NBA 2024-25 Player Tier Rankings
Last year, I released my first Simply Ballin’s player tiers for the 2023-24 NBA season. We are back at it again this year. I want to make this a yearly tradition so that I can see each player's progress and how some of my views may change over time.
I had this as my explanation for those rankings and the criteria for it. I’m not sure how much I like that at this point. I separated them into five tiers: Tier 1(Superstars), 2(borderline superstars), 3(Great #1s or elite #2s), 4(complementary pieces), and 5(elite role players and starters).
Though, I feel like those hard definitions put strict restrictions and it didn’t make much sense to have just one overall ranking because positions and roles make that difficult. That’s why I’m revamping some of that to make it easier to rank, to make it reflect different roles plus positions having different values, and to give it more flexibility.
It’s redefining some of those tiers, ranking first by position and role, working out which role is more valuable, and tying all of that together.
Criteria & Tiers
All of this is looking at who’s the better overall player who will contribute more to winning a championship.
That is the biggest goal, so it makes sense that everything revolves around who can help you the most in achieving that.
I see a player that could do that in roughly four-ish rough ways — leading the team as the clear best player on a championship-level team, the perfect Robin or a lead player in a lesser role, complementary star, and elite role players.
There may be some overlaps along each tier that would depend entirely on the rest of the team — i.e. you may not win with one of the players from tier two as the best player, but if you have one or two more of them, that makes it more likely. For the most part, that is my rough way of looking at the league.
But it’s that point where there are difficulties in ranking players. What makes someone in tier four as an elite role player worse than a lower-end tier three player? The answer to that is context.
Some other worthy points about these tiers.
This is assuming all players are in full health. Unless there’s a real concern about the player looking diminished, everyone is considered to be at 100%
The regular season production matters, to an extent. That is used to get the players’ consistent baseline that goes through a bunch of highs and lows throughout 82 games. There does need to be a considerable sample size to determine a player’s ability in certain areas. But the playoffs are weight significantly more on top of the already elite regular season production.
The playoffs are where players get solidified into the next tier. That does mean a lot of the time, a player might over-perform during the regular season and I’d wait until the playoffs to see where he should rank — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a good example.
As we get closer to the top, offense takes priority. That is more important at an individual level, especially when it has to do with guards. There are some exceptions to that where a wing defense can be more valuable than a guard’s offense and the same thing with a big vs a wing. But those are exceptions mostly due to the defensive player being that elite that it makes up the difference and the role that they’re in has that level of impact. That’s why for a lot of the guards in the lower tier, the better defender will get the boost.
Because this is also needing to win a championship, players that are good to the borderline elite at floor-raising teams(making bad teams good and carrying them for a round or two) but haven’t shown, proved, or would have the skills to work with better players aren’t valued high. This means that there will be players who have the on-ball ability and can create for themselves and others better than some of the role players, but they wouldn’t be ranked the same.
Related to that, players do have very different roles that may not be their fault. I won’t be faulting a player for being drafted in a bad situation, being forced into a bad role, or having generally bad management that they never got him help. This is where I’d be looking at what their role ideally should be and how their skills could be applied there. Skills that fit better, don’t require the ball, add onto everything else, and translate to being efficient are prioritized.
Finally, in each tier, I’m ranking within a similar role/position, so each tier will have some differences. There isn’t much use comparing Bam Adebayo to Bradley Beal, Brandon Ingram, or Jaylen Brown. They provide two very different things in very different ways. For there to be a comparison and ranking, there needs to be some kind of similarity in how they’re used.
Extra Tier 5: Young Players(On Bad Teams)
Before getting to the actual rankings, I usually separate the very young players and rookies, particularly ones that are the best players on a bad team and are in on-ball roles. Those players are tough to rank amongst everyone else because most often they would be near the bottom. But at the same time, they may have the legitimate potential to be higher in a year or two.
These players should be at least on their rookie deals, be either considered the best player on the team or just be raw/too young still, where it’s too early to rank.
Amen Thompson
Cade Cunningham
Ausar Thompson
Jalen Green
Jaden Ivey
Bilal Coulibaly
Brandon Miller
Jalen Duren
Scoot Henderson
Shaedon Sharpe
Jeremy Sochan
Keyonte George
LaMelo Ball
For the most part, I don’t know how to begin to rank them. Many of these players are in awful situations where it’s to put much stock in anything that they’re doing. They can’t be maximized, their spacing may be non-existent, and the teammates may not be at a good enough level.
Or it could simply be that they’re still very young and raw. Barring exceptional cases(hello, Wembanyama and Holmgren), players in their second year are still finding ways to just be on the court getting minutes, let alone actually have some kind of big impact.
But I also don’t want to penalize them for being young and simply not have them ranked period or be ranked lower than some aging veteran. Because their potential doesn’t matter in 2024.
Tier 4
The first tier of players are the elite role players and top-end starters. This makes up the majority of the players in the top 100-150. They are a notch lower than your stars. They excel in their roles. They are elite at the skills that have a clear impact on both ends of the floor.
These players have a lot that fits with everyone else. They have complementary skills that add value to everything. It’s being elite off-ball players, a secondary ball handler, highly efficient play finishers through 3-point shooting or at the rim, and 2-way players are more important. With this group, the defense does take priority.
Though, a few differences between this group and the players above are their lack of on-ball creation, playmaking for others, not a high high, primarily relying on others, and most importantly, consistency — this is the biggest differentiator.
A bunch of players at the top of this tier are also ones that can be placed above players in tier three in the right circumstances. There will be instances where the extra defense and fit is more important than the extra on-ball creation others have.
One final note, this list is non-exhaustive. There has to be a cut-off somewhere, in this case, top 150. 90% of these players in this tier depend mostly on the team’s fit and needs — there’s no need to argue that McBride can’t be ahead of someone like Gary Trent Jr.
Guards:
A bunch of players here is exactly what it means to be an elite role player. It’s these guards that can provide secondary ball handling, are smart and good passers, and each one brings something different.
You have the shooters and/or defense in Pope, Hield, and DiVincenzo. There are the plus defenders in Caruso and Suggs. How about some ball handling with high IQ in VanVleet, Paul, Jones, or Conley?
There are the shot creators that can score and playmake for others some in Bogdanovic, Monk, White, and Russell.
A lot of these players are either one of the best perimeter defenders or at worse above average. This is where defense for guards is prioritized a lot more than any extra scoring boost others may have.
It’s also for that reason, that some of the top players here may rank higher than a bunch of guards in the next tier given the right team.
Wings:
The wings are the deepest when it comes to this role. There are so, so many players that fit that archetype to a tee. Depending on the context of the team, some of these wings would be preferred over the guards mainly because of the size and higher ceiling with the defense.
There’s again a bunch of different players providing impact in different ways. We have the elite shooters. Hello, Robinson, Hauser, Wade, Porter Jr, and Allen. They are simply the elite of the elite when it comes to 3-point shooting. The gravity that they provide with the insane volume and efficiency is at times irreplaceable.
There are the multi-faceted wings that are jack of all trades with Oubre Jr, Avdija, Martin, Hart, Murphy, Kuzma, Gordon, Grant, and Harris. Some are capable of being a reliable secondary shot creator or ball handler
Similar to the guards, we have the plus defenders in Jones, Highsmith, McDaniels, Finney-Smith, Isaac, and Dort.
Maybe I can interest you in some athletes with Kuminga, Johnson, and Kuminga?
This group of players might just be the most valuable of the bunch in this tier altogether. Plenty of them have the right combination of size, defense, shooting, rim finishing, passing, and ball handling. Some do shift towards one more but overall, they provide an all-around impact. There might never be a world where you have too many of these wings.
That’s why similar to the guards, plenty of these players are definitely ranked above certain wings that can carry teams better by themselves.
Bigs:
Finally, we have the bigs. I know I mentioned that the wings might be the most valuable, but the right big can be the most important. That’s mostly due to the amount of bigs that are elite on both ends of the floor. Many will get exposed defensively, which limits their impact in the playoffs significantly.
But if you do have a big that can stay on the floor in the playoffs, that’s a luxury. There aren’t many bigs that can fit that reliably and consistently.
The Celtics having someone like Al Horford was the difference maker for them. They would’ve struggled significantly had they had almost anyone else off this list.
There might be players that provide some spacing with Olynyk, Portis, or Reid. But neither have the defensive attributes that make them valuable as bigs. There are also offensive-minded bigs, such as Ayton, Nurkic, or Valanciunas, but again would be exploited elsewhere.
On the other hand, there are bigs that have value as defenders in the regular season with Lopez or anyone else that is a drop big, but unless you can reliably switch or at least play multiple coverages effectively, that’s going to be exploited.
That’s the difference with some of these bigs. Bigs like Horford, Lively, and Allen are to me at the top end because they can translate to the playoffs on both ends of the floor.
Tier 3
This is the first tier and a lot of these players can be seen as stars. This is also where you’d get your floor raisers that do push them to some extent away from the lower tier because those skills are still useful in themselves. The thing that matters the most then is how they’re used.
The elite of elite players here add a lot to the top players and complement, whether it’s through their shooting, off-ball scoring, high efficiency, defense, as well as some reliable on-ball creation for themselves and for others in limited usage. The elite here don’t need high touches, don’t need the ball in their hands, and fit well with better players. This matters a lot more if the on-ball skills aren’t at the elite of the elite level.
On the other hand, this also includes your typical scoring guards, average lead ball handlers, and decent floor-raising wings that can do a bunch of different things. At the start, I did say that ceiling raisers are prioritized, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel right that they’d be in the same tier as someone like Caruso or Murphy. This is where team context matters a lot more than just a player’s ability in preference but in a vacuum, they’d rank higher.
Because for a lot of these players, they are in roles that aren’t suited for them, not by choice. This is where you’d have to see how their skills, strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies could translate into a contender.
Also, looking at some of the elite players in this tier, a wing is a lot more valuable than a guard in this role(with some exceptions). For a lot of the guards, they fit in the lower tier where they’re better as floor raisers. Whereas with the wings, it’s the opposite. That’s mainly due to the wings being better suited to playing next to guys without the ball and having the defense.
Guards:
Terry Rozier
Immanuel Quickley
Tyler Herro
CJ McCollum
Darius Garland
Dejounte Murray
Anfernee Simons
Collin Sexton
Zach Lavine
James Harden
Bradley Beal
Desmond Bane
Jrue Holiday
Derrick White
The players in italics are mostly players that I would consider as the floor-raising guards that have a capped ceiling right now on good teams.
That can be because of how they need to get their points, having a poor shot diet resulting in being inefficient, not being great off-ball, not being great passers, not having many translatable skills that add to best players, and not being plus defenders.
Many of them are your typical inefficient, high-volume scoring guards that need the ball in their hands. That doesn’t do much for a team that would already have a player better suited for that role. So, how else would they add value?
For some of them, there is a path to do so. They may have already flashed those skills elsewhere or they don’t entirely fit the bill for an inefficient ball-dominant guard.
Take someone like Beal who has been in better roles on good teams already as primary an off-ball guard. He also has had the skills in an on-ball role that is efficient and has translated to impact. It was just the Wizards environment that he had to be that much on-ball. And now, with the Suns, you can see how he had the most efficient season of his career.
This is similar to Bane who has worked well complementing Morant. He’s an elite, elite 3-point shooter who has been highly efficient for his career too. And in the last couple of years, he has also shown significant jumps in his on-ball creation and passing. His AST% went from 10.6% → 13.5% → 20.8% → 29.2. With his ability to play off-ball and be efficient on top of the on-ball jumps, he looks to be one of the best complementary stars.
But then there are guards like Herro, Rozier, and Murray that are below average efficiency, don’t get to the rim either on or off the ball, don’t get to the line, aren’t great passers, aren’t the most active off-ball, and haven’t proved yet they can adapt their style with better players.
With someone like Simons or Garland, they are a reliable ball handler but with the amount of touches and the investment a team has in them, their ceiling is capped if they’re in such high usage roles.
LaVine is a curious case because he definitely has the ability, skill, and tools to be perfect for this role. He can create for himself and get to the rim. He’s had a stretch of being highly efficient in the on-ball role. The passing really holds him back from being in the upper tier and some of the poor off-ball too. At the same time, there hasn’t been any good environment for him at any point in his career. I do wonder what he’d look like with much better players around him.
Harden is here because of age and potential decline. He is an exceptional passer and has been someone who can easily generate rim pressure and put defenses in a blender. I’m not sure if that impact is that high still, which drops him from the lead ball handler role. If the impact isn’t there, and he hasn’t been an off-ball player or a defender, it’s tough to place him anywhere else.
Then we have Holiday and White at the top. This is also where the defense boosts both White and Holiday. This year, they were the perfect example of a complementary star. They can have a bigger role in limited usage on-ball and creating for others. But they excel in their roles next to everyone else. They have high IQ, great off-ball, great shooters, and have the best defense out of everyone else. No one has that combination of 2-way ability.
Wings:
Julius Randle
Paolo Banchero
DeMar DeRozan
Brandon Ingram
RJ Barrett
Scottie Barnes
Mikal Bridges
Lauri Markkanen
Khris Middleton
OG Anunoby
Jalen Williams
Franz Wagner
Jaylen Brown
The wings are a similar story. We have the four floor-raising wings that vary in how good they are in those roles. Some are really good in their role and the individual skills that they have, but for many reasons, they’re still not at that level to be in the upper tier. And if they’re not, everything else matters more.
This is where Randle, Banchero, DeRozan, and Ingram fit. They are ball-dominant wings. They have spacing/shooting issues that can make things difficult playing off-ball. There is the reluctance to be an off-ball player. Some are also not plus defenders. All of them aren’t also efficient in their roles. That alone also caps their ceiling because it makes me think even in lesser roles, would they even be more efficient?
There’s Barrett and Barnes — I’d also include Banchero here — where they’re still too young to make any solid judgment. They have been put in some on-ball roles as wings but they also flashed a lot more of other skills. There is a high potential that they can work out as they get older. I would even think about still placing them in the young blood tier.
At the top, we have almost the perfect wings for their role, where each one has its strengths and weaknesses.
There’s the highly efficient off-ball scorer in Markkanen, where combined with his size, there’s no one that does what he does. There aren’t many 7fters running off screens the way he is at that volume. His 3-point shooting on over 10 3s per 100 is unprecedented. You also have the elite finishing at the rim with some foul drawing. As a scorer, he’s perfect for any team next to anyone.
Maybe you need more defense with a combination of highly efficient play finishing and being an elite off-ball mover in Bridges or Anunoby? They are the wings that provide the most value defensively here.
Or there are the multi-faceted wings(similar to tier four but boosted everywhere) in Middleton, Wagner, Brown, or Williams. They can do a bunch of things. They can play the role of a floor-raising wing with the on-ball creation, isolation scoring, get efficient looks, and even playmake for others. That’s on top of their ideal role of complementing others in many efficient ways.
Bigs:
Domantas Sabonis
Alperen Sengun
Victor Wembanyama
Karl Anthony Towns
Jaren Jackson Jr
Evan Mobley
Kristaps Porzingis
Rudy Gobert
Draymond Green
Chet Holmgren
Bam Adebayo
When it comes to the bigs, defense is highly prioritized, more so than any other players in these tiers. This is similar to the bigs in tier four where playoff viability is also most important.
At the bottom, we have the offensive-minded bigs in Sabonis, Sengun, and Towns(though he has the highest ceiling). Sengun, though, he’s in the same boat as Barnes, Barrett, and Banchero where it’s still too early to form strong conclusions yet.
Both Sabonis and Sengun can be hubs for their team. That is what Sabonis has been doing with the Kings and it has translated well for them. There aren’t many questions when it comes to his offense even on a playoff team. But it’s the defense that holds him back from being in the upper tier.
Bigs can’t be as big of a liability. This is where the rest of them have the edge.
With this group, a lot of them are so close together, that I can’t see much that separates one another. It will all come down to preference and the rest of the team. Each of them has their own unique strength on either end of the floor that depends on the team. Vice versa, some also have certain weaknesses that could be more exploited.
Though, I would have Adebayo near the top of this list and that’s mostly with him arguably the best defender in the world and the most suited big for the playoffs. Because his level of defense is at BITW status, that does elevate him further. If it was merely DPOY caliber, that wouldn’t be the case. Combined with the value he provides offensively as a big at an elite level and has more on-ball creation and passing than some of these bigs gives him the edge.
Tier 2
This is a very guard-heavy tier. At the top of the tiers, a certain role does take priority over the defense. A player has a lot more influence and impact individually on offense, especially if they’re both elite at on-ball scoring and passing.
I look at these players as the lead ball handler and that’s what separates them from all the guards in the previous tier. They may not be the best player on a championship team, but they can be the best guard, the best ball handler, and the best engine on one. They can be your elite Robin too.
For all of these players, the star next to them matters a lot when it comes to their chances of winning. Some are lucky to have generational talent next to them — others have Clint Capela. These players can put up high numbers, be All-NBA, and lead a team on a deep run, but they’d either need the perfect situation or need to be paired with a tier-one player.
Guards:
De’Aaron Fox
Jamal Murray
Tyrese Maxey
Anthony Edwards
Ja Morant
Trae Young
Damian Lillard
Tyrese Haliburton
Jalen Brunson
Donovan Mitchell
Kyrie Irving
I think I’d comfortably have all of these guards in the same tier. Every one of them has different strengths and weaknesses that can be maximized differently in a number of situations. This is again where a teammate’s strengths matter a lot. This might be where there are many hypotheticals and how things could work in theory rather than what actually happened.
But basketball is very fluid and in most cases, there aren’t many strict, strong conclusions. I can’t say for certain that a lot of these guards wouldn’t win a championship on a good team. Can we say for certain that replacing Murray with Brunson or Haliburton wouldn’t result in a championship with Jokic?
What matters is their individual skill, how much impact they have as on-ball scorers and engines, and how well those strengths could also work with better players. That’s where the differences come up with some of these guards.
At the lower end, I’d have Murray, Edwards, Maxey, Brunson, and Fox. In the case of Murray and Maxey, they may not be as elite as others in on-ball roles, but they make up for it by being better working to complement the stars in better ways. They have a better blend of skills that can translate. Whereas, Edwards, Brunson, and Fox lack in some areas whether it’s passing, efficiency, shooting, rim pressure, or finishing but also may not have the same capabilities off-ball.
Irving fits somewhere in between where he’s such a good Robin next to the stars. He’s been highly efficient and impactful across different roles, different teams, and different stars. He’s the best one that can translate his skill well in any situation. That part would probably have him near the top of these players. Though, he may not be at the same level as the guy as some others are.
Then we have the engines in Morant, Young, Lillard, Mitchell, and Haliburton. I’d have them as the best of the bunch when it comes to being the lead guard. The question then is how do you balance them being better in that area vs may being worse in off-ball roles. These players are the best passers of the bunch. Some have also led teams to historic offenses.
Wings:
Zion Williamson
Pascal Siakam
Paul George
The wings in this group build on top of the previous tier of wings. I see these as having more capabilities of being a wing that you can rely on offensively, on top of everything else that they may add to complement stars.
Williamson generates rim pressure like it’s nothing where defenses can’t stop him from getting there. That in itself puts him above every other wing in on-ball roles. He’s a good enough passer to help his scoring and is still only young that can expect reasonable improvements to his game. Williamson next to any of the tier-one players would be an unstoppable duo.
George is a different case where he adds a lot as a complementary guy with the elite shooting at his size, similar to someone like Markkanen, but can do so much more. This is George who has been the best player on a team that went on deep runs. This is still George who has been in MVP voting. There is that potential ceiling that he brings. There aren’t fit issues with him next to any player in the league and that scalability matters. There’s more flexibility in how he can be used to add impact in various ways. Then there’s the on-ball stuff as the bonus that puts him here.
I’m not sure how to feel about Siakam. I’ve been high on him for a while. He has been an All-NBA caliber player and how he looked with the Pacers makes me like him even more. He does have a bunch of skills that can work both as the guy and complementing others. I don’t see many fit issues with him either, outside of the shooting. Though, I wouldn’t be against him dropping a tier too.
Tier 1
Finally, we have the best player on a championship team. More often than not, they are a consensus top 10 player. If you look back at all of the champions and even a lot of the runner-ups, they are led by players almost everyone would agree that they’re the elite of the elite. There aren’t many teams that win a championship where you even question if the player is top five, let alone the top 10.
Although 99% of the history does say you need one of those seven guys, I have learned to loosen up the tier of who can be the best player on a championship team. Barring some potential ridiculous exceptions when it comes to roster construction, I have 13 players that I can see winning a championship as the best player with a reasonable team.
That’s why there are varying degrees of players who can be the best players on a championship team. What varies is the amount of help that they may need and the margin of error that they provide.
The elite of the elite that would be seen as a clear top five, obviously provide the most for both. You can afford to not have the most loaded top-to-bottom team to have a chance to win. That makes roster construction significantly easier and simply realistic. It also gives the team so much more margin of error. They don’t need perfect circumstances. They don’t need multiple things to go right their way. They create the environment for everyone else.
I look at it with the examples of the last few finals teams. How many of the players below or even some in the previous tier would win with the Celtics this year if you replaced Tatum with Butler? Durant? Leonard? Booker?. Once you reach a certain reluctance to answer that, it may not be possible to win with that player. Apply that similar to the Mavericks this year. Who could go as far as them if you replace Doncic?
Or vice versa, how much would a team improve if you replaced them with a better superstar? The Heat have made two NBA finals, would they get over the hump if you replaced Butler with someone else?
When it comes to the positions here, it’s weighted around equally with some preference for a wing.
Guards:
Stephen Curry
Shai Gilgeous Alexander
Devin Booker
Luka Doncic
Wings:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Kawhi Leonard
Jayson Tatum
Jimmy Butler
Bigs:
Nikola Jokic
Joel Embiid
Anthony Davis
So, starting with the elite of the elite. These are the 1As.
There should be zero question regarding both Giannis and Jokic as two of the most dominant players that provide the most impact. They are at the peak of their talent. They aren’t old. They don’t have injury concerns. They are proven champions.
Then we have the proven champions and the all-time greats, but there is some level of concern and question regarding their health and age. I’m not going to doubt Curry, James, Leonard, and Durant. Three of them are top 20 of all time. Their impact is still an all-time level. Their teams quite aren’t there, though. The question about them winning is more about their team and if they can hold up through 82 games and the playoffs. Because if I had to pick any reasonable team that’s a contender and replace the best player, it’s with them. There may be players better suited for 82 games, but there are only two that can give you the ceiling that they do.
Then we have the 1Bs with Butler, Tatum, Embiid, Doncic, and Davis.
Tatum has proved that he can be the best player on a championship team this year. But at the same time, he’s still in this tier because individually, I’m not sure if he’s at the level where he could do the same on any other team. This was a perfect team.
The others are unproven but have been a contender with them. It’s tough to win a championship. There’s no dealing with absolutes in the NBA because of it. Just because a player doesn’t win a championship, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t win with him. Some of that is simply them not being at the elite enough level to tilt their chances further.
But I can see them reasonably be the best player on a championship team without also needing the top end talent alongside them. For some, it’s just a case of proving it to get into the upper tier.
Finally, we have two additions from last year in Booker and Shai. This is still early for them. I don’t think they’re at the level of players above, and a lot of that is simply needing to see more of them in the playoffs going on a deep run. I need to see first how they go against the elite defenses. Can they step up in those series? Can they be the best player in any series?
So, this rounds out the 2024-25 Simply Ballin’s player’s tiers ranking.
