The 20 Best NBA Players With Ryen Russillo | The Bill Simmons Podcast

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo discuss how many NBA players receive “top five” praise versus how many are truly deserving of the label. Then they each give their own top 20 lists.
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[@alphatrusbensiii8381]

This conversation makes me realize how great the league as a whole is

[@spicerc1244]

Top-heavy cause they’re ball chuckers.

[@Shortballa11]

its rlly in good hands. And think that is with Dame and Kawhi injured. Part time Kyrie. And Ben simmons not playing a game.

[@schuylersavage276]

@@spicerc1244 the league isn’t too heavy at all. There are insanely all time greats at the top, but then there are more good/all star level players behind them in lower tiers than we’ve ever had before. The level of skill in the league right now is mind blowing, and it’s only going to continue as the game grows more and more and the availability of elite online and in person training grows and grows, and the footage for young kids to study and learn and evolve from grows and grows. Think of guys like Jordan Poole and Tyrese Maxey and Tyrese Haliburton and Anfernee Simons and Kevin Porter JR and rookies like Cade and Jalen Green and etc etc etc. These guys aren’t even close to top 50 players arguably…some might fall outside the top 100 ATM? But they are all capable of dropping 30 casually, or maybe even 40 or 50 if it’s really their night. That’s insane and the league never had this skill level, even if it’s true that the skill level and league mandates are making it easier to get open shots. People dismiss how much more talented the average player is now compared to older eras simply because of how the game isnt as physical. Here’s the thing: what does hand checking do to help you from getting splashed on from 29 feet? You know?? This is why the shooting revolution opened up the whole game. Because now guys don’t even need to get to the hoop to be able to score a ton! And almost everyone on the court now has very very solid handles, to say the least. It seems like every team has like 5 guys who can create their own shot and can drop 20-30 if they happen to be the one who gets more shots. People talk about how someone who is skinny and not physical wouldn’t be able to get on the court in the 90s. But what about the fact that they are better at shooting from 25 plus feet than almost anyone else in the entire league was? When you are THaT skilled, it doesn’t matter if you aren’t that strong!!! That’s the thing about bball compared to football or something. You don’t have to get across a line to score. You can score from as far away as you are capable to throw the ball in the hoop. Guys got so good at shooting that it naturally mitigated how Imporant physical guys are

[@troyduffie3836]

The Lakers and Nets with two all time greats may miss the playoffs--yeah the league is STACKED.

[@pewpew9193]

@@schuylersavage276 The thing that has really elevated the NBA is the growth of International basketball. They dominate the top tier of the NBA & fill in all the way down to the end of the bench. Out of the Top 5 players in the NBA right now, only one of them is American. (Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Embiid, KD, not in order). I don't think you can find many teams that don't have at least a couple international players that play significant roles. It has greatly increased the pool of players the NBA draws from, thus greatly increasing the quality of the players. It also creates some very interesting dynamics as different countries bring players up in different ways, so it creates some vastly different styles of play.

[@AlexBrown-xp7mt]

Rusillo’s face at Lebron behind Paul George was classic

[@apostalote]

People talk about Lebron like he isn’t leading the league in scoring at almost 30 a night with a 59% efg on a team with little spacing

[@russellpo7758]

@@apostalote he was talking about during November and LeBron wasn’t on this crazy run in November

[@bigseannn3730]

@@russellpo7758 you know bill going to be bill and find a way to poke at the bear

[@Marlowe10100]

Chris Paul is actually more impactful nowadays than Lebron. Lebron has amazing stats but c'mon, we all know he is playing for stats, even his teammates are helping him. Lakers haven't won a single game against a good team all year long, except that win against GS.

[@JP-jd8wr]

@@Marlowe10100 what did CP3 have to do with anything in this comment section or with the OP?

[@eldon1011]

Love when bill says ‘I do top five every month’ and ryen starts to laugh and then bill seriously say he actually does a top 35 and ryen just covers his mouth

[@arlengarippo2211]

2:43-3:02 had me so confused I love how Rusillo is trying not to laugh the whole time lol

[@nolanmarshall3212]

For those using the "he missed too many games' excuse for Siakam, he's played 55 games. That's 3 less than Giannis, equal to Ja Morant, 5 more than LeBron, 3 more than Luka, 14 more than KD, etc.

[@M3333C]

Hes not a top 20 player regardless

[@nolanmarshall3212]

@@M3333C Correct, but lets celebrate a great season of individual growth, no?

[@OhYummmmp]

@@M3333C Definitely has been besides those first couple weeks back from surgery don't be surprised if he gets ALL NBA honors again

[@M3333C]

@@OhYummmmp definitely not

[@OhYummmmp]

@@M3333C easily jus wait

[@bigboner23]

KAT should be in there over AD this year

[@bigman94able]

Chris Boucher over AD. Dorrian Finney Smith over AD. Saddiq Bey over AD. Pretty much anyone over AD. AD is the biggest bandaid in the NBA. How can you take him over anyone when even the most limited of role players see the court more than him? The best ability is...

[@JJpmfc]

@@bigman94able his best ability is sitting on the bench.

[@discowolf25]

And that’s why i don’t fk w Billy.

[@hotlineblingisagoodsong]

@@bigman94able bay just had 51

[@vlassischatzis8574]

So true

[@ballgoat6930]

the way you guys explain this is awesome

[@ThePat-yu6st]

Been waiting on this thank you!

[@Shortballa11]

They need to make every ESPN analyst name their top 10 players every 3 months.

[@David-iv6je]

ESPN is a disaster. Their business model is to have two people take arbitrary opposite sides and then argue about. Totally contrived.

[@Shortballa11]

@@David-iv6je and its about the lakers everyday and nets every other day

[@David-iv6je]

@@Shortballa11 Yeah. Tabloid sports journalism. There's not enough real going on to attract eyes, so they try to manufacture controversy. Simmons and Harden probably made hundreds of millions for the network.

[@michaelturley3457]

@@David-iv6jethat would be watchable if they had people that actually watched the games instead they have guys like Steph A., Perkins and Richard Jefferson that clearly aren’t watching.

[@felipebrunetta2106]

League is ridiculously talented. God damn

[@GerardoTostado]

Giannis is the only player that can possibly win mvp and dpoy

[@joecashley8908]

embiid

[@tigeryumyums9407]

@Jim Brave Kawhi won't ever be able to win MVP just due to availability. Even when he is "Healthy" he still takes games off due to load management. Missed games factor into who's MVP and who is not.

[@yung_zucchini4137]

embiid comes to mind but id honestly be surprised if he ever gets dpoy even though its within his ability most likely

[@nicholasholmes5109]

Jokic can. Jokic's defensive numbers are great and people don't realize it.

[@xgrandma9650]

Embid

[@tspcontent4630]

I’m surprised some people still think Mitchell > Booker

[@oyeme312644]

@Jim Brave I have no horse in the race between Mitchell and Booker but Mitchell is literally averaging 5.4 assists per game this season... higher than Booker's 4.6

[@jjf1986AZ]

I dont think anyone unbiased still thinks Mitchell is better than Booker

[@tspcontent4630]

@@jjf1986AZ this is ageing so well

[@X5J2UY]

My Top 10 this season: 1. Jokic: extremely efficient scorer who can score on all three levels, best playmaker in the league carrying an okay team, solid defense for the most part 2 &3. Giannis/Embiid (interchangeable): The Greek Freak gives you elite offensive and defense with solid playmaking, but his 3p & FT shooting are not good enough. Embiid is the better and more versatile scorer, but not quite as good on defense and playmaking as Giannis and more injury prone. 4. KD: Would be higher, because he is the greatest and most versatile scorer in the league and adds solid playmaking. BUT very injury prone and his defense is all over the place. One game he defends well, another game he doesn't do much on that end of the floor. 5. Lebron: Elite scoring and highly efficient and elite playmaking. Unfortunately, his defense (or more specifically his effort) is almost non-existent. Probably carries too much of the scoring load, and the overall team is just terrible on defense, him included. He could drop to 6 if LA misses the play-ins or he gets hurt. 6-7.Luka/Curry: Pretty similar season, but going in the opposite direction - Luka came in overweight, was ineffective and just not good, but has been balling these past 6 weeks. His defense is alright as well. While Curry was an MVP candidate early on, but has been struggling the last 3 months. His off-ball movement still creates a lot for others and his defense is really solid. Luka slightly ahead, because of recency bias. 8-10. Derozan, Ja, CP3 (interchangeable): Derozan and Ja have similar strenghts. Both elite scorers, one just a master of the midrange, the other a human highlight reel. Ja is a worse individual defender than Derozan, but more entertaining to watch. Both are not great defenders anyway. CP3 makes the Suns a championship team. The point god who leads the team perfectly, can score a lot more if asked, but mostly facilitates the ball + his mindset and leadership are top tier. His defense is still damn good.

[@grassajasp]

Really Good list. Id put Taytum in that conversation as well

[@X5J2UY]

@@grassajasp Thanks. Tatum would probably have been the next on the list, but he had two really forgettable months with many up and downs. He has been impressive these last 4-6 weeks as well.

[@JP-jd8wr]

I actually have to say this is one of if not the best most educated on hoops player analysis comment I've ever seen on KZbin. I agree with your explanations for your list. Great work

[@dominickwilliams3757]

Jokic is not a better playmakers than cp3 or LeBron.

[@Faerthos]

change Jokic with Giannis and then put KD in front of Jokic and Embiid and you have a perfect list.

[@jacobweinberg5481]

LeBron held to a completely different standard than everyone else. Simmons says KD suffered a "fluke injury." KD missed his 2019-20, played 35 games last year, and he's played 41/72 so far this year. His injuries are the exact opposite of flukes at this point.

[@rods7028]

Agree

[@mxhughes]

KD definitely is becoming lowkey injury prone

[@thundervanbrocklin2718]

@@mxhughes He had some injuries earlier in his career too.

[@AJ-sw8uf]

Played every single game in the playoffs tho

[@deepfried13]

Missing 2020 and only playing 35 games last year was all one injury, so i don't think it's fair to treat them as separate times he's got injured. Plus KD balled the hell out in last year's playoffs so the 35 games is misleading. So to review; KD had a serious injury in 2019, recovered well enough to be the best player in last year's playoffs, then led the league in minutes this year before missing 20 games. And is now leading his team in a playoff push where he just put up 50+

[@thatkidera]

this was great

[@kalani49]

Giannis as #1 is great Love Spida Mitchell at #12 I also appreciate group certain players together as tiers.

[@mohammedbafagih5453]

kd better

[@RWor1d]

Trae under the last 4 guys is crazy

[@kale7209]

ridiculous

[@mikehawk514]

It’s because defense is so valuable. If you score 35 but the guys you guard get like 40 together. You’re still a phenomenal scorer but it doesn’t net out in the result of the game.

[@RWor1d]

@@mikehawk514 let’s be honest. Steph doesn’t play defense outside of passing lane steals… so I still need more

[@kale7209]

@@mikehawk514 most nba guys are gonna get there numbers regardless of who’s guarding them. Trae may give up a few extra buckets but he more than makes up for it

[@mattdotts]

Wondering how this shot quality generator works. That's more of an eye test, offensive rhythm thing. But DeRozan and KD low on the list does make since with the contested mid range fadeaways.

[@stephenbrizie5082]

"velocity of the shooter, the closest defender, the next closest defender, position, distance, and others"

[@mattatack2the25]

It would be cool if you add a visual with this. You could have a chart up and have the names in tiers. Then you slide the names onto each tier as you all see fit.

[@santiagotoro3492]

First and last time tuning in, these guys are high af with their choices

[@nolanmarshall3212]

The rise in playmaking ability this year is what solidifies Siakam as a top 20 player. When looking at NBA players averaging +21/8/5 it's Giannis, Jokic, Luka, Lebron, and Siakam

[@Byronic19134]

Um Harden is avg 24, 10 and 8.

[@timmceown7646]

@@Byronic19134 Yah and if Harden made any impact on defence that might matter. But he doesn’t.

[@nolanmarshall3212]

@@Byronic19134 He's averaging 22 points and under 8 rebounds. Idk where you're pulling these stats from lol

[@dereklall7587]

@@nolanmarshall3212 he's averaging 22 and 8.3 rebounds..

[@Shortballa11]

those guys arent in the same convo as Siakim cuz they are all 25/8/5 guys not 21*

[@TheLilmuzzy]

As a Celtics fan you had me rolling at the “He’s only 19”

[@MPHswayze]

1:09 "I just like making lists." understatement of the cench

[@Rehkew]

Come on now, Durant over Giannis for game 7? Did he not watch last years finals? Giannis eats up the big moments and elevates his game. Dude puts in work and improves year in year out and it’s damn noticeable.

[@jonz23m]

They still stick to the hero ball 5 seconds on the clock storyline

[@wills2140]

Forgot how I missed Russillo talking long form on basketball. ☺ Good video, thanks. Btw, Grizzlys fans have known all about Jaren Jackson, Jr. They have been hyping him at every chance, over two years now. Memphis is a team on the rise, hope it all keeps together for them and we get to see it all go good.

[@SJH22]

I'd take giannis over Durant any day...dude is a DPOY and MVP candidate every year now...all while putting up ridiculous numbers when the other teams already know where he wants his shots. Durant is disgusting on offense and not terrible on defense by any means, but giannis can defend and rim protect at an elite level against all positions and rebound at a ridiculous rate as well....Durant doesn't do either....I think the quote he said about having Durant for 1 game to clinch a series is spot on though.

[@Jorge-jo8oq]

So you’re saying not any day, but most days

[@SJH22]

@@Jorge-jo8oq any day until a 3 is needed to win haha, but yes, u got me

[@pewpew9193]

I'm taking Luka over either one of them.

[@jonz23m]

When did Durant clinch anything though? He lost leading 3:1 and he never won a title outside a heavy favorite super team. He lost in overtime against giannis, abd stop it with shoe size bs these pundit NPCs keep repeating. He lost!

[@themanman165]

Kd getting all defense of team votes this year! Cuz He’s underrated on the defensive side

[@mirzasakovic]

41st. the man changed the game. I look for passing highlights

[@JP-jd8wr]

I agree with Bill's list

[@stephenhiker9807]

I like a tier concept vs ranking. There's 5 tiers that matter

[@omieg89]

I’m with you. What do you think of this? Best Player Tier (2 players) KD and Giannis Superstar Tier (4 players) Jokic, Embiid, Curry, and Luka All NBA Tier (7 players) Morant, CP, Booker, Lebron, Derozan, Tatum, Kawhi High End All Star Tier (11 players) Butler, Bam, Dame, Kyrie, Harden, Trae, Mitchell, Lavine, Towns, PG, AD All Star Caliber Tier (18 players) Brown, Holiday, Middleton, Draymond, Klay, Siakam, FVV, Garland, Gobert, Lamelo, Beal, J Murray, Ingram, McCollum, Zion, D Murray, SGA, Sabonis

[@stephenhiker9807]

@@omieg89 pretty much spot on. I would put DeRozan down a notch. And also Adebayo down 1.

[@pewpew9193]

@@omieg89 I would agree with the list if you had Jokic in the Top player category over KD. Nothing against KD, he has just missed a ton of games the past few years.

[@ShinMadero]

It's weird how the Suns and Heat have the best records in their conference, but not a single player in the top 10.

[@Riles3152]

But there best players (Booker, CP3 and Jimmy) are somewhere between 11-20 if not top 10. Which means they’re at that absolute star to near superstar level, while being blessed enough to be on an actual team with great supporting guys, a very good to great coach and a tremendous culture/system that is able to bring out the best in what they can do.

[@sssloe]

They are among the top teams to have multiple versatile defensive pieces with just the right amount of outside scoring whereas other teams have better individual talent but less quality with the supporting cast.

[@cvkg7015]

did you see both teams when the stars were out and kept winning? its clear both top teams are more about the team as a whole then any 1 individual.

[@libertariansasquatch]

@@cvkg7015 That’s not true at all, Chris Paul being out the suns are 500 without him.

[@gators9570]

In the case of the heat the 2 best players are undervalued because they’re extremely good 2 way players. Derozan is not a better player than Jimmy Butler but we’ll have to wait for the off season for everyone to be reminded of that

[@jordandavis152]

Crazy how things change after a month

[@corycunningham8675]

I’m starting a GoFundMe to get our boy Russillo some wall decorations.

[@JB-qt4hp]

The AD/Harden group should be called the "Really Talented Bitch" group.

[@jonathanmcgrath3497]

Trae is easily top 15 he’s carrying the hawks so hard

[@user-zb8tq5pr4x]

Problem is he's carrying them right into the trash can

[@jonathanmcgrath3497]

` you’re right the playoffs is trash

[@firuBR]

"you have LeBron behind Paul George?" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ckq]

Before I watch: Here's my list based on the regular with notes about playoff adjustments: Tier 1 (1-2): Jokic - Giannis Tier 2 (3-5): 3. Embiid 4. KD 5. LeBron Tier 3 (6-7) 6. Steph 7. Luka (maybe swap Luka and Steph since Luka started season bad and is now at an MVP level, while Steph did the opposite: start at MVP level and been in a 3 month slump) Tier 4: 8-12. KAT, Gobert, Harden, Tatum, Trae (could have some playoff concerns, but regular season they're this good) Tier 5: 13-20. Ja, DeMar, Kyrie, CP3, Mitchell, Butler, Booker, Davis Just missed the cut: Dejounte, VanVleet, Jrue, Garland, Adebayo, Siakam, Sabonis, LaVine

[@JaysonT975]

This is literally the list at the moment.

[@ckq]

@@JaysonT975 Yeah it's largely based on a formula I made seems to work out well.

[@tunjio4249]

Nah can’t put Jokic in Tier 1. I’d put Giannis and KD. Jokic hasn’t won anything.

[@MrHiMyNameSucks]

KAT Gobert and Harden too high in my humble opinion.

[@Jayhawk92]

I have some disagreements here and there, but this a reasonable, solid list

[@jackfrost309]

In what world is Trae Young not a top 20 player what’s with the hate with him?? You wouldn’t do this with any other guy consistently putting up the numbers he has since getting into the league. The Bradley Beal example is so weak Beal had 1 great scoring year and he’s never been anywhere close to leading his team to the finals

[@billlill7159]

He’ll have to get a ring before they give him the proper credit it’s ridiculous

[@charleskummerer]

Trae gives up as many points on defense as he scores on offense, if not more most nights. He's too exploitable.

[@richeyrich2514]

Nba is still a 2 way sport. A player like Kris Middleton plays great wing D and is a 3 level scorer that can get a bucket at any time, especially in the clutch. More respect should be given for efficiency and defense please believe 🙏

[@IWillSendMyHunters]

@@richeyrich2514 Trae Young is more efficient than middleton

[@DGates14]

@@charleskummerer this is not true lmao he’s responsible for basically 50 points a night combining points and assist, he’s not giving all that back up on defense. The hawks have been terrible overall on defense all year it’s not just a trae thing which is why last post season when the hawks were playing good team defense trae’s defense was not a real issue the other teams could not exploit him like everyone thought would happen

[@rcapogarcia]

Jrue Holliday is a winning player...no doubt.

[@TYHighlights]

Jrue isn't a great shooter. He's very streaky, but his defense is the best in the league

[@IWillSendMyHunters]

@@TYHighlights He’s shooting over 40 percent from 3 since joining the Bucks. And 55 percent from 2

[@RealMikeMiller13]

Wait.. how does this channel only have 34k subs?

[@RealMikeMiller13]

It’s bill fucking Simmons, shouldn’t he have at least 300k??

[@FanTalkPodcast]

That westbrook take is crazy yet very understandable.

[@brettb7242]

KAT drops 60 and 17 after this lmao

[@Lord_Clarke]

Simmons disrespect of Jaylen Brown is absurd you can most definitely count on JB to get his own bucket whenever however. Judging JB off one bad game against the Mavs when he's still dealing with a sprained ankle is ridiculous. Also looking at Tatum's defensive numbers and ignoring the fact that for the most part night in and night out he's not guarding the 1st or 2nd best player on the opposing team because Smart or Brown usually are is just ridiculous.

[@MacNif]

Well said

[@iRoyalpriesthood]

When he said Tatum is only 19 i lost it looool.

[@gaiusvelleius]

I also remember that quote, Bill mentions at min 4:30. But don't know who. Anyone remember it? Must have been on a podcast.

[@andyec-fp7cc]

i think one player you all missed at the bottom, id say somewhere maybe 17-20 right now is shai gilgeous-alexander... especially the way SGA has played since the all star break and i think in future seasons he will climb much higher with the very real potential within a season or two he will be top ten in the league...

[@Lush-Ice]

He plays for the worst team lmao I think Julius randle would put up 30 a game for them

[@schuylersavage276]

SGA probably isn’t even a top 30 player in the league but that’s not because dude isn’t insanely talented, it’s just because of how good everyone in this freaking league has become!!! Like…at this very moment is SGA better than CJ McCullum? Look at CJS numbers since he got to leave Portland and go to a team where he is more empowered to be a leading scorer. CJ is averaging 26.1 on 50/40 with 7 assists and 5 rebounds in the 16 games he’s been in NO. So he also didn’t even really have a chance to get super comfortable with the system, but he’s just that talented. Playing next to insanely high usage Dame he was still able to score 20-24 a game on good efficiency, and he would at times be the hero in the biggest moments. I love SGA, love the way he plays! But he isn’t close to a top 20 player yet. Beal is another exmaple. Beal is better than SGA. He averaged 30 the last two years. On good efficiency. The league is just so deep. But I have been super happy to see SGA playing more like himself over the last month! He’s so talented. Everyone is so talented ahhhhh!

[@ohsosantana93]

Honestly can't take analyst serious these days saying there's a top 3 player who only plays half a season 2 years straight

[@alphatrusbensiii8381]

Confidence can be a great skill to have

[@austinneveau9387]

Siakam is competing for all nba team, top 20 isnt a discussion for him

[@ILikeKoreanGirls]

Side note: The number one seed should not be able to pick any opponent. Imagine Steph having an ankle sprain and not being able to play the first 2-3 games of the playoffs. If the Suns pick Golden State round 1 that ruins the probable Western Conference Finals. The Warriors might have been able to survive round 1 against the 7th seed but not if they have to face the Suns right away. The 1st seed should only be able to choose an opponent between the play-in winner through 5.

[@Howdidhenotseeme]

Number 1 seed picks between the 7 and 8 seed is the actual idea I think

[@michaelconstantinemiranda2352]

If what Bill said about the NBA expanding in vegas and seattle happens. It's actually the perfect time to change the format of the NBA. Have those 2 franchise added to WestConf and move either memphis or pelicans to the East. Rearrange the division to 4 division each conf instead of 3. Have them face teams within the div 6 or 8 times to get more division rivalries which the NBA really lacks. And teams outside the division twice. Have the 4 division winners get guaranteed playoff spot seeded 1-4. 2nd best team in each division seeded 5th-8th and have them play in the play-in (5vs8 6vs7). Winners gets in getting 5th&6th seed. Loosers will be facing 2 remaining team with the best record regardless of division as wildcard. 1st seed can then choose which team they want to face from whoever emerge in the wildcard. The team they choose get seeded as 8th the other will be 7th. And 1st rd should be just for 5 games. After rd 1. Remaining teams from both conf should be combined and re-seeded then they can make it 7 games with a 2-3-2 format for rd 2 and semi finals to minimize travel. Then keep the current format for the finals. This way we can get the best match up in the finals regardless of conf.

[@Byronic19134]

A 1 seed is never gonna pick a top 4 seed in first round anyway even with they're best player out.

[@Howdidhenotseeme]

@@Byronic19134 Yes they would, beat them early before they get healthy

[@MotoM1234]

AH…. The other teams earn their spot too….

[@nan12375]

Funny how resillio refuses to say Sikiams name 🤔. The second he hears a Raptor player his mind drifts off.

[@a11pu1poj]

they talked about the raps for a couple minutes later on in the pod. also, s-i-a-k-a-m

[@samhuang3494]

The ability to stay healthy is a skill, and it needs to be factored in the same way as other factors.

[@slobberkissintl3548]

If they can figure out how to turn off 'injuries' the NBA could expand to 32 teams no problem

[@robesterd8132]

Especially after this past draft and the infusion of about 20 quality starters

[@ericroache]

Lebron leading the league in scoring at 30/8/6, Bill: "I don't know if LeBron can do it every night anymore."

[@Shortballa11]

he means he cant will his team to Ws night in night out. Like he will drop 50 in a W and 19 in a loss. Or he'll drop 50 and then sit out for rest. The averages look in his favor but when you rlly dissect it you get what he is saying.

[@ericroache]

@@Shortballa11 But KD is 1B on his list, and he is not often willing his teams to Ws. And if you put him on these Lakers in place of LeBron, you really think the record is going to be very different? Plus KD has played less games and is more injury prone over the past few years, but that doesn't knock him in Bill's rankings at all either.

[@Shortballa11]

@@ericroache Kd is willing his team to wins. Look at KDs record when he plays. The Nets would be 1st in the East and they actually were 1st before he got injured. When Kd plays they are a top team, when Lebron plays the Lakers are mediocre. And yes I believe the Lakers would be winning with KD, look at the lineup he just beat the Jazz with. He's been doing that all season

[@diegochavez679]

Lebron going to go get his p.e.d.s shots he'll be great 150% by next week

[@user-zb8tq5pr4x]

And is a completely useless defender. A liability for half the time he's on a court. Yeah he can't do it anymore. He fought for a scoring title and let his team miss the play-ins.

[@IknowMoreThanYou]

"If I'm going to a game 7 and could have one guy on the planet" Bill, Durant went to a game 7 last year against that other guy..... you've already lost that bet

[@TheTricktracktruck]

bad try

[@cvass9381]

By 1 inch had kd wore his right size shoe kd would be in the finals he just ran out of ⛽️ with all dem minutes in a 7 game series hats off to giannis tho

[@lancewilliams8001]

Got closer than anyone else on the planet would of

[@IknowMoreThanYou]

@@cvass9381 Bruh u a 🤡4 real wit that take🤣. He wore the same shoe size his entire adult life😂😂😂He AIR BALLED THE LAST SHOT HE TOOK😂😂😂 while going 0-6 in OT IS THIS YOUR KING? 😭😭😭😭

[@wk4186]

Middelton was the best bucks player, in that series. He hit all the clutch buckets. Every point scored are not equal, level of difficulty matters.

[@CareFreeCommuting]

5:38 this stat for any KD fans, is great.

[@pedrogiraldo4367]

1. Durant 2. Giannis 3. Jokic 4. Embiid 5. Luka 6. Steph 7. Lebron 8. Ja 9. Tatum 10. Cp3 11. Booker 12. DeRozan 13. Mitchell 14. Trae 15. KAT 16. Butler 17. Harden 18. Garland 19. Lavine 20. Draymond

[@squirtreynolds3420]

There are about 20 more guys that should be above Draymond. The most obvious being the vastly superior defender in Rudy Gobert

[@juliansearcie1758]

@@squirtreynolds3420 vastly superior ?..my arse

[@squirtreynolds3420]

@@juliansearcie1758 dont see people trading 5 picks 4 players and paying 40m a year to donkey from shrek my guy

[@banimeclips10]

Giannis-KD-Jokic-Luka-Embidd are top 5 in the league this season and that's not even a question.

[@nickpagano7134]

Except lebron has been better than kd

[@jaylenflanagan1295]

Lebron is way better than Kd and Luka

[@banimeclips10]

@@jaylenflanagan1295 😂😂😂😂😂

[@MacNif]

The Booker disrespect is real disrespectful

[@Entertainment0720]

I like how whoever posted the video simplified the title and the description to something that actually makes sense, when in reality it's a "Top 20 Top 5 Lists" which makes no sense lol

[@JimmyKaloger]

jerami grant and khris middleton worth a mention for the top 30 players too..yeah the league is stacked!!

[@libertariansasquatch]

We’ve heard if Anthony Davis was healthy,his entire career……

[@discowolf25]

“He’s too small”- KAT

[@MaxiPetrone]

Trae outside the Top 20 is so freaking disrespectful!

[@bigman94able]

No it's not. He's a defensive liability. How did they not cover the spread vs Portland tonight? I know 14 is a lot of points for a team like Atlanta to be laying but Portland is a G league team

[@billlill7159]

So cause he didn’t cover the spread he’s not top 20 lmaoo anyone unbiased with eyes can see he’s top 20

[@tape4878]

@@billlill7159 hes easily top 15 lol

[@mindyourbuisness8104]

@@bigman94able they had draymond top 20. The warriors were one of the worst teams in the league with him as the best player on their team

[@alejandrosierra3743]

@@mindyourbuisness8104 Draymond has proven so many things in his career, being a top2/top3 player in the best team ever. PO player, doing so many things that you cannot count statistically on the court, like CP3. Probably the defensive player of the year if the warriors haven't had so many problems with the injuries. Of course he is better than Trae.

[@33moneyball]

2 years later….how insane does “Wiggins should’ve been an all star STARTER”, “Poole would be the second best Laker”, and “Ja is in the Luka/LeBron/Steph etc group” sound? All three points were uttered within 90 seconds in the middle of the video. All were perfectly defensible in that moment. All are utterly ridiculous now. Poole is a complete disaster, Wiggins is once again an overpaid disengaged zero, and the Ja hype train totally derailed. Exactly why we should appreciate the consistent stars including dudes like Tatum, who may never be the MVP, but is consistently awesome and top 7-10. Stop complaining about what he isn’t.

[@Shortballa11]

I like this, cuz everybody be arguing their favorite player is top 10. but over who?

[@ler3122]

Luka right now is better than steph, I’m not talking about their career or prime steph, I’m talking about right now and when you look at the last 3 seasons of both players, luka has demonstrated that in this particular moment of their careers luka is better

[@bigboner23]

Luka needs to get out first round before moving onto next tier

[@rockett3756]

Recency bias

[@jackramsden9346]

Luka ball doesn’t translate into winning basketball especially in the playoffs. He’s a great player but he’s not in the same category as Curry.

[@QuestionEverything562]

I need to see Luka's statistical output get his Mavs further in the playoffs this year than Curry's Warriors. Then I will give him that slight nod over Curry going into next year, but not yet.

[@ler3122]

@@jackramsden9346 I’m not talking about their careers, I’m talking about right now and the last time steph played in the playoffs was in 2019

[@FirstnameLastname-qb2bg]

This should be interesting.

[@KriispyPotatoes]

Bill and Ryen are a goated duo

[@jjf1986AZ]

I feel like there are 30 guys who should be in the top 20 for some reason

[@superdopehiphop]

It’s mind boggling ppl still can’t give Giannas best player on planet when he clearly has been best two way player since 2018-19 and since then he has 2 (maybe 3) MVPs, DPOY and historic Finals MVP! No one else can say that at all since 2018-19

[@AceTheCap823]

I’m not a bucks fan but 4:54-5:14 yea…yea he is, it’s Giannis bruh….best

[@davidmoorcroft7117]

As a Nets/KD fan, I also can't argue with what Bill said.

[@Howdidhenotseeme]

Kd is the better player

[@AceTheCap823]

@@Howdidhenotseeme scorer*…player? nah fam lmao, they close tho

[@Howdidhenotseeme]

@@AceTheCap823 PLAYER. Kd went toe to toe with Giannis Middelton and Jrue and almost beat them. Im NOT a KD fan, but Kd clears Giannis clearly. Giannis is #2 tho

[@spanishninja2]

2022 and still the disrespect for Booker. Both Simmons and Russillo put Mitchell above him without any explanation. Booker is now the better defender, more durable, better playmaker, more clutch, and has gone further in the playoffs. oh and now he's carrying the Suns without CP3.

[@marvinc810]

Exactly, look what happened as soon as Booker got 1 all star and the same head coach for more than 1 year on his team. People are totally undermining/unaware of the the fact that he has the best defensive efficiency % out of all the SGs in the NBA this season.

[@squirtreynolds3420]

@@marvinc810 it does help him that pretty much everyone on his team is a plus defender.

[@davincerica7232]

Is it so hard to put the whole thing on KZbin? 🤔😑 pls do it 🙏

[@MotoM1234]

Giannis, Durant, Lebron, Jokic, Embiid… Luka, Curry, Harden, Morant, Booker… Irving, Tatum, Mitchell, Towns, CP3… Bam, Middleton, Young, Derozen, Garland…. Siakam, Lavine, Brown, Herro, J Butler… Holiday, Green, Myles Bridges, A Edwards, J Jackson…. Mobley, Gobert, J Allen, Melo Ball, Ayton…. Beal, Ingram, McCollum, Poole, Lowry… D Brooks, Wiggins, D Murray, Sabonis, SGA…. Injury exclusions- Lillard, Zion, AD, PG-13, Kawhi, Klay, J Murray, Simmons

[@charold3]

I like Bill’s top ten. You’d think a Heat player would be up there, but they’re more like the Suns, a team with great chemistry and coaching. KAT is the third best center this year. Luka’s case is unusual: he’s not “underrated,” exactly, but sometimes it feels that way; the Mavs are cooking, but the team has no real no. 2. Luka and Jokic are very similar in many ways!

[@ericcouch]

Dinwiddie is Dallas' clear number two now who can create his own shot. That explains the trade from Dallas' perspective.

[@charold3]

@@ericcouch Except for the Mavs and Nuggets, every top team (say top six in each division) has two all stars or very close. Dinwiddie is good, but I’m not yet convinced he’s exactly a star. He might be! Then again, Kidd said the team doesn’t have to have a second star. I guess we’ll see.

[@justinakomah4544]

draymond missed two months and above trae young and holiday even on the list is hilarious 😂

[@andreaskotadi]

Would love to see you redo this at the end of the season. this is not ageing well.

[@EzekielDBarrett]

Giannis, Durant, Luka, Steph, LeBron, Embiid, Butler, Ja, PG, Dame, DeRozan, Booker, CP3, Tatum, Kawhi, Harden, Siakam, Mitchell, AD, Zion, Edwards

[@3steban427]

Jokic?!

[@EzekielDBarrett]

@@3steban427 what a hack, 2 time running MVP, with some of the best statistical seasons of all time

[@melian9999]

Siakem is for sure top 25. These list only look at offense but if you take defense into account, there are a few that shouldn't be there, trae young being the most obvious. Siakems numbers are all nba level

[@Stephen246666]

I've become a bit of a gobert skeptic as well but outside of the top 26 is wild. Also, Trae def deserves a spot in the top 20

[@austin7761]

Yeah, Simmons has been on the Gobert hate train for awhile. I wouldn't trust his takes on Gobert, lol.

[@lavarball5097]

Gobert got exposed by the clippers last year in the playoffs lol …

[@FacundoCampazzo123]

They didn't expose him, they avoided him.

[@apostalote]

Any player that makes any team a top 10 defense is top 15 at least. People bring up the clippers like it was all Gobert. Jazz have no other positive defenders, and Gobert’s one weakness is on the perimeter. But there were so many moments where Gobert was put in IMPOSSIBLE situations because of the way the Jazz defense is structured. People want Gobert to be like Draymond or Giannis, but Gobert’s rim protection is so much more impactful than either of them, that his weakness on the perimeter is more than compensated

[@austin7761]

@@apostalote Royce and Gobert are the only plus defenders on the perimeter for the Jazz. For all his reputation from highlight clips, Gobert is actually a really good perimeter defender. He does particularly well on guard isolations. But yeah, he wasn't the problem in that Clips series. The Jazz having a minimum of 3 minus defenders on the floor with both guards on hobbled legs was. I swear I saw this exact sequence at least 5 times in that game 6: Jackson would blow past his defender, Gobert would help, Reggie makes the pass to the open man, Gobert recovers to contest, Clippers swing the ball and Mitchell/Conley/Bogdanovic/Ingles/Clarkson fail to rotate to the second man and give up a wide open three.

[@traceyrice4978]

"I have 7 in my top 5" lololol

[@j.r.kizziar9493]

🔥

[@Teffy2105]

Giannis should be #1

[@lieahquebec1552]

To say Trae Young is a class below Booker, Mitchell, Tatum, on top of not even being top 20 is ridiculous. I know getting on him is your thing but the guy is having his most efficient year and putting up 28ppg 9assist. Yea the Hawks have underperformed this but they’re still a .500 team it’s not like they’re 10 games under and he was just in the ECF giving the champs 48 so don’t tell me he can’t win this is getting old with you guys

[@billlill7159]

They’re trolling Trae at this point

[@kennyduarte6744]

Winning matters. They’re at the bottom of the east looking at the play in. Trae can score but he needs to make his teammates better

[@pewpew9193]

Both sides of the arugment have a point. Trae is putting up his best box score numbers of his career, but it isn't translating to success, so people are going to view it as "big numbers on a bad team".

[@DGates14]

@@kennyduarte6744 winning does matter and he took his team to the ecf a season ago?? Just because they aren’t having a great regular season doesn’t make him not top 20. The hawks struggles is a collective defensive issue not trae underperforming. The lakers are 10 games under .500 but everyone can see the problem isn’t lebron

[@DFJW45]

I have a top 10 I’ve updated monthly for years

[@jordanesquetyson8223]

giannis, durant, embid, jokic, luka, steph, booker, derozan, ja, kat, lebron.

[@everyday_truth]

the level of disrespect KAT gets is dumbfounding…truth be told, refs hate this man too so it’s understandable…hacked all night and no calls. Embiid get’s coughed on and he falls over, automatic foul 😂

[@willzsportscards]

They're FINALLY winning. Is he actually playing defense this year?

[@cycleoflife565]

Embiid is way more physical than KAT which means defenders have to match that physicality which leads to fouls.

[@bobwreath]

@@cycleoflife565 It's understandable but you clearly dont watch much wolves tape. Totally get it, but you are very much downplaying Towns' physicality

[@cycleoflife565]

@@bobwreath You’re probably right. I see way more of Embiid than I do of KAT.

[@bobwreath]

@@cycleoflife565 Totally fair! You're certainly right that Embiid is the more physical of the two, but I just think KAT deserves a little more recognition on that front considering all the media narratives surrounding him

[@highlightcenter5651]

Gotta disagree with taking Durant for a game 7. KD as a single person can do so much for you scoring wise on the offensive end. Whereas Giannis can elevate an entire team on both ends. Giannis does what the media thinks lebron does for his teammates

[@pewpew9193]

Giannis dosen't really elevate the Offense. He is incredibly dominant in one aspect of Offense, but his overall skill set on Offense is somewhat limited. He dosen't have a great handle, shot & can't run the P&R as a handler. His playmaking is derived from his gravity. Giannis' biggest strength is as a help defender. Probably the best in the league in that role. The guy that elevates the Offense the most is undoubtedly Luka Doncic.

[@brianbirnbaum9760]

How is Steph Curry still not viewed as the best player in the league? If you’re talking about impacting winning, there is no better player in the league. Period

[@nunyobizwax9225]

I think Giannis is a better overall player than Durant simply because if Giannis really needs a basket he doesn’t need to pull up for a 3 or a jumper from outside the circle, he can just euro step into the lane and dunk it , no matter who is guarding him or who is under the rim. A dunk or lay up will always be a higher shot percentage than a pull up 3 or a jumper. Even though Jokic has won back to back MVP’s for some reason it still doesn’t seem like people dont give him enough credit for how good of a player he is.

[@truth.74]

KD has NEVER made an All-defensive team in his 15 seasons in the NBA. While Giannis his 9 seasons has made 4 All-defensive teams, three being 1st team.

[@ezeuzuka3344]

@Jim Brave I agree and disagree because Durant is one of the best if not the best scorer of all time who still gets to the rim. If you have an efficient mid range game and your good from 3 having that height and length just makes it harder to contest. Not everyone thats 6ft10 and above need to be dominating in the paint. With that said I do believe Giannis is better than Durant mainly due to Defense and the impact he has on his teammates.

[@MotoM1234]

KD is an outstanding defender… his length gives other wings problems…. His game also fits with literally any combination of great players around him….

[@truth.74]

@@ezeuzuka3344 Durant could rebound better too. His career average is just 7.1 a seven footer should be double digit rebounder.

[@truth.74]

@@MotoM1234 He's a good defender, not outstanding. He needs to make at least 2nd team All-defense to be considered an outstanding defender.

[@colezee7640]

KD number 1 for me

[@phuntsokphotography]

Bill says he is winning guy (20:30 mark), but wolves are currently 11 games over .500 yet KAT isnt even his top 20. KAT who is arguably 3rd best center in the league and the team is winning only game behind nuggets for 6th in west.They used to say KAT puts up numbers but those numbers doesn’t translate to wins but when he does they still find a way to hate on him. I bet if KAT was on Celtics and Celtics were .500 team bill would put him in top 10. This is why I can’t take some nba analyst takes seriously.

[@HahaHaha-km4sm]

Greek freak, Jokic, Embiid, Durant, Luka that’s my top 5

[@wolf7el356]

My Top 20: 1. Kevin Durant 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo 3. Nikola Jokic 4. Steph Curry 5. DeMar DeRozan 6. Joel Embiid 7. Ja Morant 8. Luka Doncic 9. Devin Booker 10. Jayson Tatum 11. Chris Paul 12. Kyrie Irving 13. LeBron James 14. Trae Young 15. Donovan Mitchell 16. Zach LaVine 17. LaMelo Ball 18. Karl Anthony Towns 19. Brandon Ingram 20. Jimmy Butler

[@gators9570]

Brandon Ingram is better than every player on the heat yet his team is in the dumpster? I don’t get that bud

[@dehaman_4_144]

Ball?

[@wolf7el356]

@@gators9570 He's one player, the Heat have a better team with more depth.

[@bigman94able]

@@wolf7el356 Jimmy Butler isn't even the best player on his team though. And the best player on his team you don't even have on your top 20. Please explain that?

[@wolf7el356]

@@bigman94able I apologize for having my own opinion, next time I'll check with you first before I post.

[@alejandrosierra3743]

In my opinion Luka is above Curry and Lebron right now, the kid controls every aspect of the attack and he is carrying the Mavs so hard. Without him they would be out of the play in.

[@sampitts6066]

you’re nuts mavs would be top 8 w out him

[@chrislopez5631]

@@sampitts6066 nahhh

[@chrislopez5631]

Bro carried the group to 3rd in the west

[@Ay-sd1sj]

@@sampitts6066 No one in the team averages above 15 in the team people think they would be top 8 LMFAO

[@juliansearcie1758]

Of he does he has the damn ball 20 seconds on offense .

[@Ldueyhrbh]

Holiday was definitely a top 20 player.

[@marcuscarpenter7230]

Ur taking him over Draymond? It’s close for me

[@M_Swann]

Durant, Curry, Giannis, Jokic, Doncic Embiid, LBJ, Tatum, Kyrie, Ja CP3, KAT, Donovan, Klay, Booker, Demar, Harden, Ingram, Trae, SGA

[@byHeaLiiAU]

How are Klay, Kat and Booker over Trae lol. Trae has an argument as the best playmaker in the league and he has been a top 3 scorer since his sophomore season. His team made the ECF. What more do you want from someone?

[@M_Swann]

@@byHeaLiiAU I just thought it would be fun to share my 20. 15-20 are the ones where you get the most variation. And we are all biased. I was making my selection based on players I would choose to be on my team to win a playoff game. And yeah, when it comes to Trae, if he's on your team you really have to go all-in on him, and I think there is more value in shooting guards with lower usage rates, who fit into the flow of the offense and give you consistent production.

[@FahadDonRimz]

FVV isn’t even the best player on his own team

[@M_Swann]

@@FahadDonRimz wait for the playoffs bro

[@M_Swann]

@@FahadDonRimz Fine, replace FVV with SGA

[@jamesh7469]

It took exactly 1:25 for Bill’s anti-LeBron bias to show 😂 Russillo was immediately like “what?!”

[@sell2012]

lebron is overrated, thats a fact.

[@jamesh7469]

@@sell2012 his work as the Lakers GM and his leadership is pretty shit this year, but he is the league’s leader in scoring at 59% eFG and I’m not sure how you can call that overrated

[@nsa4613]

@@sell2012 now, maybe but he’s still top 10 for now

[@tonyschimmoeller]

@James H well what's he do on defense? How's his scoring helping winning?

[@QuestionEverything562]

But Bill still put Bron in his top five, and that was just out of respect, not the actual reality of this season though.

[@tmontalbano5]

Thought experiment: What if teams ensured that Curry had no offensive stats whatsoever by guarding him with all 5 players, and the Warriors went 82-0 as a result... would Curry be the MVP? Credit to @feltbot on Twitter.

[@davincerica7232]

Bad take... 👎 that's literally impossible scenario

[@triptychlux]

@@davincerica7232 but they do double team him the whole game and it hinders his stats but contributes to winning. where do you draw the line? does he need to be 5 manned for you to acknowledge his value?

[@davincerica7232]

@@triptychlux everyone acknowledges Curry man, what are you talking about?

[@tmontalbano5]

@@davincerica7232 Hence why I called it a thought experiment haha

[@davincerica7232]

@@tmontalbano5 yeah but I mean... _what if Luka averaged 50/20/20 and they went 0-82?_

[@pewpew9193]

All-NBA 1st Team G Luka Doncic G Steph Curry F Giannis F C Nikola Jokic Who gets that last Forward spot? Does LeBron or KD get it despite missed games, or does DeRozan get it? Maybe even a dark horse contender? The next most interesting All-NBA spot might actually be 3rd Team Center. Bam, KAT, Rudy or do we have another contender for that spot?

[@jooocooo9974]

Its Tatum

[@pewpew9193]

@@jooocooo9974 Could be. He hasn't been First Team yet, so this might be his year. The only issues could be if they let Embiid take the last Forward spot. I know he dosen't play Forward much, but they might end up putting him there if they don't want him on the 2nd Team.

[@pewpew9193]

3 weeks later, here is the 2nd Team G Devin Booker G Ja Morant F Demar DeRozan F Kevin Durant C Joel Embiid

[@phuntsokphotography]

The disrespect for KAT. In the past they say he got stats but can’t win. Currently wolves are who 7th are only 1.5-3 games back to be in top 5 in west.

[@phuntsokphotography]

@Jim Brave nope they did not smh