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The NBA season is upon us, but before we begin I wanted to review the player rankings across the league. Several sites put out a top 100 players list, and it is always interesting to see where the Utah Jazz players come in.
I collected the 5 main lists that I could find and have summarized them in a table here. (You should #takenote that I’m not very good with excell and tables and such, so this is very simple.)
Player Rankings
| Player Rankings | Rudy Gobert | Ricky Rubio | Derrick Favors | Rodney Hood | Joe Ingles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player Rankings | Rudy Gobert | Ricky Rubio | Derrick Favors | Rodney Hood | Joe Ingles |
| ESPN rank | 14 | 48 | 94 | 92 | NR |
| SI | 15 | 61 | 67 | 87 | NR |
| Yahoo | 15 | 58 | 88 | 86 | 84 |
| Washington Post | 18 | 57 | 63 | 86 | 94 |
| Bleacher Report | 17 | 55 | 83 | 71 | 64 |
| Avg Rank | 15.8 | 55.8 | 79 | 84.4 | 88.4 |
It comes as no surprise that Rudy Gobert is the best player on the Jazz and one of the best in the league. He made a huge jump last year and is a bonafide star in the league. I’m also not convinced he is done climbing, so we’ll revisit this next summer.
Unfortunately the next highest in Ricky Rubio is a ways away from the franchise centerpiece. The new starting point guard has a lot to prove this season, finally being on a team expected (even if only internally) to make the playoffs. A career year from him would be huge for the Jazz.
Derrick Favors had a rough year and saw his ranking slide because of it. He’s still only 26 and it would appear that he is in better health to start the season. If he can return to that 16 and 8 guy we came to love, then he’ll get right back up where he belongs.
A newcomer to the top 100, Rodney Hood has a lot on his shoulders coming into the season. With a lot of points now out the door, Hood needs to step up and be a consistent scorer Utah can rely on. If he delivers then the Jazz could have 3 top 50 players next year.
Joe Ingles is a top 100 player despite ESPN and SI leaving him off. He may be a late bloomer, but he most definitely bloomed last season. To average his rank I put in a default 100 for the two NR slots. He fits the Utah Jazz system like a glove, with his shooting, passing, and defense. His presence and humor in the locker room is a great bonus that adds to the unique chemistry of the team.
In general, I was surprisingly satisfied by the overall rankings of the starting 5. What’s your response? Was anyone over or underranked? Did someone get snubbed? Share your thoughts below!