By: Aaron Silcoff
This season we have seen the NBA move into a new era. Teams being led by stars such as; LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant do not seem to be legit championship contenders as the post-season nears. Instead, young stars like; Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have brought their respective teams to the top of the standings. With the playoffs nearing, it is time to examine who the top ten players in the association entering the best time of the basketball calendar.
T10. LeBron James & Kevin Durant:
Two of the three stars that defined the 2010s are in their late thirties and still playing high-level basketball. Although they are still putting up eye-popping numbers, through the eye test we can see that they are slightly past their primes. Even with those great numbers, those stats have not led to enough team success this season where both the Lakers & Suns seemed destined for the play-in tournament.
9. Stephen Curry:
Curry is still by far the best shooter in basketball, but this has been the first year he has started at times to begin to his age. Given his style of play, he should still be able to be an effective player for years to come or the very best floor spacer in the sport. With that said, currently, the Warriors are in 10-seed in the Western Conference and I find it unlikely that we will see them in the official 16-team tournament for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Curry is still good enough to contribute to a championship team at a high level but can no longer carry the load. If he wants to both stay in Golden State for the remainder of his career and continue to compete for championships, he and the Warriors will have to answer uncomfortable questions about the roster in the summer.
8. Anthony Davis:
It may have taken longer than Laker fans expected or hoped, but Anthony Davis has finally taken the torch and is now the best player on the Lakers. Davis has been dominant on both ends of the court, where he has a legitimate argument to take home Defensive Player of the Award honors. More importantly, Davis has been healthy, he has appeared in 72 of the Lakers 76 games. Hopefully, he has turned a leaf and can remain healthy going into his thirties.
7. Kawhi Leonard:
The Klaw can no longer be the defensive anchor 82-plus times a year like he once was, but when he needs to, he can still guard your best player while also putting up big numbers on the offensive end while being efficient. Much like his LA counterpart Anthony Davis, Leonard has remained healthy for a majority of the season and has led the Clippers near the top of the Western Conference for much of the season.
6. Jayson Tatum:
As a 22-year-old sports fan, it has been cool to watch the entire arc of Jayson Tatum's career play out in real time. He has gone from the 20-year-old kid dunking on LeBron James in Game 7 and having nothing to lose. That moment seems like yesterday, yet so long ago, especially compared to expectations this year. Fair or not, Tatum seems to be the player who will be under the most pressure from the media and fans throughout these playoffs. The Celtics have been dominant all year long and will be the only team in the league to reach the 60-win mark, yet the public seems to not trust this core due to past playoff failures where Tatum has been the best player on this team. The Celtics have no excuses to not at the very least reach the NBA Finals this June. Once there, Tatum will hope to silence the doubters and bring Banner 18 to Boston.
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:
Perhaps the most crafty and creative player in the league today, Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his game to new heights this season, where he has the Thunder fighting for home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference Playoffs with days remaining in the regular season. Shai has mastered the art of getting to the free throw line and controlling the pace of play. It will be fascinating to see how he and his young OKC teammates fair in the post-season in a couple of weeks. Nevertheless, the Thunder should be a force to reckon with for years to come, and it starts with their franchise point guard.
4. Joel Embiid:
Before he went down with an injury in late January, Embiid was playing the best basketball of his career, and he was on pace to take home his second straight MVP award. Embiid is now back just in time for the post-season. The 76ers are likely to face either the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, therefore, I do not expect the Sixers to make a deep postseason run. Thus, this would be the perfect time for Embiid to make his presence felt in the playoffs where expectations will be at their lowest for the reigning MVP and his 76ers.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo:
I'm going to be honest, the vibes in Milwaukee have just been weird all year long. I thought the fit of Damian Lillard and Giannis would fit quickly, and although their record would suggest it has, once again, the eye test just hasn't added up. Even with the team's up-and-downs, Antetokounmpo has been as dominant as ever by putting up 30 points a night, and he enters the post-season with the best teammate of his career in Lillard where the duo hopes to bring home an NBA Championship, validating the blockbuster deal that was finalized in September.
2. Luka Doncic:
Doncic, this season has established himself as the best guard in basketball. He is putting up nearly 35 points a game while also nearly dishing out 10 assists per game. Even as the league has the skill level rise to heights we've never seen, Doncic's game still stands out, he can dominate inside the paint against smaller guards, while also taking on wings and bigs on the perimeter. I'm not sure if his style of play is capable of this Mavericks team to a championship, but you know when you are watching one of the greats in real-time, and Doncic is one of those players who should just be entering his prime.
Nikola Jokic:
There's not much of an argument here, in my opinion, the Joker is the best offensive player in the game today. Sure, he isn't the greatest defender, but he is more than capable of intruding passing lanes and grabbing boards which leads to one of his greatest gifts, his ability to throw an outlet pass to the person running the floor. The reigning Finals MVP is poised to win his 3rd regular season MVP award in 4 years, and once the postseason begins, it is tough to imagine his Nuggets not playing in the NBA Finals to try to defend their title.
Just Missed The Cut:
Devin Booker
Jimmy Butler
Anthony Edwards
Victor Wembanyama
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