If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NBA Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the fourth year that we have done this, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic winning the first two, and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers winning last year.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at Thanksgiving.  We will this going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward.

Here is the current top ten:

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, 89 Cup Points, 20 Games, 4.45 Cup Points per Game, 29.0, PPG, 12.8 RPG, 9.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 34.2 PER, 4.6 WS.  Last Week, #1.

Remaining at the top is Nikola Jokic, who is now an NBA Champion and Finals MVP.  At present, the Joker is leading the NBA in Rebounds per Game (12.8), Points (578(, Triple-Doubles (8), Field Goals (227), PER (34.2), Win Shares (4.6), Box Plus/Minus (15.6) and VORP (3.0).  Right now, he is the best player in Basketball, and that is not in dispute (despite what Kendrick Perkins might think).

2. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors, 77 Cup Points:  18 Games, 4.28 Cup Points per Game, 29.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 23.2 PER, 2.2 WS. Last Week #6

The Warriors are an aging team, but Father Time has not yet found Curry, who is the best beyond-the-arc shooter of all-time.  He is seventh in PPG (29.1) and is leading the league in 3-Point Field Goals (91), but the pieces around him are falling apart.

3. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns, 74 Cup Points:  18 Games, 4.11 Cup Points Per Game, 31.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 25.2 PER, 2.6 WS.  Last Week #2.

Durant remains a superstar and when he is healthy, he is among the best in the world.  KD is chasing another title and MVP with the Suns, and he is having one of his best starts in recent years.  At present, Durant is second in scoring (31.0) has not averaged over 30 Points per Game since the 2013/14 Season, but is over that right now.

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, 73 Cup Points:  18 Games, 4.06 Cup Points Per Game, 29.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 6.3 APG, 2.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 30.3 PER, 3.8 WS.  Last Week #3.

Gilgeous-Alexander broke through to the upper-tier last season, and he is proving that this was no fluke.  He is leading the NBA in Steals per Game (2.4) and Free Throw Percentage (.939) is third in PER (30.3) and sixth in Points (29.9).  The Canadian is now an MVP contender.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, 71 Cup Points:  19 Games, 3.74 Cup Points per Game, 29.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 4.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 28.5 PER, 2.7 WS.

The two-time MVP has never had a better supporting cast than he does now, and he is responding by doing what he always does: dominate.  Antetokounmpo, however has slightly less metrics than previous years, but the arrival of Damian Lillard means he does not have to always carry the load.  This will cost him a Cup Point or two but the selfless European is totally fine with that.

6. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks, 69 Cup Points:  18 Games, 3.83 Cup Points per Game, 31.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 8.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 27.1 PER, 2.6 WS.  Last Week #5.

Doncic is on a four-year streak of First Team All-NBA stars, and he is on pace to add a fifth.  Hs is second on Points per Game (31.4), fifth in Assists (8.4), and is in the top ten in PER (27.1), Box Plus/Minus (8.7), VORP (1.8) and Win Shares (2.6).

7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics, 68 Cup Points:  19 Games, 3.58 Cup Points per Game, 27.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 21.4 PER, 2.5 WS.  Last Week #6.

Tatum begins the year the way he ended the last one: an MVP contender on a power team.  He has already a nabbed a Player of the Week Award, is seventh in PPG (27.4) and is poised to take the Celtics on his back to a title.

8. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, 67 Cup Points, 16 Games, 4.07 Cup Points per Game, 32.0, PPG, 11.3 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 32.1 PER, 3.2 WS.  Last Week #3

Embiid is the reigning MVP, NIHOF Cup Winner, and two-time scoring champion, and he is currently leading the NBA in scoring again (32.0).  The 76er is also first in Usage Percentage (36.0), and is second in PER (32.1), and is in the top ten in Rebounds and Blocks per Game.  Embiid has missed the last few games, costing him Cup Points.

9. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, 66 Cup Points:  20 Games, 3.30 Cup Points per Game, 24.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 23.7 PER, 2.1 WS.

James set the all-time scoring record last year, and he continues to defy time by playing at an elite level. 

10. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, 64 Cup Points:  19 Games, 3.64 Cup Points per Game, 22.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 19.1 PER, 2.1 WS.

Towns took over for Anthony Edwards in the top ten and if he stays healthy should remain here.

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards and Sacramento’s Damontas Sabonis fell off the top ten.

Our next update will be up on next Monday.

The Hall of Fame season continues with the Baseball Hall’s announcement that Jim Leyland has been named to the Hall via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for Managers/Executives/Umpires.   The former Manager received 15 of 16 voted for the ballot, making him the only person selected from this group.

Leyland is a three-time Manager of the Year (1990, 1992 & 2006), and led the Florida Marlins to their improbable 1997 World Series title.  With a career record of 1,769-1,728 and helmed the United States to victory in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Missing out was Lou Piniella who received 11 votes and Bill White who had 10.  Also on the ballot were Cito Gaston, Davey Johnson, Ed Montague, Hank Peters and Joe West.

We here at Notinhllloffame.com would like to congratulate Jim Leyland for his impending honor.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we here at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the 50 of each major North American sports team.  That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists out and we always consistently look to update them when we can and based on necessity.  As such, we are very happy to present our post 2022/23 revision of our top 50 Toronto Raptors.

As for all of our top 50 players in basketball we look at the following:

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Basketball Association.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, Toronto only made it to the play-in round, but when you have a franchise this young, you will see fluctuation in a top 50, even in a mediocre year.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a new number five:

1. Kyle Lowry

2. Chris Bosh

3. Vince Carter

4. DeMar DeRozan

5. Pascal Siakam

You can find the entire list here.

Siakam continues his climb, and has done enough to breach the top five.

Fred VanVleet, who is now with the Houston Rockets, climbed to #8 from #12.

Shooting Guard, O.G. Anunoby moved up to #14 from #20.

Former Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes, advanced ten spots to #26.

Center, Jakob Poeltl, who returned last year, shot up nine spots to #31.  This jump, despite only 24 more Games was a testament to Poeltl’s efficiency and Toronto’s overall brevity in length.

The lone new entry was Gary Trent, who debuts at #33.

We welcome your input and comments and as always, we thank you for your support.

Traded from the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020/21 Season for Norman Powell, Gary Trent who became Toronto’s starting Shooting Guard.

Trent had his best year with the Raptors in his first full season with the North, finishing third in Steals per Game (1.7), and what is currently a career-high in Points per Game (18.3), and he followed that with a similar season (17.4 Points and 1.6 Steals per Game).  Going into 2023-24, Trent will lost starting minutes to O.G. Anunoby, and it would be his last season in a Raptors uniform as he joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024 as a free agent.