Check out the previous entries in ClutchPoints' 100 greatest NBA players of all time series based on Josh Eberley's E-Rank: 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21
There are no more big surprises, as the remaining 20 players all made the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. The power forwards have all shown up, a couple of Golden State championship teammates make their entrance, and the game’s logo enters the chat.
E-Rank Insight: In earlier versions of E-Rank, longevity was dumbed down. In a later version, statistical peaks sliders were turned way up, and then eventually accolades got a significant bump. But in every update, one of the league’s least popular legends was above his positional peers.
A question for you the reader: Are your opinions on NBA players fixed? Do you consider new information and recalibrate how you rank players to constantly better reflect all of the available pieces?
Check out the gallery for players 20-11 on the list.
20. Jerry West 684.5 (75th Anniversary Team)
On the radio the other day, a local host was talking about how the tragedy of Jerry West’s career was that he never won a ring. That is, of course, untrue, because West and the Lakers broke through in 1972. But it speaks to the narrative around a perennially elite player who was routinely routed at the top. Eight lost NBA Finals, with seven before the title and one right after. And yet the 12-time All-NBA recipient always had his team in the fight. The man was The Logo for a reason.
19. David Robinson 701.45 (75th Anniversary Team)
David Robinson’s career story was rewritten largely due to one series loss against Hakeem Olajuwon. The Admiral's numbers place him in the company of giants, and he remains regularly underrated in these exercises. Often, teams winning and losing colors far too many greater assumptions about talent of individuals. Robinson was as versatile and as dominant as one could be, leading the league in points, blocks, rebounds, free throw attempts, and every single advanced stat you can think of.
18. Giannis Antetokounmpo 708.2 (75th Anniversary Team)
Although Giannis Antetokounmpo’s resume has been going through a relatively cold stretch the last couple years, he’s only 30 years old. At 30, he’s a two-time MVP winner, a Defensive Player of the Year winner, a Finals MVP, and a champion. To put that in perspective, Kevin Garnett wasn’t even a Celtic at the same point in his career. It’s remarkable he’s already top-20 but top-10 isn’t necessarily off the table.
17. Dirk Nowitzki 734.05 (75th Anniversary Team)
It’s hard not to be romantic about Dirk Nowitzki’s career. He had a textbook hero’s journey. A spectacle, a unique talent, but some near mortal falls where he was eventually criticized heavily for shortcomings, some of which may have been imagined. Overcoming self-doubt and national assumptions, he defeated possibly the most hated team of all time in the greatest legacy-boosting title run of all time. Perhaps the excellent storytelling and timing of his greatness spoke louder than the numbers as he falls just short of a career rival.
16. Kevin Garnett 746.3 (75th Anniversary Team)
Kevin Garnett’s peak may have been the greatest of any power forward ever, and creating the first modern superteam catapulted him to the top of the tower. A generational defender whose mobility at the position was revolutionary. If the Minnesota Timberwolves had been a competent franchise, giving him more than one chance to contend, he may genuinely have validated the conversation with Tim Duncan.
15. Karl Malone 789.5 (75th Anniversary Team)
I know Karl Malone’s placement is going to upset people. The Dirk Nowitzki fans will be furious. The Kevin Garnett fans are full of contempt, and perhaps even the Charles Barkley fans will be irate. In truth, his high ranking felt wrong to me as well, but the entire point of doing this by the numbers was to ignore the prior assumptions and beliefs, absorbing the results. To that end, there are six players in history to be All-NBA 14 times or more, and Malone is the lowest ranked of the six. He played 19 seasons and only missed 10 total games in the first 18 seasons; his durability was ridiculous! He didn’t win a title and isn't beloved on a mass scale, but the math didn’t care.
14. Hakeem Olajuwon 823.7 (75th Anniversary Team)
Accused of coasting in the regular season long before the era of resting players didn’t seem to slow down his momentum on this list any. The list of players to win an MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year, and a Finals MVP only includes three members: Michael Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Hakeem Olajuwon. An iconic playoff performer with an all-time memorable series win over his longtime rival (Robinson) and then again over Shaquille O’Neal.
13. Stephen Curry 844.86 (75th Anniversary Team)
Before the rabid army of Chef Curry fans complains about his ranking, Stephen Curry has missed a lot of time over the years and is still 13th on this list with time left in the game! It’s a near certainty, unless Curry was to announce a surprise retirement, that he will crack the top 10. The unanimous MVP scored near the top five in most of the peak metrics used in the formula, and his resume remains incredible. There is ultimately no shame in being here right now.
12. Kevin Durant 867.17 (75th Anniversary Team)
Ok, now I know the Stephen Curry fans are exiting the window, but Kevin Durant is a season ahead in the race and the gap is close. Durant is rightly smacking one hater at a time on Elon’s hell hole to restore his legacy to its rightful place, and I commend the vigor. He’s the greatest scorer to ever play this game; there’s no spot on the floor where he isn’t lethal. The skill is evident and the size is imposing as a near 7-footer who can score from anywhere. There has just never been a player who brought all the elements together in the way he does, hesi pull-up jimbo or not. Can we also please just acknowledge that Durant had the most efficient scoring season of his whole career after he left Steph Curry and after he tore his Achilles. LUNACY.
11. Julius Erving 893.95 (75th Anniversary Team)
Dr. J’s highlights may be a little dated, but what he accomplished on the court is not. Julius Erving went down as of the coolest players to ever play the game and the only guy to win the MVP in both the ABA and the NBA. An incredibly efficient scorer who won titles in both leagues, it remains rather unfair how often he’s relegated away from the all-time conversations because of the ABA’s history slowly but surely being diminished.
