The Ringer released their Top 125 NBA players but how many Utah Jazz players made the list?
The Ringer released their annual Top 125 NBA players list this year, and ranked The Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic No. 1 overall. A fair, and accurate placement. Their top 10 then saw the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid, the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Clippers Kawhi Leonard, the Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler, and the Phoenix Suns’ Devon Booker.
No member of the Utah Jazz made the top 10. In fact, no member of the Jazz made the Top 20 or Top 25. As mentioned before, Lauri Markkanen wasn’t shown until No. 28. A bit low in our opinion but only by a bit.
The article talks about his dynamic offense, and his ability to hit from anywhere on the court, and while that doesn’t help him get any higher in the rankings, gets him high enough for us to be ok with it.
But who else is on the list and where do they fall? Well, sadly for the Jazz, you have to go down 75 spots to No. 103 to find the next Jazz player; Walker Kessler.
While he’s far down the list, the Ringer speaks highly of him, highlighting his defensive skills and his ability to finish around the rim. It seems he likely just fell to where he did due to the fact he didn’t see a lot of action as a starter until later in the year.
For context, the man he replaced, Rudy Gobert, came in at No. 52, and Robert’s season was deemed by many as disastrous.
As for the Jazz’s rankings, they don’t have to wait much longer for their next player, because Jordan Clarkson arrives right after Kessler at No. 104. The article talks about his ability to score from multiple levels but highlights a lack of efficiency at times for why he’s not much higher.
Lastly, we have John Collins, who at the time of the publication of the article, was still listed with the Atlanta Hawks, hence why he was initially overlooked. His Ringer description is the exact reason the Jazz were so eager to get him; his potential. As the article states, “Could be a double-double machine” and if he is, imagine the boost to the team on both sides of the court. A team can never have too many good rebounders.
While you’d like to see some guys higher, it’s fair to say the Ringer got it right for the most part when it came to where these guys are in the larger framework of the NBA.
Editors Note: The article was updated to include John Collins’ ranking.