Reaction: Durant, Westbrook Rank High in SI.com’s Top 100 NBA Players
By Ali Ahmed
Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 NBA players countdown came to quite an interesting conclusion on Thursday. The top echelon of the list, which has garnered both praise and criticism every summer from armchair GM’s across the planet, featured your usual suspects such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Chris Paul.
A day after Serge Ibaka was ranked 25th (and rightfully so), fellow thundermates Durant and Russell Westbrook were ranked 2nd and 7th respectfully. For Durant, the second-place curse continues as he found himself behind James, who finished first for obvious reasons. Westbrook however, suffered a sizeable tumble in the rankings from fourth in 2014 to seventh this year. Overall, the Thunder contingent capped off a pretty strong showing in the SI.com yearly rankings, having three players featured in the top 25.
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Russell Westbrook ranked 7th
Coming off a statistically ridiculous season where he led the league in points per game and posted a staggering 11 triple-doubles, Westbrook instantly catapults himself into the NBA’s top five best players. Number zero was a driving force for a team decimated with injuries, even missing some time himself. A Thunder team which has never navigated an NBA season without Kevin Durant was being led into battle by Westbrook, whose leadership qualities have been questioned by many.
Ask any NBA coach and they’ll warn you about the threat Westbrook poses every second he’s on the court. Not a broken hand or face could stop him from unleashing 28.1 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game on opponents during the 2014-15 campaign. Additionally, Westbrook narrowly missed being the first player to average a triple-double in a season since Oscar Robertson‘s 1961-1962 season.
If team success is part of the equation, I can see why Westbrook would slip. However, individually and with a healthy Durant returning, I can’t see how James Harden, Chris Paul, or Stephen Curry rank above him.
Verdict: Ranked slightly low.
I’ll let you marinate with a couple of these ridiculous Russ moments.
Kevin Durant remains second
Surprise, surprise. We can classify the 2014-2015 season as a terribly unlucky one for Durant. The career 27.3 PPG scorer underwent surgery on the eve of a promising season for OKC and was just never the same since. This came on the heels of a dominant 2013-14 season which earned him the MVP award and the right to entertain legitimate ‘best player in the NBA’ conversations.
A healthy Durant is a nightmare for opposing teams and fans. Listed at a modest 6’9″ (but could be closer to 7 feet), Durant’s long, wiry frame allows him to carve you up from all spots on the court. A quick Google search of ‘Kevin Durant‘ might crash your computer with an endless list of gamewinners, posterizing dunks, and career games.
The uncertainty surrounding his foot may have put his spot up for contention but Durant’s resume speaks for itself and if someone deserves to have a miserable season wiped from the slate, it’s KD.
"From Bleacher Report’s Dave Leonardis:In an “out of sight, out of mind” sports world, it’s easy to overlook everything Kevin Durant has done to become the NBA’s second-best player, especially when other stars emerged in his absence. However, while uncertainty still surrounds his right foot, he’s done enough during his storied career to earn the benefit of the doubt."
With a healthy and motivated Durant and LeBron James a year older, the 2015-16 season might see the NBA experience a changing of the guard.
Oh, and did I mention it’s a contract year?
Verdict: Appropriate rank
Never forget.