Teague, Young Also Crack Top 100
Over the past few days, SI.com's Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney have been unveiling their annual ranking of the top 100 players in the NBA. Today, they revealed the top 10, which includes Pacers All-Star Paul George.
Coming off the a career-best season that assuaged any lingering doubts about his ability to return to All-Star form after a 2014 leg injury, PG came in ninth in the SI duo's rankings. That marks a sizeable leap from last year's rankings, which had him at 20th.
Mahoney heaped praise upon the Pacers star's two-way game, writing, "How many players in the league are both their team’s primary shot creator and full-time defensive stopper?"
George ranked just ahead of Clippers forward Blake Griffin and just behind Pelicans star Anthony Davis, both of whom missed significant portions of last season due to injury. Cavaliers star LeBron James was tabbed the best player in the league, with Kevin Durant coming in second and his new teammate with the Warriors, two-time MVP Stephen Curry, coming in third. Curry was followed (in order) by Clippers point guard Chris Paul, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, and Rockets guard James Harden.
Two of George's new teammates joined him in the Top 100. New point guard Jeff Teague was ranked 57th, while new forward Thaddeus Young was slotted at 66th. Teague, who shared point guard duties with Dennis Schroder last season in Atlanta, dropped 16 spots from last year's rankings, but figures to have the keys to the offense in his home state of Indiana. Young jumped up nine spots after averaging 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last year for the Brooklyn Nets.
Two players who left the Pacers this offseason also found their way onto the list. Ironically, George Hill, who was sent to the Utah Jazz in the three-team trade that also brought Teague to Indiana, came in at 56, one spot ahead of Teague. Former Pacers center Ian Mahinmi, fresh off his first season as a full-time starter, was ranked 76th, his first appearance in the top 100. Mahinmi cashed in on his breakout season over the summer, signing with the Washington Wizards.
Two more current Pacers players were listed among the site's "Biggest Snubs:" starting guard Monta Ellis and big man Al Jefferson, who signed with Indiana in July. Other notable snubs included former Pacers David West and Evan Turner, plus 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
Several other players with Indiana ties also appeared in the rankings. Former Lawrence North star Mike Conley was 26th, one spot ahead of former Brownsburg and Butler star Gordon Hayward. Marion's Zach Randolph came in at 64th, while former IU stars Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller were ranked 74th and 94th, respectively.