The annual CBS Sports NBA Top 100 list just landed, and I’m already seeing red with some of these picks. Seriously, some of our league’s best are getting absolutely disrespected, and the rest of the league just isn’t ready for the fireworks coming this season. Every year, these lists drop and fans get fired up about how their favorite players are treated. Well, get ready for some outrage, because a couple of players stand out as criminally underrated, and the numbers don’t lie.
Jalen Johnson’s All-NBA Year Is Being Ignored, And Atlanta’s Gonna Make ‘Em Pay
Robby Kalland, one of the voters, is shouting from the rooftops about Jalen Johnson at No. 30. And you know what? He’s right! This guy, a young star wing for the Hawks, absolutely torched the league last year. He upped his production, his shooting efficiency went through the roof, and he was the undisputed No. 1 option on a playoff team. We’re talking about a player who earned his first All-Star and All-NBA selection way back in 2025! How is that only good enough for No. 30?
Just look at the numbers from last season: 22.5 points per game, 7.9 assists per game, 1.24 steals per game, and knocking down 1.667 three-pointers a night. Yeah, he had some growing pains in the playoffs, but let’s be real, he was going up against a hellacious Knicks wing defense that ended up winning the whole darn title! Johnson is only 25, with plenty of runway to keep improving. He’s gonna get even more comfortable in that leading role, and his playmaking at 6-foot-8? That’s what every front office dreams of. The Hawks fan base knows what’s up, and the rest of the league is about to find out.
LaMelo Ball’s Shot-Creating Machine Is Being Ignored and That’s the Real Problem
Then there’s LaMelo Ball, coming in at No. 41. Forty-one! I get it, some folks wanna talk about his defense, his durability, maybe even his maturity. Fine, those are real issues, I can acknowledge that. But what people are clearly missing, what they just don’t grasp, is the absolute wizardry of his shot-creating last year. From December 6 on, the Hornets had the NBA’s best offense in 2025-26. Think about that for a second. The *best* offense. In that same span, when he wasn’t on the floor, the Charlotte offense dipped by a massive 13.2 points per 100 possessions.
His 2025-26 stats were ridiculous: 20.1 points per game, 7.1 assists per game, 1.21 steals per game, and nearly four triples a night at 3.778 per game. This guy is a walking bucket, a playmaker, and he makes his team’s offense elite when he’s out there. To have him ranked outside the top 40? That’s just wild, and it’s going to light a fire under him.
These guys, Johnson and Ball, they’ve got a whole season to make everyone regret putting them so low. You just know they’re gonna come out absolutely fired up, ready to drop jaws and prove every single one of these “experts” wrong. Get ready, because the show is about to start.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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