Lowe: Ray Allen Still a Top 50 Player

Esteemed blogger Zach Lowe has taken it upon himself to rank all the NBA players from 1 to 100. He hasn't done the top 40 yet, but the Celtics' Big 4 are all in the top 50 (by process of elimination). The lowest of the 4 is Ray Allen who he ranks at 48. Here are some of his thoughts on Allen.

The Point Forward " Posts Top 100 NBA Players — Nos. 41-50 "

That’s the tricky thing with Allen: It’s hard to separate his late-career success from the context of Boston’s Big Four. What is certain is that Allen is smart and hard-working on both ends, and that the mere threat of his shooting is like WD-40 for an offense. His placement here reflects the trouble he has now, in his NBA old age, at creating his own shot under pressure. Review all his late-game shots over his Boston years, and those that don’t involve a stumbling Sasha Vujacic include picks, passes and creative play-calling from coach Doc Rivers. That’s not a knock on Allen, by the way. The guy is 36 and still one of the league’s 50 best players. Holy cow, what a career.

Thoughts?

Bonus Link: What to work on: Ray Allen - Boston Celtics Blog - ESPN Boston