2021-22 Pre-Season Rank: #42, 2022-23 Pre-Season Rank: #27, 2023-24 Pre-Season Rank: #14.

*Peak Period: 2018-19 to 2023-24.  Doncic has only played six seasons and is still in his peak period.

Luka Doncic was the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, and since then, he has embarked on a five-year run during which he has been an All-Star, a top-ten MVP finisher, and a First-Team All-NBA Selection. Last season, the Slovenian superstar won his first Scoring Title (33.9) and brought the Mavericks to a surprising NBA Final, his second.

Doncic continues to improve and looks like a future MVP.  Can he also be a future NBA Champion?  2025 could bring both.

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #22, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #23, Pre-2021-22 Rank: #24, Pre-2022-23 Rank: #19, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #17

*Positional Notes:  Thompson is playing more at Small Forward these days, but his peak was in his role as a Shooting Guard.

*Peak Period:  From 2014-15 to 2022-23.  Note that Thompson missed the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Seasons, so this nine-year period is seven full seasons.

The elite period of Klay Thompson is over, but his narrative might be in the greatest state of flux.  Thompson was one-half of the Splash Brothers, but it was always known that his partner, Steph Curry, was the straw that stirred the drink.   A five-time All-Star, Thompson was a key part of Golden State’s last four NBA Titles, but at no time was he the top dog, and at times, not even the number two canine.

This year, Thompson joins Dallas, which is fresh off its Finals appearance.  If they win the NBA Championship in 2025, it will be a fun argument as to who it helps the most: Kyrie Irving or Klay Thompson.   

Pre-2019-20 Rank: #15, Pre-2020-21 Rank: #14, Pre-2021-22 Rank #14, Pre-2022-23 Rank #14, Pre-2023-24 Rank: #15.

Peak Period: 2014-15 to 2020-21.

For many years, Kyrie Irving has been the most polarizing player in Basketball, and at times, all North American sports.  It has never been about his play, as he is a multi-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA Selection at Point Guard who can take over a game.  He helped LeBron James win the NBA Championship in Cleveland, and when he wanted to be the alpha, he was primarily applauded when he became a Boston Celtic in 2017, but that was when things became weird for the former Uncle Drew.

Irving pledged to bring greatness to Boston, but despite two All-Star years (and no deep playoff run), he signed with their rival Brooklyn, where a super team formed with him, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.  The big three fell apart as quickly as they came together, with Irving’s Brooklyn run marred by his refusal to get the jab and alleged antisemitism.  Irving, who marches to his tune, may have alienated many fans, but he is true to his convictions, knowing that it would (and did) cost him millions in endorsements.  He would force his way out of Brooklyn and, in his first full year in his fourth team, the Dallas Mavericks, where, along with Luka Doncic, he went to the NBA Finals.

With all his past (and maybe future) controversies, Irving might have to do more than most to ensure a spot in Springfield, and if he adds a ring in Dallas, his biggest haters will struggle to keep him out.

Shawn Marion’s nickname of “The Matrix” might just be one of the best (and appropriate) in not just basketball but all of sports.   Marion could do it all. He was a scorer, a rebounder and a solid defender and could fill whatever void you needed.

As he announced earlier in the year, Shawn Marion followed through on his retirement plans following the Cleveland Cavaliers loss in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.  Marion, who is 37, is coming off career lows in the NBA, but did have a productive sixteen year career in the Association. 

Marion was drafted ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1999 out of UNLV and was instantly dubbed the “Matrix”.  The versatile forward would have his best seasons with Phoenix, going to four All Star Games and being named to the All NBA Third Team twice.  Following a very productive nine year run with the Suns, he would be traded to the Miami Heat, and later go the Raptors, but his crowning accomplishment would come with his fourth team, the Dallas Mavericks.

While Marion was in Dallas, he was a member of the surprising championship team of 2011 that defeated the first attempt of Miami’s “Big Three” of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.  Marion was no longer an All Star, but still a productive member of the team and he joined Cleveland last season with the hope of chasing another.

Marion is an interesting candidate for the Basketball Hall of Fame as is one of the few players who has 17,000 career Points, 10,000 career Rebounds, 1,500 Steals and 1,000 career Blocks.  He retires with a PER of 18.8 and 15.2 Points per Game, very good numbers, but this is a player that was never considered the best at his position or even on his own team. 

Saying all of that, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will slot Marion at a high number once he is on the list in five years.

Derek Harper was the partner in crime and backcourt mate of Rolando Blackman for almost a decade in Dallas.  Ironically the closest they ever came to a title is when they were both traded to the Knicks and they came within one game of winning the championship in 1994.  Harper was one of the best all around point guards of his era as he was a great defender who had size and quickness and could both score and distribute.  Harper is widely regarded as one of the best players to never make an All-Star game and when he retired he was 11th in steals and 17th in assists in NBA history.  1,200 regular season games and over 16,000 points don’t hurt his argument either.  Is a solid and consistent career with good overall stats enough to get him in?

Rolando Blackman is one of the great outside shooters in the history of the league.  A great career at Kansas State led to him being taken 9th overall by the Mavericks in 1981 and his 17,000 career points and an 18 point per game average showed that same ability in the pro ranks.  What is lost is how much of a great team player Rolando was.  He teamed with Mark Aguirre and Derek Harper to turn Dallas into a basketball contender in the 80s.  His two free throws after the buzzer in the 1986 All-Star game while all of the players from both teams watched and laughed was a signature moment for one of the most underrated players of the 80s. 

Mark Aguirre was a star at the University of DePaul where he led the Demons to a final four and was a 2 time All-American.  Drafted number one overall by the Dallas Mavericks, Aguirre quickly became the face of the Mavs.  Aguirre proved to be a great scorer and the Mavericks became title contenders throughout the next several years though they could not get past the mighty Lakers. Traded midway through the 88-89 season to the Pistons for Adrian Dantley, Aguirre was reunited with childhood friend Isaiah Thomas and together they led the Pistons to two titles.  Aguirre averaged exactly 20 points a game over his 14 year career and will be remembered for his great ability to post up and score from the small forward position.

Dale Ellis was a great shooter, although we don’t think the Basketball Hall of Fame likes shooters.  His 19,000 career points and sixth position all time in three pointers easily gets him on this list.  Quite simply, he was a great shooter at Tennessee, he was a great shooter in Milwaukee and he was a great shooter in Seattle.  Oh and did we mention that he played forever?

A very solid player throughout his career, Michael Finley was capable of brilliant flashes of offense in the open court, and a stronger commitment to defense in his later campaigns. In his prime, Finley was a two-time All-Star and an electric player to watch. He was a workhorse on good Dallas Maverick teams (three times he led the NBA in minutes played) and was part of the ‘Run and Gun’ that they executed so well. Like so many of these players though, he found his championship ring in a supporting role where he won with San Antonio in 2007 coming off the bench.