Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/13/2018 in all areas

  1. SI Top 100 NBA player rankings of 2019 -- Nos. 11-30 Vic #20 VICTOR OLADIPO INDIANA PACERS Before last season, Oladipo (23.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.3 APG) barely needed a trophy case: the 2013 No. 2 pick’s unspectacular career was highlighted by a second-place finish in the 2015 Slam Dunk Contest, an $84 million extension that many observers felt was too generous, and a front-row seat for Russell Westbrook shooting 34 times in an elimination-game defeat. Now? Oladipo has enough hardware to start a personal shrine after earning Most Improved Player, All-Star, All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive First Team honors in one of the great mid-career breakouts in recent memory. The 26-year-old scoring guard displayed numerous improvements following a trade from Oklahoma City to Indiana: he shot the three at a career-high rate, he worked in a more reliable off-the-dribble jumper, he attacked the rim with greater purpose, and he committed to becoming a disruptive defender on a nightly basis. Importantly, Oladipo also settled in as a late-game option, ranking fourth in clutch scoring and leading the pesky, overachieving Pacers to a 24-17 record in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. Perhaps the best way to gauge Oladipo’s value came when he was sidelined for seven games: Indiana went 0-7 and lost by an average of 14 points. The East’s No. 5 seed could have been mistaken for the Suns or Grizzlies without its franchise player. This ranking reflects a degree of skepticism that Oladipo’s sensational season—he ranked sixth in Real Plus-Minus, 11th in WARP and 19th in PER—is his new normal. However, his explosiveness, buy-in, and two-way impact should keep him in the All-Star conversation, even if he sustains natural regression or falters a bit under enhanced expectations. — BG https://www.si.com/nba/2018/09/10/top-100-nba-players-2019-lebron-james-stephen-curry-dirk-nowitzki Some others by SI in this range Klay Thompson - 22 Irving - 17 Lillard - 15 Gobert - 14 Draymond - 13 Kawhi - 12 (hammered for last season) PG - 11
    2 points
  2. Why wasn't PG highlighted, italicized, in bold print and a large font?
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...