81. Trevor Ariza, SF, Rockets
The basketball world has a way of glossing over the Trevor Arizas—those players who fill a specific role on offense and take on thankless defensive assignments in a huge portion of minutes. Any superstar would have his life made easier by having Ariza around to anchor the rotation. Nearly 3,000 regular season minutes would be filled with strong perimeter shooting and versatile defense. Drives to the hoop are made easier by the fact that Ariza shoots 42.1% from the corners. New lineup possibilities are created by his willingness to wrestle with bigger opponents at the 4. Ariza isn’t quite as athletic as he once was, but through length and persistence alone he makes for a solid defender across three positions. Any healthy team ecosystem needs contributors like him in order to function fully. (Last year: No. 65)
+ Has abandoned delusions of grandeur in favor of a more controlled, efficient game
+ Excellent at using length to generate turnovers
– Useful as a stretch–four but can be pushed around and worked over on the glass
– Declining speed makes him less viable against quicker guards
