Who has the best? Who has the weakest?
Some interesting selections:
Memphis Grizzlies
PG Mike Conley
PF Zach Randolph
C Marc Gasol
SG Tony Allen
We’re pulling from a single era here, and it just feels right to zero in on the guys who established the Memphis Grizzlies’ Grit ‘n Grind identity in the early 2010s.
Marc Gasol is the headliner. He was coincidentally acquired from the Lakers in a trade for his brother, who had a real case to be included here.
Gasol won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13 and finished eighth in MVP voting two seasons later. His savvy play on both ends was key to Memphis routinely winning at least one playoff series during his time with the team, including a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2013.
Conley was another absolute lock. He averaged 14.9 points and 5.7 assists in his dozen seasons in Memphis, offsetting the rougher edges of Zach Randolph and Tony Allen with his professionalism and zero career technical fouls.
New Orleans Pelicans
PG Chris Paul
PF/C Anthony Davis
PF David West
PF Zion Williamson
Chris Paul doubles up here after also earning the first spot on the Clippers' top four, but there's no way to keep him off the mountainside for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Despite a tenure that only stretched from 2005-06 to 2010-11, Paul is the
franchise leader in win shares. He led the league in assists per game twice and steals three times as a New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornet, earning Rookie of the Year honors, three All-NBA nods and a second-place finish in the 2007-08 MVP race.
David West may not have Paul's Hall of Fame resume, but he made two All-Star teams and averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as the Hornets' rugged-but-skilled frontcourt enforcer.
Anthony Davis is
just behind Paul in 2000s win shares and received a trio of first-team All-NBA nods during his seven seasons in New Orleans.
Lastly, Zion Williamson earns a potentially controversial spot. He hasn't carried New Orleans to much team success, and his career has been defined as much by injury lows as on-court-production highs. But even with only 214 games played, he's sixth on the team in win shares this century and has unquestionably been the franchise's defining player since 2019.
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