The Flagrant 2’s Top 50 Players for 2016–2017: 29–20
Alright, so we got through the 40s and 30s, now we are primed for the guys we feel are in the Top-30 for next season. We got lazy towards the end, so we do apologize for that! But enjoy this post and make sure you check out Part 1 and Part 2.
Once again, we don’t really provide much reason for why we ranked a player at a certain spot.
What Comes Next After A Career Year For Kemba Walker?
29. Kemba Walker
The jump Kemba took last season was huge for his long-term potential as a building block for the Hornets. The skill was always there, but Kemba’s game lacked substance. He wasn’t very efficient and didn’t shoot very well from distance but he was able to correct all those things last year. His shooting numbers improved across the board which led to the most efficient season of Kemba’s career. The obvious flaws in his game will always be there, as he is not a true facilitator and looks more for his own offense but Kemba took the right steps into honing his talents. If Kemba can improve on his assist numbers and cut his TOs down, we could be looking at a first time All-Star come 2017.
We Didn’t Rank These Guys Next To Each Other — Part 3: The White Guys Edition:
28. Kevin Love
27. Gordon Hayward
Okay this definitely seems a little weird, but we swear, this isn’t on purpose. Everyone has their opinion on Kevin Love but the simple thing about Love is that he is still a very productive and capable player in this league. He might never go back to his 25/15 days in Minnesota, but his role within the Cavalier offense is essential to their performance. Much like Bosh in Miami, Love should be finally settled into his new role in year three. Hayward on the other hand has seen his role increase over the last three years, and it should be time for him to take his place as the team’s main alpha dog alongside Derrick Favors. This is a huge year for Hayward, with so much hype surrounding the Jazz this season, he will finally be under the scrutiny of the NBA community and it should be interesting to see how it handles the added pressure.
Is Derrick Favors is the Next Al Horford?:
26. Al Horford
25. Derrick Favors
As you know, we are eye test guys here at the Flagrant 2, but then we are unconditional love guys and finally Big Data Analytics dudes …. We followed those rules to make sure that we weren’t crazy with ranking Favors at 25 and we are not. If you are going to put Al Horford in your Top-30, which he is, then you should have Favors pretty close to him. Both Horford and Favors, who are criminally underrated, can switch between guarding centers or power forwards with ease and have the offensive talent to carry the scoring for serious stretches. These two guys are the dual-threat front court presence you need to succeed in the postseason, and with both of them on teams destined for the playoffs, both Favors and Horford will be ready to step up.
Nothing Creative For These Guys — Just A Group of Talented Folks With Some Question Marks:
24. Marc Gasol
23. DeMar DeRozan
22. Andre Drummond
Sorry folks, nothing really creative for these three guys. All three have the raw talent to be Top-20 guys in the league, but are either coming off injury (Gasol) or need to improve dramatically in certain areas (Drummond & DeRozan). Gasol is a bonafide rockstar and was the best center in the league for a few years, but have we seen the last of prime Gasol? The injury was just the straw that broke the camel’s back, but before he went down, Gasol was having one of his least efficient years of his career. If we are looking at big data analytics with Gasol, his Defensive Win Share and Value Over Replacement Player were the worst of his career. He still is uber talented and received 1-vote for First-Team All NBA but the questioned has to be asked….. Is Gasol regressing? When it comes to Drummond and DeRozan, both have glaring holes that keep them from that Top-20 ranking. Drummond who has an expanding offensive game is still inept from the FT Line while DeRozan just seems to be unaware of the growing need to hit from the outside. Although both players are wildly successful, they are locked in NBA Player Ranking limbo due to their unresolved issues.
Two of the Most Improperly Rated Guys Ever:
21. Carmelo Anthony
20. Kyrie Irving
Seriously though…. Where do you rank these two guys? And if a Kyrie Irving fan ever reads this… sorry guys, we just don’t think he is top 15 yet. Both are lethal scorers who can get buckets on anyone but also have never been the best defender or know how to play in a proper team offense. ISO ISO ISO… that is what they mean to us and are two of the best pure scorers at their position, which in itself is deserving of a top-25 spot.
Part 4 will be up sometime this week — check back again!
