With the advent of a starry new Hall of Fame class being inducted into Springfield this weekend, Zach Kram of ESPN considers which current NBA players are on track for the honor down the line. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic examines the same topic in a new piece, as well.
This weekend, former All-NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard both find themselves making the cut as first-ballot honorees.
Kram and Vorkunov both tackled the topic of who’s next by stratifying players into tiers of candidacy. Although each differed slightly on who the surefire “locks” would be, there was some overlap. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Mavericks big man Anthony Davis, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Clippers guard James Harden and Chris Paul, Lakers forward LeBron James, Clippers wing Kawhi Leonard, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Warriors forwards Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Mavericks wing Klay Thompson, Sixers center Joel Embiid, and free agent guard Russell Westbrook are considered no-brainer picks by both parties.
They differ on a few other NBA players they believe will be guaranteed honorees. Vorkunov also believes Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will be there. Kram, meanwhile, believes the Hall will anoint Sixers forward Paul George, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.
We want to hear from you. Who do you think has punched their ticket already? Who needs to do more to make the grade? Who doesn’t deserve to be a lock? Weigh in below.