How does every NBA player stack up heading into 2020-21, based solely on the level at which we expect them to play during the upcoming season?

That’s the question NBA Math staff members and a select group of site friends are seeking to address, ranking each and every player in the sport’s premier league on a 1-to-12 scale and then seeing who emerged with the highest averages. The distant past was irrelevant. Long-term potential doesn’t matter. Only what could come to pass in 2020-21 is factored in, assuming health for those currently healthy and full recoveries from those presently injured (so long as they aren’t already ruled out for the season).

All players were graded on the following scale by each evaluator, and ties between players with identical averages were broken by sorting the scores from best to worst and propping up the men who had the highest mark at any point in the top-down progression:

1. Shouldn’t Get Minutes
2. End-of-Bench Pieces
3. Depth Pieces
4. High-End Backups
5. Low-End Starters
6. Solid Starters
7. High-End Starters, Non-All-Stars
8. All-Star Candidates
9. All-NBA Candidates, Non-MVP Candidates
10. Lesser MVP Candidates
11. MVP Frontrunners
12. Best Player in the League (only one player could earn this grade on each ballot)

Journey with us team by team as we unveil the entirety of these rankings, culminating in a look at every player set to suit up for the 2020-21 campaign. Roster designations are up to date through Dec. 15 for this preseason edition, so plenty of training camp and preseason roster members who aren’t expected to make the regular-season roster will still be graded.

Today’s featured squad? The Charlotte Hornets.

Shouldn’t Get Minutes: 1.00 to 1.49

20. Keandre Cook: 1.14 (Not previously graded)

19. Nate Darling: 1.23 (Not previously graded)

18. Xavier Sneed: 1.31 (Not previously graded)

17. Javin DeLaurier: 1.36 (Not previously graded)

16. Kahlil Whitney: 1.43 (Not previously graded)

End-of-Bench Pieces: 1.50 to 2.49

15. Nick Richards: 1.77 (Not previously graded)

14. Jalen McDaniels: 2.0 (Up 0.29)

13. Vernon Carey Jr.: 2.31 (Not previously graded)

12. Grant Riller: 2.36 (Not previously graded)

Depth Pieces: 2.50 to 3.49

11. Caleb Martin: 2.53 (Up 0.32)

10. Bismack Biyombo: 2.67 (Down 0.26)

9. Cody Martin: 3.07 (Up 0.21)

8. Malik Monk: 3.21 (Up 0.28)

High-End Backups: 3.50 to 4.49

None

Low-End Starters: 4.50 to 5.49

7. LaMelo Ball: 4.56 (Not previously graded)

6. Cody Zeller: 4.56 (Down 0.01)

5. Miles Bridges: 4.57 (Up 0.21)

4. PJ Washington: 5.0 (Up 0.57)

3. Terry Rozier: 5.07 (Up 0.2)

Solid Starters: 5.50 to 6.49

2. Devonte’ Graham: 5.81 (Up 0.24)

High-End Starters: 6.50 to 7.49

1. Gordon Hayward: 6.75 (Up 0.32)

All-Star Candidates: 7.50 to 8.49

None

All-NBA Candidates: 8.50 to 9.49

None

Lesser MVP Candidates: 9.50 to 10.49

None

MVP Frontrunners: 10.50 to 12.00

None

Many thanks to Joey Akeley, Arjun Baradwaj, Tara Biggs, Ryan Blackburn, Jacob Bourne, Josh Eberley, Dan Favale, Adam Fromal, Bryant Knox, Jordan McGillis, Olivia Panchal, Tom Rende, Adam Spinella, Eric Spyropoulos, Bryan Toporek, Matt Way and Nate Wolf for their grading contributions.