CBS Sports Ranks Jaylen Brown Among Top 15 NBA Players

Former Cal star Brown is elevated nine spots from last year's ranking

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown celebrates winning the NBA Finals MVP / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

CBS Sports recently released its ranking of the top 100 NBA players heading into the 2024-25 season, and former Cal star Jaylen Brown moved up from his ranking of last year.

Brown, who was the MVP of both the Eastern Conference finals and the NBA finals this year as a member of the Boston Celtics, is ranked as the 15th-best player in the NBA this year after being No. 24 on the CBS Sports list a year ago.

What is interesting is that Brown is the 10th-ranked American player. That's if you include Joel Embiid as an American player; Brown is ninth if you don't include Embiid. There was some controversy when Brown was not named to the U.S. Olympic team, even after Kawhi Leonard had to be replaced on the 12-man roster because of a lingering injury.

Five players ranked lower than Brown by CBS Sports -- Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Leonard -- were chosen for the U.S. Olympic squad. The only American ranked higher than Brown who was not named to the U.S. roster was Jalen Brunson, who is No. 13 on the CBS ports list.

Brown expressed his disappointment with not be selected for the team by Grant Hill, Team USA basketball managing director, and Brown implied Nike might have played a role in the decision.

When selecting the roster Hill and the U.S. coaching staff had to consider pieces that fit together to form the proper balance on a team of superstars, not just the players' ability. That does not necessarily explain why Brown was not selected, though.

Anyway, here is what CBS Sports said about Brown while ranking him No. 15

15 -- Jaylen Brown, Bost Celtics SF

Last year's rank: 24.Nearly a decade ago, Brown was welcomed to the league with boos from Celtics fans upset that he was their selection at No. 3 in the 2016 NBA Draft. Now, he's a franchise icon and one of the most beloved athletes in Boston. He stamped his status with a spectacular playoff run, in which he hit the two biggest shots -- the game-tying 3-pointer in the waning seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and the game-sealing jumper in Game 3 of the Finals -- and was named Eastern Conference finals MVP and Finals MVP. There aren't so many jokes these days about Brown's left hand or $300 million contract. --Jack Maloney

Listed below are the top 10 NBA players on CBS Sports' rankings. Interestingly the top four are not Americans , and it's the top five if you include Embiid, who played for the U.S. Olympic team but was born in Cameroon. The highest ranked American player is Stephen Curry at No. 6.

Here is CBS Sports' top 10 players:

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

3. Lika Doncic, Dallas Mavericks

4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

5. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

6. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

7. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics

8. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

9. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

10. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport