2021-22 Pre-Season Rank: #42, 2022-23 Pre-Season Rank: #27, 2023-24 Pre-Season Rank: #14.
*Peak Period: 2018-19 to 2023-24. Doncic has only played six seasons and is still in his peak period.
Luka Doncic was the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, and since then, he has embarked on a five-year run during which he has been an All-Star, a top-ten MVP finisher, and a First-Team All-NBA Selection. Last season, the Slovenian superstar won his first Scoring Title (33.9) and brought the Mavericks to a surprising NBA Final, his second.
Doncic continues to improve and looks like a future MVP. Can he also be a future NBA Champion? 2025 could bring both.
Playing his college ball at South Dakota State, Vinatieri began his pro career with the Amsterdam Admirals of the World League of American Football. The New England Patriots signed him after and in 1996, he was officially a National Football League player.
New England was a team on the rise and if we are to agree that New England has been the best team in the last 20 years, it was Vinatieri’s kick in the snow that began the dynasty. Against the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs, Vinatieri booted a 45 Yard Field Goal in a blizzard to send the game in Overtime, which he would win for them with a 23 Yard FG. The Patriots would then beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, with Vinatieri again kicking the winning Field Goal, this time from 48 Yards out. He would go to two Pro Bowls and earn two First Team All-Pro Selections as a Patriot, and would also win two more Super Bowls.
Vinatieri signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2006 and he would win his fourth Super Bowl in his debut season in the Hoosier State. He played for Indianapolis until 2019, and left the game as the all-time leader in Points (2,673) and Field Goals (599), and if any kicker has a shot at first ballot induction, it is Vinatieri.
John Denney played his college ball at BYU, and when he was undrafted in 2005, he found his niche in the National Football League as a Long Snapper.
Denney landed with the Miami Dolphins, and he became one of the more dependable Long Snappers in the NFL. The former Cougar was named to the Pro Bowl twice (2010 & 2012), and appeared in 224 Games in the National Football League.
We know that Long Snappers will never make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but if there is ever a specific Hall for this type of player, Denney is a fringe player for this type of institution.
After establishing himself as one of the top college players in Duke history, Redick was taken by the Orlando Magic with the 11th Overall Pick. The Shooting Guard would become known for his skills from behind the arc, and in 2015-16, when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers, he led the NBA in Three-Point Percentage (.475). Redick would have seven seasons where he cracked the 15 Points per game mark, and would retire with a career 12.8 PPG.
Redick also played for Milwaukee, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Dallas.
While Redick’s NBA career does not scream Hall of Fame, the institution does recognize collegiate accomplishments, of which Redick has in spades. Playing at Duke, the sharpshooter won the AP Player of the Year in 2006, as well as capturing the John R. Wooden Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year and the Sporting News Player of the Year. He also won the ACC Player of the Year twice and the Rupp Trophy twice. The Blue Devils also retired his #4.