B/R Predicts Top 25 Wings for 2022-23 NBA Season
Hey, did you hear?
Bleacher Report's Top 100 NBA player predictions drops on Friday, and ahead of the reveal, we're sharing our top-25 guards, wings and bigs as they were determined by our final order.
In case you missed the guards or need a reminder of our method, we've got you covered here.
Today, we're breaking down the wing position and will include a few teasers about our Top 100 along the way.
Nos. 25-21
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25. Herbert Jones
It only took one season for Jones to establish himself as one of the game's most dynamic and versatile wing defenders. With his athleticism, relentlessness and 7-foot wingspan, he can make offense a nightmare for most of his matchups. If he can get his regular-season three-point shooting (33.7 percent) closer to what he did in the playoffs (41.7), he'll be one of the game's premier three-and-D specialists.
24. De'Andre Hunter
Hunter barely cracked our Top 100 list, and he'll need to play up to that billing in for the Atlanta Hawks to be one of the elite teams in the East. He earns top-25 status as a wing and still has some high-level three-and-D potential going into a contract year.
23. Bogdan Bogdanović
The Atlanta Hawks will get most of their offense through the guard position, with Bogdan Bogdanović serving the top reserve at either the 1 or 2. If he can bring his three-point shot back up from 36.8 percent to near the 43.8 percent he shot two seasons ago, the Hawks will be a nightmare to stop.
22. Josh Giddey
Giddey could flirt with triple-double averages in his second season as he takes on a larger role for a Thunder team that still revolves around him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If his three-point shot improves (26.3 percent last season), we could see the 6'8" guard rocket up this list.
—Swartz
21. Keldon Johnson
Keldon Johnson has morphed into the type of offensive force that can broach 20 points per game entirely within the flow of the offense. He can binge on assisted threes—around 37 percent above the break last year—and remains a wrecking ball on downhill assaults.
Whether Johnson surges up this ranking is a tougher call. He can squeak past a Kyle Kuzma or Spencer Dinwiddie pretty easily, but he’ll have to add more directionality on his drives and/or half-court initiation to his skill set if he's going make a major leap.
Nos. 20-16
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20. Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes continues to blur the line between accessory and underutilized self-starter. His 63.1 effective field-goal percentage on catch-and-shoots is plug-and-play Nirvana, but he can still deliver spot buckets via outside-in isos and post-ups.
This has the potential to be too low. Burying him behind the yet-to-be-ranked Franz Wagner, and even behind the likes of Julius Randle and Christian Wood in our Top 100, doesn't sit right. But Barnes is now on the wrong side of 30, and his defensive engagement last year was, to put it kindly, uninspiring.
—Favale
19. Dillon Brooks
Dillion Brooks is a tough, physical wing who can score in bunches. In the last year of his contract, it's an important season for him to show how vital he is to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Brooks is coming off a year in which he averaged 18.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists while playing in just 32 contests before returning in the postseason.
—Pincus
18. Franz Wagner
This is spicy! Well, unless you watched Franz Wagner rain off-the-dribble hell upon defenses during EuroBasket. In which case, neither this, nor his placement in our Top 100, is spicy enough.
Wagner closed his rookie season as the consummate offensive complement. He dropped in catch-and-shoot jumpers and reached the rim off high-IQ cuts. But he also kept defenses on tilt by attacking downhill off the catch, flinging floaters and finishing with force and finesse at the basket. He even busted out a hook shot. If he's now a high-efficiency self-creator from the outside—he hit 34.8 percent of his pull-up threes last year post-All-Star break—then sheesh.
—Favale
17. Tobias Harris
As the Philadelphia 76ers have gone through several evolutions over the past few seasons, Tobias Harris has done his best to fit in. He's a consistent scorer, and while his output dipped slightly from 19.5 points a game in 2020-21 to 17.2 last season, that's not necessarily bad.
With the emergence of Tyrese Maxey alongside Joel Embiid and James Harden, the Sixers have more of a diverse offense. Harris isn't necessarily a lockdown defender, but he's willing to fight and is still an essential piece for Philadelphia.
—Pincus
16. Michael Porter Jr.
If Porter puts together a (mostly) healthy season, he's quite easily a top-50 player given his immense skill set. The 24-year-old made 62.8 percent of his twos and 44.5 percent of his threes in 2020-21 while averaging 19.0 points per game, numbers that have never been reached before or since in NBA history.
—Swartz
Nos. 15-11
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15. OG Anunoby
Anunoby averaged a career-high 17.1 points per game last season, yet he could take a step back as the Toronto Raptors try to carve out a bigger role for Scottie Barnes. A tough and talented wing defender, Anunoby has worked himself into being one of the better all-around forwards in the NBA.
—Swartz
14. RJ Barrett
Barrett still has an incredibly high ceiling now entering Year 4, especially if he can improve his shooting efficiency. Having a point guard like Jalen Brunson should help, as only 37.0 percent of Barrett's career shots from inside the arc have come off an assist.
Big, two-way wings are the most valuable commodity in the NBA today, and Barrett is on the threshold of becoming one of the best.
—Swartz
13. Mikal Bridges
Chris Paul being another year older and Jae Crowder likely headed elsewhere means that Mikal Bridges may be entrusted to do a little more this season. Even if he doesn't, he's already among the game's most valuable three-and-D wings.
Over the past two seasons, Alec Burks, Nicolas Batum and Kawhi Leonard are the only players who match or exceed both of Bridges' marks for defensive box plus/minus (1.0) and three-point percentage (39.7).
—Bailey
12. Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins is hardly recognizable since joining the Warriors. He has carved out a role as a dependable, high-end three-and-D weapon and was just Golden State’s second-best player in the NBA Finals.
Questions persist, both new and old. Can the ferocity with which he played in the postseason—on the glass in particular—sustain to become his new normal? Does he have more to offer as a driver, post-up weapon or iso scorer, especially during no-Stephen-Curry stretches? Is the defensive utility here to stay or the byproduct of his environment?
Make no mistake, though: A top-50 dalliance is ridiculously hard. Wiggins is earning that by embracing a simplified–yet still wildly valuable—role with the Warriors.
—Favale
11. Scottie Barnes
Scottie Barnes just won Rookie of the Year, but we really didn’t see much of what may be his most interesting skill. Beyond his multipositional defense and solid floater game, Barnes, who played point guard in college, has high-end playmaking forward potential.
—Bailey
Nos. 10-6
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10. DeMar DeRozan
In his age-32 campaign, DeMar DeRozan set a new career high for points per game at 27.9. What's really made him a problem since the start of the 2018-19 season, though, are his improvements as a passer and willingness to play as a nominal 4.
—Bailey
9. Khris Middleton
Certainly no one will take exception to Khris Middleton finishing inside the top 30 of our final order, or even a spot ahead of 2022 All-Star DeMar DeRozan on this list. Discretion should be shown before going kablooey. We're splitting already-spliced hairs at this level.
Scalable offense is also invaluable. Middleton can be used without the ball in ways SGA and DeRozan cannot. He can be trusted to steward half-court possessions as both scorer and playmaker on volume not suited to guards such as LaMelo, Fred VanVleet or even Jrue Holiday.
Top-10 status among wings is not a reach—not by a long shot. It's a recognition.
—Favale
8. Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram emerged as an All-Star with the New Orleans Pelicans, establishing himself as a dependable scorer capable of averaging 22-plus points per game each of the past three seasons. He took a step backward from the outside last year, dipping to 32.7 percent from three after shooting 39.1 and 38.1 percent the two prior seasons.
Ingram will need to evolve further with the addition of CJ McCollum and the return of Zion Williamson. He's a talented mid-range scorer, but he'll need to get that three-point shot going again to complement the team's other stars.
—Pincus
7. Jaylen Brown
While he's forever been in trade rumors as bait to chase superstars, Brown has become the perfect No. 2 option in Boston. The 25-year-old is already one of the most complete wings in the NBA and ranks ahead of Ingram and DeRozan here thanks to his play on the defensive end.
The Celtics' slow start last year likely cost Brown his second All-Star trip, something that shouldn't happen again with how talented Boston is overall. Assuming the summer trade talk centered around Kevin Durant hasn't bothered him too much, Brown is due for another huge year with the C's.
—Swartz
6. Paul George
George, 32, may be past his prime, but he's still an elite NBA talent on both ends of the floor. He'll begin the season as the Clippers' starting shooting guard, with his 6'8" frame giving him a big size advantage over most opponents. Head coach Tyronn Lue noted he could use George at point guard at times this season as well, giving him some additional playmaking opportunities.
It's fair to question George's durability and his dip in shooting last season (35.4 percent from three, the lowest since his rookie year). But there's nothing he can't do at a high level when healthy.
On our overall Top 100 list, George is the highest-ranked No. 2 option in the NBA.
—Swartz
5. Jimmy Butler
5 of 9
Age and mileage are beginning to catch up, but when you need a player to step up in a big moment, few players do so better than Butler.
The 33-year-old is coming off a strong playoff run (27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.1 steals, 50.6 percent shooting) and is going to have to play a major role once again for the Heat to remain at the top of the East.
Still able to lock in defensively at a high level, Butler could easily end up as a top-10 player in the NBA even now in Year 12.
—Swartz
4. Kawhi Leonard
6 of 9
It wasn’t long ago that Kawhi Leonard forced his way into the best-player-alive discourse every spring. Now, he's falling behind wings like an age-37 LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and, more notably, an age-34 Kevin Durant who has appeared in fewer combined regular-season and playoff games than Leonard himself since 2018-19.
Granted, availability absolutely matters. Leonard hasn't missed fewer than 15 games since 2016-17, sat out all of 2021-22 and is working his way back from a partially torn right ACL at the age of 31.
There is ample room for skepticism. It's reasonable to expect another dip in rim pressure, deliberately tamped-down defensive efforts and absences for regular-season maintenance.
—Favale
3. LeBron James
7 of 9
Going into his 20th season, LeBron James is still one of the most powerful players the NBA has ever seen. He's struggled to stay healthy in three of the past four seasons, and his defensive effort may wax and wane, but James can still orchestrate an NBA offense at the highest of levels.
Russell Westbrook and James did not blend well with the Los Angeles Lakers in their first season together, but Anthony Davis and James also dealt with injury issues.
James will pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer this season. If he can stay healthy, he'll make his spot in our final Top 100 rankings look like the slight it is.
—Pincus
2. Jayson Tatum
8 of 9
We knew this moment was coming since his rookie season. Tatum is officially flirting with top-five-player status and is projected to pass veteran wings like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler in the NBA pecking order by the end of the season.
Tatum's eye-popping plus-16.5 swing rating ranked in the 99th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass, which speaks to the impact he makes on both ends of the court.
With a whopping 74 games of playoff experience already at age 24, Tatum's postseason success should only continue to spill into the regular season. He'll continually be an MVP and scoring-crown candidate for the next decade.
—Swartz
1. Kevin Durant
9 of 9
Kevin Durant's top-five argument is, somehow, beyond reproach and a leap of faith all at once.
There is no debating his ability. He is perhaps the purest scorer in NBA history. His blend of size, length, form, fluidity and craftiness is as unstoppable as it is unexampled. The way he marries volume and efficiency is similarly unprecedented.
Yet, availability must to some extent be part of the equation. Durant has appeared in 198 combined games through the playoffs and regular season since 2018-19. That is far fewer than Joel Embiid (270) and Kawhi Leonard (217)—two stars he tops who are often dinged for their own fragility.
Does Durant deserve the same treatment? Especially at age 34? And particularly when he's coming off a nondescript performance in the first round of the playoffs? Or does he instead deserve the benefit of the doubt because he's coming off a season in which he cleared 37 minutes per game?
Our panel skews toward the latter. And “Best in the NBA” remains KD’s apex. Whether he's fit to keep reaching or flirting with his long-standing peak, though, is a matter of course.
—Favale
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