nba power rankings 36 - 40

40. Andre Drummond

Coach K was able to spend a lot of time with the 7 foot 1 inch emerging center during the summer. He began to polish his game and develop the defensive stud into an offensive contributor. I anticipate new Detroit Pistons Coach Stan Van Gundy will place Andre in the similar offensive scheme that made Dwight Howard a defensive MVP and NBA Finals runner-up. Andre has the mass of an Andrew Bynum mixed with the agility and foot work of a Kevin Garnett. If Andre continues to develop under Van Gundy he will be arguably the best big man after Anthony Davis.


39. Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo would be much higher if we had more film on him from the last few seasons. But unfortunately Rajon is a big question mark heading into this season and we really do not know what to expect. What we can expect is a top 50 point guard who previously won an NBA championship. What we can expect is a Celtics team with no real lottery-talent type of players from recent drafts. What we can expect is Rondo playing on a team in the midst of a rebuilding process. We do not know what to expect out of Rondo so until he proves that he is a top 20 player and a top 3 point guard as he was in 2007-2008 he ranks just under the top 40.

38. Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford is still one of the most electrifying and deadliest one on one players in the NBA. He has found a home in Los Angeles alongside CP3 and Blake Griffin and has flourished as the go to guy off the bench for the Clippers. Already winning 2 Sixth Man of the Year awards, he is heading into this season as a leading candidate once again. He is the highest ranked player off the bench on my top 50 player list and would be a starter shooting guard on most other teams. I am not sure if Crawford can move up much farther on this list at age 34, his best days are behind him. But I fully expect Jamal to show his offensive dominance as the Clippers battle for Supremacy in the West.

37. Chandler Parsons

Another Olympian who was cut at the last minute prior to competition in Spain. Chandler Parsons was added to an already tough Dallas Mavericks roster as the prominent star in Dallas after Dirk retires. He stretches the floor better than Shawn Marion was capable of and is an overall more versatile scorer. Chandler Parsons has an extremely high basketball IQ. He knows the essence of floor balance, and truly understands how to maximize his talent. If Chandler can prove that the Rockets were idiots for allowing him to leave he can very easily move up this list.

36. Rudy Gay

Coming off an olympic off-season Rudy Gay is posed for a great season. I always believed that teammates who performed together on the Olympic national team added cohesion to their regular ball club. This will be the case for the Sacramento Kings' stars Demarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Rudy has always put his talents on display with acrobatic plays at the rim and a silky smooth jump shot. Consistency and unselfishness have always been the biggest question marks surrounding this forward and this season those questions become answered. Rudy has the potential to be a top 25 player, and he is reaching the prime of his career--this has to be the year he takes the step into Super stardom.

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