ESPN is back with its polarizing list of the 100 Best NBA Players for its 13th consecutive season. The list is compiled by an assembly of nearly 150 reporters, editors, producers, and analysts. The rankings are based solely on the player’s expected contributions for the upcoming 2023-24 season. Popularly known as the NBArank, the list is famed for the heated discussions that it stirs.

In one such episode, former NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick attacked the NBArank panel for snubbing Jayson Tatum’s teammate from the Top 100 list.

JJ Redick condemns the “basketball experts”

JJ Redick has quickly established himself in the NBA media industry with his candid and unflinching takes. He does not shy away from critiquing the sports media landscape. During the most recent episode of The Old Man and The Three podcast, host JJ Redick criticized ESPN’s top 100 players list for snubbing Boston Celtics‘ guard Derrick White.

Redick said, “Of these 150 people who claim to be basketball experts, how is Derrick White not in the Top 100? How is that possible? He’s a Top 50 player. What playoff game were you watching last year?… It’s a troll, for engagement. That’s all it is.”

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Derrick White has been an integral part of the team since he came to Boston in 2022. The two-way guard averaged 12.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from three-point territory last season. He saved the Celtics last season with his clutch putback that forced a Game 7 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

White led all guards in blocks last season and was named All-NBA Defensive Second Team. With the Celtics, White has blossomed into a critical backcourt rotation piece. Given his contributions, it is no surprise that the team is exploring a potential extension with him.

Derrick White and the Celtics are exploring an extension

Derrick White is entering the third year of a four-year, $70 million contract that expires following the 2024-25 season. According to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, White and the Celtics are discussing a contract extension ahead of an October 23rd deadline. If the deal does not materialize, White will be eligible for an extension again next offseason.

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While the Celtics have a star-studded team in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porziņģis, they will need White’s help as a Sixth man to make a deep postseason run. As per the new CBA, White is eligible to sign an extension starting at as much as 140 percent of his final-year salary. According to Chris Forsberg of NBCS Sports, White is projected to have a starting salary of about $27 million in 2025-26.

What are your thoughts on ESPN’s top 100 list? Do you agree that “basketball experts” were right to leave out Derrick White? Let us know in the comments!

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