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Three Pacers Ranked Among SI's Top 100 Players

It's that awkward time on the calendar where the start of a new season is near, but there are still a few more weeks before training camp gets underway.

With little else to talk about, national outlets have started to use this time of year to release multi-day stories that rank the best players in the NBA. These pieces are sheer click-bait, designed to prompt angry responses on Twitter and inane arguments on sports talk radio. So, of course, we love them.

We've tracked ESPN's multi-week #NBARank series, which ranks the top 500 players in the NBA, for the past few seasons. While they've yet to embark on this project this year, another outlet has released a similar series.

Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney put together their rankings of the top 100 players in the league, which have been unveiled in segments over at SI.com over the past four days. It's actually the third straight year they've put this list together, but the first time we've monitored it.

Now that the list is complete, we can analyze the duo's rankings. Here's the answer to your first question: three Pacers players cracked the top 100 this year.

Point guard George Hill checked in at no. 80 after averaging career-best marks in points, rebounds, and assists during the 2014-15 season. It is Hill's first appearance on the list. He ranked just ahead of DeMarre Carroll and seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson.

"The realities of the Pacers' roster (in 2014-15) had demanded that Hill be something other than the wallflower he had been previously and he responded with the most significant output of his career," Mahoney wrote in his comments on the ranking.

The SI.com duo ranked Monta Ellis, the Pacers' marquee signing during free agency, as the 57th-best player in the NBA. The super-scoring shooting guard checked in at 68th two years ago and 66th last season, so he's trending in the right direction. Ellis ranked three spots ahead of 2011 MVP Derrick Rose and three spots behind 2008 MVP Kobe Bryant.

"His career showcases agility as a weapon," Mahoney wrote. "The ability to turn a defender's snap decision against them with a quick change of direction is a powerful tool, especially for a ball handler of Ellis's usage."

Finally, two-time All-Star Paul George was placed 20th in the rankings. George was 25th two years ago heading into the 2013-14 season. He would have likely merited top-10 consideration last season, but he was omitted from those rankings after his horrific leg injury at the USA Basketball Showcase.

After getting back on the court for the final six games of last season, it remains to be seen just how productive George can be this year in his first full season back on the court. Still, Mahoney and Golliver have faith in PG-13, ranking him ahead of the likes of Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, and Chris Bosh.

"At full strength, George is right there with Kawhi Leonard and Carmelo Anthony as the third-best small forward in the NBA, behind (LeBron) James and Kevin Durant," said Golliver, who called George "a nightmare to rank in this exercise."

Not surprisingly, James was ranked #1 for the third straight year. Durant was second, followed by Anthony Davis, reigning MVP Stephen Curry, and James Harden. Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol, and Leonard rounded out the top 10.

The Pacers' three players in the top 100 placed them squarely in the middle of the pack across the league. 12 teams had more than three players in the top 100, while eight other franchises also had exactly three.

Believe it or not, the team that had the most players in the top 100 was in fact the Los Angeles Clippers with six (Paul, Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Paul Pierce, J.J. Redick, and Josh Smith). Seven teams had five players in the top 100 (Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Golden State, Houston, Miami, and San Antonio).

Only one former Pacers player appeared in the top 100: Roy Hibbert, who checked in at 95. The Big Dawg was ranked 23rd two years ago and 52nd before last season.

Four more players in the top 100 hail from central Indiana. Zach Randolph (Marion) was 49th, Jeff Teague (Pike) was 41st, Gordon Hayward (Brownsburg) was 31st, and Mike Conley (Lawrence North) was 27th.

SI.com's list of notable omissions contained several familiar faces. Recent Pacers starters David West and Lance Stephenson appeared on that list, as did former Pacers player Josh McRoberts. The list of top snubs also included former Indiana University All-American Victor Oladipo, former IU and North Central star Eric Gordon, and 2008 Indiana Mr. Basketball Tyler Zeller.