In the first half of the SI’s top 100 players, Washington Wizards All-Star center Dwight Howard and starting forward Otto Porter Jr. were named.
With training camp two weeks away, Sports Illustrated released their annual list of the Top 100 Players heading into the 2018-19 NBA season. With the release of players 100-31 revealed, a pair of players from the Washington Wizards were named.
Coming in at number 69 for the Wizards is their newly acquired all-star center, Dwight Howard. Long gone are the days where he once stood in the top 10 of their annual list, Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver, and Rob Mahoney explained why the future Hall-of-Famer ranked in the bottom half of the league.
"While Howard’s defensive impact, mobility and effort have atrophied—thereby limiting his utility in the postseason—he still ranked among the league’s most productive rebounders and finished 70% of his shots in the basket area. It’s too late for the former No. 1 pick to become the player and teammate everyone has hoped for, but he remains a worthy option as a starting center."
Despite failing to crack the top 50 for the second straight year, Howard saw a rise in his ranking after a successful season with the Charlotte Hornets. According to the SI report, Howard was one of only five players to post 12 points and 12 rebounds, as he averaged 16.6 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 81 games last season.
However, Howard wasn’t the only Wizard who saw a rise in his ranking this summer. Coming in at number 42 in SI’s top 100 players is forward, Otto Porter Jr, who ranked in the top 50 for the first time in his career.
"One can always trust in Porter to play within himself, gifting his coaches and teammates a certain peace of mind. Porter is the player you never have to worry about. These are virtues best appreciated in contrast. If a team were composed entirely of players with Porter’s disposition, the offense might seesaw into eternity one non-committal pick-and-roll at a time. Yet in any more typical ecosystem, Porter would be welcome for his range, his patience, and his defense. Two-way, low-maintenance players are championship mortar. What Porter needs are the right bricks."
Kudos to Porter for his rise on the top 100, but it was surprising to see the forward from Georgetown University listed ahead of Devin Booker and Goran Dragić, based off their production and value to their respective teams.
However, due to his steady increase in scoring (14.7 ppg) and improvements to his outside shooting (44.1 percent), it is easy to understand why Porter was named a top-50 player heading into the 2019 season.
For fans who have not seen John Wall nor Bradley Beal name, please take a chill pill and relax. For the moment, Sports Illustrated has only released the first half of their top-100 list, and Washington’s all-star backcourt will make their appearances in the next coming days.