Who Can Become a Top-15 All-Time Player? (Other Than LeBron, Steph, and KD) 

Giannis and Jokic. Think Luka will have a great chance as well

Luka has legit made 4 first team all nbas in his first 5 seasons… he is assembling a legendary resume as we speak

Outside of Bron Steph and KD, Jokic and Giannis are the only players who are worth considering in this conversation. They have the accolades and Stats to back it up. Embiid, Luka, Tatum are a tier bellow as of now but they got the potential.

JJ tried to sneak EMBIID on the all time great list 😂😂😂😂😂

It’s a damn shame Kawhi has dealt with injuries because when he’s healthy he’s absolutely in the same tier as KD

Jokic easily. He has some of the best adv stats of all time, rivalling Mike and Wilt

Jokic and Giannis is probably the only answers right now....Already all-time greats

If Jokic gets another MVP this year then heck that’s already an awesome resume.

Jokic and Giannis have identical accolades. Both are 2 time mvp. Both are finals mvp. Both are nba champions. Giannis is a defensive juggernaut and Jokic is an assist savant. Both have advantages on each other. I mean this is an era of these two.

It’s Jokic and Giannis. I’m tired of having Tatum and Luka’s names being thrown in this mix when they haven’t won anything yet.

I think Tier One is Jokic Giannis and Kawhi. First two are obvious, and if Kawhi somehow sneaks one more ring in and a FMVP with the Clippers (doubtful but, maybe) that becomes a really interesting conversation. He'd have to sneak in the top 20, maybe even 15. Unfortunately his career is more of a "What If" at the moment because of his injuries in the middle of his prime. Tier 2: Tatum, Luka. Tatum is already getting to finals and conference finals, don't know if an MVP will ever come his way based on his game and competition, so he needs FMVP's and rings. Luka needs a better team around him, at only 24 you'd hope they can retool the roster over the next 2-3 years for his prime and make some runs. The Kyrie trade doesnt seem to be a great fit but time will tell with a full year. Either way not enough talent with the right fit around him. Then there is everyone else.

Giannis and Jokic for sure have a shot. Top 15 is tough we're talking (in no particular order) Jordan, James, Russell, Chamberlain, Olajuwon, Shaq, Kobe, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Curry, Duncan, KD, Big O, and Moses. I can see Giannis and Jokic passing Big O and Moses... but the rest of those guys are hard to pass up. Maybe in 10 years Doncic and Wemby could be in the conversation, but that's a lot of legendary talent at the top.

How did I miss this episode. The dynamic between this trio is perfect.

Luka is 24 and averaging 28 8 8 for his career and made first team all NBA in 4 out of his 5 seasons. He still has a lot of time to win championships and MVP's and I think if we talking about potential Luka is definitely the player I would choose to get into the top 10.

Such good nuanced conversation!

Great work guys! Love it!

I'd love to hear you discuss the top 3 or 4 at each position who could play in any era over the last 40 years who could contribute to team success in various ways.

Giannis and Jokic only currently... others have a lot to prove and show before we even consider them

Great Topic ‼️‼️‼️‼️

The last point that RJ made is interesting, because there's never been a foreign player that's carried the league ratings-wise, but the best players coming up are foreign-born guys.

Its really hard to get multiple championships in todays League... I mean its always hard but there is a lot of talent spread all over the league... I think the amount of talent is higher than it ever was... so we have lots of teams with a superstar or multiple stars... but what we rarely have now are superteams that stick together and make it work like past iterations of the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Spurs, Heat or Warriors of the past... as good as Steph and LeBron are... they had a lot of help and stacked teams compared to their competition. Winning without that is generally rare but it gets rarer every year. Giannis got one and Joker got one without an all-NBA bei their side. Giannis couldnt repeat that success and it took him some time as great as he is... we will see about Denver. Took them a while to come together and overcome injuries as well... And no one is denying that those two are by far the best players of the current generation of superstars. To get the accolades players had decades ago will be incredibly hard without a superteam like the Warriors had.

if kawhi doesn’t get injured by zaza he’s top 10 no cap. bro was mad durable too

Jokic and Giannis. Thats it. No one else is even close to even being a possible unless things drastically change

He's not there yet but Luka is well on his way. The fact that he is in this conversation at all and only 24 years old should tell you something. We will just have to see how it plays out in the years to come.

People forget how great Giannis is , he’s definitely the best two way player. Defensive ability matters a lot.

Luka, Giannis & Jokic

Ok so a little tricky . The only players rn that are on the trajectory (other then Steph , kd , bron ofc) is jokic and Giannis. Now players that I see with the potential to get there is luka , Tatum , booker , Anthony edwards and then maybe about 2 more I’m leaving out . So other then Giannis and jokic it’s no clear cut tho on who will cement themselves as legends

JJ matching the light shade?! Love these 3 talking ball. So refreshing vs espn.

Giannis and Jokic for sure. Others are not proven.

Giannis. Easily

I feel like its destiny for Giannis to end up top 10, the storyline of his life, the dominance on both ends and a real chance at winning more chips/MVPs

I think Luka is somehow still underrated. We have not seen what he’s really capable of achieving with championship caliber teammates.

Jokic and Gianni’s are like a couple spots away right now

Giannis and Jokic. BTW Giannis is a DPOTY that counts too.

JJ your podcasts when it comes to basketball talk are unmatched...

STEPH IS NOT OVER KD

I think Luka can be up there with Giannis and Jokic with the right star alongside him and team which the mavs have shown to not be able to do at least this far into his career unfortunately

Giannis and Jokic is the correct answer, but the next two are for sure Kawhi and Luka. Kawhi window is closing but if he wins another championship, might overshadow his lack of MVP’s. Luka still has a long road to go but he’s putting up all the numbers and seems on the right path with a long time to go.

Spat out my water when I heard Embiids name mentioned

Amazing closing argument by Rich.

Outside of Steph Lebron and KD, Kawhi is knocking on the door resume wise but I feel like his clippers stint keeps him out of the top 15 unless he makes like 2 more ECFs. Jokic and Giannis are a lock as long as they keep on their trajectory for atleast 5 more years. Tatum has to breakout and be the clear cut best player in the league at some point and I just don’t see that happening. Embiid too.

Top 10 all time is awfully hard to get into. Here are some guys: Jordan Lebron Wilt Russell Bird Magic Steph Duncan Kareem Kobe Shaq Olajuwon Big O That's 13 already. If Luka, Tatum, or Embiid are getting in there, they have some work to do. I think Giannis and Jokic are close; they're probably around the Moses Malone/David Robinson range, which is just under the guys I have above and has a few guys in it like Jerry West and some others, imo _(I think Giannis and Jokic are both above KD in terms of all-time greatness; KD is a slightly better scorer, but Giannis is a better defender and Jokic is a better passer, and both have more MVPs and more impressive title victories)._ Both have back-to-back MVPs and 1 title, for which they won, and absolutely deserved, finals MVP. Giannis also has a DPOY and Jokic has all the triple doubles and insane efficiency. To be clearly top 15 all time they need to separate themselves from other greats like Moses Malone, David Robinson, Jerry West, and others.

JJ, I'd really like to hear your thoughts on my team and your former team the Orlando Magic

The shirt and the light is trippy 😂

I think a more interesting question is Giannis over KD all time? When his career is done, Giannis will have DPOY and a Finals MVP as the sole leader of his team.

It’s only Giannis and Jokic right now, nobody else for 10-20 spot.

They give kd the respect kawhi actually deserves

The following are prototypes: MJ, Lebron, Magic, Bird, Russell, Shaq, Steph, Duncan. Other greats aren’t necessarily one of one; ie Kobe is a MJ copy, so technically not a prototype. In the current and coming generation, Jokic and KD are the only other prototypes. Maybe Giannis. Wemby is getting that hype, but of course time will tell Edit: I’m sure I missed someone. Go ahead and fill in the gaps

It’s starting to get wild how much people are ignoring and disrespecting jokic. He was literally a passing thought here. In America we like fake wrestling way more than real sports fighting so I suppose it makes sense that we like style over performance

In the league right now as it is right now 5 Lebron KD Curry Jokic Giannis. Outside of this if these players I mention do it at a high level for at least 10 to 15 years win a few and become more dominated and talented and have accolades which seem harder to get with the media and favoritism etc than they will be in the mix for sure.

I feel like Quentin Grimes and Daquan Jeffries would be the two guys when all said and done

Tatum in the thumbnail 😅😅😂😂

Giannis and Jokic will definitely be top 15, when there careers are over.

They never mention the DPOY being the major difference between Jokic and Giannis.

So happy to hear Legs mention Tatum first after Steph/Bron/KD and rightfully so

Jefferson!!?!, said JAYCHOKE TATUM😂😂😂😂😂😂

Looking to put young players in the top 15 is extremely unlikely and a little disrespectful. You got: MJ, Lebron, Wilt, Russel, Magic, Bird, Kareem, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan. Then you got: Hakeem, Steph, KD, Wade, Giannis & Jokic. That is already 16 players. There is no one that can squeeze in there right now. Especially Giannis and Jokic still have prime years ahead of them. I am going to assume one of them is going to win 1-2 more championships before retiring.

Jokic and Giannis already have a legitimate shot. Too early for players drafted less than 5 years, but Luka already defies that, so he will likely end up in the convo if he continues with his career progression and he actually wins awards and at least a chip or two... the other person that would have been if not for an injury-ridden career is Kawhi

Oh my god JJ found a shirt that match the lights perfectly

Throwing Embiid's name in that conversation is bananas. A guy who was in playoffs 6 times and best he did was conference semis (with in some years a good team)

Jokic, giannis, luka. Maybe Tatum and Vic.

If Jokic gets another ring and another FMVP I think he’ll already be there he’s just the perfect Offensive player

Bro I would've loved to see who JJ put on his list where Tatum and Embiid make the Top 15 looool

Giannis and Jokic are close to that. Other than these two basketball monsters, maybe Luka or Ant.

Ah I see ESPN is staring to rub off on JJ Reddick with these top 10/15/20 all time topics 😂.

Tatum is a CLEAR talent and/or production tier below Jokic and Giannis. Luka is the only other ATG level player when you're talking about who has a chance to enter the pantheon imo. Embiid and Kawhi are simply not consistent enough producers. A sneaky name that they did not consider (given a player like Tatum was mentioned) is SGA. If the Thunder realize their full potential and he ends up with a couple Finals MVP's as the leader of a perennial contender for the next 4-6 years while putting up ~30/5/5 with ELITE efficiency as a 2 way threat, that's a name who will skyrocket up a list like this.

Jokic ,Giannis ,Kawahi ,Kyrie as of right now

Giannis and Jokic might end up in the Top 15 0r 20...Those 2 guys can probably get at least 3-5 Championships and Finals MVPS...Different set of Playing Styles that can win

Jokic is already top fifteen.

In general, following people are considered top 6-10: Bird, Duncan, Kobe, Shaq, Hakeem, Wilt They all have multiple championship along with 10+ All NBA. Has more than 1 FMVP (Except Wilt as there was no FMVP in 60s). They all have longevity. Giannis / Jokic already has 1 FMVP and 2 MVPs so they are definitely on the pace of getting there. Couple more rings and longevity will definitely put them around 10-15. They can definitely edge KD (I'd say, they already edged KD) if they have more longevity and even Steph.

Thing with Kawhi is that 2019 playoff run where he averaged 30 and beat that many future HoF on the way to a chip with no HoF level teammates was insane! I can’t think of 10 guys you could plug in and achieve what he did that year.

Luka has the highest potential to crack top 10 with his current trajectory.

Jokic, Giannis, Luka. Nobody else in the current generation comes close.

Rich w the deep pull on Macadoo!!

Jokic/Giannis/Embiid.

Jokic: the way hes hobbling while running, it seems like his body will give out or he will retire early. He’s literally running around like Dirk in his last year. His skillset is there though to be top 15. Tatum: Seems like he lacks body control. His movements are so linear for a wing. Luka plays no defense. His game seems like Euro Harden but better. I think the only chance is Giannis because of his talent and heart. If he develops something other than bulldozing to the basket on offense then he’s reaching top 15 easy.

i don't see how giannis and jokic are in the "what if" conversation still. i don't think it's unreasonable to already have both of them top 20 with what they've done

I think Giannis and Jokic are already top 15 all-time. I have Giannis #13 and Jokic #15.

If Kawhi can win a chip with the Clippers he’s top 15 all time

Giannis, Joker, maybe Luka.

Lukas on the top 5 track.. giannis and joker had slow career starts.. lbj and mj hadnt won ring at doncic age we just gotta wait

The finals MVP award started in 1969. Wilt and Bill Russell should be on that list.

Giannis is the most dominant player off the dribble to the basket that the game has ever seen. If he wins 2 more titles he's going to be top 10.

I think kawhi could definitely be there. Especially if he gets a 3rd one with a 3rd team.

Tatum should not be in the conversation. He has already topped out.

The disrespect to Kawhi Leonard is insane

Hate to say it. Out of the 5 PF gods: TD, KG, Dirk, Malone, and Chuck, only TDs spot is secure. Giannis's resume is absolutely filthy: 1 ring, 1 fmvp, 2x mvp, 1 DPOY. Its a tough conversation to have, but one of those 4 guys is getting bumped off.

Tatum and Luka haven't done much yet jokic and Gianni's for sure. Both have championships and MVPs they should be automatic.darkhorse pick chet will have better career than wemby

Really said Tatum before Jokic, Giannis, Embid .. .

Oh look, an actual basketball discussion!

Luka would be a basketball hall of famer just off his European career. His nba success will follow soon.

All Luka needs is a championship he will be 1 And Tatum will be hard with the team around him he needs at least two chips imo and I don’t think he can do it They seem to have a knack for choking

Tatum doesn’t belong there. Just bc he and his team of one of the best, most versatile, supporting casts in nba history, make a lot of deep playoff runs doesn’t mean he’s in the top tier of players individually. He’s not. He’s in the third tier. And no one who peaks at that level of player ever becomes a t20 player of all time. Tatum would have to make a big jump. When Giannis was Tatums age, he was winning his 2nd mvp and was arguably the best player in the world. Tatum is like a t10 player in the world, t6 if you wanna be generous to him and down on some other guys. Boston media tries to force him into these conversations but he’s not at that level

Jokic and Giannis are prolly already top 30 or so. So with one more ring and 7 or 8 more All-NBA level seasons they both will be top 20 easy. Then I would say Luka and Tatum need at least 2 or 3 chips along with some MVP’s and another decade of all nba stats to crack the top 20

Luka and Tatum have to prove it this season. They're short on something all top 15 players have: individual hardware and rings. Luka's in year 6 now and Tatum's in year 7. Giannis, Jokic, LeBron, and Curry won their first of two consecutive MVPs in year 6. KD won his only MVP in year 7. The clock is ticking for Luka and Tatum.

If it was for under 15, Josh Giddey woulda been on the list.

They really said Tatum lol😂

Joker and Giannas has a shot. Tatum and Luka needs to start winning

Joking and Giannis easily

SGA will be top 20 All-Time mark my words