GOAT ranking: The next players in line to crack the list

Ever since the original NBA75 list came out back in 2021, we have been making our own all-time player ranking, starting with the HoopsHype75.

The difference is that every year since then, we’ve been expanding our all-time great list, first with the HoopsHype76, then with the HoopsHype77 and this year, with HoopsHype78, which was the first year we had LeBron James finish at the top ahead of Michael Jordan.

This year, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid made our ranking for the first time. The year prior to that, Kyrie Irving made his debut on our list.

Today, we’re going to discuss the next players in line to crack the list of greatest players in NBA history. That’s not to say all of these players will eventually make it, but some came close this year and may have a shot in the near future and others clearly project to be included some years down the road.

Check out our selection of 11 players below.

Luka Doncic

Following five straight 1st Team All-NBA seasons and his first trip to the NBA Finals, it’s pretty safe to say Dalla Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is well on the way to becoming a Top 10 player of all time at this rate.

On top of the aforementioned accolades, Doncic is also a five-time All-Star, won the scoring championship last season, won Rookie of the Year and was the 2024 Western Conference Finals MVP. He’s still just 25 years old, by the way. And that’s without mentioning the various major accolades he won prior to getting to the NBA both with his native Slovenia and with the club that played a huge part in his development, Real Madrid.

Doncic came close to entering our HoopsHype78 list this season, finishing 83rd overall in the vote, and it’s only because of the stock we put into longevity that he hasn’t made it yet.

As far as talent, though, Doncic already clearly belongs on the list and if we had to bet, he has a very high chance of making our HoopsHype79 ranking next year barring injury.

Paul George

Universally beloved by the younger generation of players, with some – most notably young Charlotte Hornets up-and-comer Brandon Miller – even calling him their GOAT, new Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George should eventually make it onto our all-time player ranking. That could even happen as soon as next year if things pan out for him in Season 1 with the Sixers.

An elite two-way player, especially in his prime, George was an athletic freak with great length, prototypical size and a pure bucket-getting ability from all three levels. Few players can score with the degree of difficulty George often did and does, as the Fresno State product can hit tough shots from all over the floor via pull-ups, fadeaway and step-backs, as well as finish explosively around the basket and over defenders.

Just ask Birdman about that.

He may not be the GOAT or even close to that status but George has had an illustrious career so far, featuring nine All-Star appearances, one 1st Team All-NBA and five 3rd Team All-NBAs. George also has two 1st Team All-Defenses and two 2nd Team All-Defenses under his belt, showing how impactful he was and still is on both ends of the floor.

He also deserves a ton of credit for the way he bounced back from the hideous injury he suffered as a member of Team USA to return as an elite player when many might have failed to reach their prior top form.

All in all, like it or not, George is a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and deserving of a spot on Greatest Players Ever rankings.

Jimmy Butler

One of the few all-time greats who was not a star early on, the time Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler spent developing early in his career could cost him an eventual place in our all-time player ranking, especially if 2023-24 was not an aberration for him but rather a sign of things to come.

Nonetheless, we think Butler should bounce back nicely in 2024-25, as the advanced analytics still rated him quite favorably – Butler was Top 25 in both VORP and BPM last season and No. 7 overall in WS/48 – he just missed 22 regular season games in the process. Buter was fully healthy to start the Heat’s Play-In Tournament run but he then proceeded to get hurt in the team’s first Play-In Game before he missed the rest of Miami’s postseason, causing him to slip in the estimation of many fans and media.

Not us, though, as we still think of Butler as a great scorer when he wants to be, as well as a good playmaker and very impactful defender.

Those two Finals runs with Miami along with his six All-Star appearances, one 2nd Team All-NBA (to go with four 3rd Team All-NBAs) and five 2nd Team All-Defenses could be enough to help get Butler on our HoopsHype79 or HoopsHype80 lists in the future, he’s just going to have to remain an elite player for at another couple of seasons to really lock that in for sure.

Jayson Tatum

At age 26, NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Jayson Tatum is already super high in playoff statistical categories, placing 16th all-time in playoff three-pointers made and 39th in playoff points.

Tatum, coming off of three straight 1st Team All-NBAs, has been firmly in the Top 5-10 range player for a year years now and is a mortal lock to crack our list of all-time greatest players eventually, he just needs a bigger body of work.

With so much of his prime left to go, we fully expect Tatum in the HoopsHype80 list in two years, if not after next season, especially if he uses the disappointment from limited burn with Team USA this summer to fuel another Boston Celtics championship run in 2024-25, one in which he earns Finals MVP honors, the last accolade he’s missing.

Draymond Green

Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green has come close to making the list but fell just short. And considering his best years are behind him, it’s going to be tough for him to make a major move up the rankings, although his accolades as they stand now are borderline HoopsHype78 worthy.

After all, on top of the four championships, Green is a four-time All-Star, a one-time 2nd Team All-NBAer, a one-time 3rd Team All-NBAer, a Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time All-Defensive Team player (four 1st Teams and four 2nd Teams).

If Green was simply more likable, there’s a chance, too, that he could have made the NBA75 list, as his accolades stack up pretty well – if not outright overshadow – some of the lower players on the ranking. But sometimes, it’s difficult to reward some of the things Green did on the court that went over the top.

Still, Green is a winner through and through and one of the most unique players in league history, undersized but absolutely tenacious on the glass and as a defender, not much of a scorer but a great playmaker, and contributed greatly to one of the top dynasties of this century.

Klay Thompson

The same can be said about Klay Thompson, one of the greatest shooters of all time, in that he had a shot at making the list but might find it difficult to now considering he’s getting up there in age and is no longer in his prime. Without more All-Star or All-NBA-caliber seasons, Thompson likely won’t be able to make a major move up our all-time player rankings.

Could Thompson see his career rebound in Dallas, though? It’s possible, as he still shot nearly 39 percent from three in 2023-24 and put up almost 18 points per night. Playing once again as a third option on offense behind two elite scorers in Doncic and Kyrie Irving could be exactly what the Warriors legend needs to have an offensive bounce-back this year.

Thompson was very vocal regarding being disappointed about not making the original NBA75 list back in 2021-22, saying:

After more than two years away from the game, and with a chip on his shoulder from being left off the NBA75 list, Thompson says he is “hungrier” than ever to get back to his winning ways and join a team that is primed to return to the postseason after a two-season absence. “I know myself. I know how good I am. I know the things I’ve done. … It’s like — how many times do I have to do something that no one else has ever done before and get respect? Do I have to go score 50 in a quarter now? Like, what the hell? It’s whatever though, man. It’s over with. I’m going to use it as fuel.”

And full kudos to Thompson, as he did end up winning a championship that very season in Golden State, the fourth of his illustrious career. That had to feel like some level of vindication for the five-time All-Star,

Devin Booker

A player with a better chance than you might think of moving up our all-time player rankings is Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker, now a two-time Olympic gold medalist after this summer with Team USA. Booker can add those two gold medals to his four All-Star appearances and his 1st Team and 3rd Team All-NBA to put together a low-key impressive set of accolades.

The fact Booker remains just 27 and has years left to go in his prime gives us more reason to think he could make a surprising surge in our list, as does the fact that he’s playing for an owner in Mat Ishbia who’s clearly very much all-in in trying to win a championship. His game should also age pretty well, as he’s not super dependent on athleticism but rather on skill and high-level difficult shot-making.

Donovan Mitchell

One of the better 2-guards in the NBA, five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell also has a 2nd Team All-NBA under his belt. The soon-to-be-28-year-old will probably need more All-NBAs to get serious consideration to eventually find himself on our list but the thing that gives us belief Mitchell could eventually make a move up our rankings is how effective of a playoff performer he is.

Mitchell is averaging 28.1 points per game in the playoffs for his career, the No. 7 mark in league history.

Even so, right now, it looks pretty unlikely Mitchell will ever be among the top players in NBA history. But who knows? If he has another explosive playoff scoring run while surrounded by the right group of players and wins an NBA championship at some point, that could certainly change.

It’s just that he’s getting close to 30 at this point and has never really been one of the Top 2 players at his position; his defense is lacking, he’s just a decent playmaker and he chucks a lot of shots, not putting up the most efficient scoring numbers at times.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a bunch of years away from really being considered for this list, and he’d have to maintain his current level for a much longer span of time, but his growth over the past few seasons has been very promising, noteworthy enough to earn him a spot on this list.

Gilgeous-Alexander followed up a fifth-place MVP finish two years ago with a second place in 2023-24, both campaigns in which he earned 1st Team All-NBA honors while playing nearly immaculate basketball. Just having turned 26 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander is a player to keep an eye on as far as future consideration for all-time player rankings.

Anthony Edwards

The same applies to the next two players on our list.

First up, Minnesota Timberwolves 2-guard Anthony Edwards, who has grabbed the mantle from Booker to be acknowledged as the best shooting guard in the game. Edwards is a throwback off-ball guard in that he is explosive around the basket, can do everything – be it score at a high level from three, the midrange and near the basket, or create for teammates, rebound and defend – and looks well on his way to earn multiple major accolades over the coming seasons.

He’ll have to maintain this level or improve upon it for many years but Edwards looks more than ready to do just that and burst his way onto our ranking of all-time best players.

Victor Wembanyama

Ditto for former No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. Even though we’ve only seen him in the NBA for one year, Wembanyama’s ceiling is just so incredibly high that he could be an undeniable selection for our future all-time great rankings sooner rather than later.

We’ve never seen a player like Wembanyama, someone with video-game height, length, skill, quickness and with an elite mentality to go with all of that, making him the complete package for a potential future GOAT candidate.

Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves but right now, Wembanyama looks like someone who won’t just challenge for a spot in future all-time great lists but for the top spot, especially if he develops as we all expect him to over the coming decade.