The Ringer’s staff recently published its latest version of the top 125 NBA players. The latest rankings were updated on July 25.
The trio of Rob Mahoney, J. Kyle Mann and Michael Pina updated the list based on recent results. With the NBA entering the slowest part of the year, teams will rest and prepare for training camp to start the 2023-24 season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to have four players in the rankings — a pretty fair number following a 40-win campaign.
Let’s take a look at the four Thunder players who made the list and what was written about each.
No. 13: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Ringer as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander enters his sixth season:
“No player has broken out this season quite like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose barrage of floaters, layups and difficult pull-up jumpers are as idiosyncratic as they are unstoppable. …
Almost every high-volume scorer in the NBA is well acquainted with the 3-point line. Not Shai. …
He’s historically proficient driving the ball and unafraid to set up green teammates in the earliest stages of their own development.”
No. 69: Josh Giddey
The Ringer as Josh Giddey enters his third season:
“Oklahoma City bet on Giddey, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 draft, to improve his shot because he’s always shown good touch near the rim with the ability to bend his body and lay the ball up from awkward angles. The shot could make him special, but even without it, the rest of his offense and his heady defense pave the runway for a fruitful NBA career.”
No. 81: Jalen Williams
The Ringer on the Rookie of the Year runner-up:
“It’s easy to get overly excited about what a 21-year-old’s present-day production might suggest about his future, but even after taking that into account, Williams looks like a potential All-Star.”
No. 112: Lu Dort
The Ringer on Lu Dort:
“For all of the defensive joy that Dort brings, it can be tough to find ways to keep him effective on offense. He rarely lacks confidence, but on offense, that can lead to frustrating results. For someone as strong as he is and who so willingly mixes it up, he’s a surprisingly ho-hum finisher in traffic, an uninspiring playmaker, and a meh-to-OK scorer from 3. …
The Thunder are building something terrifying, and I expect Dort to continue to be a key facet of that.”
