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30. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Draymond Green's offense is as troubling as advertised. He is shooting 25 percent from deep, the second-lowest mark of his career, and hardly becomes more reliable when left alone. Among almost 119 players who have appeared in at least 10 games and are averaging two or more wide-open three-point attempts, Green's sub-28 percent clip ranks inside the bottom five.

Most teams would be sunk by such a stark non-threat. The degree to which perimeter defenses leave Green unattended is so high it crosses the threshold of egregious. The Warriors aren't most teams. They have the star-power playmaking and range to offset a premier non-shooter.

Green, who's shooting slightly better from distance over the past couple of weeks, is even part solution to his own problem. He still dazzles with his decision-making off the dribble and can leverage Golden State's other bigwigs into easy finishes at the rim.

His defensive slide is also being exaggerated. When he turns on the jets, which happens quite often this side of his toe injury, he's the NBA's most disruptive all-around defender. It speaks volumes that, to date, the Warriors are at their stingiest when he plays center, per Cleaning the Glass.

29. Clint Capela, Houston Rockets

Clint Capela's importance to the Rockets will be reinforced during his recovery from right thumb surgery. He is an exacting worker inside his wheelhouse, forever receiving but fragments of credit for Houston's success—or, in the case of this season, its survival.

Capela's offensive timing is as paramount as his rebounding and rim protection. Most of his screens are set knowing he's not the endgame. He trails James Harden's drives while leaving just the right amount of space—enough to allot Harden a head start on his way to the rim but not so much that he won't be in position for lobs.

Certain players tire of complementary repetition. Someone else might bristle at the prospect of an offensive role more finite than the one Steven Adams plays for Oklahoma City. Capela has owned it.

28. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors

Perhaps the biggest endorsement we can given to Klay Thompson is that his placement will look too conservative (or foolish) by season's end. His sagging three-point clip gets talked about ad nauseam, as does his uptick in mid-range volume.

Viewed in its totality, Thompson's year is deservedly checkered by this quarter-season's worth of clumsy deviation from his norm. Like usual, though, he's put most of the doubts to bed. He's shooting better than 52 percent on threes since Golden State's Dec. 27 wake-up-call loss to Portland and burning through far fewer two-pointers outside the paint.

Defensive metrics have always dismissed Thompson's impact, which succeeds only in highlighting their imperfections. If Andre Iguodala is the Warriors' secret playoff weapon, Thompson is the every-night gnat who affords him regular-season respite and preservation. He covers lead guards without interruption, and Golden State turns to him against bigger wings when neither backcourt assignment is an elite off-the-bounce threat.

27. Steven Adams, Oklahoma City Thunder

Steven Adams plays an almost-unappreciated role for the Thunder. As SI.com's Rob Mahoney underscored while ranking him as the league's 38th-best player leading into this season:

"There's just no working around the fact that Adams is a proper giant. He can wipe out a guard with a screen and bulldoze a big with a roll. Players of that size aren't supposed to move around the floor so easily, and yet here is Adams, gliding through contact after teaching himself how. You might not consider Adams a standout athlete, but he's made himself into one."

Adams has buoyed his stock even further by expanding his role on Oklahoma City without straying from his core value. He is not a featured from-scratch scorer, but he's gone from finishing two post-ups per game last year to more than five, on which he's shooting 56.7 percent—the fourth-best mark among 61 players who've used at least 75 of these possessions.

Factor in a nifty floater, his ridiculous net-rating swing and that he is nearly small-ball-proof, and his finish shouldn't seem so ambitious.

26. Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers

Note: Victor Oladipo suffered a "serious" knee injury during the Pacers' Jan. 23 game against the Raptors. Since an official prognosis was not provided prior to the filing of these rankings, we've decided to let his inclusion stand. The calculus changes if he is, as expected, out for the season. But his performance so far warrants this level of consideration. Plus, injuries stink and deserve minimal courtesy whenever possible.

Victor Oladipo is basically a more human version of last year's Most Improved Player. His shots are similarly difficult, but they're not falling as often. He is no less indispensable on the defensive end, though Indiana is likely to have him cover an afterthought so he can be a freelance gambler and helper.

None of which makes his stardom a facade. The Pacers discovered extra layers within themselves while he missed almost a month recovering from a right knee injury. Oladipo is trying to assimilate into their committee approach while, perhaps, compensating for sub-100 percent health. And his attempt is admirable, if a relative success.

Pore over the performances of his teammates, and he still profiles as Indy's most valuable weapon. The offense's floor balance isn't the same without him. He has taken on more playmaking responsibility, and the Pacers generally see their shooting percentages outside the paint suffer appreciable swings in the wrong direction when he catches a breather, according to Cleaning the Glass.