The 18 best wings for 2032-2033

[TheTwoWallaces]

In part 2 we list the best wings in the CSL for the upcoming season. This will now be a 3-part series, as in my mind there are only 3 positions in basketball: Point Guard, Wing, and Center.



1. Ben Simmons, MIN
Ok, Jovic is probably already better. But 31-year old Simmons just won his 2nd ring with his 2nd franchise. Let the man bask in the spotlight for at least a little white longer.

2. Nikola Jovic, CHA
The Annointed One is coming. How high is his ceiling?

3. Michael Porter Jr, CLE
One of the greatest scorers to ever play the game. Cleveland gave up everything to bring him in, and Porter has delivered with excellent individual performances yet limited postseason success. Nonetheless, few meet the dictionary definition of unguardable as well as Porter. A pure scorer if there ever was one.

4. Davion Mitchell, PHI
Mitchell is the best perimeter defender in the CSL and fresh off a Finals appearance. It's a crowded backcourt in Philadelphia, but it's Mitchell that makes the whole thing go.

5. Malik Monk, PHI
Probably the greatest 3-point shooter in league history, Monk rightfully deserves consideration as one of the premier off-ball players every season. When he's on, he's on.

6. Matisse Thybulle, SAC
Thybulle is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest Kings in franchise history. If he can pick up a 2nd ring, he'll be even closer to the summit. Mr. Everywhere is the beating heart of Sacramento basketball.

7. Kaiser Gates, HOU
Aside from Davion Mitchell, Gates is probably the best perimeter defender in the CSL. Though not on the same level, his offense isn't nothing to scoff at either. His move to Houston hasn't come with playoff success, but it's hard to fault Gates for that.

8. Semi Ojeleye, DEN
After 10.5 seasons as a Pacer and no playoff appearances to show for it, Ojeleye is finally in a new city and assumably dying for some playoff basketball.

9. MJ Walker, HOU
OK so he didn't explode onto the scene and win the MVP. But Walker showed in his 3rd year that he is a player to be taken seriously in this league. On a roster drowning in wings, Walker could cement himself as the most impactful of the bunch. If he does, expect Houston to try to build a roster better suited to their star.

10. Donovan Mitchell, PHI
After a couple of MVP-level seasons in Utah, Mitchell came back down to Earth in Washington. Now Mitchell has to adjust to a completely new system in Philly in a crowded backcourt with Monk and Davion Mitchell. This could be the change of scenery Mitchell needed. The Sixers FO certainly hopes so.

11. Troy Brown, MIL
Much like Thybulle with the Kings, it's hard to not think of Troy Brown when you think of Milwaukee basketball. Brown has led the Bucks for 9 seasons, eventually usurping Ingram as alpha scorer and face of the franchise. It's been an impressive career, but would be made all the more impressive if Brown can bring Milwaukee a CSL championship.

12. Miles Bridges, BOS
Since winning a ring, Bridges's career has sort of been on auto-pilot. Of course, auto-pilot for Bridges has historically been 20ppg on good shooting. But last season he dipped to 15ppg, so are the best days of Miles Bridges behind him?

13. Jayson Tatum, WAS
Jayson "Tracy McGrady" Tatum has never made it past the first round of the playoffs. Now onto his 3rd team, Tatum's doubters grow louder with every disappointing season end. That said, the dude can still get buckets.

14. Anthony Edwards, ORL
Ant-Man has had mixed reviews since being selected #1 overall in 2028. The dynamic scorer has averaged north of 20ppg each of the last two seasons in Orlando, but he hasn't even come close to seeing winning basketball. Perhaps he's not destined to be a top player after all? A shiny new contract tells us that Orlando thinks he can take them to the promised land.

15. Patrick Williams, MIA
Williams burst onto the scene last season as a key member of the #1 seed Miami Heat. He put up nearly 18ppg on 55% shooting and he double his previous career-high in rebounds with 7.5rpg. All that on top of some excellent defense, and it's amazing that the Heat are only paying him $8m/year.

16. Hamidou Diallo, TOR
Not every GM's favorite player, Hamidou Diallo has found a home north of the border in Toronto. He topped off his season average of 20ppg by putting up 25ppg on 51% shooting in the playoffs. This season, he'll be hoping to take the Raptors beyond the first round.

17. PJ Dozier, GSW
Dozier has quietly built himself quite the resume in Golden State. He's put up at least 20ppg each of the last 5 seasons, not to mention his contributions in other facets of the game. His fans will likely argue that he belongs higher on this list.

18. RJ Barrett, OKC
There are probably at least a half dozen players who you could also make a case for at #18. But Barrett has been Mr. Consistent in OKC for 7 years now, putting up somewhere around 20ppg on good efficiency year after year. With an exciting rookie PG in town, can Barrett reach new heights?

Honorable mentions
JaKeenan Gant
Brian Bowen
Mo Wagner
Isaac Okoro
Cam Johnson
Brandon Ingram
Sekou Doumboya
Deni Avdija
Justise Winslow
Lauri Markannen
Jalen Johnson
Xavier Tillman
Alex Antetokounmpo
Zaccheus Darko-Kelly

[KW]

Gant should easily take MJ Walker's place on this list. Walker should be the better or comparable player ratings wise, but was borderline unplayable for a large chunk of last season

[TheTwoWallaces]

Gant should easily take MJ Walker's place on this list. Walker should be the better or comparable player ratings wise, but was borderline unplayable for a large chunk of last season

That's true. I kind of forget how Walker ended up there. His stats are worse than Barrett's.

[emplep7]

Great list and clearly this league is super strong with wings! I would drop walker, Diallo, and bridges off and include Gant, Doum, and Cam but otherwise it’s a really good list.

[rh0xxy]

You forgot Naji

[Stockton12]

and Moody

[Andrewu91]

And Zoosman

[wms02a]

Alex should be in the top 18 by the end of the season

[WillyJakkz]

As I first stated in the Finals thread Ben Simmons is the CSL GOAT and best player in the League.

Not Luka not Zion Jovic won't get there. Only Porter Jr got close after his championship but Simmons has "Ben" too consistent.

Simmons got rangzzz

[hardenwithnod]

Rui deserves to be up there. Grants Williams too since he's not a center either.

[Dylan]

Rui deserves to be up there.

I was kind of assuming he was being considered a big, but if he’s a wing, he’s def in this list lol

[Dylan]

this is really good content

[AlexS]

Great list again! Ben Simmons is a GOAT, fully expect Jovic to overtake him very soon.

There is a lot of good wings in this league, very difficult to come up with a definitive ranking list beyond the bonafide superstars.

[Jestor]

A function of the massive overload of wings in this league, which is why so many teams have them on trade blocks.

[cb4raptorscb4]

As I was reading I thought you forgot about Dozier, but there is a lot of wing talent. I'm biased so I'd rank him higher, but I've had the pleasure of him leading us for many, many years

Great insights again!

[TheTwoWallaces]

There's definitely a case for Dozier to be higher!

[GreenBear]

Another really fun article. There are a ton of wings in the CSL, but also the definition of a wing is pretty broad. Lots of SGs/SFs obviously, but I also see a number of PFs here. So a very large list makes sense.

I’m not going to rank them all, but I will offer what some may consider a hot take: I’d have Simmons 3rd on this list behind Jovic and MPJ. It’s not meant as a slight in any way and probably just comes down to personal preference.

[OneNole]

I think there's a clear top 3 with a massive drop off after that. I also think wing isn't quite as deep as many believe. There a ton of wings, many on this list, that have a lot of fanfare, but in reality are overrated players that make their team worse as opposed to better.

[blackice]

Great read, and I actually agree with most of it so kudos. It's tough to find a ranking for players in general that most of the league agrees with, but I think you got it here. Simmons, Porter and Jovic are top 3 in some order, I think I'd keep Simmons #1 though. I think a lot of our players go under the radar but Hamidou Diallo is definitely top 18, as you noted.. He not only gives you the points, he's a good passer, rebounder and defender and just an overall do it all wing. He's not a great 3 point shooter but he limits his 3PA's.