Pre-2022-23 Rank: #45, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #34

*Positional Notes:  Sabonis also spends time at Power Forward.

*Peak Period:  From 2017-17 to 2023-24.  Sabonis is likely to remain in his Peak Period after this season.

Sabonis is on a two-year streak of Third Team All-NBA Selections and top-ten MVP finishes.  If Sacramento goes on a deep run in 2025 with Sabonis as the catalyst, look for his Hall of Fame chances to rise significantly. 

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #38, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #42, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #41, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #41, Pre-2023-24 Rank #41.

Peak Period: From 2012-13 to 2018-19.

It took 14 seasons before Mike Conley Jr. finally made his first All-Star Game. Frankly, it felt a bit like a lifetime achievement award, but it was one that so many of us were happy to see him obtain.  Conley does not have the stats, the elite period, or the rings to get into Springfield, but he is one of the most respected players of all time, as shown by his two Teammate of the Year Awards and four Sportsmanship Awards.  If there were a Hall of Fame of Class, Conley would be the first ballot. 

If Minnesota captures an NBA Championship in 2025, we won’t be alone in being happiest for Mike Conley Jr.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #37, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #38, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #39, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #40, Pre-2023-24 Rank #41.

Peak Period: From 2015-16 to 2021-22.

Drummond has peaked, but despite being a four-time Rebounding Champion and two-time All-Star, Drummond has never been considered an upper-echelon player, and if his Elite Period is genuinely over, his Hall of Fame path relies on titles and stat-padding.  He has a lot better chance to do that in Philadelphia than he did in Chicago.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #36, Pre-2020-21 Rank #33, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #19, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #16, Pre-2023-24 Season Rank #18.

*Peak Period: 2017-18 to 2023-24.

Rudy Gobert’s Hall of Fame case needed last season’s success badly.

The Center was traded from Utah to Minnesota for a ransom of First-Round Picks, and his first season with the Timberwolves was not successful. This changed last season when he added his sixth First Team All-Defensive Selection and fourth Defensive Player of the Year Award, and when you log that many defensive accolades, the Hall will take notice.

More importantly, Minnesota reached the Western Conference Final last year.  If the team, now unquestionably led by Anthony Edwards, wins it all with a strong showing by Gobert, it won’t matter what they gave up to get Gobert.  That should make him the second Frenchman behind Tony Parker to enter the Hall, that is, unless a specific player named Victor Wembanyama overtakes him and Gobert stalls.

Viva la France!