book really didn't, and he's been more efficient throughout this regular season. The one limitation is that he is not that elite athlete and that he doesn't apply consistent rim pressure compared to these other guys. Thirteen percent of his shots come at the rim. I think this year that's a pretty low number, so there is still some variance. Like in the closeout game last year he still had fourteen points. That's possible for him, but it happens less because of how great he is, and because it's not just step back three after step back three, it's okay, let me attack you out of the post to go to a turnaround, let me step through here and get to a floater. There's just so many different options, and he's just too good to have below this in my opinion. Yeah, Jannis has the physical advantages, but book has enough, just enough of the physical imposition. Let me get to my spots with this otherworldly shot making to where I would take him. Get it on the action. With DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA, new customers who deposit five dollars or more can get a no sweat bet up to one thousand dollars back in a bonus bet.