4 OKC Thunder on ESPN Disney top 50 list: Were Adams, Dort shafted?

Four OKC Thunder players made the ESPN top 50 in Orlando but should two other players have made the cut?

Recently, Bleacher Report ranked the top 100 players in the NBA and the OKC Thunder was among several teams with multiple players on the list. ESPN turned out a similar list this week. The difference with the ESPN list is they’ve isolate on the top 50 players in Orlando.

As with any list, the selections are based on personal opinion and subsequently can be debated. For example, if you scan through the 50 players can you spot a few that Steven Adams should rank ahead of?

Well, of course, you can because as an OKC Thunder fan you’re very well acquainted with the things the Big Kiwi does which doesn’t necessarily end up on a box score or stat sheet.

Likewise, the order of the 50 players can be debated. What this scribe finds intriguing is how one player can rank extremely high on one list and on another well down the list.

As we’ve noted recently Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell are two players who are viewed in very different ways depending on who is ranking them.

Ultimately, what can’t be debated is the fact four OKC Thunder made the list and that’s a benchmark only one team beat (Celtics) and three others tied (Clippers, Bucks, Raptors).

One would think that fact should mean more analysts would see the Thunder as a team worthy of their dark horse picks. However, take a scan of TV programs, national sites, and podcasts for title favorites and dark horses. Invariably, the OKC Thunder does not make the list.

Is that a good thing? Possibly, but the reality is it’s unlikely any team who’ll play the Thunder will view them as an easy target.

Should ESPN have added two other OKC Thunder players?

Returning to the ESPN list the four players who made the mark are Dennis Schroder who got the very last spot at 50. Danilo Gallinari was ranked 40th, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 35th and the highest rank on the team went to Chris Paul who comes in ranked in the 15th spot.

Of those teams who tied the Thunder or placed more here’s who made the list and where they ranked:

Boston Celtics:

• Jayson Tatum (13)
• Kemba Walker (20)
• Jaylen Brown (25)
• Gordon Hayward (36)
• Marcus Smart (38)

LA Clippers:

• Kawhi Leonard (3)
• Paul George (8)
• Montrezl Harrell (29)
• Lou Williams (34)

Milwaukee Bucks:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (2)
• Khris Middleton (17)
• Eric Bledsoe (43)
• Brook Lopez (45)

Toronto Raptors:

• Pascal Siakam (14)
• Kyle Lowry (19)
• Fred VanVleet (30)
• Marc Gasol (49)

The Rockets, 76ers, Jazz, and Pelicans have three players on the list (Brandon Ingram should be annoyed at his 47th rank). Teams with two players are the Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Heat, Blazers, Grizzlies, and Pacers. Solo acknowledgment went to the Kings, Suns, and Magic.

Teams who missed out on any players making the cut include the Spurs, Wizards, and Nets. No doubt DeMar DeRozan and Caris LeVert will use this as inspiration.

When pundits discuss teams with depth two that are often cited are the Nuggets and Lakers so the fact they only have two players each in the top 50 is interesting.

Likewise, while I can make an argument for Steven Adams to be on the list, I can also make an argument other players from the Clippers and Raptors should have made the list.

For example, Norman Powell has a case to win the Most Improved or vie for Sixth Man. I won’t say win either of those awards especially Sixth Man which Schroder should have wrapped up although Williams ranking 16 spots higher than DS hopefully isn’t a harbinger of things to come. As I noted from the start– this is all a matter of opinion and therefore there is no right answer.

To wit, whether Luguentz Dort should’ve got consideration is again a matter of opinion. While scribes are quick to point out his defensive prowess his absence on the offensive end likely also affected how he was considered. Plus, other than Ja Morant and Zion Williamson there aren’t rookies getting recognized on the list, let alone many sophomores.

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Still, the fact Montrezl Harrell makes the cut at 29 and Adams doesn’t make the top 50 is perplexing. Let’s just say – if GMs had the chance to sign Harrell or Adams I’d wager at least half would prefer to add Adams because of what he offers across all aspects of the game.

Harrell feels like more of a hot pick based on his presence on the Clippers. Remember he doesn’t start games and I’d hazard a guess he won’t likely finish many clutch time matches either especially now that the Clippers have added the taller Marcus Morris to their squad.

And, as T.I. noted in our recent article that highlighted the top 100 NBA players from Bleacher Report the shift of placement demonstrates precisely how differently each player can be viewed.

In truth, getting four players on the list is impressive considering this team wasn’t even expected to be in the playoff picture this season. And again, only five of the 22 teams reached this type of recognition or better so that is a great accomplishment.

Once the eight seeding games and playoffs are complete it will be interesting to see how these same pundits look upon the players and how differently they would rank them on a similar list!