What current NBA players do you think will make the Hall of Fame?

[J_Dee]

I don't think these guys are debatable. The stats and cultural relevance speak for themselves.

LeBron - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jamesle01.html

Curry - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/curryst01.html

Harden - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html

Durant - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/duranke01.html

Westbrook - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westbru01.html

Howard - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/howardw01.html

Paul - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/paulch01.html

Anthony - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/anthoca01.html

Leonard - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/leonaka01.html

And these guys are well on their way:

Paul George - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/georgpa01.html

Anthony Davis - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/davisan02.html

Giannis - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/antetgi01.html

Damian Lillard - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01.html

And these in my opinion are the borderline guys:

Blake Griffin - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/griffbl01.html

He's only played 642 games in twelve seasons, and at this point I think he'll be lucky to finish his career with with 16,000 points or 7,000 rebounds. He's never won a ring or an MVP or been elected to an All-First Team except for as a rookie; his only real strengths are his are his PER (which is going to drop like a rock the more he plays), his playoffs performances, and his six All-Star appearances. A ring or three would definitely help his case, but otherwise, I don't think he has a shot.

Rajon Rondo - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/rondora01.html

He's definitely got a strong case (especially for his assists, his sometimes brilliant playoffs performances, and for being the first to earn a ring with both the Celtics and the Lakers) but he's certainly not a lock. Sometimes he's a great leader, and sometimes he's just there. I'd vote him in, but he's my favorite player ever, so I'm hardly objective.

Kyle Lowry - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lowryky01.html

He's had a long, consistent career and he has a ring.

Kyrie Irving - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/irvinky01.html

He's good, but he's not consistent. He's only averaged about 55 games per season for his career.

Klay Thompson - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thompkl01.html

His unfortunate injuries might've cut a great career short. I hope not but we'll see.

Andre Iguodala - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iguodan01.html

A consistent force on defense with three rings and Finals MVP.

Kevin Love - https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/loveke01.html

Meh.

Anyway, who do you think will make it?

 

[WildcatFan1982]

Jeremey Lin.

 

[vhcat70]

Why does the NBA enter your thought pattern? It's been daze for me, but I couldn't forget this thread title so I was forced to comment.

 

[joey009852]

I’d put Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Nikola Jokic and Lemarcus Aldridge as all being in so long as they continue to have the careers that they’ve had so far

 

[It'saDoneDeal]

Good stuff here. Just a couple of names not yet mentioned:

I think Embiid needs to be mentioned. He's having a MVP caliber season this year. Seems well on his way.

Way too early, but Luka is gonna be barring something tragic happening. Total basketball savant.

 

[CatGotMyTongue]

ANY ALL WIT KENTUCKY OnTHE FRONT AND BaCK OF THERE JERZEE!!! gOD BLESS

 

[LineSkiCat14]

This could actually be a decent thread about basketball. Something we haven't had in months. Kudos.

I'm not as keen on the NBA criteria as much as I am with the NFL..

Some of these names surprise me. Kemba? LMA? K love? Idk, these guys don't strike me as HOF worthy players.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Current NBA players that I believe, given their current trajectory, should be or will be in the NBA HOF (if they aren't already):

Lebron, Harden, Curry (yuck), Durant, Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, Lillard, CP3, Davis, Kawhi.. maaaaybe Booker?..

Just not sure about guys like Melo. A stat stuffer with no rings. Irving? Ok, he has a rings that were basically from Lebron, what else did he do?

To me, the HOF needs to be either how you dominated or how you impacted the game. Eli Manning didn't dominate a thing.. but he's the QB behind the greatest modern day football upset.. then he did it again. Yao Ming isn't the greatest Center by any stretch, but he created more NBA fans than anyone outside of Jordan/Lebron/Kobe. He brought the game to an international level that no one else has.. Those are two guys that "impacted" the game. Those are more HOF worthy than Melo or Irving are, IMO.

 

[J_Dee]

I’d put Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Nikola Jokic and Lemarcus Aldridge as all being in so long as they continue to have the careers that they’ve had so far

I respectfully disagree about Butler, Aldridge, and Walker. They're all well-liked and all very, very good in both the regular season as well as the playoffs (particularly Butler, who can be a monster on defense), but none have ever been close to being elite (none have ever won any a ring or even come close to an MVP) or especially culturally relevant, and they're all arguably in decline (they're all in their 30s; Aldridge is 35, and I'll be surprised if he plays more than a few more seasons). Butler has Olympics Gold and Walker an NCAA Championship, though, both notable accomplishments.

Jokic certainly has a great shot if he continues to be fantastic on both ends of the court. And unlike Butler, Walker, and Aldridge, he's made a All-NBA First Team, and he's likely going to make more. He's wasting in prime in Denver, though, in my opinion. He's not winning a ring there.

I think Embiid needs to be mentioned. He's having a MVP caliber season this year. Seems well on his way.

Way too early, but Luka is gonna be barring something tragic happening. Total basketball savant.

Emiid's great at the moment, but I'll be surprised if he has long and subsequently productive career. He's just so darn injury-prone; his many injuries have limited him to an average of about 50 games per season over the four he's played, and he's about to turn 27 years old.

I agree about Luka. Barring injury, he's likely going to be spectacular, but he's only 21 so it's just too early to tell.

Just not sure about guys like Melo. A stat stuffer with no rings. Irving? Ok, he has a rings that were basically from Lebron, what else did he do?

Irving was Rookie of the Year, and he has a 22.3 career PER. He's toughed out his career through some mental issues too, which I think should be taken into consideration; a lot of players like him have simply given up instead of facing their problems down. And his Uncle Drew character...well, it isn't disliked, and a lot of people know it. If he wins a ring or two with Brooklyn, which is definitely possible, I think he'll just barely make it.

I'm not a fan of Anthony -- stat stuffer for sure, never truly elite -- but he's popular (he's made ten All-Star teams), he's got over 100 win shares, and he's going to finish his career just outside of the top ten scorers in NBA/ABA history. He's also the leading scorer and rebounder in US Olympics history with three Gold Medals and has an NCAA Championship (and a Final Four MVP).

To me, the HOF needs to be either how you dominated or how you impacted the game. Eli Manning didn't dominate a thing.. but he's the QB behind the greatest modern day football upset.. then he did it again. Yao Ming isn't the greatest Center by any stretch, but he created more NBA fans than anyone outside of Jordan/Lebron/Kobe. He brought the game to an international level that no one else has.. Those are two guys that "impacted" the game. Those are more HOF worthy than Melo or Irving are, IMO.

I totally agree. Ming was inducted into the Hall almost as soon as possible (he actually asked for a delay); if Irving or Anthony are elected, I doubt they'll get in as quickly or with as much support.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

Current NBA players that I believe, given their current trajectory, should be or will be in the NBA HOF (if they aren't already):

Lebron, Harden, Curry (yuck), Durant, Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, Lillard, CP3, Davis, Kawhi.. maaaaybe Booker?..

Just not sure about guys like Melo. A stat stuffer with no rings. Irving? Ok, he has a rings that were basically from Lebron, what else did he do?

To me, the HOF needs to be either how you dominated or how you impacted the game. Eli Manning didn't dominate a thing.. but he's the QB behind the greatest modern day football upset.. then he did it again. Yao Ming isn't the greatest Center by any stretch, but he created more NBA fans than anyone outside of Jordan/Lebron/Kobe. He brought the game to an international level that no one else has.. Those are two guys that "impacted" the game. Those are more HOF worthy than Melo or Irving are, IMO.

Carmelo is the 14th leading scorer in NBA history, 10x All Star, and 6x All NBA. Guy has a chance to be a top 10 scorer before he retires. Guy is a lock to make the Hall of Fame.

And that’s not even taking into account that he is arguably the greatest USA International Basketball player in history.

 

[joey009852]

I respectfully disagree about Butler, Aldridge, and Walker. They're all well-liked and all very, very good in both the regular season as well as the playoffs (particularly Butler, who can be a monster on defense), but none have ever been close to being elite (none have ever won any a ring or even come close to an MVP) or especially culturally relevant, and they're all arguably in decline (they're all in their 30s; Aldridge is 35, and I'll be surprised if he plays more than a few more seasons). Butler has Olympics Gold and Walker an NCAA Championship, though, both notable accomplishments.

Jokic certainly has a great shot if he continues to be fantastic on both ends of the court. And unlike Butler, Walker, and Aldridge, he's made a All-NBA First Team, and he's likely going to make more. He's wasting in prime in Denver, though, in my opinion. He's not winning a ring there.



Emiid's great at the moment, but I'll be surprised if he has long and subsequently productive career. He's just so darn injury-prone; his many injuries have limited him to an average of about 50 games per season over the four he's played, and he's about to turn 27 years old.

I agree about Luka. Barring injury, he's likely going to be spectacular, but he's only 21 so it's just too early to tell.



Irving was Rookie of the Year, and he has a 22.3 career PER. He's toughed out his career through some mental issues too, which I think should be taken into consideration; a lot of players like him have simply given up instead of facing their problems down. And his Uncle Drew character...well, it isn't disliked, and a lot of people know it. If he wins a ring or two with Brooklyn, which is definitely possible, I think he'll just barely make it.

I'm not a fan of Anthony -- stat stuffer for sure, never truly elite -- but he's popular (he's made ten All-Star teams), he's got over 100 win shares, and he's going to finish his career just outside of the top ten scorers in NBA/ABA history. He's also the leading scorer and rebounder in US Olympics history with three Gold Medals and has an NCAA Championship (and a Final Four MVP).



I totally agree. Ming was inducted into the Hall almost as soon as possible (he actually asked for a delay); if Irving or Anthony are elected, I doubt they'll get in as quickly or with as much support.

I respectfully disagree about Butler, Aldridge, and Walker. They're all well-liked and all very, very good in both the regular season as well as the playoffs (particularly Butler, who can be a monster on defense), but none have ever been close to being elite (none have ever won any a ring or even come close to an MVP) or especially culturally relevant, and they're all arguably in decline (they're all in their 30s; Aldridge is 35, and I'll be surprised if he plays more than a few more seasons). Butler has Olympics Gold and Walker an NCAA Championship, though, both notable accomplishments.

Jokic certainly has a great shot if he continues to be fantastic on both ends of the court. And unlike Butler, Walker, and Aldridge, he's made a All-NBA First Team, and he's likely going to make more. He's wasting in prime in Denver, though, in my opinion. He's not winning a ring there.



Emiid's great at the moment, but I'll be surprised if he has long and subsequently productive career. He's just so darn injury-prone; his many injuries have limited him to an average of about 50 games per season over the four he's played, and he's about to turn 27 years old.

I agree about Luka. Barring injury, he's likely going to be spectacular, but he's only 21 so it's just too early to tell.



Irving was Rookie of the Year, and he has a 22.3 career PER. He's toughed out his career through some mental issues too, which I think should be taken into consideration; a lot of players like him have simply given up instead of facing their problems down. And his Uncle Drew character...well, it isn't disliked, and a lot of people know it. If he wins a ring or two with Brooklyn, which is definitely possible, I think he'll just barely make it.

I'm not a fan of Anthony -- stat stuffer for sure, never truly elite -- but he's popular (he's made ten All-Star teams), he's got over 100 win shares, and he's going to finish his career just outside of the top ten scorers in NBA/ABA history. He's also the leading scorer and rebounder in US Olympics history with three Gold Medals and has an NCAA Championship (and a Final Four MVP).



I totally agree. Ming was inducted into the Hall almost as soon as possible (he actually asked for a delay); if Irving or Anthony are elected, I doubt they'll get in as quickly or with as much support.

I can’t argue with you, none of the ones I’ve listed are a lock. I kind of thought Butler was on the fence before last season. Probably not getting in, but close. Making it to the finals in the COVID bubble might be enough? Aldridge I think has the benefit of playing for Pop, and the league and media loves everything he touches. Plus he’s a 7 time all star and has solid across the board stats. Kemba has got the most work to do, but arguably the best chance to do it in Boston. With 4 All-Stars, if he can add 2-3 more and be a championship contender, which again he should be a contender in Boston I think that gets him in. Jokic is the closest to a lock on my list in my opinion, but your right he’ll never win anything in Denver. That could hurt but I don’t think keep him out. There’s more than a few already in the Hall of Fame that never won a championship.

 

[BeAllied]

NBA & ABA Leaders and Records for Hall of Fame Probability | Basketball-Reference.com

NBA & ABA Leaders and Records for Hall of Fame Probability

www.basketball-reference.com

Active

Rank	Player	HoF Prob
1.	LeBron James	1.0000
2.	Chris Paul	1.0000
3.	Kevin Durant	1.0000
4.	James Harden	0.9992
5.	Russell Westbrook	0.9990
6.	Stephen Curry	0.9989
7.	Dwight Howard	0.9973
8.	Carmelo Anthony	0.9842
9.	Anthony Davis	0.9621
10.	Kyle Lowry	0.8574
11.	Damian Lillard	0.7445
12.	Kevin Love	0.7347
13.	Paul George	0.6544
14.	Kyrie Irving	0.6477
15.	Rajon Rondo	0.6056
16.	Kawhi Leonard	0.5713
17.	Blake Griffin	0.5481
18.	Klay Thompson	0.5129
19.	LaMarcus Aldridge	0.5089
20.	Jimmy Butler	0.4329
21.	John Wall	0.3239
22.	Draymond Green	0.3119
23.	Giannis Antetokounmpo	0.2590
24.	Kemba Walker	0.1510
25.	Al Horford	0.1223

 

[KRJ1975]

Current NBA players that I believe, given their current trajectory, should be or will be in the NBA HOF (if they aren't already):

Lebron, Harden, Curry (yuck), Durant, Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, Lillard, CP3, Davis, Kawhi.. maaaaybe Booker?..

Just not sure about guys like Melo. A stat stuffer with no rings. Irving? Ok, he has a rings that were basically from Lebron, what else did he do?

To me, the HOF needs to be either how you dominated or how you impacted the game. Eli Manning didn't dominate a thing.. but he's the QB behind the greatest modern day football upset.. then he did it again. Yao Ming isn't the greatest Center by any stretch, but he created more NBA fans than anyone outside of Jordan/Lebron/Kobe. He brought the game to an international level that no one else has.. Those are two guys that "impacted" the game. Those are more HOF worthy than Melo or Irving are, IMO.

Why the yuck for Curry? He revolutionized the way the game is now played, is the deadliest shooter we have ever seen, has 2x MVP and 3x Ring, and is probably the 2nd greatest PG of all time. Durant gets the yuck from me for being mr superteam.

 

[BeAllied]

Why the yuck for Curry?

I just assumed that he has a negative association with Indian food.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Why the yuck for Curry? He revolutionized the way the game is now played, is the deadliest shooter we have ever seen, has 2x MVP and 3x Ring, and is probably the 2nd greatest PG of all time. Durant gets the yuck from me for being mr superteam.

I have a long list of reason of why I dont like him or why I think he's overrated. But hes still HOF for the reasons you listed. And he's smashing this season..

..although 2nd greatest PG is a stretch. Are we basing it off of rings? Ok sure. Are we basing it off of who was the greatest true Point Guard.. no.

I know he plays as GSW's point.. but he's really a combo guard at this point. And I think that's how he should be remembered. He isn't a Point or a SG exclusively, he's both.

 

[KRJ1975]

I have a long list of reason of why I dont like him or why I think he's overrated. But hes still HOF for the reasons you listed. And he's smashing this season..

..although 2nd greatest PG is a stretch. Are we basing it off of rings? Ok sure. Are we basing it off of who was the greatest true Point Guard.. no.

I know he plays as GSW's point.. but he's really a combo guard at this point. And I think that's how he should be remembered. He isn't a Point or a SG exclusively, he's both.

If I am building a team to win a series, he would be on that team. Magic is pretty hands down #1 at PG, but after that it gets murky. Stockton, Isiah, Robertson, Cousy, etc. If I am taking 4 guards on an all time team to win a series, those 4 would be Magic, Jordan, Kobe, and Curry.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

If I am building a team to win a series, he would be on that team. Magic is pretty hands down #1 at PG, but after that it gets murky. Stockton, Isiah, Robertson, Cousy, etc. If I am taking 4 guards on an all time team to win a series, those 4 would be Magic, Jordan, Kobe, and Curry.

I'm a bit surprised at the season he's having, begrudgingly. But I still want to see what sorta magic Curry can pull off not that his team isn't head and shoulders better than everyone else. I've said it before, those GSW teams had absurd talent from 1 to 10 on the depth chart, way more than a salary cap normally offers. It's a lot different when you have to carry a team. But he's carying them now and hitting all the marks and then some. WIll be interesting to see what he can pull out of this team.

I was going to say, Magic has to be #1. Zeke and Cousy have to be mentioned, and they played in eras that were far more tough than now. It's hard to find "pure" points through the years. Iverson isn't a "pure" #1. Crazy as it sounds, I might take peak Chris Paul.

I love then "starting a franchise tomorrow" arguments.. It removes all the fluff. It says "you're the GM and your job is on the line, who is your starting PG?"

 

[KRJ1975]

I'm a bit surprised at the season he's having, begrudgingly. But I still want to see what sorta magic Curry can pull off not that his team isn't head and shoulders better than everyone else. I've said it before, those GSW teams had absurd talent from 1 to 10 on the depth chart, way more than a salary cap normally offers. It's a lot different when you have to carry a team. But he's carying them now and hitting all the marks and then some. WIll be interesting to see what he can pull out of this team.

I was going to say, Magic has to be #1. Zeke and Cousy have to be mentioned, and they played in eras that were far more tough than now. It's hard to find "pure" points through the years. Iverson isn't a "pure" #1. Crazy as it sounds, I might take peak Chris Paul.

I love then "starting a franchise tomorrow" arguments.. It removes all the fluff. It says "you're the GM and your job is on the line, who is your starting PG?"

Luka.

Also, I like your CP3 call. I’m higher on him than most fans are.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Luka.

I was all on board the Luka train.. but he's taken a bit of a hit lately. Still a top10 player right now, maybe top5. But he's showing to be a sub-par shooter, and he's kind of becoming a bit of a whiner. Still, if I was starting a franchise TOMORROW, that needs to compete for the next 15 years? Luka. And it's not even really close, IMO.

 

[KRJ1975]

I was all on board the Luka train.. but he's taken a bit of a hit lately. Still a top10 player right now, maybe top5. But he's showing to be a sub-par shooter, and he's kind of becoming a bit of a whiner. Still, if I was starting a franchise TOMORROW, that needs to compete for the next 15 years? Luka. And it's not even really close, IMO.

Agreed. He’s still so young too. He still has upward trajectory.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

The 12 below are locks or pretty damn close to it if they were to retire immediately. Sorry for weird formatting, I did my lists in excel so I could better track who I had listed

• Kawhi Leonard
• Anthony Davis
• LeBron James
• James Harden
• Russell Westbrook
• Chris Paul
• Damian Lillard
• Kevin Durant
• Stephen Curry
• Carmelo Anthony
• Kevin Love
• Dwight Howard

The below are veterans that are probably going to get in but maybe could use just a tiny bit more to their resume to get into lock territory. If they were to retire immediately it would be a toss up, IMO. Listed in order of most likely to get in

• Kyrie Irving - Still very much in his prime, so he'll get there
• Paul George - Still very much in his prime, so he'll get there
• Klay Thompson - A lot depends on how he is when he returns
• Blake Griffin - probably getting in
• Rajon Rondo - don't think he makes it but it's possible

The below are the young guys who already have quite a few damn good years in them and the only thing probably keepin g them from eventually having a HOF lock resume is a severely injury plagued career or their game starts falling off a cliff a lot earlier than we would generally expect

• Luka Doncic
• Ben Simmons
• Devin Booker
• Nikola Jokic
• Giannis
• Joel Embiid
• Rudy Gobert
• Donovan Mitchell
• Brad Beal
• Kris Middleton

The below are young guys who have only had one or two high quality years. They've certainly shown flashes of being great, but they really lack in at least one of team success, all-star appearances, and All-NBA selections. Going to take a few more years of it to be in the discussion, then add a few more on top of that to get into lock territory.

• Collin Sexton
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Malcolm Brogdon
• Domantas Sabonis
• Jayson Tatum
• Jamal Murray
• John Collins
• LaMelo Ball - yeah I know, hasn't even gotten one season in yet, but this guy is looking legit right now folks
• Pascal Siakam
• Trae Young
• Bam Adebayo
• Brandon Ingram
• Karl-Anthony Towns
• Kristaps Porzingis
• Zach LaVine
• Jaylen Brown
• Zion Williamson
• DeAaron Fox
• Julius Randle

The below are the veterans, most are in the twilight of their careers or on the backside of their prime. Probably not a whole lot more they can do to get consideration (aside from the first three), but if the selection committee is generous they could potentially get in

• Gordon Hayward
• John Wall
• Jimmy Butler - The first three are still looking good enough that they could add a lot to their resume but they do need to do a lot. There are the only three I think have a strong change of adding enough to get in
• Kyle Lowry - getting that championship helps a lot, but I think the overall lack of individual rewards is going to hurt him
• LaMarcus Aldridge
• Kemba Walker
• DeMar DeRozan
• Al Horford
• Draymond Green - If he hadn't won a few championships he would never even be considered here
• Marc Gasol - Does his national team career give him a big boost? Spain has been one of the top international teams for the majority of his national team career
• Paul Millsap

 

[warrior-cat]

Fletch: He's 6'4" with the hair 6'8".

 

[Nubb16]

Rajon Rondo will be in the Hall of Fame