ESPN pours bucket of fuel on already burning De'Aaron Fox fire

Did you know that there are real people who believe that Derrick White will have a better season than De'Aaron Fox? Yes, I know. It's insanity. This is coming from a fan base who loves White, too. He's still a fan-favorite in Spurs Nation. But let's pump the brakes on exactly how stellar the ex-San Antonio guard is in Boston.

In the latest iteration of ESPN's top 100 ranking, they released the group for numbers 50 through 11. Fox landed at 35, and if that isn't a slap in the face, I don't know what is. They placed his former Sacramento teammate, Domantas Sabonis, one spot ahead of him, and I almost fell over in my chair. This is just wrong, but it should only stoke the Fox flame ahead of another elite season.

Fox is a top 30 player in the NBA

First of all, they placed James Harden at 22. What are we doing here? What year is this? Harden's inconsistencies have never been worse, and though his last season was solid, predicting that he'll be better than a 27-to 28-year-old De'Aaron Fox, who will have the benefit of playing next to a top 5 to top 10 player in the league, is nuts.

James is going into his 17th year. He's 36 years old. If he has a higher impact than Swipa, we have a problem. That's not something anyone should be predicting based on the year Fox has before he injured his shooting hand. Those declined percentages are doing a lot of heavy lifting despite everyone knowing what ailed the speedy star.

They also have Franz Wagner, Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, and Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of him. No, no, and no. I'll admit that I just don't believe in Wagner and Barnes. They've both had pretty solid careers thus far, but I don't have faith in either of them being stars in this league. We've already seen it from D. Fox.

Maxey is an awesome player. He pretty much hit the ground running in Philly, and he has the potential to be one of the best guards in the Eastern Conference, but that's the East. His defense leaves much to be desired, and though San Antonio's franchise floor general isn't necessarily Gary Payton in his prime, he's a better defender than Tyrese.

Their offense is almost a wash, if not for the clutch factor that leans in Fox's favor. As far as Towns goes, I'm glad that he's turned around the perception many had of him. Getting to the playoffs in New York helps that, but if we had a fantasy draft, I'm not taking him over Swipa. As a point guard, he controls more on the floor, he's a better leader, and we can trust his consistency more.

These lists are meant to drive conversation and debate. That's fine. It will do that no matter who lands where because someone will always have a gripe. These are mine, and I'm sure most, if not all, of Spurs Nation agrees with me.