3 former Wildcats crack ESPN's Top 25-11 NBA player rankings

Nearly 30 former Kentucky Wildcats will suit up for an NBA roster throughout the 2022-23 season. But even more impressive is how roughly half of them are considered among the top basketball players in the entire world.

On Tuesday, ESPN unveiled its NBA player rankings for the upcoming season, starting with Nos. 100-26. A total of six one-time ‘Cats made the cut, led by Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey at No. 44 overall. On Wednesday, ESPN dropped the player rankings for Nos. 25-11, with three more Kentucky players cracking the list.

No. 23 | Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat (previously No. 21)
No. 20 | Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (previously No. 9)
No. 13 | Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves (previously No. 24)

Following a 2021-22 season riddled with injuries and a failure to meet team expectations with the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis saw a pretty considerable dropoff in his ranking, falling 11 spots to No. 20. That being said, when fully healthy, he’s a clear top 10 player in the league. A bounce-back season could be in order for Davis.

Looking at Bam Adebayo and Karl-Anthony Towns, the former is ranked appropriately, in my opinion. Adebayo was terrific last season, but didn’t take the leap on offense many had hoped for. He’s still one of the best players in the world. As for Towns, his 11-spot jump to No. 13 is well-deserved.

Towns was named an All-Star in 2021-22 after not making the game the previous two seasons. He posted elite shooting numbers and is arguably the greatest outside shooter in league history at 26 years old. Bringing three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves will surely help cover for any Towns’s weaknesses, too. Minnesota is the only franchise with three players among the top 25: Towns, Gobert (No. 18), and Anthony Edwards (No. 25).

Also, if you’ve been paying close attention to the former Wildcats who’ve made the top 100 so far, you probably noticed one name is still missing. That hooper would be Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, who will be among ESPN’s top 10 NBA players once those are released over the next two days. Booker, 25, is riding three straight All-Star appearances and was tabbed to the 2021-22 All-NBA First-Team.

The BBN continues to take over the NBA.