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Paul George, Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson were among a group of players ranked among the Top 100 of 2017 by a panel of SB Nation NBA writers. As you can see in the link, this is a fun and subjective exercise and in the end. PG is rated the highest at No. 13, with Hibbert checking in at No. 36 and Stephenson sneaking in at No. 98.
At first blush, I thought Hibbert was spot on while thinking PG could rise as he hits his prime years, but looking at the full list now, if he maintains that spot we'll be in good shape. As for Stephenson, assuming he remains with the Pacers, I think he'll be much further up the list or not in consideration at all. Depends on if his game on and off the court can continue to mature in the right direction.
This is certainly a fun offseason project and if you're like me, you may lose yourself in this list for awhile. Here's the blurbs on each of the Pacers:
I'll admit that this ranking is assuming some substantial development from George on the offensive end. He's already an elite perimeter defender with exceptional physical tools, but he needs to be more of a creator on the offensive end, though he's a great shooter at this point in his career and should continue to improve. It's not often that we have a young stud perimeter player whose defense is so far ahead of his offense, but that's the case with George. As he improves his handles and takes better shots, he'll be a monster on both ends. Plus, his length makes him one of very few players that can reasonably hold their own against Kevin Durant and LeBron James defensively. - Conrad Kaczmarek
Not much extraordinary about Hibbert: He's a long, smart 7'2 player who is exceptional at defense and a little clunky on offense. That's about exactly what you'd expect. The Pacers front office needs to be showered with praise for the David West acquisition a couple of years back. What a perfect move for that club; not too flashy, just right for Hibbert. Perfect. -Tom Ziller
Banking on Born Ready is a scary proposition, but if he can build on last season, he'll be this half-decade's Tony Allen, except with better offense. He'll only be 27 by now, and if you can defend like he can, you'll have a long NBA career. It'll be interesting to see if he gets more offensive responsibility once Danny Granger moves on. If he handles it well, this may end up being too low for him. - Mike Prada
Now it is your turn. Where would you make changes to the rankings?
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