Our annual Prime 100 NBA participant rankings has develop into an custom right here at CBS Sports activities. The 2024-25 version of the list went live on Tuesday morning.
Some of the attention-grabbing components of the method is trying again finally 12 months’s rankings and seeing which gamers moved essentially the most in both path. That is what we’re breaking out right here: The ten greatest risers and fallers from the 2023-24 list to the 2024-25 listing.
Reminder, these rankings replicate an combination projection of how gamers will carry out this upcoming season. There’s some educated guesswork concerned. We’re not simply taking a look at final season and rating on recognized portions. Rookies are eligible for the listing, although none made the lower this 12 months.
Final 12 months, three rookies made the listing: Victor Wembanayma, Chet Holmgren and Scoot Henderson. Two of them had been sensational of their first NBA marketing campaign and we collectively venture each Wembanyama and Holmgren to be considerably higher in Yr 2 — as mirrored by the mixed 84 spots they jumped on this 12 months’s listing. With that in thoughts, let’s get to the ten greatest risers and fallers from final season to this season.
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Largest risers
1. Victor Wembanyama: +46 (58 to 12)
Wembanyama catapults 46 spots to only exterior the highest 10, and for good purpose: After the All-Star break, Wembanyama averaged 23.5 factors, 12 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 4.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per recreation. I am unable to think about you will be shocked to listen to nobody has ever accomplished that for a full season. Nobody has even come shut. If you happen to trim each a kind of numbers by 10%, it is nonetheless solely been accomplished as soon as… by peak Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
As a reminder, Wembanyama was a rookie. He was taking part in on a staff that was constructed to lose. We’re not simply speaking in regards to the subsequent nice NBA participant right here. We’re speaking in regards to the form of participant this sport has by no means seen, the subsequent step in its evolution. He’s the final word marriage of measurement and talent, the end result of every thing this sport has been constructing in direction of for the previous decade. What’s scariest about that absurd post-break stat line is not how nice it’s, however how underwhelming it will look as compared. In all chance, that is the worst he’ll be for an extended, very long time. It may be 15 years earlier than we publish one other considered one of these lists that has him exterior of the highest 10. — Sam Quinn
T2. Chet Holmgren, Thunder: +38 (68 to 30)
The delayed debut for Holmgren, who jumps 38 spots on this 12 months’s prime 100, was properly well worth the wait, as he match seamlessly into an Oklahoma Metropolis staff constructed for sustained success by at the very least the subsequent decade. He is 7-foot-1 and but has the deal with of a guard. He can drain a 3-pointer simply so simple as he can again somebody down within the paint. He has already established himself as probably the greatest rim protectors within the league, with a knack for completely timing blocks, one thing we not often see out of gamers his age. Holmgren is on a profession trajectory to be a mainstay on the All-Star Sport, in addition to a frequenter of end-of-season awards ballots like All-NBA and All-Protection. — Jasmyn Wimbish
T2. Alperen Sengun, Rockets +38 (85 to 47)
Sengun matches Holmgren’s 38-spot leap into the highest 50. His breakout season was lower brief, however he nonetheless did sufficient to complete third for Most Improved Participant. Sengun is usually in comparison with Nikola Jokic, primarily as a result of his court docket imaginative and prescient and passing echo that of the three-time MVP. However he is his personal participant, one which Houston ought to see as a constructing block for its future. Sengun’s energy and finesse across the rim make it tough to defend him when he catches the ball on the transfer. He is additionally an incredible rebounder and places teammates in the precise spot for straightforward pictures. Statistically talking, his first three years are on par with what Jokic did, and whereas he might not be on the perennial MVP trajectory, it is at all times a optimistic once you’re talked about in the identical firm as a future Corridor of Famer. — Jasmyn Wimbish
4. Tyrese Maxey, 76ers: +36 (60 to 24)
After James Harden’s departure, Maxey stepped into the No. 2 position in Philadelphia final season and made the leap from thrilling younger prospect to All-Star. For his efforts, he was rewarded with the Most Improved Participant award. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see how Maxey’s position modifications, if in any respect, with Paul George’s arrival. The good information for the Sixers is he has the on-and-off-ball expertise to simply scale up and down relying on the state of affairs. In actual fact, he could even be finest as a barely overqualified No. 3 possibility given his elite catch-and-shoot numbers (44.4% final season). — Jack Maloney
5. Brandon Miller, Hornets: +35 (NR to 66)
Miller did not crack our prime 100 coming into his rookie season, and all he did was common 17 PPG on 37% 3-point capturing. Miller does not flip 22 till November, and he confirmed as a rookie that he was prepared for every thing the Hornets threw at him. He usually guarded the opposing staff’s prime perimeter participant, and, with LaMelo Ball out for many of the season and Terry Rozier traded in January, he usually functioned as Charlotte’s main playmaker. The 6-foot-7 wing profiles as a franchise cornerstone, a man who can create for himself and others and credibly defend a number of positions. — James Herbert
6. Jalen Suggs, Magic: +31 (NR to 70)
Good issues come to those that wait. Jalen Suggs was nearly unplayable offensively when he acquired to the NBA. Emphasis on “nearly,” as a result of Suggs was so dang pesky on protection that no variety of missed 3-pointers might maintain him off of the ground. These reps paid off for him final 12 months, as a result of his 3-point shot hovered round 40% with none decline defensively (in truth, he was higher there too). The Magic most likely must make peace with what Suggs is not at this level. The hope that he might develop right into a main ball-handler on offense that partially knowledgeable his draft place has possible pale. But when he’ll be among the many NBA’s finest perimeter defenders and a knockdown 3-point shooter, that alone is greater than sufficient to warrant inclusion on this listing. He is a capturing guard, not a degree guard, and as soon as the Magic absolutely embraced that, he was the participant he was at all times meant to be. — Sam Quinn
7. Coby White, Bulls: +30 (NR to 71)
If it hadn’t been for Tyrese Maxey’s All-Star season, White ought to’ve walked away with the Most Improved Participant award. This can be a man who, simply two seasons in the past, averaged 9.7 factors off the bench whereas seeing the fewest minutes of his five-year profession. However White earned Chicago’s place to begin guard spot at coaching camp and averaged almost 20 factors on environment friendly capturing numbers. He is explosive when he drives to the rim, can fill it up from exterior and has improved as a passer and rebounder. — Jasmyn Wimbish
8. Jalen Williams, Thunder: +28 (65 to 37)
This is a enjoyable statistical comparability of two gamers’ 2023-24 seasons:
- Participant A: 34.8 factors, 6.5 assists and 4.2 turnovers per 100 possessions; 56.7% 2P%, 41.3% 3P%, 62.6% TS%, 28.3% USG%
- Participant B: 34.8 factors, 8.4 assists and three.7 turnovers per 100 possessions; 56.8% 2P%, 41.6% 3P%, 60.7% TS%, 29.3% USG%
The primary participant is Kevin Durant. The second participant is Williams within the 828 minutes he performed with out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the court docket. This isn’t to say that the 23-year-old Williams is a celebrity hiding in plain sight, essentially – a part of superstardom is with the ability to get your numbers persistently regardless of being on the prime of opponents’ scouting report and being hounded by opponents’ finest defenders, not simply because the No. 2 man and in opposition to second items – however, I imply, sheesh. If Williams’ relative struggles in opposition to the Mavericks within the playoffs give him a roadmap for offseason enchancment, be careful. This man is already a scorer from all three ranges, a knockdown shooter, a intelligent playmaker and a flexible defender. There are All-Star appearances in his future. — James Herbert
9. Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder: +28 (NR to 73)
The plain enchantment of Hartenstein for Oklahoma Metropolis is his sheer bulk. Dereck Energetic bullied the Thunder out of the playoffs final spring. That is not taking place on Hartenstein’s watch. He is a defensive metrics darling—D-EPM rated him the second-best defender in basketball final season behind solely Jonathan Isaac—who will maintain his personal on the glass and is snug beginning or coming off of the bench. However the secret sauce right here is that unstoppable push shot from floater vary. The Thunder quietly bumped into shot-creation points in opposition to Dallas. When the three’s aren’t falling and the shot-clock is nearing zeros, it’s actually, actually priceless to only be capable of dump the ball on a giant man that may persistently rating exterior of the dunker’s spot. — Sam Quinn
10. Derrick White, Celtics: +26 (62 to 36)
Two years in the past, White wasn’t even on our listing. Now, he checks in among the many prime 40. Extra publicity from taking part in with the Celtics actually helps, however White ranks this excessive as a result of he has turned himself into the final word position participant. He does regardless of the Celtics want from night-to-night on each ends of the ground, and was so spectacular through the title run that he earned a spot on Group USA. This is a stat to emphasise his versatility: Final season he joined Larry Fowl and Kevin Durant as the one gamers ever to common at the very least 5 assists and one block per recreation, whereas capturing 39% from 3-point vary in a season. — Jack Maloney
Largest fallers
1. Andrew Wiggins, Warriors: -53 (48 to NR)
Wiggins has fallen off significantly since he was an All-Star in 2021-22 and doubtless the second-best participant on the Warriors’ 2022 title staff. His father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, recently died, and Andrew had taken a number of leaves of absence the previous two years as his father’s well being was in decline. If Wiggins can get again to one thing nearer to his 2022 type on the court docket, he can nonetheless be a top-100 participant by season’s finish. — Brad Botkin
2. Josh Giddey, Bulls: -40 (61 to NR)
I do not learn about this one. If you happen to watched Giddey within the Olympics and/or throughout random stretches with the Thunder when circumstances allowed, you already know that he’s a completely totally different and fairly rattling good participant with the ball in his palms. He ought to get that probability in Chicago. I get it .. Coby White and Zach LaVine are going to own the ball so much, however White is a risk to get traded earlier than he hit hits free company and Chicago would gladly jettison LaVine if anybody would take him. Just a few issues must fall into place, however Giddey might simply have a top-100 season. — Brad Botkin
3. Brook Lopez, Bucks: -38 (50 to 88)
How usually do you hear a fanbase lament its lack of a rim-protecting middle that may shoot 3-pointers? The Pelicans have been in search of one for 5 years. Everybody needs a Brook Lopez. They cannot have one as a result of he is considered one of a form. In need of superstars on max contracts, there merely aren’t different facilities who take nothing off of the ground on both finish whereas including fairly a bit on each. Lopez leads the league in contested pictures yearly. The three-point effectivity waxes and wanes, however he pairs it with sufficient craft inside the arc that defenses nonetheless must account for him irrespective of the place he’s. He does not pull in rebounds himself, however he is so sensible in his positioning and boxing out that he is a really priceless staff rebounder. He is the middle everybody needs however solely the Bucks get to have, even when he tumbled down our Prime 100 listing as he enters his age-36 season. — Sam Quinn
4. Marcus Sensible, Grizzlies: (-37) 56 to 93
Sensible took a giant tumble down this listing, although that is extra to do with damage than the rest. He was restricted to twenty video games final season, the fewest of his profession, due to ankle and finger points. Now wholesome, he ought to reclaim his place as probably the greatest perimeter defenders within the league. He’ll be considered one of many Grizzlies making their return this season, and figures to play a giant position of their quest to contend within the Western Convention. — Jack Maloney
5. Zach LaVine, Bulls: -37 (43 to 76)
We solely noticed LaVine for 25 video games final season as he underwent season-ending foot surgical procedure. However when he was wholesome, he was among the many most effective scorers within the league. He could make you pay from all three ranges however is most harmful when filling it up from mid-range or attacking the rim. The Bulls had been anticipated to commerce him, however he is again in Chicago with three years and almost $140 million remaining on his contract after nothing got here to fruition. — Jasmyn Wimbish
6. Klay Thompson, Mavericks: -32 (67 to 99)
Even in a down 12 months, Thompson nonetheless managed to be probably the greatest 3-point shooters within the league whereas averaging 18 factors an evening. However his effectivity has steadily faltered since a return from a two-year, injury-laden absence. He was as soon as an All-Star mainstay, probably the greatest 3-and-D gamers cash might purchase, and able to lighting you up if he noticed a few triples go down. And after 11 seasons and 4 championships with the Warriors, Thompson begins a brand new chapter in Dallas. Maybe it will likely be a much-needed recent begin for probably the greatest sharpshooters within the historical past of the NBA — Jasmyn Wimbish
7. Bradley Beal, Suns: -31 (38 to 69)
There was nice debate relating to Phoenix’s choice to commerce for Beal, given his damage historical past, incapacity to credibly defend, and overlap in place between him and Devin Booker. These are all legitimate considerations, however Beal did have his most effective season ever final 12 months on a staff that received 49 video games. He missed 29 of them, however his efficiency when he was wholesome makes you surprise how a lot better the Suns would’ve been had he been obtainable extra usually. Beal is a risk from past the arc, can rating on or off the ball and does sufficient of the little issues to make him a high quality starter on a contending staff. — Jasmyn Wimbish
8. Chris Paul, Spurs: -28 (73 to NR)
Paul’s decline continued to speed up final season with the Warriors to the purpose that we’re lastly snug rating probably the greatest factors guards in historical past exterior our present prime 100 NBA gamers. Having mentioned that, Paul can nonetheless assist a staff — notably the San Antonio Spurs, who picked him up with the concept that he can nurture the expansion of Victor Wembanyama with mere competent on-court play and a wealth of information in his ear. — Brad Botkin
9. Malcolm Brogdon, Wizards: -28 (73 to NR)
Simply too many unknowns to venture Brogdon inside the highest 100. Is he wholesome? Can she keep wholesome? Will the Wizards flip him? If he is wholesome, most likely. If he is not, he is a compromised model of himself taking part in for … the Wizards. That is if he is taking part in in any respect. Brogdon is an efficient participant however not a top-100 man underneath these circumstances. — Brad Botkin
10. Draymond Inexperienced, Warriors: -26 (30 to 56)
One of many quintessential “he is not what he was once” gamers, Inexperienced stays a conductor on each ends. He can nonetheless guard any place and make impromptu defensive performs in the best way Stephen Curry navigates the offensive finish of the court docket on sixth-sense instincts. Quietly, Inexperienced shot almost 40% from 3 final season on over two makes an attempt a recreation. He is aware of he must be a risk and final season he extra aggressively attacked the scoring runways defenses had been all to blissful to put out for him. — Brad Botkin
