Nevertheless, he was an awesome force who dominated the sport for two decades and perfected the sky hook, one of the most gorgeous shots the game has ever seen. His scintillating performance against the Nuggets in Utah’s seven-game slugfest of a first-round playoff series— Mitchell averaged 36.3 PPG and had two 50-plus-points outbursts—solidified it for the Jazz. It’s crazy how much recency bias plays into fans’ aspect of players. He’s actually become a pretty good disruptor, but superstars are always judged on championships and right now that’s really the only thing missing on Harden’s resume. We all know he’s a NBA champion, but he’s also made six consecutive All-Star appearances as he enters his 15th season in the league, and that’s why we believe he’s one of the top 10 point guards in the game. 2 spot. But Walker’s damn good and he’d be a massive upgrade at point guard for 80 percent of the league. Forever stigmatized as Patient Zero, it was Gobert’s positive test for the coronavirus last March that shutdown the NBA for months and irrevocably changed the league for seasons to come. Fox deserves some shine entering his fourth season in the league out of Kentucky, since he’s become a dynamic scorer (21.1 PPG last season) and a very good distributor (6.8 APG last season) who is an absolute blur in transition. But just because the Klaw couldn’t carry his (reportedly dysfunctional) team to the Western Conference finals doesn’t diminish the individual brilliance of Leonard. But there’s no debating that the 27-year-old sharp shooter, a two-time All-Star, is on the short list of premier shooting guards in today’s NBA. While they’re young, this Bulls team is still a few pieces away from really making some noise again, but I think 2021 will be the year Zach really shows out and puts them on his back. But we’ll argue Green can still be an elite complementary player and for that he’s worthy of being in our Top 50. Unless you agree with me, in which case this was the most meaningful thing I’ve ever written. A few more highly productive seasons for the 34-year-old Lowry, who is a free agent this summer, and he could easily find his way into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame one day. He won a league title in all but two of his 13 seasons as a member of the Boston Celtics. Not only did LeBron James go out and win his fourth NBA title, but he played at an MVP level the entire season while essentially playing point guard for the Lakers. He racked up three championship rings and 12 All-Star appearances in his injury-shortened 13-year career. Who will be the NBA’s best players in the 2019-20 season? Indeedy. That’s what not being in the playoffs on a consistent basis does to a star’s narrative. Also, his career totals were inflated by the fact that he played roughly 10,000 years in the NBA. The sky appears to be the limit. Obviously, his time with the Rockets ended on a sour note with a poor playoff performance but folks tend to leave out he was coming off a quad injury and COVID-19. One of the all-time best NBA players. He’s bigger than a good portion of the players in the NFL and yet he still moves as gracefully as the most nimble guards in basketball. Absolutely. Let’s keep it 100, Nikola Vucevic is one of the most boring All-Star caliber players in the league BUT he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. While it’s easy to clown on him for his effort on the other side of the court since Houston hasn’t exactly featured premier defensive squads during his eight seasons, Harden’s more than serviceable. 2 spot from last year and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s playoff struggles didn’t convince us to elevate him to that No. The teams play EuroLeague games during the week and in their own countries' leagues on the weekends.Regular-season schedule: October to AprilTeams in current season: 16Defending champion: CSKA MoscowNotable: The EuroCup, run by the EuroLeague, is the second-level transnational league in Europ… Still, he averaged an efficient 23 points per game in 28 minutes. The man’s desire to be the best is legendary and propelled him to six championships, five MVP awards, All-Star appearances in every full season he played, and the status as possibly the best defender ever. He’s one of the most talented guards in the business and has evolved from only being known for his elite jumping ability to being an elite scorer, especially his last couple of seasons in Chicago. He’s not quite the defender he was when he was in his mid-20s, but the 30-year-old small forward is still an elite two-way player. He's still a dominant force on the court and while the Warriors expectations took a hit when Klay Thompson got hurt, nobody should expect Curry to slow down. Kind of like former pound-for-pound champ Allen Iverson used to. The EuroLeague is the basketball version of soccer's Champions League, with the top European clubs qualifying each year. The leading scorer in National Basketball Association (NBA) history is just the 10th-best player ever? But he ain’t far behind. However, the canvas of one of the most premium sports in the world is not merely restricted to records, NBA players are also among the most iconic athletes in the world in every aspect. That award went to Brandon Ingram, but Siakam stepped it up for Toronto like it needed him to after Kawhi Leonard took his talents to Los Angeles and ultimately he earned All-NBA Second Team honors. Oh jeez, this guy. The fit with James Harden in Houston is questionable. Yeah, you kinda do. I’m a Zach LaVine believer. Underrated. The failures in the postseason will continue to haunt Harden until he breaks through, but he’s been a First Team All-NBA selection the past six seasons and I think he deserves more credit for his defense. Just look at his 2018-19 season—his first in Detroit—and you see what kind of beast Griffin can still be, especially in the Eastern Conference where he’s easily among the top 5 power forwards when his body isn’t betraying him. And he's still only 21-years-old. He can do that. This list is, naturally, incredibly subjective, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. The Spurs dominated the finals to beat the defending champion Heat four games to one. We’d put Collins a lot higher on our list if he played more games because when the Wake Forest product is on the floor for the Hawks he can score at an elite level. Yeah, we’re still waiting for him to really elevate his game—along with Antetokounmpo—when it matters most in the postseason. With a weak draft class and lack of major international talent (e.g., the next Luka Doncic), our list consists of all NBA and WNBA players. The list excludes players who played fewer than five seasons in the NBA. I wouldn’t bet against Antetokounmpo following a similar timeline. From passing ability to being able to guard multiple positions at a high level, Simmons' value on the court is immense, even without the shooting. LeBron is by far the best all round player I have ever seen. It’s easy to underestimate what Wall brings to the table since we haven’t seen him in an NBA game, no lie, in two years. You can’t help but be happy for Brandon Ingram after he signed his max contract. Before the player sustained an injury, he was leading LA Lakers to the third-best record in the West. Johnson’s otherworldly passing set the stage for the “Showtime” L.A. Lakers teams that captured five championships during his 13 years with the franchise. Those are the moments where the stars become superstars, and Tatum needs to take that step. Stephen Curry is back. The ball’s ability to impact your level of play and overall performance on the court is thanks to it’s exceptional grip and control, which makes this a worthy investment any player can make. Not many people realize that Caris LeVert was headed toward an All-Star year with the Nets during the 2018-19 season before his injury. has been obsessively watching sports for nearly three decades and arguing about them with friends for nearly as long. It’s been an incredible come-up for VanVleet, who bet on himself after going undrafted out of Wichita State. Most obsessively competitive to the detriment of ever having normal human relations with anybody? In fact, they were downright wrong. Plus, he’s been named to two All-NBA teams during his seven seasons in the league and made his first All-Star Game this past season. The 19 games Oladipo played last season didn’t tell us he’s all the way back—just look at his numbers. Boston’s lucky they have the 24-year-old’s services for at least the next four seasons at a little over $26 million per. Nothing, as far as we’re concerned, because we will forever stan for Embiid’s press conference bravado and penchant to troll on social media. Everyone assumed that LeBron James had lost a step after the Lakers missed the playoffs in 2019. Now, he and the Heat need to show people that it wasn’t all the environment the Bubble provided and get to the Conference Finals at the very least (or like, an epic second round series). This year Young has a playoff-caliber roster alongside him. Tim Duncan (right) of the San Antonio Spurs stretches to block a shot by Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat on June 12, 2014, in game two of the NBA finals. LeBron James has earned his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP, closing the gap on the ring total of all-time great Michael Jordan. Say it with me: Kyle. This list of the best basketball players in the NBA today ranks all of the league's current standout top players and NBA stars currently playing. Nor should it distract you from the fact Gobert’s continues to be as one of the best defensive bigs in the NBA (two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time member of the All-Defensive squad). But he was so much more than a dazzling smile. He’s 6’2” with elite shooting ability from the midrange and three-point line, he has the best handles in the league and is one of the best finishers at the rim, and to put the cherry on top, he has an elite postgame for a guard. And he still put up over 16 PPG last season while not really looking for his own shot. Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant would easily … The quickest point guard in the league played like an All-Star last season, but when you’re balling in the Western Conference, with its glut of superstars, it’s tough to break through. That’s what’s so scary about the Greek Freak who became the 11th individual in NBA history to win back-to-back MVP awards this past season, and just the third player in league history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same campaign, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon in that ultra-exclusive club. The only argument people would give to Williamson not being high on lists is that he played 19 games last season. The numbers say Wilt was the most dominant player in NBA history, and it's hard to argue with seven scoring titles, 11 rebounding titles, four MVPs and a 100-point game. When people knocked him for not winning championships early in his career, they overlooked that he almost single-handedly took an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the 2007 NBA finals at just 22 years old. Famously, he played center in place of the injured Abdul-Jabbar in the title-clinching game six of the 1980 NBA finals as a 20-year-old rookie. Sports Illustrated unveils its sixth annual Top 100 list. When healthy, Oladipo should perennially be in the mix for an All-Star selection in the East. Booker’s your man. The 30.5 points he poured in per game last season was second in the league behind scoring champ James Harden and he’s clearly the present and future of the Wizards organization. But both the players and owners can opt out of the collective bargaining agreement by December 2016, which could cause a … The Covid-19 pandemic pushed the start of the season to December after the very successful Orlando "Bubble" season ended in October. The official website of FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and the governing body of Basketball. While I’m too young to have ever seen him play, his statistics are so mind-blowing that I wish I had a time machine for the express purpose of going back and seeing him in action. And that’s why the Clippers recently gave George a massive extension that will earn him a guaranteed $226 million over the next five seasons. With a legacy extended back to over 70 years, National Basketball Association has to offer numerous NBA records to the sports world. Is. Seems pretty safe to say that he's going to keep rising up this list for years to come. Murray smoked the Jazz in their first-round playoff series, lit up the Clippers in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, and averaged 25 against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Quite possibly. There's a good chance you won't agree with everything, but that's the beauty of the list and the NBA. Whether or not you believe Bradley Beal deserved All-NBA status last season after a brilliant 2019-20 campaign might depend on your loyalties. Not only does he routinely pull off feats that I’ve never before seen, he has consistently evolved his game to fix the relative weak spots he was previously criticized for. In fact, would anyone be shocked if he went on a full revenge tour to silence the doubters that have built up over the past year? After only playing in five games last season, the greatest shooter of all-time is ready to remind folks just how good he is. I was really hoping to see Tatum step up and stake his claim as one of the game’s best during the playoffs, but the youngin’ seems timid still. Now with Russell Westbrook coming to town, expect Beal’s numbers to take a bit of a hit, but his status as one of the NBA’S most dangerous twos—every team in the Association would die to land Beal if he ever legitimately became available—isn’t changing anytime soon. Maybe he turns into a serviceable shooter at some point. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the 2019-20 NBA MVP. He’s one of only six players in NBA history to score 70 points or more in a game and his eight games down in the bubble where he averaged 30.5 PPG were a coming out party. The Suns shooting guard made his first All-Star team last season and it should be the first of many selections because few can light it up like him. Antetokounmpo’s game has progressed exponentially since his NBA debut in 2013 and based on how maniacal he appears to be about getting better, winning a title before he’s 30 feels like a slam dunk. LeBron has no signs of slowing down and remains the best player in the world. When you throw the corny narratives out the window and focus on just the game of basketball, Kyrie Irving is a top 15 player in the NBA without a doubt. Guys Paul’s age and with his mileage (he entered the league in 2005) aren’t supposed to turn back the clock and look like he did a decade ago. LeBron James just does things that shouldn’t be humanly possible. Last season he stretched the floor more than he has in the past and probably should’ve won the Defensive Player of the Year (Giannis did not need both, let’s be real). Whether you believe it or not, Luka’s breakout playoff performance put a whole lot of pressure on Trae. Defense may not be a strong suit, but in due time Booker can develop into a competent defender—there’s already evidence he’s improving—and we’re all dying to see how he thrives playing alongside the newly acquired CP3. During the 1961–62 season, “The Big O” averaged a triple-double with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. But the early results are promising that Ayton’s going to be one of the better offensive big men in the game—he’s already a respected force close to the basket and the 2020-21 season could be a breakout campaign for the Arizona product if he develops some chemistry with Chris Paul in the pick-and-roll. Owner of a higher PER last season than Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, and Ben Simmons—players ranked ahead of him on our 2020 rankings—Sabonis has made himself into an extremely well-rounded baller who is an elite rebounder and a very good defender. He might not be as athletically gifted as the two 7-footers we have ranked ahead of him, but when Embiid is healthy, what is there not to love about his game or his endearing personality? The four highest all-time NBA single-season scoring averages all belong to Chamberlain…in his first four professional seasons. Young’s numbers were ridiculous last year, especially for a guy so young, but the numbers didn’t lead to wins and that’s not really an issue because he didn’t have the roster to compete. Like can he lead the Blazers to the Promised Land? The joke’s on the other 29 teams around the league that wasted opportunity after opportunity to draft arguably the most gifted European giant since Dirk Nowitzki. We all know his mid-range game is archaic in today’s NBA and you’d prefer your two guard to shoot better than his career 28.2 percent clip from beyond the arc. Skill-wise A.D. has been one of the game’s best big men for like what, I don’t know, the last five to seven years? His free-throw shooting, on the other hand…. The awesome numbers Mitchell has put up over his first three years—22.7 PPG and 4.0 APG during the regular-season—is why Utah invested heavily in the 24-year-old. But let’s not gloss over what we saw from Middleton down in the bubble. Now, with the enormous extension he recently signed, Tatum has an opportunity to carve his name next to other Celtic greats and hopefully bring a title back to “Titletown.” He’s the most lethal scorer in the L not named Kevin Durant, after all. There might be a more polarizing player in the NBA than Green, but I’m blanking on the other candidates right now. Regardless of any of that, we shouldn't ignore just how good Simmons is on both sides of the ball. He's already one of the best players in the NBA and the sky appears to be the limit for his ceiling. Last year’s Heat team has proven to his former teams that it wasn’t him, it was them. The defense is already there for the young fella and he’ll surely win a Defensive Player of the Year award before it’s all said and done. D’Angelo Russell quickly went from an All-Star in Brooklyn getting a lot of attention to a guy who’s flown below the radar once again. He’s not the flashiest but he gets the job done. The biggest thing that folks tend to leave out is the fact Westbrook was playing some of the best basketball of his career before the pandemic hit and he was the one carrying the Rockets, not Harden. But we’re willing to bet the 28-year-old Oladipo will soon enough look like a high-level two-way two guard we came to expect with the Pacers and rise up our rankings. If you’re surprised we have Sabonis ranked ahead of his teammate Victor Oladipo, wake up. Twice he’s earned the honor, including his incredible 2017-18 season when he was named All-NBA Third Team, All-Defensive First Team, led the league in steals, and was named Most Improved Player. The one time in his 14-year career that he was not an All-Star was in 1970, a season in which an injured Chamberlain was limited to just 12 regular-season games and yet he still managed to will his team to the NBA finals upon his return. Plus his 30.1 points per game is the NBA’s highest career scoring average. Moreover, his rivalry with Magic Johnson—who, spoiler alert, you’ll see a bit later in this list—during the 1980s launched basketball into an unprecedented level of national popularity that the sport has never fallen from. You want a tough bucket? The scariest part about Ingram is the fact that he just turned 23 in September. Yeah, missing two years in the prime of your career isn’t ideal and we’ll continue to hold our breath watching the 30-year-old in his return from a torn Achilles. It’s crazy because he put up really good numbers last year even though it was for two AWFUL teams in Golden State and Minnesota, but I don’t believe he’s lost anything he showed in Brooklyn. The day’s NBA news including the hottest team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz, 6th Man of the Year favorite, Jordan Clarkson, Zion Williamson getting wherever he wants, the Pelicans’ shooting woes, Nikola Jokic’s shot at setting an assist record, Facundo Campazzo’s passing brilliance, and Tas Melas picks a presidential cabinet from NBA players. Johnston was able to rack up more than 10,000 points and nearly 6,000 rebounds in his brief tenure, averaging 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. The Luka hype is real and he's clearly our highest riser on this list from last year and nobody should be surprised. Say what you want about him off the court, but Kyrie is a hooper. Now that he should be making deep runs in the postseason with a stacked Boston squad for years to come, the opportunities for him to earn more respect will be plentiful. Plus, he finished the 2019-20 season with a higher PER than a lot of guys ranked higher than him on our list. In his prime, Duncan, nicknamed “The Big Fundamental” by no less a nickname authority than Shaquille O’Neal, was one of the most sound players of all time. You want an expert distributor and the most seasoned facilitator who plays like he’s five to seven years younger than his actual age? Now, the NBA is heading back to arenas and while fans really won't be in attendance as the games start, the greatest athletes in the world will be on full display. If that turns out to be the case, then Wall absolutely deserves to be ranked as one of the 50 best players in the league because his ability to score and distribute at the point guard position has always been next level. Borrowing from the tradition of ranking the best pound-for-pound fighters, we decided to look at the best pound-for-pound basketball players in the world. Vucevic can rebound, pass, and score at a high level. You want buckets? Is he good at a lot of things? He’s getting close. We respect you, DeMar. But if you honestly believe he’s not one of the best young shooting guards in the game, you’re higher than the Rocky Mountains. Remember, Antetokounmpo just finished his age 25 season—the same age Jordan was when he won MVP and DPOY in the same season. Regardless of his value, Holiday is widely regarded as an excellent defender—we have plenty of analytics, eye tests, and two All-Defensive Team appearances to back up that boast—and he’s a more consistent shooter than you probably realize.

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