NBA Player Rankings: The top 25 players for 2014-15

The Big Guys

Though perhaps not quite as dominant as they once were due to rule changes and the increased reliance on the three-pointer, an elite big man is still an excellent foundation for any team. These next two guys are just those foundational players.

6. Dwight Howard – Houston in blessed with two superstars and cursed that they happen to be two of the hardest players to enjoy watching in the league. Questions of Howard’s attitude and commitment have never really gone away, which makes his absurd level of production all the more shocking. Seemingly recovered from the back problems which haunted the end of his time in Orlando and his one year in Laker-land, Howard is one of the preeminent defensive forces in the league and still an explosively powerful interior scorer. If Houston were to utilize his talents a bit more effectively by not posting him up as much (where he turns the ball over a ghastly 20% of the time, per MySynergySports) and instead used him as a bruising screener and unstoppable finisher in the pick-and-roll, the Rockets would be far better off.

5. Tim Duncan – Sure he sits out some regular season games with minor injuries and even the occasional, cheeky, notation of “DNP-old” He doesn’t play the regular season minutes he did in his mid 20s, but even at 38, Duncan has put up more or less the same line on a per-minute basis, year after year. And the regular season rest is calculated: every season he is able to up his minute load significantly in the playoffs. Had the Spurs not blown so many opponents out on the road to the title, he might have matched the 35 minutes per game he played in the Spurs ultimately disappointing 2012-13 run. Still a dominant scorer and masterful defender, Duncan’s resume also includes the fact that by general acclaim he is one of the best teammates of all time. He may not be around for much longer, but this is an inner-inner circle Hall of Famer still very near his peak.