BEST IN TOWN
Ranking the 25 top players in the Big Apple
Free agency in the NBA is just about over, representing one of the more surprising and momentous in NBA history. The two teams in New York have set their rosters, with the Knicks and Nets undergoing complete overhauls in the summer.
Starting at different baselines, they both improved from last season. At least on paper. Once the locker room opens and the games start, things tend to hit the fan. But for now, we have rosters, jersey numbers and history.
As a fun exercise, the Daily News extracted the Top 25 players in New York (12 apiece from the Nets and Knicks, along with one big exemption) and ranked them based on talent and potential contributions toward winning (we kept out secondround picks Nic Claxton, Ignas Brazdeikis and Jaylen Hands because their impact is too difficult to predict).
Otherwise, we start at the bottom:
24. Theo Pinson (F, Nets)
Last season: 18 games, 4.5 points, 2 rebounds
A G-League call-up last season who earned a guaranteed deal in the summer. He’ll have to work his way up from end of the bench, and the 23-year-old has shown a strong will.
23. Frank Ntilikina (G, Knicks)
Last season: 43 games, 5.7 points, 2.8 assists The eighth overall pick in 2017 is a plus defensively but has shown no improvement on the other end. The Knicks will have to decide by Halloween whether to pick up his $6.2 million option for 2020-21.
22. Wilson Chandler (F, Nets)
Last season: 15 games, 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds Chandler is frequently injured and, at 32 years old, past his prime. Still, it was only two years ago that Chandler finished a season averaging 15.7 points on 46 percent shooting for the Nuggets.
21. Garrett Temple (G/F, Nets)
Last season: 75 games, 7.8 points, 2.9 rebounds
A plug-in player who’ll provide depth for the Nets. Good defensively, but there’s a reason Temple is on his ninth team in the NBA.
20. Allonzo Trier (G, Knicks)
Last season: 64 games, 10.9 points, 1.9 assists A fireplug scorer who prefers isolation, but questions remain about how much Trier can contribute to a winner.
19. Damyean Dotson (G, Knicks)
Last season: 73 games, 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds
He can defend and catch fire offensively but is wildly inconsistent. Dotson is also coming off shoulder surgery.
18. Rodions Kurucs (F, Nets)
Last season: 63 games, 8.5 points, 3.9 rebounds
Surprised many as a second-round pick who stepped into Brooklyn’s starting lineup and contributed to the playoff run. Skinny, but feisty, with an inconsistent jumper.
17. Elfrid Payton (G, Knicks)
Last season: 42 games, 10.6 points, 7.6 assists Has always been able to fill up the box score and secured six triple-doubles last season. Payton’s problems are his 3-point shot (30% for career) and porous defense at the point of attack.
16. Kevin Knox (F, Knicks)
Last season: 75 games, 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds Decent peripheral statistics but was an analytics nightmare last season due to inefficiency and apathetic defense. Still, Knox possesses the tools of a good NBA scorer and the expectation is a big leap in Year 2.
15. Wayne Ellington (G, Knicks)
Last season: 53 games, 10.3 points, 1.4 assists A veteran who can shoot and lift the locker room. Ellington, 31, earned a steady NBA career by accepting his role-player status.
14. Taj Gibson (F, Knicks)
Last season: 70 games, 10.8 points, 6.5 rebounds. A hard-nosed veteran leader who just turned 34 and showed slippage last season. Neither quick nor a perimeter threat, but will do the dirty work.
13. Taurean Prince (F, Nets)
Last season: 55 games, 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds Acquired from Atlanta in a trade, Prince will fight for the starting power forward spot in Brooklyn. He
can also nail a 3-pointer, which is important to coach Kenny Atkinson.
12. Bobby Portis (F, Knicks)
Last season: 50 games, 14.2 points, 8.1 rebounds A stretch-4 with good numbers but has played for really bad teams the last two seasons. At just 24 years old, there’s belief he can improve.
11. Dennis Smith (G, Knicks)
Last season: 50 games, 13.6 points, 4.8 assists Smith can jump out of the gym and score in bunches. That said, questions linger about his inconsistent jumper and sub-par defense. A big season for the presumed starting point guard.
10. Jarrett Allen (C, Nets)
Last season: 80 games, 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds. Long and quick, but not strong enough to handle Joel Embiid. Allen will battle DeAndre Jordan for a starting spot.
9. Joe Harris (G, Nets)
Last season: 76 games, 13.7 points, 2.4 assists
Harris led the NBA in 3-point efficiency last season at 47.4 percent, a remarkable figure that will help Kyrie Irving. The second-round pick revived a dying career in Brooklyn, but he also stunk last season in the playoffs.
8. Mitchell Robinson (C, Knicks)
Last season: 66 games, 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds
A shot-blocking machine who needs to learn how to play controlled in order to reach potential. Great at finishing around the rim, not so great at avoiding foul calls.
7. DeAndre Jordan (C, Nets)
Last season: 69 games, 10.9 points, 11.4 rebounds
Cleans up everything in the paint and was an All-Star in 2017. Perhaps a relocation to a good team in Brooklyn will help jolt a career that has been sliding the last two years.
6. RJ Barrett (G, Knicks)
Last season: Unavailable
This is speculation ranking since we’ve never seen the rookie at the NBA level. But he projects as an elite scorer and the Knicks will give him the ball a lot next season.
5. Marcus Morris (F, Knicks)
Last season: 75 games, 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds
The two-way threat consistently contributed to the Celtics’ run the last two years, even supplanting Jaylen Brown in the lineup. Nobody on this list (at least 1-thru-24) has played in more postseason games over the last two years. The big question is why he wants to play on the Knicks, which feature PFs Julius Randle and Kevin Knox on the roster.
4. Spencer Dinwiddie (G, Nets)
Last season: 68 games, 16.8 points, 4.6 assists
A Sixth Man of the Year candidate who is elite at playing downhill and beating his defender off the dribble. A former G-league castaway, he is a microcosm of Brooklyn’s rebirth.
3. Julius Randle (F, Knicks)
Last season: 73 games, 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds
A powerful presence who demonstrated in New Orleans that he can put up big numbers. But can he do it for a team that wants to win? The Knicks paid $63 million over three years to find out.
2. Caris LeVert (G, Nets)
Last season: 40 games, 13.7 points, 3.9 assists Might’ve been an All-Star last season before dislocating his foot, but then LeVert returned to become the Nets’ best player in their firstround playoff loss to Philly. The big question: Can he stay healthy?
1. Kyrie Irving (G, Nets)
Last season: 67 games, 23.8 points, 6.9 assists
A future Hall of Famer and one of the best dribblers of all-time. He has a lot to prove after flaming out in Boston last season amid accusations that he soured the team’s spirit. The Nets hope he’s more Jason Kidd than Deron Williams.
0. Kevin Durant (F, Nets)
Last season: 78 games, 26.0 points, 5.9 assists He’s not expected to play next season because of a torn Achilles, but has to be included as, arguably, the best player in the NBA. Durant comes with great risk because of the injury and four years guaranteed in the contract. But, if healthy, Durant is No. 1 on this list and almost any other.