For the fourth season in a row, Def Pen Sports presents its collaborative top-50 ranking of NBA players. Here are some quick things to know about our list of the top-50 NBA players.
- This is a list of who our staff members think the best players are for this season. The definition of “best” is subjective and open-ended; each voter has their own view and opinion on that.
- No rookies are included because we haven’t seen them in NBA action yet (preseason doesn’t count).
- Players who are projected to miss the entirety of the season aren’t included because this is a list of the best players for this season, and you can’t be a top-50 player if you don’t play. Klay Thompson and Jonathan Isaac are examples of players who aren’t given consideration because of the expected time missed.
This list was voted on by seven of our staff members: David Morrow, Lance Roberson, Oti Agbeyegbe, Mike Anguilano, Jonathan Howard and Jalen Sherman. Each individual created their own list, and we averaged out the rankings in each list to create our final product.
For each player, you’ll see the overall ranking, where we had them ranked last year and the highest and lowest ranks any of our voters ranked them on their individual lists.
Honorable mentions (players who received at least one vote but didn’t make the list, in order of how close they were to cracking the top 50): Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets; DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs; Bojan Bogdanovic, Utah Jazz; Fred Van Vleet, Toronto Raptors; John Collins, Atlanta Hawks; John Wall, Houston Rockets; Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers; OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors; Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers; Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers; Danilo Gallinari, Atlanta Hawks; DeMarcus Cousins, Houston Rockets
Without further ado, here are Def Pen Sports’ top 50 NBA players for the 2019-20 season.
50. Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
Highest Ranking: 33
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
Last Year’s Ranking: Honorable mention
49. D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves
Last Year’s Ranking: 41
Highest Ranking: 41
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
48. Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Last Year’s Ranking: Honorable mention
Highest Ranking: 36
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
47. Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Year’s Ranking: 42
Highest Ranking: 36
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
46. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Highest Ranking: 38
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
45. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Highest Ranking: 34
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
44. Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers
Last Year’s Ranking: 23
Highest Ranking: 30
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
43. Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons
Last Year’s Ranking: 17
Highest Ranking: 32
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
42. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Last Year’s Ranking: 21
Highest Ranking: 27
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
41. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
Last Year’s Ranking: 47
Highest Ranking: 35
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
40. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Highest Ranking: 34
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
39. Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
Last Year’s Ranking: 39
Highest Ranking: 36
Lowest Ranking: 48
38. De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Last Year’s Ranking: 38
Highest Ranking: 35
Lowest Ranking: 42
37. CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
Last Year’s Ranking: 25
Highest Ranking: 30
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
36. Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics
Last Year’s Ranking: 19
Highest Ranking: 30
Lowest Ranking: 43
35. Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks
Last Year’s Ranking: 22
Highest Ranking: 23
Lowest Ranking: 39
34. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Last Year’s Ranking: Ineligible; incoming rookie
Highest Ranking: 29
Lowest Ranking: 38
33. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Highest Ranking: 22
Lowest Ranking: Unranked
32. Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks
Last Year’s Ranking: 36
Highest Ranking: 20
Lowest Ranking: 43
31. Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Last Year’s Ranking: Ineligible; incoming rookie
Highest Ranking: 22
Lowest Ranking: 39
30. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Last Year’s Ranking: 34
Highest Ranking: 20
Lowest Ranking: 45
29. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Last Year’s Ranking: Honorable mention
Highest Ranking: 23
Lowest Ranking: 48
28. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Last Year’s Ranking: 45
Highest Ranking: 24
Lowest Ranking: 41
27. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Last Year’s Ranking: 32
Highest Ranking: 22
Lowest Ranking: 33
26. Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards
Last Year’s Ranking: 11
Highest Ranking: 11
Lowest Ranking: 34
25. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Last Year’s Ranking: 15
Highest Ranking: 12
Lowest Ranking: 31
24. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Last Year’s Ranking: 30
Highest Ranking: 22
Lowest Ranking: 29
23. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Last Year’s Ranking: 43
Highest Ranking: 16
Lowest Ranking: 29
22. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Last Year’s Ranking: Unranked
Highest Ranking: 16
Lowest Ranking: 28
21. Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
Last Year’s Ranking: 27
Highest Ranking: 12
Lowest Ranking: 43
20. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
Last Year’s Ranking: 28
Highest Ranking: 17
Lowest Ranking: 25
19. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Last Year’s Ranking: 20
Highest Ranking: 16
Lowest Ranking: 30
18. Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
Last Year’s Ranking: 12
Highest Ranking: 13
Lowest Ranking: 29
17. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Last Year’s Ranking: 33
Highest Ranking: 12
Lowest Ranking: 21
16. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Last Year’s Ranking: 16
Highest Ranking: 14
Lowest Ranking: 22
15. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Last Year’s Ranking: 14
Highest Ranking: 12
Lowest Ranking: 20
14. Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
Last Year’s Ranking: 9
Highest Ranking: 11
Lowest Ranking: 20
13. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Last Year’s Ranking: 44
Highest Ranking: 11
Lowest Ranking: 17
12. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Last Year’s Ranking: 8
Highest Ranking: 10
Lowest Ranking: 20
11. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Last Year’s Ranking: 13
Highest Ranking: 9
Lowest Ranking: 15
10. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Last Year’s Ranking: 10
Highest Ranking: 9
Lowest Ranking: 11
9. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Last Year’s Ranking: 7
Highest Ranking: 8
Lowest Ranking: 10
8. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Last Year’s Ranking: 26
Highest Ranking: 4
Lowest Ranking: 9
7. James Harden
Last Year’s Ranking: 5
Highest Ranking: 4
Lowest Ranking: 11
6. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Last Year’s Ranking: Ineligible; missed season with an injury
Highest Ranking: 3
Lowest Ranking: 19
5. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Last Year’s Ranking: 6
Highest Ranking: 3
Lowest Ranking: 8
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Last Year’s Ranking: 4
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 7
3. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Last Year’s Ranking: 2
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 5
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Last Year’s Ranking: 3
Highest Ranking: 2
Lowest Ranking: 7
1. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Last Year’s Ranking: 1
Highest Ranking: 1
Lowest Ranking: 1
