As we count down the top NBA players in our ESPN rankings, it's time to assess the NBArank list so far.
Which players will move into the top 50 and the top 10? Who are the most overrated and underrated players on our list? Who is the best player a team should trade for James Harden?
Let's look at whom our experts cited as the players on the rise, the players with the most questionable rankings and the top-30 players who would work in a Harden trade.
Rankings: Players 100 to 51 | 50 to 11 | Rookies to rise
1. Who are the top three candidates to make the top 10 someday?
Kevin Pelton: Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson and Devin Booker. Tatum almost feels like cheating because he's already on the doorstep of the top 10. Williamson could crack it soon if he stays healthy and improves defensively. For the last spot, I'll take Booker over the other bubble breakout guards.
André Snellings: Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and Zion Williamson. Tatum started making the leap last season, is already elite on offense and strong on defense, and is still only 22. Embiid, at his best, is the best pure center in the NBA, with an ability to dominate that only a few players can match. Zion showed, even in limited minutes after his knee injury, that he has the potential to change the game on a generational level once he reaches his peak.
Jorge Sedano: Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo and Ben Simmons. Tatum got a new contract, made All-NBA Third Team last season and is already one of the most well-rounded scorers in the game. Adebayo's next steps will be to continue to develop his skills and take over as the top player on the Heat. Simmons is masterful at getting guys open looks and is impressive finishing at the rim. Now, if only he can get his jumper going.
Tim MacMahon: Zion Williamson, Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker. Health willing, Williamson will be a perennial MVP candidate. For Mitchell, I believe his bubble dominance was a sign of things to come, as he is still early in his development as a go-to guy. Booker's reputation will get a major boost now that the Suns should be able to win.
Bobby Marks: Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell, if the 2020 playoffs were an indication, along with Jayson Tatum. Murray is coming off a 19-game playoff stretch in which he averaged 26.5 points (31.7 points in the first round). Mitchell had three games of 40-plus points and averaged 36.2 points in a first-round loss to the Nuggets. Tatum had a month of February to remember, averaging 30.7 points on 48.1% shooting from 3. All three are part of the rookie max extension club.
2. Which player ranked 51-100 will finish the highest in next year's NBArank?
Sedano: Michael Porter Jr. (No. 51) is my choice over Tyler Herro (No. 59) because Porter can become one of the best scorers in the league. We saw glimpses of that during the season, when he went from DNP to starting in the Western Conference finals.
MacMahon: Porter might be maddeningly frustrating to coach at times, but there's no question that he has the talent to shoot up this list next season. Kevin Durant is arguably the only player we've seen who has a similar blend of size, skill and smoothness.
Marks: The Bulls' Zach LaVine, who ranks 56th after a season in which he averaged 25.5 points, is paying the penalty for missing the playoffs in his first six seasons. LaVine has finally found stability after playing for five head coaches since 2014-15. That alone should help him make a big leap and crack the top 40 next season.
Snellings: Deandre Ayton (No. 52) is quietly one of the best young big men in the NBA. His combo of size, athletic ability and skill allows him to dominate the paint while retaining enough perimeter ability to work as a new-age center. He has been overshadowed so far, but playing with a point guard such as Chris Paul should help him take his game to the next level.
Pelton: Christian Wood (No. 55). Already, Wood is flirting with the top-50 ranking a year after being on waivers twice. A full season of performing at the level he displayed after becoming a starter in Detroit could cause him to jump up the rankings again.
3. Who is most likely to outperform his ranking this season?
MacMahon: Which Wizards guard should I choose? We've underrated both Bradley Beal (No. 22) and Russell Westbrook (No. 36). Beal had the biggest beef among All-NBA snubs last season, when he joined this exclusive list of players to average at least 30 points and six assists in a season since the ABA-NBA merger: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade and ... Russell Westbrook. Westbrook at No. 36 seems to be an overreaction to his bad bubble performance (he was recovering from COVID-19 and then was injured) and a chilly trade market, which was in large part due to his contract. He's still an All-NBA player.
Marks: How does a player who ranked No. 46 a year ago average 22 points and a career-best 53.1% shooting from the field and fall to No. 82? No, DeMar DeRozan is not an All-NBA player anymore, but the guard is still a top-50 player and borderline All-Star. Expect him to remain a potent scorer and play a lot better than 82nd in the league, especially during a contract year.
Sedano: Joel Embiid (No. 14) is primed to have a big season. He and Simmons get a new start with Doc Rivers as their coach and Daryl Morey as the team's president of basketball operations. The Sixers have surrounded Embiid and Simmons with much better shooting, and that floor spacing should help them create more havoc.
Snellings: Robert Covington outperforms his ranking every season. He's ranked 60th on this list, but he was 25th in RPM wins last season for the Rockets and Timberwolves and 11th in that stat in 2017-18, his last healthy season with the 76ers. He's an elite help defender and an outstanding floor spacer as a volume 3-point shooter, two skills that fit perfectly on the Trail Blazers and should help them get to the next level.
Pelton: Tobias Harris (No. 57). I think the focus on Harris' contract has overshadowed the fact that he's a good player. This time a year ago, Harris was in the top 30. Philly's improved floor spacing should help, as will a likely rebound in 3-point percentage from last season's 37% mark after back-to-back seasons in the 40% range.
4. Who is least likely to live up to his ranking this season?
Sedano: Kristaps Porzingis (No. 41), though not because of his talent. The most important ability is availability, and that is an area in which Porzingis has struggled in his short career.
Snellings: Likewise, Kyrie Irving (No. 25) has averaged almost 26 missed games per season for the past five seasons, including the 52 games he missed the past season. He has been out for the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. It's difficult to be a top-25 player if you're unavailable for more than 25% of the games.
Marks: I have no idea what to expect from Blake Griffin (No. 65). The former MVP candidate is back on the court after rehabbing from January's left knee surgery, Griffin's ninth surgery since he entered the league and the fourth on the same knee. Aside from the questions about Griffin's health, Detroit has added Jerami Grant and has youngsters Sekou Doumbouya and Saddiq Bey competing for minutes at forward.
MacMahon: It seems that Paul George (No. 20) has had more excuses than highlights since he joined the Clippers. He hasn't proven that he can handle the pressure that comes with being a cornerstone of a franchise with contender expectations. He earned a reputation as a premier two-way wing at his previous stops, but George's first season with the Clippers was a massive disappointment.
Pelton: Jaren Jackson Jr. (No. 43), if only because he isn't expected back for the start of the season after undergoing a meniscus repair in August. We have Jackson ranked five spots ahead of Kemba Walker, a substantially more effective player who's being docked because of the time he'll miss due to injury.
5. Who is the best under-30 player you would trade for James Harden?
Marks: Making a list of players under the age of 30 to trade for Harden is a process of elimination and logic. No, I wouldn't trade Nikola Jokic for Harden, for instance, nor would I trade Ben Simmons. But how about the Nets' Kyrie Irving? A Harden-for-Irving swap would leave Brooklyn with a reliable point guard in Spencer Dinwiddie and wouldn't force the Nets to gut their roster.
MacMahon: I'd give up Ben Simmons to get Harden. I know that Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers have publicly -- and emphatically -- declared that the Sixers plan to keep the Joel Embiid-Simmons pairing intact for a long time, and the Philly roster was retooled to better fit around that All-Star duo. You can certainly argue that it's a huge risk to trade a 24-year-old (plus significant future assets) for a 31-year-old. But a perennial MVP candidate raises the ceiling for Philadelphia high enough to justify it.
Pelton: Ben Simmons. I get why the Sixers would be reluctant to trade a 24-year-old who made All-NBA Third Team last season for a player seven years older. It certainly wouldn't be the longest view in the room. But Philadelphia is positioned to contend now with Harden, and it's no longer clear that a team built around Embiid and Simmons will get back to that level. I would make the swap as long as it didn't require giving up draft picks as well.
Sedano: The 76ers should consider putting Simmons in a Harden trade. While Simmons is a young, top-15 player with plenty of potential, for Philadelphia and Daryl Morey, the fast-track solution is to pair Harden with Embiid for new Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
Snellings: If he's the last piece for a legit championship push, nobody would be completely off the table. I'd trade the best 20-something second option from most of the contending teams, including Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons. If I were the Nuggets or the Jazz, I'd trade Jamal Murray or Donovan Mitchell. I'd take the chance on Harden next to an All-NBA big man delivering a title in the next few years.