#50-46

#50. Ray Allen

Ray Allen comes in at #50 overall on the GOAT list, and makes the top-10 for SGs as well. Ray had a long 18-year career, being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1997 and retiring with the Miami Heat in 2014. He was regarded as arguably the greatest 3-point shooter ever when he retired, but he was also certainly a dangerous multi-faceted player who had impact on both ends of the court.

From the Calculator, Ray receives a relatively well-balanced score across all categories. The only category that he was comparatively lacking in was his MVP🏅Score, as 2005 was the only year Allen finished in the top-10 for MVP. However with his 2 rings, 12 playoff series won during his prime, career accolades, and long career, he was able to break the top-50 according to the GOAT Calculator.


  • Highest Rank: 43 (SG #9)

  • Lowest Rank: 61 (SG #11)

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

  • '08 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (101.65 Legacy Points)

    • Allstar, +34.6% performance, opponent was -1.96 SRS worse, won 4-2.

  • '13 Finals vs San Antonio Spurs (13.20 Legacy Points)

    • Role Player, -5.3% performance, opponent was -0.36 SRS worse, won 4-3.

Other notable series:

  • '05 First Round vs Sacramento Kings (42.85 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +66.7% performance, opponent was -0.03 SRS worse, won 4-1.

  • '01 First Round vs Orlando Magic (38.51 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +42.7% performance, opponent was -2.74 SRS worse, won 3-1


#49. Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce slides in 1 spot above his former teammate, as well as is the final member of the top-10 SFs. Pierce was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1998, and he would play with them for a full 15 seasons before being traded to Brooklyn in the summer of 2013. His 19-year career was full of memorable shots and clutch buckets. He was a fantastic 3-level scorer, as he could shoot it from all over the court, while always threatening his ability to draw fouls and get to the line at will.

Pierce, like Ray, was lacking in the MVP department, as he had 0 Top-10 MVP finishes (min. 2% voting share required) in his career. Despite that, however, he finishes at 49th according to the Calculator mostly due to having 12 seasons of playing at a superstar or allstar caliber, a handful of All-NBA appearances, his FMVP in '08, and his multitudes of playoff success winning 14 playoff series during his prime.


  • Highest Rank: 42 (SF #9)

  • Lowest Rank: 61 (SF #13)

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

  • '08 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (135.79 Legacy Points)

    • Allstar, +4.0% performance, opponent was -1.96 SRS worse, won 4-2. FMVP.

Other notable series:

  • '10 Conference Finals vs Orlando Magic (72.18 Legacy Points)

    • Allstar, +47.8% performance, opponent was +3.75 SRS better, won 4-2.

  • '02 First Round vs Philadelphia 76ers (55.77 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +17.8% performance, opponent was -0.48 SRS worse, won 3-2.

  • '03 First Round vs Indiana Pacers (47.98 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +13.5% performance, opponent was +3.54 SRS better, won 4-2.

#48. Russell Westbrook

In his prime years, Russell Westbrook was one of the most dynamic and exciting players this league had to offer during the 2010s. Drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, Russ would become a fan favorite in OKC with his playstyle and always giving 100% effort in every game. In 2017, Russ broke records averaging a triple-double for an entire season, the first time it was done since Oscar Robertson did it in the 60s. For his efforts leading the Thunder that season, he was awarded the regular season MVP.

While stuffing the stat sheets night-in and night-out, Russ' legacy was only missing the necessary playoff success in order for the Calculator to be able to truly rank him any higher. He unfortunately has never won a playoff series as the best player on his team, and while the Calculator does not punish players for not accomplishing that, it does not reward players who didn't as much as other players who did. That being said, Russ does have the playoff success in his early days with OKC, his multiple MVP-caliber seasons, and almost a decade of being a top-15 player in the league. With all this considered, the Calculator ranks Russell Westbrook 48th overall, and just outside the top-10 PGs.

  • Highest Rank: 38 (PG #9)

  • Lowest Rank: 55 (PG #12)

Notable Playoff Series

Best Series:

  • '14 CSF's vs Los Angeles Clippers (55.24 Legacy Points)

    • Allstar, +39.5% performance, opponent was +0.61 SRS better, won 4-2.

  • '12 CSF's vs Los Angeles Lakers (51.22 Legacy Points)

    • Allstar, +22.4% performance, opponent was -4.48 SRS worse, won 4-1.

Other notable series:

  • '16 First Round vs Dallas Mavericks (12.81 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +12.5% performance, opponent was -7.11 SRS worse, won 4-1.

  • '17 First Round vs Houston Rockets (10.30 Legacy Points)

    • Legendary, +7.6% performance, opponent was +4.70 SRS better, lost 4-1.


#47. Walt Frazier

Walt Frazier finishes essentially equal with Russell Westbrook, but by a single hair is placed one spot ahead. He was drafted in 1967 by the New York Knicks, where he would play most of his career, a full 10 seasons. He was notoriously known for his quick hands & aggressive defense, as well as his sweet ability to find the open man. He had a reliable midrange shot that he could use over any defender whenever he wanted to.

Frazier is relatively lacking in terms of MVP dominance and does not have a superb longevity to his career. However, he had many great moments in the playoffs, as he was arguably the best player on 2 championship teams for the Knicks. In 1970, he might have had the greatest finals game 7 performance ever in NBA history: 36p, 19a, and 7r, on 70.6% shooting from the field, and a perfect 12/12 from the line. Yes you read that correctly. He also unofficially had 5 steals that game as well.

  • Highest Rank: 38 (PG #9)

  • Lowest Rank: 55 (PG #12)

Notable Playoff Series

Rings:

  • '73 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (182.61 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, -24.6% performance, opponent was +2.09 SRS better, won 4-1.

  • '70 Finals vs Los Angeles Lakers (161.09 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +2.5% performance, opponent was -6.66 SRS worse, won 4-3. Snub for Finals MVP.

Other notable series:

  • '72 Conference Finals vs Boston Celtics (163.21 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +1.5% performance, opponent was +2.10 SRS better, won 4-1.

  • '73 Conference Finals vs Boston Celtics (116.76 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +24.0% performance, opponent was +1.28 SRS better, won 4-1.

#46. Reggie Miller

Reggie was one of the first superstars in the late 80s and early 90s that relied mostly on his 3pt shooting ability to leverage most of the rest of his offensive game. He enjoyed a long career being drafted by the Indiana Pacers in ’87, where he also retired in ‘05. He was extraordinary in the clutch and in the playoffs, always seeming to punch up against stronger opponents.

Never winning a championship, attaining any real MVP recognition, and not achieving many other career accolades to his name have all kept Miller down lower on this list than he otherwise would’ve been. However, his lengthy career full of playoff success and overperformances, his clutch-time abilities, and a lengthy career in general have all carried him to this spot as the 9th greatest SG ever.

  • Highest Rank: 38 (SG #7)

  • Lowest Rank: 54 (SG #10)

Notable Playoff Series

Best Series:

  • '94 First Round vs Orlando Magic (100.92 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +34.6% performance, opponent was +0.42 SRS better, won 3-0.

  • '99 CSF's vs Philadelphia 76ers (81.21 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +43.9% performance, opponent was -1.30 SRS worse, won 4-0.

Other notable series:

  • '98 CSF's vs New York Knicks (60.24 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +20.3% performance, opponent was -3.51 SRS worse, won 4-1.

  • '00 Conference Finals vs New York Knicks (56.69 Legacy Points)

    • Superstar, +14.0% performance, opponent was -2.85 SRS worse, won 4-2.

Next: #45-#41