ESPN has put together its annual rank of the top 100 NBA players, and it released its rankings of those who came in between spots 51 and 100.
There is always a degree of subjective debate and argument when it comes to these lists, but this year, Los Angeles Lakers fans will be pleased to see one of their team’s most important players has been treated favorably on this ranking by ESPN.
Buy Lakers TicketsAustin Reaves, the undrafted guard whose stock has been rising rapidly over the last 12 months or so, came in at No. 66. In fact, ESPN wrote he could come in at a higher position on this list at this time next year.
Via ESPN:
“Why he could exceed his ranking in 2023-24: USA Basketball did not medal in the World Cup over the summer, but Reaves showed how he thrives in an iron-sharpens-iron environment,” wrote Dave McMenamin. “Reaves was Team USA’s second-leading scorer on 57/50/95 shooting splits while ranking third in assists and third in steals. We’ve seen plenty of players parlay stars-and-stripes service into a leap the following season — Reaves could be the next name on that list.”
If fans believe No. 66 may be too low for Reaves, consider the fact he ranked ahead of OG Anunoby, Michael Porter Jr., RJ Barrett, Chris Paul and Tyler Herro, a former Sixth Man of the Year winner.
