Top 100 NBA Players — Nos. 51-60

These rankings are designed to spotlight the 100 best NBA players, regardless of salary or current team context, based on where they stand at this very moment, approaching the (still theoretical) 2011-12 season. There are no objective criteria for these rankings. The list represents my opinion after watching far too many basketball games, scouring every statistic available, recalling conversations I’ve had while reporting on the league and poring over hours and hours of clips on Synergy Sports. And even with all that information, separating some of these guys amounts to making an impossible subjective call.

The overarching goal here is to find two-way players. If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you know how much attention is paid to defense and efficiency with the ball. Those 18 points per game look nice in the box score, but if a player gets them by chucking up contested 20-foot jumpers and lazily watching opposing ball-handlers stroll into the lane, he’s going to have a hard time making this list (hi, Andray Blatche). A one-dimensional player seeking to make the top 65 or so better be darn good at that one dimension. Finding truly accomplished two-way players for the bottom 10 spots was basically impossible, making those places more a matter of taste than I’d like.

Stay tuned over the next week or so as I roll out the remaining guys on The Point Forward’s top 100 list:

Devin Harris has no problem getting to the lane on one-on-one drives. (Soobum Im/US Presswire)

60. Devin Harris
PG, Utah Jazz
Age: 28
2010-11 Stats: 15.2 PPG, 42.2 FG%, 32.2 3PT%, 7.1 APG, 2.4 RPG

Harris never developed legitimate three-point range, and that’s a big reason things haven’t really come together for him. He’s still a creative player who generally helps a team’s offense, but if you can keep him out of the lane, there’s not all that much he can do to hurt you.

He still gets in the lane a ton, both on one-on-one drives and pick-and-rolls, and he still gets to the line six or seven times per 36 minutes — an elite number. He is a solid passer, too, and he has the speed to be a troublesome defender on the perimeter — when he’s not wandering too far out of position or gambling for steals.

Harris can be a bit turnover-prone, and it will be interesting to watch how his game ages as he approaches 30 and loses a bit of his trademark quickness. What happens when the lane closes up a split second faster?

59. Chauncey Billups
PG, New York Knicks
Age: 34
2010-11 Stats: 16.8 PPG, 42.7 FG%, 40.2 3PT%, 5.4 APG, 2.6 RPG

There are lots of caveats with Billups, even before we address defense. He’s almost 35, it’s been a solid half-decade since the “Mr. Big Shot” nickname made any sense and he’ll take one or two pull-up threes per game that will make you want to throw your remote through the wall. Publicly available adjusted plus/minus systems have hated him for three years running, though I know of at least one private one that disagrees.

But the guy still helps his team score in the long run. To have a point guard who is also an accurate high-volume three-point shooter is great for floor spacing, and it’s even better when that player can also work off the ball as a spot-up shooter. Playing with Carmelo Anthony, by the way, means usually working off the ball, and playing with Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire means lots of working without the ball.

When Billups does have the ball, he shoots a lot of threes and free throws. Those are the kind of shots you want your aging guards to take. Those are efficient shots, and Billups, for his warts, is a pretty efficient offensive player. He’s still a smart passer who can run a nice, well-timed pick-and-roll.

He’s more dynamic than the guy we’re about to get to, but he’s one spot lower because Billups could never do what that guy pulled off on defense in the playoffs last season.

58. Jason Kidd
PG, Dallas Mavericks
Age: 38
2010-11 Stats: 7.9 PPG, 36.1 FG%, 34.0 3PT%, 8.2 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.7 STL

It looked bad for Kidd in April. He was 38, having just wrapped the worst season of his life. He posted a career-low Player Efficiency Rating (14.4); the Mavericks played better on both ends of the floor without him; and he hit just 34 percent of his three-pointers, raising questions about whether the improved stroke he flashed in 2008-09 and 2009-10 had been a fluke. The Mavs gave him an extended late-season rest, hoping it would revive Kidd’s old legs.

Then the playoffs happened, and there was Kidd defending Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and hitting 37 percent of his three-pointers, which he shot even more frequently than usual. There were times when Wade spun by him in the post, or when LeBron found a seam and tore through it. But it was remarkable to watch Kidd keep the league’s most dynamic players in front him, to watch him anticipate the direction LeBron would spin in the post before he made his move, and meet him head-on at the end of it.

Kidd might have the smartest feet in the league, and his ability to defend point guards, shooting guards and small forwards was among the three or four most important factors in the Mavs’ title run. Dallas allowed 15 fewer points per 100 possessions with Kidd on the floor in the postseason. He was irreplaceable on a team that had to find minutes for two little guards (Jason Terry and J.J. Barea) who just can’t defend bigger shooting guards.

That said, Kidd doesn’t get into the lane anymore on pick-and-rolls or drives, and he was frighteningly turnover-prone in transition all season. Few teams could win a title with a point guard who can’t get into the lane much and force defenses to collapse. Dallas can manage because it uses the threat of Dirk Nowitzki’s jump shot to create space for the other guys on the floor. (Terry and Barea help off the dribble, too.) Kidd is in the perfect spot. Given all of this, it’s hard to put him any higher.

One last thing: There might not be anyone better at reading the movement of an entire team’s defense and passing to a teammate who is about to come open instead of the player who is already open but won’t be for long. That’s an art.

57. David Lee
PF, Golden State Warriors
Age: 28
2010-11 Stats: 16.5 PPG, 50.7 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 9.8 RPG, 3.2 APG

Things did not go well for Lee last season, and you’re right to wonder if even this disappointing ranking is too good. You’re also right to think a bounce-back might be in order next season, because just about everything went wrong in Lee’s first go-round as Golden State’s free-agent gem. His mid-range shooting fell off. His defensive rebounding went from elite to “meh” for his position. He didn’t develop much as a post-up threat, shooting just 38 percent from the post on about two attempts per game, per Synergy.

If Lee’s offense and rebounding aren’t working at peak levels, you have to wonder how much he’s helping the Warriors. Talk to people around the league, and you’ll hear that Lee hurts his team on defense as much as he helps on offense. That might not be fair, since rebounding is a big part of defense, but Lee’s counterparts collectively shot an astounding 52 percent on post-up chances last season, according to Synergy. That is hard to manage, and Lee isn’t making up for it by stifling pick-and-rolls 20 feet from the rim.

The Warriors were awful defensively in general (26th in points allowed per possession), so pinning all of this on Lee is unfair. The backcourt of Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis struggled all season, the Warriors were lackadaisical in transition defense and Andris Biedrins has (to put it kindly) not developed into an intimidating presence at the rim.

Still: Lee needs to be better, on both ends, to justify his contract.

56. Kyle Lowry
PG, Houston Rockets
Age: 25
2010-11 Stats: 13.5 PPG, 42.6 FG%, 37.6 3PT%, 6.7 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.4 STL

I initially had Lowry a couple of spots higher but had to settle him here, only because we have to see next season if his suddenly above-average three-point shooting was a fluke or a portent of horror for the rest of the league. In other words, caution won out here, because Lowry’s play last season had me giddy. He was a two-way plus/minus god, both in terms of raw and adjusted plus/minus, and as ESPN.com’s John Hollinger noted, Lowry was one of the league’s best defensive point guards.

The fact that his individual defense numbers are so good says a lot, considering Houston ranked as a below-average defensive team with very little in the way of in-the-paint intimidation. His defense should sustain. The fate of his offensive surge might be more uncertain. Lowry was a career 26 percent three-point shooter before 2010-11, though to be fair, last season’s 343 attempts amount to half his career tries. But Lowry’s free throws fell off last season, and he has never put up the high assist numbers we normally associate with elite point guards.

Given his age, however, cautious optimism is the right call here.

Jason Terry's offense helped propel the Mavericks to their first NBA championship. (AP)

55. Jason Terry
SG, Dallas Mavericks
Age: 33
2010-11 Stats: 15.8 PPG, 45.1 FG%, 36.2 3PT%, 4.1 APG, 1.9 RPG, 1.1 STL

We spent the entire postseason waiting for the series when the Mavericks’ “little” backcourt would do them in. Portland’s guards would bully the Mavs! How could Dallas contain the Russell Westbrook/James Harden duo? Dwyane Wade will make Terry weep!

And it never happened. That is thanks largely to the Mavs’ unique personnel. They have a “point guard” in Kidd who is almost better suited now to defend wing players. They have length on the inside that can cover for leaks on the outside. They have a veteran group capable of playing zone on the fly. All of that helped “hide” Terry, who is small (6-foot-2) and skinny for a shooting guard, and isn’t quite quick enough at his age to defend elite point guards. He’s lucky in a way to play for Dallas, but Terry also works hard to deny the ball, fight for position and chase shooters. He’s a heady defender who at least makes opponents earn it.

There are no such caveats on the other end, where Terry is so much more than a knock-down shooter. He can run an effective pick-and-roll and work the mid-range game, and he dishes about five assists per 36 minutes — a great number for a shooting guard. He’s active off the ball, as both a cutter and screener, and he doesn’t need much room to get a confident look at a three-pointer.

He’s just a dynamite offensive player, and his brilliant postseason in helping Dallas win the title reversed a trend of Terry’s play dropping off a bit in large moments.

54. James Harden
SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Age: 21
2010-11 Stats: 12.2 PPG, 43.6 FG%, 34.9 3PT%, 2.1 APG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 STL

Yup, I’m putting Harden here after just two NBA seasons and five combined starts. The difference between Harden and Lowry, whom I docked points out of caution, is that Harden hasn’t suddenly flashed a single, career-changing skill out of the blue. He is good at just about everything, and he’s developing slowly but surely into an all-around beast. His three-point percentage fell last season, but it still hit the league average, and the drop happened while Harden was upping his free-throw attempts and dramatically improving his shooting percentage at the rim.

The versatility on offense is what is so enticing; Harden is not reliant on any one or two skills. He can spot up, attack one-on-one, work a really nice pick-and-roll and even catch and shoot of screens. There aren’t many weaknesses here.

His defensive numbers via Synergy are good but not great — about what we’d expect for a guy who logged a lot of minutes on a so-so defensive team last season. But Harden has the height, quickness and smarts to defend both guard positions well, though he must rein in his tendency to wander a bit too far from his man on the perimeter. If coach Scott Brooks moves Harden into the starting lineup next season, he may outplay this ranking, as high as it may seem.

53. Al Jefferson
F-C, Utah Jazz
Age: 26
2010-11 Stats: 18.6 PPG, 49.6 FG%, 76.1 FT%, 9.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.9 BLK

Jefferson is like a big man version of Washington’s Nick Young in that he shoots a lot, scores at a decent rate, rarely dribbles or passes and, thus, rarely turns over the ball. Jefferson, in fact, had the lowest turnover rate in the entire league last season, according to Basketball-Reference.

That alone would constitute an odd statistical profile. But Jefferson also has a unique allergy to the foul line and the unwanted designation of a guy whose teams usually play much worse defense with him on the floor. This was especially true in Utah last season, when the Jazz allowed nearly nine more points per 100 possessions with Jefferson on the court versus with him on the bench — one of the biggest negative discrepancies in the league. Jefferson has trouble showing on pick-and-rolls to cut off ball-handlers seeking entry into the lane, and he has never been quick rotating to shooters.

So why is Jefferson here at all? In part because, for all his flaws, Jefferson’s weird quick-release post game demands the kind of attention from defenses that can create openings for teammates. Utah was much better offensively with Jefferson in the game, though that probably had as much to do with the Jazz’s punchless bench as Big Al’s scoring. But there is value in a 20-point post scorer who snags an offensive board or two every night and commands a double team — when he holds the ball long enough to draw one.

Jefferson’s defensive issues are real and they were a big part of why Utah ranked 29th in points per possession allowed on pick-and-rolls in which ball-handlers finished the play, per Synergy. But if you hammer Jefferson for that, you must acknowledge his decent shot-blocking and the fact that opposing big men shot just 82-of-231 (35.5 percent) against him in the post — a stingy number that ranked among the league’s 50 best marks for defenders.

Also, rebounding is part of defense, and Jefferson is a good rebounder. He’s overrated and overpaid (he’s owed a combined $29 million over the next two years), but there is value here, and there’s at least a chance we’ll see that value rise now that Jefferson gets a second consecutive season on a functional NBA team.

52. Luis Scola
PF, Houston Rockets
Age: 31
2010-11 Stats: 18.3 PPG, 50.4 FG%, 73.8 FT%, 8.2 RPG, 2.5 APG

Another big man who brings much more on offense, Scola slides in just ahead of Jefferson because of his more diverse offensive game. Scola is a funky post-up threat with a unique set of moves, solid range to 20 feet (he shot a whopping 50.4 percent on spot-up chances) and a knack for both moving without the ball and making the proper pass.

He doesn’t get to the line much or shoot threes, but Scola can do just about everything else to help his team score. Any offense would be better with him on board, though Rick Adelman’s motion-heavy system was perhaps the perfect fit for his skills. It will be interesting to see how Scola does under new Rockets coach Kevin McHale, the funkiest of the all-time funky post-up players.

Scola’s a neutral defender, at best, though he’s smart and active, and might look much better on a team with a legit center to protect the rim.

51. Danny Granger
SF, Indiana Pacers
Age: 28
2010-11 Stats: 20.5 PPG, 42.5 FG%, 38.6 3PT%, 5.4 RPG, 2.6 APG

It has been a cliché for years that Granger is miscast a first option in Indiana … but Granger is miscast as a first option in Indiana. He uses up possessions as if he were a star — only 20 players used more last season — but he produces like a decent player and not a great one. He gets to the line at a solid rate (about six attempts per game) and shoots the three-pointer well, but he does neither at a star level. He shoots too many regrettable long twos. And most damning given his salary: Granger has never emerged as a creative playmaker who uses his scoring ability to help his teammates. You’d expect more than 2.6 assists from a first-option wing player on a team with a point guard (Darren Collison) who ranked near the bottom in assists per game among starters at his position.

Granger is a nice on-ball defender but not a difference-maker on that end. There’s a lot to like here, and there’s no shame in being somewhere around the 50th-best player in the world’s best basketball league.

MORE TOP 100

• Nos. 91-100
• Nos. 81-90
• Nos. 71-80
• Nos. 61-70