Sports Illustrated Top 100: Warriors well-represented but dominance is over
By Kit Shepard
Four Golden State Warriors players were included in the Sports Illustrated’s top 100 NBA players for the 2019-20 season.
The list, which has been published annually since 2014, ranks players based on raw basketball ability and projection for the coming campaign, rather than their fit within their current team’s system. The Golden State Warriors had four on the list.
It will come as a surprise to no one that Stephen Curry was the highest-ranked Warrior, placing fourth behind LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and the new man at the summit, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He drops one spot from last year’s list.
Curry’s incredible shooting prowess, court vision and off-ball movement put him in the conversation for the best offensive player in the league but, considering Antetokounmpo and Leonard’s ability to dominate on both ends of the floor, it is difficult to make a case for the 31-year-old to be ranked ahead of either player.
Steph vs Lebron is a little more debatable, particularly after James’ disappointing first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Going into his 17th season, there are legitimate questions over whether he has enough left in the tank to take control of games as he has done so many times in the past.
James, when engaged, is unequivocally a better defender than the Warriors centerpiece, but his effort waned all too often last year.
On offense, the pair have each dominated remarkable efficiency in antithetical ways, but there is little to choose between the pair when it comes to scoring and creating.
Nevertheless, LeBron has earned enough credit over the years to get the edge over Curry. He might have cracked the top three on reputation alone, but rightly so. He’s LeBron James, for goodness sake!
Curry though, is the highest-ranked guard on the list, beating James Harden, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook.