Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo and forward Jimmy Butler are widely considered among the NBA's Top 25 players.
Both claims were validated on CBS Sports' recent listing of its Top 50 players. Even though Adebayo was the Heat's lone All-Star, he appeared behind Butler in the rankings.
Butler checked in at No. 19 while Adebayo was No. 21. Here's what the publication said about each player:
On Adebayo
"Adebayo was Miami's All-Star but ranks below Jimmy Butler on this list. Surely reasonable minds can disagree on that front. Either way, Bam has been very good and wholly necessary for the Heat, who go from a plus-3.8 point differential per 100 possessions when he plays, per CTG, to a minus-6.7 when he sits."
On Butler
"Butler levels up in the playoffs, but he's been very good, in his typically subtle ways, in the regular season as well. His 21 points, six boards, five assists and two steals per game weren't enough for an All-Star selection, but you'll find him in the top 10 of pretty much all the catch-all advanced metrics."
The full rankings can be read here.
More must-reads: