I don’t think any non-Boston fans are going to shed a tear at the thought of Bill Simmons’ own The Ringer not properly respecting Boston sports for a change, but that’s bizarrely exactly what’s happening. The sports and entertainment website has had its panel of NBA experts: Simmons, Justin Verrier, Rob Mahoney, Zach Lowe, Kirk Goldsberry, Danny Chau, and Michael Pina, voting on a monthly top-100 list for the NBA.
Their final rankings came out on Tuesday, after the NBA Finals were complete and the Knicks won, and they somehow don’t list a Celtic in the top 12. Jayson Tatum came in at 13th, and Jaylen Brown finished 14th. My question: how?
If the rankings are just factoring in the season we’ve most recently seen, then Brown should be ranked much higher. He finished 6th in MVP voting. And if we’re factoring in past history and future projection, then Tatum should be ranked much higher.
I understand a player like Jalen Brunson getting a little natural bump after that playoff run (now ranked 5th), but what exactly did guys like Anthony Edwards, Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, and others do to be ranked ahead of both Jays?
Tatum and Brown both should have been ranked higher
Do people now think that Karl-Anthony Towns is better than Jayson Tatum? And if we are factoring recency bias in that much, then how is Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of Jaylen Brown? What are we doing here? The rankings make zero sense, and it comes off as extremely disrespectful to the Celtics and both of their superstars.
I know the playoffs didn’t end the way that anyone wanted, but this is a ridiculous overreaction, and from a few Boston guys, at that! After JT came back from his injury and showed what he did, recording a double-double in 15 of the 22 games he played in, then putting up 23 and 11 in the playoffs, I have no idea where the notion that he’s no longer a top-10 player comes from. He’s going to prove a lot of people wrong next season.
The only other Celtics to make the list were Derrick White at 35 and Payton Pritchard at 70, with Neemias Queta being the only real notable snub. The Thunder and Spurs led the list with seven players each in the top-100, while the Knicks and Timberwolves each boasted six.
This list isn’t the gospel or anything, but it’s safe to say that depth matters. Whether by acquisition or internal improvement, let’s hope the Celtics have a lot more players on this list and their stars are higher up this time next year.
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