Four Warriors listed among Sports Illustrated Top 100 NBA players for 2020

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It seems nothing fires sports fans up more on social media than player rankings, especially when it comes to the NBA.

Sports Illustrated recently took a stab at predicting the top 100 players for 2020 with the upcoming NBA season just over a month away.

There are four Warriors among the field, but where they ended up just might surprise you.

Five-time All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson checks in at No. 58, which would be absolutely laughable if not for the ACL tear he suffered in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

With a return at best coming in March, Thompson will not be much of a factor for Golden State in the regular season, so any attempt to rank him is clouded until we see how the recovery process plays out. 

The most curious selection comes next, as D’Angelo Russell sits at No. 44 on the list. 

Now I may not be an expert, but if a player is named to an All-Star team in the NBA, he is likely at least among the top 30 players in the league, as each roster has 13 players selected.

In 81 games with the Brooklyn Nets last season, Russell ranked second in the league as he assisted on 41.3 percent of his team's points while in the game. Now imagine his supporting cast including Steph Curry and Draymond Green instead of Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.

Russell is also listed behind players like Kevin Love, Steven Adams, and De’Aaron Fox, all of whom weren’t even in the same conversation to be an All-Star in 2018-19. Fox could make a major jump in his third NBA season, but the other two are not exactly in their prime. Russell’s placement here is questionable at best.

[RELATED: Shaun Livingston's perseverance constant throughout Warriors' dynastic run]

The other two Warriors listed are no surprise, as Draymond Green finds himself at No. 17, while Steph Curry is ranked the No. 4 overall player for 2019-20, sandwiched between James Harden and LeBron James.

All the predictions and opinions can finally be pushed to the side when the NBA regular season gets underway on Oct. 22.

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