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Where should the Miami Heat rank in the NBA’s top-100 players?

By Brandon Johnson

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Goran Dragic #7 of the Miami Heat and Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 21: Goran Dragic #7 of the Miami Heat and Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – APRIL 21: Goran Dragic #7 of the Miami Heat and Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 21: Goran Dragic #7 of the Miami Heat and Wayne Ellington #2 of the Miami Heat look on during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

How accurate were the Sports Illustrated rankings of the Miami Heat?

Ranking NBA players is a notoriously messy process.

The age old Michael Jordan–LeBron James debate captures the difficulty of comparing players across eons, but that difficulty is elevated when restricted to the modern day.

Comparing Jordan to James, while not an easy task, is at least aided by awards and accolades. How many titles did they win, and in how many tries? What was the MVP voting like? How many scoring championships did they amass? These provide, while not comprehensive, a benchmark for success across years.

But localizing comparisons to the same season can make for more contentious rankings.

In any singular season, each team has different goals and needs. Yes, the overall goal for every team is to win a championship (at least it should be).

However, the NBA is rarely so neatly organized.

In recent years, the league has escorted traditional 7-plus-foot centers back to the locker room, making room for more guard dominated teams. But that hasn’t stopped the evolution of players like Nikola Jokic and DeAndre Jordan from exercising their value.

And, in one of the league’s most iconic cases, Draymond Green, the sticky resin holding three Golden State Warriors championship teams together, is arguably more effective in The Bay than he would be on a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers which (among many others) could have selected him in 2012.

Every team would like to think they would manage Green’s talents, but how many really could?

To combat this, Sports Illustrated has enlisted the help of Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney to make sense of these intra-season comparisons.

Last week, the duo published their 2019 list of the top-100 players, marking the sixth straight season of trying to comprehend the league’s talent.

Exactly four percent of this year’s list is represented by the Miami Heat.

Kelly Olynyk (93), James Johnson (86), Josh Richardson (71) and Goran Dragic (45),each lay claim to being classified among the league’s best. Another two Heat, Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside managed to make SI’s list of snubs, giving hope to a Heat team oft thought suspended in mediocrity.

Still, how well did SI place Miami’s contingent of top-level players? Here’s a look at the over/under for trying Heat’s tastemakers.

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