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John Raoux/Associated Press

100. Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic

Age: 22

2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks, 45.4 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 14.5 Player Efficiency Rating, 0.47 Real Plus-Minus (RPM), -27.81 Total Points Added

Spending more time at his natural position (power forward) will look good on Aaron Gordon. He's been rock solid in the preseason, flashing more efficient range and a snowballing commitment to reaching the foul line.

The Magic's inability—or unwillingness—to groom Gordon as anything specific prevents him from landing any higher. He'll have the go-ahead, it seems, to continue launching threes, but will he make them at a league-average clip? Can his accuracy from the charity stripe get closer to 75 percent? Does he have the vision to make meaningful passes off the dribble and out of the pick-and-roll so he's a more serviceable option in the half court?

Gordon should have some semblance of an offensive identity entering his fourth season. He doesn't. He'll have an opportunity to get one as Orlando steps away from a half-baked reset, but the rest of the roster finds itself in relatable limbo. He's lucky to get this nod while remaining in the thick of the Magic's nondescript orbit.

99. Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers

Age: 19

2016-17 Per-Game Stats (college): 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, 55.1 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics (college): 24.7 PER, N/A RPM, 285.83 TPA

Bestowing top-100 status upon rookies is always arguable. But be warned: Lonzo Ball is the first of three beginners to make an appearance.

Winning NBA Summer League MVP absolutely molds his case. So, too, do his shaky preseason efforts, through which he's often appeared overmatched and ill-adjusted to the warped speed of NBA play. But rookies are entitled to learning curves, 99th place isn't a top-50 finish and, most notably, forecasting a top-100 season from a second overall pick isn't drunken ambition.

Spoonfuls of Ball's game will make an immediate impact. Ask anyone on the Los Angeles Lakers, and they'll tell you they're more likely to run the floor harder with him in the lineup. His head is up, eyes fixated down the court, before he ever establishes possession. Los Angeles will put the ball in his hands, even with other rock-hungry scorers around him. Volume alone will help him plow through his adjustment period.

Infuriating mistakes are part and parcel of every rookie campaign. Ball is not immune. The questions that surround his jump shot and defensive fit are valid. But he plays with a scarce brand of selfless flair—the kind that can lift an offense now and legitimize this placement, perhaps eclipsing it, without ironing out the other parts of his game.

98. Nerlens Noel, Dallas Mavericks

Age: 23

2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 8.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, 59.5 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 20.4 PER, 2.72 RPM, 68.96 TPA

Playing time is the enemy of Nerlens Noel's standing. The Dallas Mavericks are bringing him off the bench to run Dirk Nowitzki at center, fundamentally capping his contributions. Some nights he'll clear 25 minutes; others will see him log fewer than 20.

Peak Nerlens is a defensive nuisance. He zips around all over the place, both a rim protector and passing-lane insurgent. On most possessions, it looks like he's earned an apparition license.

Pile on his improvement as a rim-runner at the other end, along with his playing through a second consecutive contract year after signing his qualifying offer, and Noel has breakout chops. But his role with the Mavericks, coupled with the space-first direction of the league, may also not allow for one.

97. Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks

Age: 24

2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 17.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 45.1 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 16.1 PER, -2.45 RPM, -35.29 TPA

Dennis Schroder is suddenly The Guy for the Hawks now that they're working through the early stages of a buzzword-averse rebuild. No one should be sure what to make of his accentuated role.

Three or four players might be faster with the ball in their hands. Schroder is neither an exceptional passer nor finisher, and his three-point success rate has only once exceeded 35 percent. But the Hawks scored like an average offense when he played without Paul Millsap in 2016-17, according to NBA Wowy—a major accomplishment since their attack ranked 27th in points scored per 100 possessions for the season.

Atlanta is willing three- and four-out lineups into five-out models (i.e. Dewyane Dedmon is shooting threes now). That extra space works in the speedy Schroder's favor, padding his numbers and safeguarding him against dropping from the top-100 discourse—even if, as expected, the Hawks offense is bottom-five material.

96. Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards

Age: 33

2016-17 Per-Game Stats: 10.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.7 blocks, 57.9 percent shooting

Advanced Metrics: 15.4 PER, -0.07 RPM, 15.54 TPA

Marcin Gortat shouldn't come this close to falling off the top-100 radar. He will be much higher on other lists.

Seasoned consistency spawns that belief. Gortat will set good screens for every one of the Washington Wizards' ball-handlers, shoot better than 70 percent inside three feet of the hoop and clobber just enough pick-and-roll divers to stave off futility on the defensive end.

This role is not forever. Gortat's offensive value will hold, but it'll become progressively harder to field strong defensive lineups with him in the middle as he gets older.

Out of the 125 players to contest at least 200 looks around the basket last year, he ranked 112th in points allowed per shot. That mark will improve if he's not pulled outside the paint, but stationary defensive roles are almost a thing of the past. A healthy Ian Mahinmi could cannibalize some of his minutes—as might "Death Lineup" knockoffs that place Markieff Morris at the 5 (once he's healthy).