Check out the previous entries in ClutchPoints' 100 greatest NBA players of all time series based on Josh Eberley's E-Rank: 100-91 | 90-81
I can only imagine how much emotion goes into picking the 75 greatest NBA players of all time, especially when you know many of the candidates and feel like respecting peers and history are important. As you will see today and beyond, many more modern players broke through into the E-Rank top-100 rankings. I wonder how different the next official NBA list will be at even the 80th anniversary, with the quick rise of so many young stars in a league with more talent than ever before.
A question for you the reader: What is the most forgotten element of casual basketball discourse? I’d wager it might be the overall defensive impact of players who never carried a scoring load. How important is a Defensive Player of the Year award on an all-time scale? Suppose an MVP award is worth 10 points, what’s the DPOY worth?
E-Rank Insight: E-Rank considered an All-Defense selection similar to an All-Star appearance and valued winning Defensive Player of the Year by a significant margin more than an All-Star appearance, but still far lower than that of an MVP award.
Check out the gallery for players 80-71 on the list.
80. Bill Sharman 333.7 (75th Anniversary Team)
Bill Sharman E-Rank
Although a premier player before Bill Russell arrived, winning four titles in the six years after he showed up certainly helped Bill Sharman hold his place high on this list.
79. Dominique Wilkins 334.15 (75th Anniversary Team)
Dominique Wilkins E-Rank
Dominique Wilkins was the Carmelo Anthony of the prior era. Juxtaposed with a player who was just a cut above and still, a scoring phenom with enough style to cement his own immortal legacy, even without winning.
78. Wes Unseld 334.65 (75th Anniversary Team)
Wes Unseld E-Rank
Winning MVP in your rookie season is something out of a Hollywood script. No player has done it since, Wes Unseld did it and the only player to do it before him was Wilt Chamberlain, who, spoiler, won’t be seen in a drop until next week.
Draymond Green E-Rank
There is no doubt that Draymond Green is one of the greatest heels in the modern era, but he’s also a generational defender who changed how teams schematically looked to play when the games mattered most. You can chart defensive IQ, but watching Green command the troops and make plays all over the floor has been a unique and captivating experience.
Kyrie Irving E-Rank
One of the most polarizing players of the era. Kyrie Irving's skill on and off the ball is amongst the best to ever do it. The finishing moves, the mastery of angles, and, of course, the legendary shot in the most memorable NBA Finals of all time. Missed time due to injuries, big career decisions, and off-the-court drama have definitely detracted from the overall beauty in how Irving plays the game.
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Paul George E-Rank
Although Paul George’s career has oddly alienated many fans, his two-way ability, high peak and remarkable longevity have become underrated. His climb back from a career-threatening injury to have an even greater second chapter of his career should be viewed unanimously as a tremendous success. George was battling LeBron James 13 years ago in the playoffs, and not a single other player from his draft class is still in the league.
Luka Doncic E-Rank
Vegas has had Luka Doncic as the MVP favorite five years in a row now, and while he has yet to win the award, he’d been on the All-NBA First Team five years in a row until injuries robbed him of eligibility this past season. There are only 28 other players to pull off this All-NBA feat. He’s 26 years old, hasn’t won a title, hasn’t won an MVP but has already statistically locked up the Hall of Fame.
Dikembe Mutombo E-Rank
Eight straight years as the Defensive Player of the Year or a runner-up. Dikembe Mutombo was a titan of the game, with one of the all-time memorable celebrations. A personality larger than life and perhaps an even greater legacy off the court. How he missed the original NBA 75th Anniversary Team, I do not know. R.I.P. Deke.
72. James Worthy 348.2 (75th Anniversary Team)
James Worth E-Rank
Starting your career next to two of the greatest to ever do it, two players who had both won an MVP award and a title, was certainly the first big win of James Worthy’s career. It was the greatest of landing places, but he seized the opportunity and cemented his own legacy by winning the 1988 Finals MVP.
71. Bob McAdoo 348.305 (75th Anniversary Team)
Bob McAdoo E-Rank
In 2016, Stephen Curry became the first-ever unanimous MVP, a fact most basketball fans know. A lesser-known fact was that Curry was the first player to lead the league in scoring but also in efficiency as a scorer (TS%) since, you guessed it, Bob McAdoo did it in 1974! Having the highest volume and the highest likelihood of putting points on the board is an absurd accomplishment.