NBArank 2023-24 - 10 players who could vault into next year's rankings - ESPN

Which current NBA players who aren't part of this year's NBArank top 100 have the best chance of joining the list next season?

Inevitably, there is substantial turnover in the top 100 from year to year. Not counting the three rookies on the list (Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and 2022 draft pick Chet Holmgren, who missed all of last season due to injury), 13 players have moved from out of 2022's NBArank onto this year's list.

To find players who could follow in the footsteps of this group, which is highlighted by first-time All-Star Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz and also includes Brook Lopez, Austin Reaves and Franz Wagner, I've grouped potential candidates into three categories.

Some players simply should have been on this year's list but weren't voted in by the panel of ESPN NBA analysts. Others were on the list a year ago but fell out in what might have been an overreaction to their play, like Lopez a year ago. And by far the largest group is rising young players such as Reaves and Wagner whose development moves them into the top 100.

Let's take a look at who might follow each of these paths.

Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets

The comparison between Claxton and Jarrett Allen, his predecessor as Brooklyn's starting center, suggests relatively similar 2022-23 seasons. Per 36 minutes, the players averaged similar points (15.7 for Allen, 15.2 for Claxton) and rebounds (11.1 for Claxton and 10.8 for Allen). Claxton led the NBA by shooting 70% from the field, better than Allen's 64%, and more than doubled his blocks per 36 (3.0 to 1.4) en route to finishing third among centers in All-Defensive voting. Allen's track record as an All-Star in 2021-22, before Claxton had established himself as a starter, gives him the nod.