Pre-2019-20 Rank: #23.  Pre-2020-21 Rank: #25, Pre-2021-21 Rank #27, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #28, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #26

*Peak Period:  From 2009-10 to 2015-16

Last year, we said, “Al Horford's best years are behind him, but he is still a starter on an excellent Boston Celtics team that could win it all in 2024.”

That is what happened.

Horford has five All-Star Games on his resume, an NBA Champion, but the Hall looks at it all, including two NCAA Championships at Florida.  This is a better candidate than you might think, and he is still a favored championship contender.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #22, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #23, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #24, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #19, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #17

*Positional Notes:  Thompson is playing more at Small Forward these days, but his peak was in his role as a Shooting Guard.

*Peak Period:  From 2014-15 to 2022-23.  Note that Thompson missed the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Seasons, so this nine-year period is seven full seasons.

The elite period of Klay Thompson is over, but his narrative might be in the greatest state of flux.  Thompson was one-half of the Splash Brothers, but it was always known that his partner, Steph Curry, was the straw that stirred the drink.   A five-time All-Star, Thompson was a key part of Golden State’s last four NBA Titles, but at no time was he the top dog, and at times, not even the number two canine.

This year, Thompson joins Dallas, which is fresh off its Finals appearance.  If they win the NBA Championship in 2025, it will be a fun argument as to who it helps the most: Kyrie Irving or Klay Thompson.   

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

*Peak Period: From 2013-14 to 2019-20.

When Kyle Lowry was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Toronto Raptors, the rep on the Point Guard was that he was a moody malcontent.  The change of scenery erased that quickly, and he became the heart and soul of a team that won the 2019 NBA Championship and was a six-time All-Star.   The master of taking a foul, only received MVP votes one year (10^th in 2016), and he has some compiling work to do with his new team, Philadelphia, to have any severe shot at the Hall of Fame.

We can confidently say that the Toronto Raptors will announce his jersey retirement the second he retires—or, at least, they better!

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #19, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #13, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #11, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #11, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #12.

*Peak Period: 2014-15 to 2020-21

When Damian Lillard joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023, it ended the run of one of the best players the Portland Trail Blazers ever had.  In Portland, Dame was a six-time All-NBA Selection (one First Team, four Second Team, and one Third Team), and from 2017-18 to 2020-21, finished in the top eight in MVP voting.  With that said, Lillard could only reach one Western Conference Final, and frustration naturally ensued.

Milwaukee was supposed to be Lillard’s best chance at an NBA Championship, but his pairing with Giannis Antetokounmpo did not result in much for year one.  Like Paul George (who is above Lillard by one spot), a title will make the difference between first ballot and a bit of a wait.