Bleacher Report
The 2024-25 NBA season tips off next week, and outlets all over the internet are publishing their individual player rankings.
At Bleacher Report, we have the ultimate trump card: The official ranking from the legendary Inside the NBA crew.
Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith all made their own top 50s (you can see the aggregate version that combines all three here), and we’re looking at Barkley’s below.
“You cannot be a great player if you can’t win a game multiple ways,” Chuck said when asked about his criteria. “No. 1 priority is how many different ways you can win the game.”
He also repeatedly emphasized that these rankings are subjective. When asked about the difference between some of his placements and those of his co-hosts, Barkley said it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s all subjective.”
Versatility was clearly in the back of his mind throughout the exercise, though. Those players who can win or affect a game in multiple ways were given more credit than those he thought were a little more one-dimensional.
In true Barkley fashion, he also said “numbers lie” as he sorted through his top 50 (though, in his defense, that was in response to an AI model putting Nikola Jokić 11th in the player pool).
With those factors in mind, here are the first 30 names on Barkley’s list, with the rest coming just ahead of opening night.
Charles Barkley’s Top 50-21 NBA Player Rankings
50. CJ McCollum, Guard (Pelicans)
49. OG Anunoby, Forward (Knicks)
48. Isaiah Hartenstein, Center (Thunder)
47. Bradley Beal , Guard (Suns)
46. Trae Young, Point Guard (Hawks)
45. Marcus Smart, Wing (Grizzlies)
44. Myles Turner, Center (Pacers)
43. Donovan Mitchell, Guard (Cavaliers)
42. Tyler Herro, Guard (Heat)
41. Naz Reid, Big (Timberwolves)
40. Derrick White, Guard (Celtics)
39. Karl-Anthony Towns, Big (Knicks)
38. Julius Randle , Forward (Timberwolves)
37. Damian Lillard, Point Guard (Bucks)
36. Brandon Ingram, Wing (Pelicans)
35. Jrue Holiday, Guard (Celtics)
34. Zion Williamson, Forward (Pelicans)
33. Jamal Murray, Guard (Nuggets)
32. Aaron Gordon, Forward (Nuggets)
31. Paul George, Wing (76ers)
30. Tyrese Maxey, Guard (76ers)
29. Jaren Jackson Jr., Big (Grizzlies)
28. DeMar DeRozan, Wing (Kings)
27. Ja Morant, Point Guard (Grizzlies)
26. Jalen Brunson, Point Guard (Knicks)
25. Tyrese Haliburton, Point Guard (Pacers)
24. Jimmy Butler, Wing (Heat)
23. Kristaps Porziņģis, Center (Celtics)
22. Victor Wembanyama, Big (Spurs)
21. Domantas Sabonis, Center (Kings)
That’s it for now, folks. But don’t worry, you’ll get the full lists for all three members of the Inside the NBA crew next week, as well as the aggregate ranking for the trio.
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