This article is part of our Rankings & Tiers series, an evaluation across sport about the key players, front offices, teams, franchises and much more.
Player Tiers 2025: Tier 5
Tier 4 is the deepest group of players of any tier. Most of these players are comfortably described as role players who round out the top 100 players in the NBA. Some are or have been “stars” — that is, All-Stars and All-NBA selections, though they are better suited to be “stars in their role.”
There are many different player types to get through, and many different roles, among the six sub-tiers. There were instances where the position or role a player is in made them relatively interchangeable.
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Some of these players have heavy on-ball roles. Some are defensive leaders who rarely touch the ball at all. Some are ascending, and others are probably past their primes despite their current effectiveness.
At the end of the day, teams want to stack their rosters with these kinds of players, even if they ideally aren’t leaning on them as part of a big three if they want to win a championship. Tier 4 offers a group of guys who are considered to be very good players, even if they have shortcomings or flaws.
The highest part of Tier 4 includes several centers as well as other top defenders who have shown that they are strong connectors. They also all have certain limitations that led me to cap them here.
Jrue Holiday is often considered to be a point guard, but he touches the ball less than teammates Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown. He’s an off-ball player who focuses on defending at a high level across multiple positions, consistently making the right play and making his open looks.
The small forwards here are Josh Hart and Herbert Jones. Hart is the type of player who could reasonably be put at five positions, as he operated as New York’s secondary playmaker next to Jalen Brunson while also providing Karl-Anthony Towns his biggest support on the glass despite being listed at 6-foot-4. Hart also leads the Knicks in steals. His primary issue is his shaky 3-point shot. That’s also an issue for Jones, who had an injury-ruined season a year after establishing himself as a First Team All-Defensive selection.
The line of above-average play at center is probably in this sub-tier. Rudy Gobert is still an elite rim protector, but he’s about as far from a shot creator as it gets. Draymond Green is listed at center since he’s been starting with Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler III. Green is like Hart when it comes to his role as a playmaker next to the nominal point guard in Curry, and he remains an impressive defender. But one of the reasons he’s had to move to center is because it’s hard for Golden State to have too many non-shooters on the floor, and Green is a below-average shooter who does not score often. Dereck Lively II has shown flashes of skill, but he might need to tap into that a lot more now that he’s not getting spoon-fed by Luka Dončić. Lively, however, is an outstanding rim protector who needs to show more durability during his rookie contract. Isaiah Hartenstein has done what he was brought to Oklahoma City to do, and that is: be a strong rim protector for a top defense, be comfortable switching and be a plus passer. The shooting never materialized for Hartenstein, though. Myles Turner is the one center in this sub-tier with comfortable 3-point range, and he’s always been a strong shot blocker. But Turner isn’t the most versatile defender, and he’s the worst passer of the group.
The centers in this group are right around average for starter play, a step below the 4A tier. But some notable perimeter players are here as well.
CJ McCollum has put together a decade of 20-point scoring seasons. The question with McCollum is determining his best fit around better players, as he’s a bit stretched as a point guard and has a concerning size/athleticism intersection at shooting guard considering his age.
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At small forward, both Brandon Ingram and Andrew Wiggins were traded in February, and I wonder if Michael Porter Jr. is headed for that fate soon with two years left on his deal. Ingram is the best of the three at getting his own shot, but his durability has been poor for most of his career, and he hasn’t yet suited up for Toronto. Wiggins has shown he can contribute to a championship team, and his shot has improved. But his production fluctuates, and he has never developed into a strong passer. Like Wiggins, Porter has contributed to a champion, and he has been able to stay on the floor, but there are two big challenges with him: How do you defend with him on the floor, and how much can you expect him to create for himself and others?
In this group of centers, Brook Lopez offers shooting, decent rim protection and the occasional mash in the post. He’s also been durable despite his advancing age. I will admit that Jalen Duren felt a little high for me here. The Pistons are better defensively with Isaiah Stewart on the floor, and Stewart is a much better rim protector. But Duren helps the Pistons offense and is a young center capable of passing the ball well. Daniel Gafford doesn’t have the size or skill of his teammate Lively, but Gafford’s rim protection has been excellent, and he may be underused in the post.
For the most part, this group has had to adapt to role changes over the last two seasons. All of them have a higher level of appreciation than two years ago.
Christian Braun was tapped as Denver’s replacement starter for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and he went on to lead the NBA in fast-break points while reaching 40 percent from 3 and rarely turning the ball over. Malik Monk started a lot of games at point guard, and even though he settled back into a bench role to balance out Sacramento’s starting lineup, Monk was able to put together career highs in points and assists despite sharing the floor with DeAaron Fox, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis.
Aaron Nesmith’s impact was made clear once he got healthy after missing two months because of an ankle injury. Nesmith defends at a high level, makes better than 40 percent from 3 and has shown he is an excellent fit in Indiana’s lineup. Dallas moved P.J. Washington to small forward to accommodate Anthony Davis’ quest to play power forward. Washington is willing to take on defending guards and has been asked to be a center in smaller lineups in the past, a nod to his versatility, even if he could benefit from less taxing assignments. Washington’s 3-point shooting has also leveled up.
This is a blend of players who all have interesting traits that depend on how much they’re asked to do offensively.
Josh Giddey was traded to Chicago to retain a starting job after getting benched in the playoffs, then got more responsibility after the Bulls traded Zach LaVine. Giddey’s not going to beat everyone as a scorer, and he has major limitations defensively. But his ability to make plays is strong, especially at 6-foot-8, and he has taken another step as a shooter.
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Donte DiVincenzo was starting in the postseason with the Knicks and looked poised to take Mike Conley’s starting role in January before suffering a toe injury. He’s not a gifted scorer, but he does everything else as a floor raiser. Andrew Nembhard showed he has some on-ball viability with four 20-point games last postseason, but his job in Indiana is to be a release valve for Tyrese Haliburton and a point-of-attack defender.
RJ Barrett is headed for a very interesting season when the Raptors have to figure out how to make a lineup work with Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram. Barrett gets to the free-throw line at a high rate and reached a career high in assists, but his shooting remains shaky, and his defense is concerning. Any loss in volume puts him in a weird spot.
Santi Aldama is a thin 7-footer who touches the ball about as often as Jaren Jackson Jr. He’s not one to create most of his offense, but he’s a solid passer and decision-maker who can shoot and defend. He’s not a good enough rim protector or interior finisher to play most of his minutes at center, but his size/skill intersection at his age makes his next contract intriguing.
This is a bloated group of players who all have some strong qualities, but also have a trait that gives you pause before you consider them in a higher tier.
Immanuel Quickley is the one point guard I have here, and my biggest concern with him is how he had one stretch all season in which he played 10 or more consecutive games. I am less concerned about Quickley’s fit with all of the wings Toronto has amassed because he has shown a willingness to get off the ball, defend multiple positions, make sound decisions as a passer and make shots.
Houston’s defense is significantly better when Jalen Green isn’t on the floor, and he’s simply not an efficient player while in his heavy on-ball role. His catch-and-shoot 3 has improved quite a bit, though, and he has 14 30-point games and two 40-point games to go with his 12 single-digit games. His first postseason is going to be fascinating. Dyson Daniels got healthy and became The Great Barrier Thief. He’s also a solid passer and adequate 3-point shooter, though he’s one of the worst guards in the league at the free-throw line.
Jaden McDaniels has established himself as an all-league defender, and he’s clearly itching to do more on the ball, particularly in ball screens. It might be time to get him more touches, because he might be better there than he is waiting for catch-and-shoot 3s, at which he is relatively ordinary.
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As is the case at power forward, all of the players in this group have some optionality. Dillon Brooks is another all-league defender who tends to guard up while emerging starter Amen Thompson guards down. His defense isn’t as strong as it used to be, but he’s also been better offensively than he gets credit for. John Collins was supposed to be Utah’s backup center, but he wound up starting most of the season and finishing with a five-year high of 19 points per game while shooting just under 40 percent from 3. A key part of the Utah tank was keeping Collins off the floor. Cleveland targeted De’Andre Hunter and his 40 percent shooting to provide an option to defend the wing at 6-foot-8. Like Hunter, Murray is a 6-foot-8 fourth-overall pick who has to sacrifice his game while playing as a last option in a lineup full of mouths to feed. He’s been miscast as a defensive stopper who has to wait his turn for shots, though he has shown he’s capable of doing more as a scorer.
The last three players in this tier have all shown their value, though they have steps to take to show how much they can help teams as starters.
The Magic have missed Jalen Suggs, but that’s a statement that has been used too often. Suggs has missed more than 25 games in three of his four seasons now, and as good as his all-league-caliber defense is, he struggles to put the ball in the basket and is better served as a secondary or even tertiary playmaker.
Coby White has had stretches of explosive offensive play since the All-Star break, coinciding with the trade of Zach LaVine. His game has come a long way in two years, and he’d threaten All-Star status if he shows he’s capable of winning games as a 25-point scorer over a full year.
Naz Reid is a player many expect to emerge as a starter after backing up Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle. Reid is certainly a helpful player with solid shooting ability at his size, though his efficiency drops off when he starts, and he’s not the strongest rim protector. He is headed for an interesting offseason.
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(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; photos: Alex Slitz / Getty Images; Brett Davis and Isaiah J. Downing / Imagn Images)
