The New Best Players In The NBA

There are a lot (I mean a lot) of good players in the NBA. Narrowing it down to just 10 is hard. This isn’t a list that is determined by team record. It is just the best 10 players in the league. Some players on this list are having historically good seasons. And some players have had historic performances too.

1. Joel Embiid. He is a force to be reckoned with. Some of it might be his free throws, where on December 30th, he was third in NBA history with averaged free throws per game at 10.3, but he is impossible to stop. He plays the game like a small forward but he is a center. On December 30th, he stands as one of the only players in NBA history to average 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. Incredible. He is an incredible player on defense, too. Advanced stats say he is one of the best defensive players in the league. He is one of the best - if not the best - players in the league.

2. Nikola Jokic. The two-time MVP. A lot of people prefer Jokic to Embiid, but that is playoff bias. This regular season, nearly every NBA fan would tell you that Embiid has been the guy this season. But that isn’t taking anything away from Jokic’s season. He is averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists per game. Not many people have ever achieved that stat line. His defense is also really good. He has some of the best-advanced stats in NBA history this season. He still is one of the best offensive players in NBA history for a single season.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo. When I was talking about historic performances, I was talking about Giannis. And he didn’t even get his game ball! What I am talking about is on December 13th, Giannis scored a Bucks-record 64 points (!!). The previous record for the Bucks was 57 points. He beat it by 7 points, which is wild. He is averaging 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. These stats look normal compared to everyone else’s but trust me, these stats are insane. He is also probably the second-best defensive player on this list. And he is probably top 10 in the league in that aspect. His defensive stats don’t jump out of the page, but his defensive value can’t be underestimated. Some people would argue he is number 1 or 2, but most would put him here. His nickname is the Greek Freak for a reason, because he is freakishly good at basketball.

4. Luka Dončić. Talk about talent. He is the best passing player anyone has ever seen and they don’t even realise it. He is also really good at scoring. And rebounding. And dribbling. The list goes on and on and on. The reason he isn’t top 3 is because his defense just isn’t there yet. But everything on offense is just incredible. From someone who shoots so much (he averages the most shot attempts in the NBA this season) he has shockingly good efficiency. Luka is unstoppable when he gets it going. You will never see highlights crazier than some of his. He doesn’t look real when playing sometimes. He is different.

5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Even though people have finally taken notice of how good he is, I think he is still one of the most underrated players in the NBA. His shot-making ability is just wild. When you play against him, you just think that he can’t miss a shot. Besides his three-point shooting, his efficiency is incredible. His defense is good, too. It isn’t incredible, but it does the job. Not many people like his game because it is not flashy, but he is still phenomenal.

6. Stephen Curry. He has had somewhat of a down season this year. He has averaged 27 points per game and 4.5 rebounds and assists on a good shooting year but for Steph's standards, not great. But obviously, he has been great on offense. He gets a lot of praise (for good reason) for his off-ball movement, which doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. Now, he is also shooting 41% from three, which is great. But his defense is just okay. It has gotten better than from previous years but still isn’t great. But at the end of the day, he is still Steph.

7. Kevin Durant. His efficiency is unheard of. It is one of the most efficient seasons (so far) in NBA history. He is shooting 48% (!!!) from three-point range on 5 attempts per game. He is also shooting 52% from the field. He is so close to shooting the unheard-of shooting splits line of 50% from the court, 40% from 3, and 90% from free throws. He also has an underrated defensive bag. He is underrated in general in all assets. This is sneakily one of the greatest seasons in his career.

8. Tyrese Haliburton. I said Luka was the best passer, but Tyrese gives him a real run for his money. He is averaging 12.4 assists per game which is the most in the league by over a whole assist. He also is averaging the most assists per game in 30 years (1993-94 season)! He also averages 25 points per game on incredible shooting splits/efficiency. Now, he doesn’t have a great defensive bag. He is a liability on defense. But he is on this list because he is incredible on offense, not anything on defense.

9. Jayson Tatum. It seems a bit low because his team is so good, but this list is about the best players, not the best players on the best team. He is really good though, so he rightfully deserves this spot. He is averaging 27 points per game on okay efficiency, but his defense is also good. The splits are okay because he shoots a lot of shots, but he is the definition of a big shot-maker. He is underrated on defense, just like Durant, but nobody realizes. He is extremely good, but it is the eye test that shows it, not the stats test.

10. Anthony Davis. This is the first person on this list who is better on defense than on offense. He is also very good on offense, though. You could argue that Davis deserves to be higher on this list. Everyone says that LeBron is the guy on that Lakers team, but this list features Davis and not LeBron. He is averaging 25 points on good efficiency and 12 rebounds. But his defense is the standout part of his game. He averages 2.5 blocks per game, which is 5th in the league, and is one of the favorites to win DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year). He is also one of the most underrated players in the league. He is (in some people's eyes) the guy on the LA Lakers team.re