#30-26

#30. Giannis Antetokoumpo

Giannis is VERY, VERY quickly rising up the ranks, so do not mistake the Calculator ranking him 30th as underrating him. Giannis already has achieved everything in his career that a player could possibly hope to do… win a ring, a FMVP, an MVP, a DPOY, a perennial Legendary player. Based on everything he has already accomplished, his career is on a trajectory of being a top 15-20 player of all-time.

The only thing holding him back from being there right now is his relative lack of longevity. Giannis has only been recognized as a Legendary tier player for 4 seasons. Even if he never wins another ring or an MVP in his career, as long as he continues playing at this same Legendary level for the next 3-5 seasons his added longevity should easily help him break into the Calculator’s top-20 players of all-time. All he needs to do is to sustain his Legendary level of play for a few more seasons, and anything else he accomplishes along the way is just the icing on top, solidifying him into the top-15 and potentially even higher.

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

• '21 Finals vs Phoenix Suns (289.19 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +32.9% performance, opponent was +0.10 SRS better, won 4-2. FMVP.

Other notable series:

• '19 CSF's vs Boston Celtics (62.54 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -1.2% performance, opponent was -4.14 SRS worse, won 4-1.

• '21 CSF's vs Brooklyn Nets (53.76 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -8.8% performance, opponent was -1.33 SRS worse, won 4-3.

• '21 Conference Finals vs Atlanta Hawks (44.77 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -2.9% performance, opponent was -3.43 SRS worse, won 4-2.

#29. Scottie Pippen

The greatest “Robin” of all-time, Scottie Pippen was one of the most versatile and talented players ever. He coordinated the offense like a PG, crashed the glass like a PF, got buckets like a guard, and defended on the perimeter like few others ever could in history. He aided Michael Jordan in winning 6 rings in 2 different 3-peats, of which he deserves plenty of credit for his role. He made the playoffs for every year of his career but his last, and he has played the 2nd most playoff games ever.

The Calculator finds it difficult to recognize Scottie as a Superstar tier player for more than 5 seasons, and not 1 season as a Legendary tier player. This does limit Scottie’s upward mobility in the rankings, with his highest estimation placing him 23rd. However, Scottie accomplished about as much as a supporting star could in his career, and was at the forefront of leading one of the most dominant teams of all-time.

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

• '91 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (156.73 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +4.2% performance, opponent was -1.84 SRS worse, won 4-1.

• '93 Finals vs Phoenix Suns (150.21 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, -3.1% performance, opponent was +0.08 SRS better, won 4-2.

• '97 Finals vs Utah Jazz (127.66 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, -9.0% performance, opponent was -2.73 SRS worse, won 4-2.

• '96 Finals vs Seattle SuperSonics (121.47 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, -16.8% performance, opponent was -4.40 SRS worse, won 4-2.

• '92 Finals vs Portland Trail Blazers (110.13 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, -3.2% performance, opponent was -4.13 SRS worse, won 4-2.

• '98 Finals vs Utah Jazz (96.09 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, -15.6% performance, opponent was -1.51 SRS worse, won 4-2.

Other notable series:

• '96 Conference Finals vs Orlando Magic (158.19 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +3.1% performance, opponent was -6.40 SRS worse, won 4-0.

• '91 Conference Finals vs Detroit Pistons (124.45 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +20.2% performance, opponent was -5.49 SRS worse, won 4-0.

#28. James Harden

Harden’s case is one that might be controversial for some due to some disappointing endings to a few postseason runs, however, the Calculator finds that everything else about his career is more than enough to carry him into being a top-30 player. For one, he has the 11th highest MVP🏅Score, as he is 1 of only 10 people ever to finish top-2 in MVP voting 4 times in 5 years. He has sustained at least being a Superstar tier player for a decade now, with over half of that time being a Legendary-tier player. In other words, outside of any playoff considerations, Harden has a resumé of a top 15-20 player ever. However, his lack of any substantial playoff success prevents him from actually being that high.

Out of every player in this top-40, only 3 players have a lower combined (Ring💍Score + Playoff🏆Score), one of them was Allen Iverson, and the other 2 have yet to be named. Harden’s best chance for a deep playoff run as ‘the guy’ was in 2018, when he led the Rockets to a game 7 in the WCF against arguably the best team of all-time, the Golden State Warriors with KD. Harden and the Rockets were probably either a couple 3s missed or a CP3 injury away from beating an unbeatable team and likely winning the championship, which would’ve immeasurably changed the narratives surrounding Harden’s career.

Notable Playoff Series

Notable series:

• '15 CSF's vs Los Angeles Clippers (67.20 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -12.4% performance, opponent was +2.98 SRS better, won 4-3.

• '17 First Round vs Oklahoma City Thunder (41.41 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -4.9% performance, opponent was -4.70 SRS worse, won 4-1.

Other notable series:

• '18 First Round vs Minnesota Timberwolves (38.13 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, -6.1% performance, opponent was -5.86 SRS worse, won 4-1.

• '15 First Round vs Dallas Mavericks (32.99 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +3.7% performance, opponent was -0.46 SRS worse, won 4-1.

#27. John Havlicek

Hondo was a key member of two generations of Celtics. During the mid to late 60s, he provided the spark off the bench for 6 championships in the first 7 years of his career. For this, he was recently given the honors of having the 6th Man of the Year award named after him from now on. Then during the early to mid 70s, he transitioned into superstardom, and he became the trusted vet who led the Celtics to 2 more titles in ‘74 and ‘76, winning his first and only FMVP against the Bucks, Kareem, and Oscar Robertson in ‘74.

Looking at his career resumé, only 5 players ever have as many All-NBAs, All-Stars, and All-DEFs nods as Havlicek, the other 4 being Jordan, Kareem, Kobe, and Duncan. And only 10 players ever have a higher combined (Ring💍Score + Playoff🏆Score) than Hondo. The only thing Hondo is missing to be a lock top-20 is having a higher sustained peak, as he only had 5 years of at least being a Superstar tier player, and most of his accomplishments did not come in those years.

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

• '74 Finals vs Milwaukee Bucks (187.05 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +4.7% performance, opponent was +4.19 SRS better, won 4-3. FMVP.

• '69 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (183.37 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +43.1% performance, opponent was -1.51 SRS worse, won 4-3.

• '68 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (178.40 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +39.1% performance, opponent was +1.12 SRS better, won 4-2.

• '66 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (96.92 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +40.3% performance, opponent was -1.58 SRS worse, won 4-3.

• '64 Finals vs San Francisco Warriors (83.85 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +0.8% performance, opponent was -2.52 SRS worse, won 4-1.

• '65 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (67.75 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +1.0% performance, opponent was -5.76 SRS worse, won 4-1.

• '76 Finals vs Phoenix Suns (53.11 Legacy Points)

  • Star, -2.5% performance, opponent was -1.66 SRS worse, won 4-2.

• '63 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (30.79 Legacy Points)

  • Quality Starter, -50.5% performance, opponent was -3.71 SRS worse, won 4-2.

Other notable series:

• '69 Conference Finals vs New York Knicks (124.68 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +14.4% performance, opponent was +0.13 SRS better, won 4-2.

• '74 Conference Finals vs New York Knicks (114.93 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +35.8% performance, opponent was -1.00 SRS worse, won 4-1.

#26. Chris Paul

CP3’s legacy is one that is very polarizing among fans, either some are super high on Paul, or super low on him. Like Harden, this is mostly due to the lack of postseason success. However, Paul’s failures do not stem from a consistent record of underperforming, but rather some extremely unfortunate and poorly timed injuries to him or his star teammates. For this reason, he’s only received a negative Series🏆Score 3 times out of the 14 playoff series he was eliminated in. However, the Calculator is not too light on CP3 for his lack of playoff success, as in the top-40 only Allen Iverson has a lower combined (Ring💍Score + Playoff🏆Score) than Chris Paul.

Where Paul’s legacy is the strongest is his career accolades and achievements, and his sustained longevity. When comparing him to the previous 3 PGs on this list, CP3’s legacy has a longevity similar to Stockton and Kidd, he also has a peak similar to Nash, his defense is comparable to Stockton and Kidd, his playmaking is as elite as all 3 of them, he’s made the finals like Kidd and Stockton, and he’s probably the best scorer of the 3. None of them have a ton of playoff success, and only Kidd has a ring (as a supporting player), so none of the other 3 PGs have a huge edge over Paul in this area. And as a still active player, though declining, CP3 is still adding to his legacy as Phoenix tries to make another playoff run this year.

Notable Playoff Series

Notable series:

• '21 CSF's vs Denver Nuggets (76.16 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +70.4% performance, opponent was -0.85 SRS worse, won 4-0.

• '08 First Round vs Dallas Mavericks (54.61 Legacy Points)

  • Legendary, +16.1% performance, opponent was -0.76 SRS worse, won 4-1.

Other notable series:

• '21 Conference Finals vs Los Angeles Clippers (38.27 Legacy Points)

  • Superstar, +14.2% performance, opponent was + 0.35 SRS better, won 4-2. Missed 2 games.

• '18 CSF's vs Utah Jazz (25.14 Legacy Points)

  • Allstar, +19.0% performance, opponent was -3.74 SRS worse, won 4-1.