With a starry new Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class being inducted into Springfield this weekend, Zach Kram of ESPN and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic consider which current NBA players are on track for the honor down the line
This weekend, former All-NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are joining the Hall as first-ballot honorees.
Kram and Vorkunov both tackled the topic of who’s next by stratifying players into tiers of candidacy. Although each differed slightly on who the surefire “locks” would be, there was some overlap.
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and forwards Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, Mavericks big man Anthony Davis and wing Klay Thompson, Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Clippers guards James Harden and Chris Paul and wing Kawhi Leonard, Lakers forward LeBron James, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Sixers center Joel Embiid, and free agent guard Russell Westbrook are considered no-brainer picks by both parties.
There are a few other NBA players that only one of the two is convinced will be guaranteed honorees. Vorkunov is confident that Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving will earn the honor. Kram, meanwhile, believes the Hall will anoint Sixers forward Paul George, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, while Vorkunov views those players as “near” locks.
Further down on each list — beyond young guns seemingly on track to get to Springfield like Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic — both Kram and Vorkunov each look at some fringe cases. Kram limits his list to active players, while Vorkunov also examines the candidacy of a few recent retirees.
Among current “bubble” players, both agree that former All-Stars and champs Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love are in the mix for Hall of Fame berths. Kram believes DeMar DeRozan ranks among this group, while Vorkunov is more confident that the six-time All-Star is already a virtual lock.
We want to hear from you. Who do you think has punched their ticket already? Who needs to do more to make the grade? Who doesn’t deserve to be a lock? Weigh in below.
I believe pascal siakam will continue to be an iron man well into his 30es and make the cut
He will win a ring in LA or NY
Shouldn’t Mike Conley be given considerable consideration?
Hell no!!! Kyle Lowry over Mike Conley Jr.
Hall of Decent Talents
I know hes had some injuries but Kyrie seems like a no-brainer
How can anyone think Embiid deserves HoF? Don’t you need to actually spend some time on the court in order to be nominated?
I mean, he would certainly lead in dollars earned per minutes played, but I wasn’t aware that was a stat they kept track of.
I’d put Rudy Gobert in 10 times before even considering Embiid. What a farce.
If the only criterion for getting into the Hall is never advancing past the second round, then sure, put Embiid in there.