All-time NBA Players #82 - #71. Jrue, Jimmy, Russ, Jayson and Luka make the list

A weekly series

Eric Apricot says: This is an original series written by a friend of DubNationHQ.com. This analyzes and ranks the Top 75ish NBA players of all time. Some of you will be angered, some will think you can do better, but hopefully everyone can find something to enjoy in this journey appreciating the great historical achievements by past and present players.

• The Top 75ish NBA Players series index with full details on the ranking process

We intend for the series pieces to come out each week, covering approximately 10 players per piece.

Notation: * Means active player. 77= means tied for #77.

Honorable mentions

*82 Jrue Holiday (94 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 60 for 2x Champion 

• 12 for 6x All Defense

• 2 All Star

• 6 for 2x Olympic Golds

Individual career stats

• 3 for top 30 threes Finals

• 3 for top 20 assists per game Finals

• 3 for top 20 threes per game Finals

• 5 for top 30 RAPM

Jrue Holiday feels like a great place to start a list where defense and winning is at the core of the formula as defense and winning is at the core of Mr Holiday. Not one, but two, teams have traded for him as the missing piece in their championship formula and neither were disappointed.

Holiday is included as he’s highly likely to pass the 100 point barrier. Interestingly Damian Lillard, for whom Holiday was discarded for by the Milwaukee Bucks, does not make the cut here. 

*81 Jimmy Butler (96 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 10 for 2x runner-up

• 10 for 5x All NBA

• 10 for 5x All defense

• 6 All Star

• 5 Conference Finals MVP

• 2 for season steals leader

• 1 for Most Improved Player

• 3 for Olympic Gold

Individual career stats

• 2 for top 30 steals per game playoffs

• 3 for top 20 points per game Finals

• 5 for top 10 assists per game Finals

• 1 for top 50 TS% regular season 

• 3 for top 50 TS% playoffs

• 15 for top 10 TS% Finals

• 1 for top 75 Win Shares regular season

• 10 top 50 Win Shares playoffs

• 3 for top 50 RAPM

Bonus points

• 5 leading 8 seed to Finals

• 1 for 50 point playoff game (1st round)

Playoff Jimmy is real folks. I mean we all witnessed him driving an unheralded, gritty Miami Heat team from the 8th seed to the NBA Finals. 

 

But check out how his relative efficiency rises from top 50 in the regular season to top 10 in the finals, and his win shares go from top 75 to top 50 in the playoffs. That’s enough to see him on the verge of the top 75-ish with several seasons to go.  

Jimmy Butler’s intensity and desire to win at all costs also gave us the infamous practice that led to his original trade to the 76ers, immortalized by Game of Zones.

Defense, intensity, raising his game in the playoffs. He might not have won a championship (yet) but that’s the sort of player our creature loves. 

Butler’s career also contains a massive what-if. Namely what if the Philadelphia 76ers had prioritized keeping him rather than Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris? 

80 Toni Kukoc (99 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 30 for 3x Champion (not top 3 player)

• 10 for threepeat (not top 3 player)

• 1 for 6th Man of the Year

• 9 for 3x Euroleague titles

• 3 for Euroleague threepeat

• 6 for 3x Euroleague Final Four MVP

• 1 for Euroleague Finals top scorer

• 2 for 2x Olympic silvers

• 8 for 4x Yugoslav League championships 

• 2 for 2x Yugoslav cups

• 1 for Italian league championship

• 1 for Italian cup

• 2 for FIBA world cup Gold

• 1 for FIBA world cup MVP

• 1 FIBA World Cup All-Tournament team

• 2 for 2x Eurobasket titles

• 1 Eurobasket MVP

Individual career stats

• 5 for top 20 total threes Finals

• 3 for top 20 threes per game Finals

• 3 for top 50 RAPM

Bonus points

• 5 for 72 win season (not top 3 player)

• 2 for 69-13 win season (not top 3 player)

Am I channeling Jerry Krause? Or am I just recognising the fact that Toni Kukoc won pretty much everything possible in the international game, than moved to the NBA and was an important part of the arguably the greatest team of all time. 

Kukoc may not have been known for his defense, but he certainly ticks the winner box. Notably he still appears on the finals three point charts, and RAPM rates him highly in it’s post 1996/7 data set. He’d certainly be a great fit for the current NBA with his shooting, size, and playmaking skills.

As it stands he’s a borderline case, falling just short of the 100 point threshold, and not having been an NBA All Star (though he won multiple overseas honors). So he just gets an honorable mention. 

Top 75(ish) proper

79 Bill Walton (107 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 25 for Champion emerging era 

• 5 for Champion modern NBA (role player)

• 15 for Finals MVP

• 20 for MVP expansion era

• 3 MVP runner-up points

• 5 for 2x All NBA (1x First Team)

• 4 for 2x All Defense 

• 2 for season rebounding leader

• 2 for season blocks leader

• 2 for 2x All Star

• 1 for 6th Man of the Year

• 4 for 2x NCAA titles

• 5 for 3x NCAA awards (2x clean sweep +1 50% of awards)

• 2 for repeat consensus NCAA awards

• 2 for 2x NCAA Final Four MVP

Individual career stats

• 5 for top 20 total blocks Finals

• 2 for top 20 blocks per game regular season

• 3 for top 20 blocks per game Finals 

We start our top 75-ish with the case of a player who was absolutely one of the greats of his era at his peak, but that peak was tragically cut short by injuries. Bill Walton was dominant in college and followed that up by winning the MVP and leading the Portland Trailblazers to their only championship. Defense, scoring, passing, Bill Walton had it all.

He got a second act as a role player on the Boston Celtics, adapting his game very nicely to help win another championship. And of course a third act as everyone’s favorite NCAA commentator and wearer of Hawaiian shirts.

77= Dave Cowens (111 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 50 for 2x Champion emerging era

• 20 MVP expansion era

• 5 MVP runner-up points

• 6 for 3x All NBA

• 6 for 3x All defense 

• 8 All Star

• 1 for Rookie of the Year

Individual career stats

• 3 for top 10 rebounds per game regular season

• 5 for Top 10 rebounds per game playoffs

• 5 for top ten rebounds per game Finals

• 2 for top 30 points per game Finals

From one red-headed 1970s center to another. Is there a Boston Celtic more underrated or overlooked than Dave Cowens? Sandwiched between the mighty Bill Russell-era dynasty, and Larry Bird’s reboot of Celtics greatness, Cowens led the Celtics to two championships and won MVP while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in his prime. That alone is an impressive feat. Cowens’ toughness, constant double-double threat, and outside jumper made up for a lack of size at a time when the NBA paint was controlled by giants.

*77= Joel Embiid (111 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 25 for MVP

• 10 MVP runner-up points

• 10 for 2x Scoring Champion

• 11 for 5x All NBA (1x First Team)

• 6 for 3x All defense

• 7 All Star

• 3 for Olympic Gold

Individual career stats

• 5 for top 5 points per game regular season

• 1 for top 30 rebounds per game regular season

• 2 for top 30 blocks per game playoffs

• 2 for top 30 playoffs points per game

• 10 Top 10 TS% regular season

• 5 for top 30 TS% playoffs

• 10 for top 20 RAPM

Bonus points

• 3 points for 70 point game

• 1 point for 50 in a playoff game (first round)

Joel Embiid is an interesting case. He’s got the size, defensive chops, and skills to thrive in any era, even if his game is a little more slowed down than the current era demands. He finally got his hands on that MVP trophy in his ongoing battle with Nikola Jokic.

But he’s yet to lead his team to any sort of postseason success. Indeed Embiid does need to make a conference Finals at least once for these BEAST points to count. He’s been let down by poor team-building (the afore-mentioned Jimmy Butler departure), ill-timed injuries, one mad bounce from Kawhi Leonard, and yes some postseason underperformance. That said he’s probably got the help he needs now to make a run, or will move if this shot doesn’t work out. So he’s here, banking on his undoubted talent to lead to some genuine postseason success at least once in his career.

75= Dikembe Mutombo (112 BEAST points)

Honors

• 5 for runner up

• 20 for 4x Defensive Player of the Year

• 6 for 3x All NBA

• 12 for 6x All Defense

• 8 All Stars

• 6 for 3x season blocks leader

• 4 for 2x season rebounding leader

Individual career stats

• 20 for fourth in total blocks

• 3 for top 30 total rebounds

• 3 for top 10 blocks per game regular season

• 5 for top ten blocks per game playoffs

• 3 for top 20 blocks per game Finals

• 3 for top 30 total blocks Finals

• 1 for top 75 Win Shares regular season

• 10 for top 20 RAPM

Bonus points

• 3 for first ever 8-seed upset

An iconic finger wag for anyone who thinks you can compile a list of all-time greats without paying some respect to defense. Back in the days when being a four time Defensive Player of the Year meant something Dikembe Mutombo made sure that you regretted any thought of entering the paint.

He backed up his defensive chops with postseason success, first anchoring the Denver Nuggets to the first ever 8-seed upset and then providing Allen Iverson with the paint presence he needed to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals.

*75= Russell Westbrook (112 BEAST points)

Honors

• 5 for runner-up

• 10 for MVP (under 50 wins)

• 2 MVP runner-up points

• 20 for 9x All NBA (2x First Team)

• 9 All Star

• 10 for 2x Scoring Champion

• 6 for 3x assists season leader

• 3 for Olympic Gold

• 1 for FIBA World Cup Gold

Individual career stats

• 10 for top 30 total points

• 15 for top 10 total assists

• 5 for top 20 total steals

• 2 for top 20 assists per game regular season 

• 3 for top 20 assists per game playoffs 

• 2 for top 30 steals per game playoffs

• 1 for top 75 Win Shares regular season

Bonus points

• 4 points for 4x averaging triple double in regular season (sub-45% fg)

• 1 points for 50 point game in playoffs (first round)

• 3 points for 100+ career triple doubles

Ah, Russell Westbrook. On the one hand he’s got the dubious honor of the longest streak of consecutive games with a turnover, and my own personal favorite stat I uncovered in creating this beast - allegedly he is the all time leader in wedgies (the ball being wedged between rim and backboard not the other kind). His triple-double mania was devalued by some pretty blatant stat-padding and inefficient shooting. 

On the other hand maybe there has been an over-correction. He was part of a devastating one-two punch with Kevin Durant, making the NBA Finals and looking very much like the next dynasty in the making. Then the Oklahoma City Thunder traded away James Harden, in part because they were worried about the costs of keeping their young core together while still retaining Kendrick freaking Perkins. That decision, it should be remembered, came a few years after they had nixed a trade for Tyson Chandler who went on to help the Dallas Mavericks win a ring. Just as I can’t blame KD for wanting to leave a penny-pinching ownership who had proven they wouldn’t spend to give him the best chance of winning, I feel some sympathy for the plight of Russ. Injuries and a resurgent Spurs team stopped them getting back there before the Warriors detonated their last shot.

In his prime he was a buccaneering, swashbuckling ferocious dunker, whose drives to the paint opened up the game for KD. Yes he got a little wild from time to time, and yes the Warriors completed one of the great playoff comebacks (let’s not talk about what happened next) in part by letting Russ be Russ. But the narrative that he’s not a winning player basically rests on Klay Thompson’s insane performance in Game 6. If that hadn’t have happened they may well have gone on to capture that elusive championship. That Thunder team definitely felt like the scariest opponent the Warriors dynasty faced and Westbrook for all his faults was a core part of that.

*74 Jayson Tatum (114 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 30 for Championship

• 5 for runner-up

• 1 MVP runner-up point

• 11 for 4x All NBA (3x First Team)

• 5 Conference Finals MVP

• 5 All Star

• 6 for 2x Olympics 

Individual career statistics

• 5 for top 20 total threes Finals

• 2 top 20 threes per game regular season

• 3 for top 20 threes per game playoffs

• 10 for top 5 threes per game Finals

• 2 for top 30 finals points per game

• 3 for top 20 finals assists per game

• 1 for top 50 TS% regular season 

• 3 for top 50 TS% playoffs

• 5 top 75 Win Shares playoffs

• 10 for top 20 RAPM

Bonus points

• 1 for 60 point game

• 6 for 2x 50-point games in the playoffs (one first round, one in a game 7)

Tatum is a fine player. Is he as good as some of the all time top tier greats? It doesn’t appear so yet. But he plays hard, plays defense, can shoot and make plays for others. Time will prove how much greater he is than this current listing but for now he settles in in this range. His Boston Celtics have always been good and were a worthy adversary for the Warriors, and are now a deserving champion. For the fullness of the record, co-star Jaylen Brown doesn’t quite make the list for now but he’s on track too.

73 Clyde Drexler (115 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 30 for Championship

• 10 for 2x runner-up

• 5 MVP runner up points 

• 11 for 5x All NBA (1 x First Team)

• 10 for All Star

• 3 for Olympic Gold

Individual career statistics

• 15 for top 10 total steals 

• 3 for top 50 total points

• 3 for top 30 total steals Finals

• 3 for top 20 points per game Finals

• 2 for top 20 steals per game regular season

• 3 for top 20 steals per game playoffs

• 5 for top 30 TS% Finals

• 2 for top 50 Win Shares regular season

• 10 for top 50 Win Shares playoffs

Another fine player. His Portland Trailblazers weren’t quite good enough to overcome the Bad Boy Pistons or Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, but there’s no shame in that. He got his ring teaming up with Hakeem Olajuwon (wait were players allowed to do that in the 1990s??). His athleticism, skill and versatility means he’d have been a great player whatever era he played in. All in all Clyde the Glide’s resume is definitely strong enough to be part of the top 75.

71= Gary Payton (117 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 5 points for Championship (role player)

• 5 for Finals runner-up

• 5 for MVP runner-up points

• 5 for Defensive Player of the Year

• 20 for 9x All NBA (2x First Team)

• 18 for 9x All Defense 

• 9 All Star

• 2 for steals season leader

Individual career statistics

• 3 for top 50 total points

• 15 for top ten total assists

• 15 for top ten total steals

• +5 for 3 top categories

• 1 for top 30 steals per game regular season

• 3 for top 30 total steals Finals

• 3 for top 30 total threes Finals

• 3 for top 30 Win Shares regular season

Alright, we’re in business. One of the all-time greatest defensive players, the original Gary Payton was a beast on the perimeter and a very solid point guard to boot. Michael Jordan might have laughed off the impact the Glove might have had on the 1996 Finals had he been given the assignment earlier, but he would have least have made it a bit more difficult. Some ring-chasing at the end got him that championship jewelry eventually with the Miami Heat but that’s not why he’s on this list. Gary Payton in his prime was absolutely proof you can be a winning player whether or not you actually win the whole thing.

*71= Luka Doncic (117 BEAST points) 

Honors

• 5 runner-up

• 5 MVP runner-up points

• 5 for Conference Finals MVP

• 15 for 5x All NBA (5x First Team)

• 5 Scoring Champ

• 5 All Star

• 1 Rookie of the Year

• 3 for Euroleague title

• 2 for Euroleague MVP

• 2 for Euroleague Finals MVP

• 6 for 3x ACB Champion (Spanish league)

• 2 for ACB MVP

• 2 Spanish cups

• 3 for Olympics All-Tournament First Team

• 1 for FIBA World Cup All-Tournament team

• 1 for FIBA World Cup top scorer

• 1 for Eurobasket title

Individual career stats

• 5 for top 5 points per game regular season 

• 2 for top 20 assists per game regular season

• 5 for top 5 threes per game regular season

• 10 for 2nd points per game playoffs

• 3 for top 20 assists per game playoffs

• 10 for top 5 in threes per game playoffs

• 1 for top 50 TS% regular season

• 3 for top 50 TS% playoffs

Bonus points

• 3 for 70-point game

• 2 points for multiple 60-point games

• 3 for second most triple doubles in a single playoffs (minor playoff record)

• 3 for most points in a pro-era Olympics game

• 3 for most assists in a pro-era Olympics game

Luka is definitely on course to be one of the greats of this game. He won literally everything you can in Europe as a teenager, including driving Slovenia, a country with a population of just over 2 million, to capture the Eurobasket trophy. He also had them within one point of an Olympic final too.

As for his NBA exploits, well he’s fresh off his first run to the NBA Finals despite having a fairly unfancied team. 

That combination of his playoff performances, as captured in honors and per game stats (which allow for exceptional current players to be recognised as well as balancing longevity and peak performance), and his international resume see him land on this list at just 25 years old.

Doubts about his conditioning and defense will persist until he improves on both, but both are elements that can be fixed. Meanwhile his playmaking, shotmaking, and all around control of the game are nothing short of masterful wizardry to behold. I’m just grateful we’re still early on in this journey. 

Here’s a very naughty thought - how great would he look teamed up with Wemby? Of course either would have to incur the wrath of the rest of Texas for that to happen, but one wonders if the All-In (™) Mavericks have quite enough left in the tank to build the roster around him that truly befits his talents, and he does have a player option ahead of the 26/27 season…