Each year, the top players in the NBA fluctuate, especially the bottom half of the top ten players. With so much talent on the floor, one of the most interesting yet controversial topics is who the best players are in the NBA today. Here are the top ten NBA players right now.
1. Kevin Durant
Durant showed countless times why he is the best player in the NBA. Last regular season he averaged 26.9ppg, 7.1rpg, and 5.6apg. In the playoffs, he was even better averaging 33.1ppg, 9.1rpg, and 4.4apg. He shot over 50 percent from the floor and over 40 percent from deep. Although he didn’t win the NBA finals, he really did all he could without a healthy James Harden and Kyrie Irving. He is at the top of his game and also at the top of the NBA.
2. Stephen Curry
Curry, who was one of the front runners for MVP last season, averaged 32ppg, 5.5rpg, and 5.8apg. Curry deserves the second spot for what he did for the Warriors last season. He almost helped them get to the playoffs, but fell just shy. This is one of the main reasons why he isn’t ranked number one today. If Curry puts up those numbers for another season and makes a deep playoff run with Klay Thompson back, you can count on him being ranked number one unanimously on almost every list across the country. He would also probably win another MVP. Another award to add to his already stacked resume, that has won two MVPs, and three NBA championships.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
The narrative completely flipped for Giannis after this past season’s championship run. He went from being questioned as a top-five player and number one option on his team to being arguably the best player in the whole NBA. Giannis proved he can be the best player on his team and win a championship, a big reason why he is so high on the nba hierarchy today. In the finals, Giannis averaged 35.2ppg, 13.2rpg, and 5.0apg. An unreal run for the finals MVP.
4. LeBron James
Some might be thinking this is very low for “the king.” However, a 36-year-old Lebron James may no longer be the best player in the NBA today. That seems crazy. He’s been at the top for nearly ten years. Right now, he’s kind of like the Tom Brady of football. He’s still very good, but Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and other young QB’s are still probably better than him. Even though Lebron’s stats were still very solid, he averaged a career-low in some categories. He averaged his second career-low in points with averaging exactly 25ppg. He only played 42 total games. The Lakers finished as the 7th seed last season, and couldn’t really do much in the playoffs. Lebron is still one of the best players in the NBA, but he isn’t the best.
5. Nikola Jokic
Coming off an incredible MVP season, Jokic cracks the top five. Many underestimate Jokic and what he has done for the nuggets and the NBA. Last season, he averaged 27ppg, 11rpg, and 6apg throughout the regular season. He finished off his playoff run by losing to the Phoenix Suns, but not before beating the Portland Trailblazers without a healthy Nuggets squad. Jokic was unreal in the playoffs even though teams were only keying in on him without Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and P.J Dozier. One of his stat lines included a 30-20-10 game and became only the third player to reach that line in playoff history. After the game Jokic apologized to his teammates, taking the blame for the loss.
6. Kawhi Leonard
The two time NBA champion has been solid his whole career. A championship run with the Raptors easily put him top 10 in the league and he hasn’t looked back since. Last season, Kawhu averaged 24.8ppg, 6.5rpg, and 5.2apg. Although Kawhi made a name for himself by emerging as one of the best defenders in the NBA, he has averaged over 24ppg in the least three seasons including averaging 26.6ppg in 2018-19 and 27.1ppg in the 2019-20 season. This past season he wasn’t asked to do as much, another reason why his scoring average was slightly down. The Clippers desperately wanted to save him for the playoffs as he only played 52 out of 72 games last season. He also attempted fewer shots per game than the previous two years which is no coincidence.
7. Luka Doncic
The young 22 year old MVP favorite heading into this season is already one of the best players in the NBA. After Luka’s sensational sophomore season, he put up similar numbers in his third year. Many expected Luka to take a leap to a 30+ppg scorer but all of his numbers were slightly down in year three. Luka averaged 27.7ppg, 8.0rpg, and 8.6apg. Another spectacular season for Luka. It can be argued that he is a top five player in the league, as his playoff performance in the past two seasons have been masterful. But right now, there are too many proven guys ahead of him. An MVP will surely come soon for Luka, as he has a serious chance to be the best player in all of the NBA in 2+ years.
8. James Harden
For James Harden standards, he was just OK this past season. He battled injuries and only played 36 games all season averaging 24.6ppg, 8.5rpg, and 10.9apg. Early into the season, he was certainly one of the favorites for MVP with his assist numbers skyrocketing. Going to the Brooklyn Nets both helped and hurt Harden. He wasn’t asked to do as much but was able to distribute passes like a true point guard. When Harden was healthy in the playoffs he was great. In one game against the Boston Celtics, Harden put up 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists which also oddly happened to be their only loss of that series. In his 3 games against the Celtics, Harden totaled just 43 points, which adds up to about 14ppg. He clearly wasn’t healthy at all, but that is something that many will remember from the playoffs. Either way, it was another great season for Harden as he continues to be a consensus top ten NBA player.
9. Joel Embiid
A season that “almost” resulted in an MVP for Embiid was certainly one to remember. Embiid averaged 28.5ppg, 10.6rpg, and 2.8apg. While the points and rebounds may jump off of the chart, Embiid averaged 10.7 free throws per game. To put this into perspective, Embiid averaged the most free throws per game in all of the NBA. He averaged one more free throw per game than Giannis Antentokumpo who averaged 9.60 and around two more free throws per game than Zion Williamson who averaged 8.67. Giannis was second in free throws per game and Zion was third in free throws per game out of the whole NBA. I feel as though not enough people are talking about this with Embiid’s game. He scored over 9 points per game just on free throws. Nobody’s sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it definitely helped out his numbers. Embiid averaged very similar numbers in the playoffs and attempted 9.9 free throws per game.
10. Damian Lillard
Lillard put up 55 points against the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. Lillard had another amazing season averaging 28.8ppg, 4.2rpg, and 7.5apg. He’s been a certified top 10 player for years now and is one of the clutch players in the NBA today. He’s a top-three point guard and the only thing missing from his game is playoff success. He’s 22-37 in the playoffs but it isn’t entirely his fault. His team has let him down time and time again. The long deep-range shooter is one of the best players in the NBA today and shows no signs of slowing down.
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler
