Ayton, Hield in the NBA Top 100

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Bahamians Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield are two of the top 100 players in the NBA according to ESPN.

The sports network assembled a panel of over 200 reporters, editors, analysts, and producers to determine who are the top 100 players in the league. The panel concluded that Buddy Hield is the 90th best player in the NBA, while Ayton is the 51st.

Hield scored 15.6 points per game while grabbing 4.4 rebounds and dishing out 2.8 assists last year, splitting time between the perennially struggling Sacramento Kings, before a deadline trade landed him on a rebuilding Indiana Pacers team.

Ayton averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game for a Suns team that was one of the best in the league, with 59 wins and 23 losses, before a disappointing loss in the playoffs to the Dallas Mavericks after the Suns led the series 2-0.

Ayton’s offseason was a contentious one due to his inability to reach an agreement on a contract extension with the Suns. He was eventually extended on a max contract when the Suns matched the Pacers’ offer per NBA limited-free-agency rules.

Being a top 100 player is no small feat in a league featuring 450 of the best players in the world with thousands of more fighting for an opportunity to join them. For a country as small as The Bahamas, having one NBA player is an extremely unlikely and remarkable accomplishment. Having two players in the top 100 is unheard of.

A third Bahamian may end up on the list next year as Kai Jones of the Charlotte Hornets should crack the team’s rotation. Jones had a remarkable season in the G-League, where he averaged 18 points and nearly 10 rebounds.

The NBA’s 2022-23 season starts on Tuesday, 18 October.