2018-2019 NBA Preview: Top 100 Players: 80-71
80 Dennis Schroder–Oklahoma City–PG (-38): After being traded from Atlanta, Dennis Schroder will be Russell Westbrook’s back up. He’ll be another 6th Man candidate if he can learn to play off the ball and improve his 3 point shot.
79 Jonas Valanciunas–Toronto–C (-6): Standing at 7’1″ and 260 pounds, Valanciunas is a monster. While he has added a 3 point shot, he’s one of the few “traditional” centers left in basketball. Despite his size, he’s not a great shot blocker which is something he needs to improve on.
78 Evan Fournier–Orlando–SG/SF (-15): Over the last 3 years, Fournier has quietly been one of the best shooters in basketball. Unfortunately, he’s remained one dimensional as a basketball player as he still isn’t a good defender or passer.
77 Otto Porter Jr.–Washington–SF (-2): Despite being crazy overpaid, Porter has turned into a really nice player. He shot a career-high 44% percent from 3 as he nearly averaged 15 points per game. For the Wizards to become a serious contender, Porter needs to take another step towards stardom.
76 Myles Turner–Indiana–C (-24): While Turner had a bit of a down year last year, he remains one of the best center prospects in the NBA. At 22, Turner can shoot, rebound, and is one of the best shot-blockers in basketball. He could be taking a major leap this year along with the Pacers.
75 Brandon Ingram–LA Lakers–SF (+26): While he’s still very skinny, Ingram really took a jump in his sophomore year. He averaged 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while shooting 47% from the floor. If he can continue to improve his outside shot, he’ll be a nice fit next to LeBron.
74 Serge Ibaka–Toronto–PF (-8): Serge Ibaka isn’t the same player he was in Oklahoma City. But still, Ibaka is a very crafty and reliable role player for the Raptors. He needs to improve his rebounding for Toronto to get to the Finals.
73 D’Angelo Russell–Brooklyn–PG/SG (-8): To be fair to Russell, he has not been a good spot for his 3 year career. But he’s now entering his 2nd year in Brooklyn and he appears to be finally healthy. If it doesn’t click for Russell this year, then it may be time for us to stop thinking he’s going to be a star.
72 Isaiah Thomas–Denver–PG (-57): Considering I made a video to thank IT that got 24,000 retweets, you won’t find a bigger IT fan than me. But the reality of the situation is that Thomas took a huge step back last year. But he’s in a good spot in Denver and could be the favorite to win 6th Man of the Year. #TeamIT all day.
71 Enes Kanter–New York–C/PF (+16): While Kanter has always struggled on the defensive end, he’s still a very good center. He averaged his first double-double of his career last season and seemed to be a nice compliment next to Kristaps Porzingis.
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Steve Santoro (SVS_1993)
