With the preseason slate underway, ESPN decided to publish its yearly top-100 players ranking heading into the 2023-24 season.
The rankings are decided by conjuring up the votes of 150 reporters, editors, producers and analysts. ESPN asked them to rank players based on predicting their contributions for the upcoming season.
Buy Thunder TicketsThe 13th edition of ESPN’s NBArank featured several Oklahoma City Thunder players. Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey were ranked in the No. 100 to No. 51 spots while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander presumably will be in the top 10 after finishing No. 5 in MVP voting last season.
Let’s see where the Thunder ranked in the 100-51 range. The full rankings can be viewed here.
No. 95: Jalen Williams
- Last year’s ranking: N/A
What ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk had to say:
“Williams was one of the best surprises from last year’s rookie class. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 52.1% overall and 35.6% from 3. There’s no reason to believe he can’t take another step forward.”
No. 73: Chet Holmgren
- Last year’s ranking: N/A
What ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk had to say:
“Holmgren could be a huge difference-maker for the Thunder. His potential to impact the game on both ends of the floor with his height and length is tantalizing. If Holmgren can make shots and erase them on the other end — and isn’t pushed around by stronger bigs — he could certainly exceed this ranking.”
No. 53: Josh Giddey
- Last year’s ranking: No. 81
What ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk had to say:
“The Thunder are expected to take a leap forward this season. If so, Giddey will have to take another one himself. The point guard is entering his third season after finishing 2022-23 strong, averaging 20.2 points, 6.7 assists, 9.1 rebounds in his final eight games. But can Giddey show big improvement in his shooting after averaging 48.2% from the field and 32.5% from 3?”
