For example, I think the gap between Immanuel Quickley and Jordan Poole/Tyler Herro is very close and I’d argue Quickley defense might put him over the edge. Most would never put Quick in that tier but I personally would
Another is Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous Alexander. People have no problem talking about shai like he’s a top 10 player but then rank Trae in the 20s and 30s even though we’ve seen Trae preform in the playoffs
i personally agree with the idea that shai is a definitive tier above trae, but sadly gotta disagree that defense is half of the game in the modern nba. on a literal level yeah, half the players are on defense at any given point, but the game is intentionally geared for offense. an elite defensive player doesn’t have the same value as an elite offensive player. nobody’s taking marcus smart over trae young