Like in years past, voters were given a simple/painful task: Rank the best 25 players in the NBA this season. More broadly, the Jazz boast by far the leagues best offense, and Mitchell is its engine. Since given the opportunity to be the full-time starter in Toronto, Pascal Siakam has shown that he is among the best power forwards in the league today. These rankings are a collaborative effort from TSN's global NBA staff, with 11 writers and editors representing five different continents. A key difference for him in the past few seasons is that hes learned to benefit from the trickery of creating contact and getting to the line as a way of bumping his numbers. When active this season, Davis has responded to the years of hand-wringing by the hoops community and logged his most reps at center since forcing his way to L.A. Things could be looking up with Fox having turned it around late last season (29.1 PPG in final 14 games). DeRozans win probability added in clutch situations is nearly twice as high as that of any other player in the league. Despite injuries this past regular season, he continued to prove himself as one of the best two-way point guards in the NBA. Unfortunately, said season came to a premature end in the Western Conference Semifinals. Mann: Holiday is a philosophical dividing line among basketball fans. He has bulked up, and while its affected his movement, hes still one of the most dominant defensive forces in the game. The two-time NBA MVP is averaging 28.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists since the start of the 2017-18 campaign. Injury has put a halt to Curry in the regular season but should he and a healthy Golden State team click in the playoffs, the team could be primed for a deep run. The question here is whether CP3 can keep it up after the 37-year-old struggled in the playoffs. However, struggles in the playoffs have led to renewed questions about whether KAT is a franchise cornerstone. Kawhi (who was sixth last year) and Lillard (11th) suffered the furthest falls. Watch Live Sports On Sling TV Today! Pauls scoring and 3-point shooting numbers have dipped, but his total impact on Phoenixs offense remains remarkable. At just 22, Barrett is well on his way to becoming one of the better young players in the game. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, this late bloomer is averaging 19.1 points and 6.6 assists while posting a combined defensive win shares of 29.8. Dan Devine: Hamstring issues cost Brown 13 games during the first two months of the season. His scoring averages are down, his shooting percentages are down, his advanced metrics are downits all a relative disaster. Holiday is efficient in the pick-and-roll either by pulling up or getting into the teeth of the defense to score it or share it. (Both, of course, have been injured this season.). 
Have we seen a 22-year-old player asked to do so much since LeBron James was somehow making Cleveland relevant eons ago? (Wilbraham, MA), Montverde Academy Its so easy to play alongside LaVine these days, seeing as he could run the bulk of a teams offense if asked, or play largely off to the side if needed. Its not easy to be so valuable when contributing through points scored and not much else. He is now 37 years old and continues to show he has many, many years left in his career. Durant is so much more than a scorer, but this season he continues to remind us that he can score the ball in ways that no one else that has ever played the game can. He couldve hunted the skinnier, smaller Malik Monk. We marvel at LeBron continuing to produce at an elite level into his 19th season at age 37, and justifiably so. In addition to playing great defense, hes upped his game on the offensive end. Said injury cost him the entire 2021-22 campaign, leading many to forget just how talented the 25-year-old guard is. When we think of unstoppable scorers, we gravitate to players like Kevin Durantliving anomalies who can isolate to get a shot off against anyone. Including everyone regardless of their current status gives a more comprehensive snapshot of the NBA as it stands right now. Considering he missed a large chunk of the season with a knee injury, that's saying something. Booker has exceeded the initial expectations for his career because hes an exceptional shot creator, predominantly facing up in the midrange or creating off the dribble, but hes much more of a craft scorer than someone who relies on burning defenders with dribble separation. He is once again leading the league in shooting percentage, though he hasnt added much to his offensive repertoire; he is once again the leagues most important regular-season defender, though were all waiting to see how Utahs team defense will translate to the postseason. Team: Jazz (40-24) | Position: Big | 2021: 1815.6 points, 14.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 2.2 blocks, 71.0 eFG%, 9.1 net rating, 50 GP. Hes attacking and scoring as the ball handler in transition more than ever at 5.2 possessions per game, a career high, and hes in the 94th percentile in generating uncontested attempts from 3. No doubt one of the best clutch shot makers in recent history, the 31-year-old Damian Lillard definitely knows what time it is when it comes to the game clock.
For those interested in simply seeing the entire top 30 list, you can click here to skip down. Team: Nets (33-33) | Position: Big | 2021: 529.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.9 blocks, 56.6 eFG%, 4.1 net rating, 39 GP. Unfortunately, the Sacramento Kings have not been in the postseason since 2006. At 22, Morant is simply one of the best young players in the game. The veteran guard was outstanding averaging 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists on 46% shooting. Yeah, hes still good. Our voters think so as he finished with eight of the 11 first-place votes. There isnt a system out there built to withstand a 7-footer who will stretch bigs out to the perimeter, demolish all mismatches, and beat any double. He ambled out of the gate to start the season, but since February 2 hes averaging 34.5 points per game, 8.4 assists, and 10.4 rebounds and is shooting nearly 40 percent from 3. Unfortunately for them, he does not miss all that often: Embiids shooting 72 percent at the rim, 45 percent on long 2s, 35 percent from 3-point land, and 82 percent at the charity stripe this season. And I can tell how much my tastes will align with a persons based on their reaction to Holiday. Team: Jazz (40-24) | Position: Guard | 2021: 2225.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.2 blocks, 53.6 eFG%, 7.9 net rating, 52 GP. Jaylen Brown has teamed up with Jayson Tatum to form an elite young wing duo in Boston. At 24, this forward is on the verge of becoming elite.
The result is a player with an almost unlimited ability to create offense for both himself and others. season, James could take home the NBA scoring title as he's currently averaging a career-best 30.3 points per game, though it hasn't been enough for his Lakers team, who could miss the postseason altogether. Every passing month is a chance to push some slow-burning skill toward its greatest possible advantage. The most important stat is that because of Jokic's play the Nuggets are 47-32 despite being without Jamal Murray all season and Michael Porter Jr. playing in just nine games. Team: Cavaliers (38-27) | Position: Big | 2021: NR16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks, 67.8 eFG%, 3.3 net rating, 56 GP. When Allen is the closest defender on shots taken within 6 feet of the basket, opposing players shoot just 48.6 percent; thats the lowest mark out of the 213 players who have defended at least 150 such shots. Butler will have to raise his game to match it. Harden, Anthony Davis, and Damian Lillard were the three notable dropouts from our preseason list. Miamis run to the Eastern Conference Finals was prime example of that. RAPTOR ranks him second, behind only Jokic. COMPLEX participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means COMPLEX gets paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Theres a scene in the OG Jumanji movie where Sarah, Bonnie Hunts character, thanks Alan (Robin Williams) for wrestl[ing] an alligator for her. Hes creating 36 points per 100 possessions via assist, according to PBPstats.com, more than any player in the last decadesince, as luck would have it, Steve Nash, in 2011-12, his final season with the Suns. Thats real growth, all but verified by the fact that it didnt come easily or evenly. How good has the Greek Freak been in recent seasons? With the rise of young stars like Ja Morant,Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, the next generation is starting to dethrone some of the stars that have been dominating the league for an extended period of time. The nine players also receiving votes are listed at the bottom. (Bradenton, FL), Oak Hill Academy The often-injured Joel Embiid is now among the best NBA players in the game right now. Trae is making a name for himself as not only a great shooter but one of the brightest stars in the league today. He hasnt been talked about much this season because hes been doing the same thing for a couple years now. 3 overall pick averaged 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists on 39% shooting from distance. Get ESPN For Free And More. VanVleets year-over-year improvement allowed the Raptors to gracefully bid farewell to mentor and franchise icon Kyle Lowry. As such, he is sure to be an MVP finalist again this season. The questions surrounding himquestions posed with increasing volume ever since the Jimmy Butler Experiment blew up in the Wolves faceshave always focused elsewhere. Draymond makes the most complex orchestrations feel routine, as if any run-of-the-mill NBA player could see their team through a whirlwind of off-ball movement. In highly unfortunate fashion, Jamal Murray went down to a torn ACL 48 games into the 2020-21 season. Paul, who will turn 37 during the 2022 NBA Playoffs, is doing it all in his 17th NBA season. In limited action with the Pacers, the 22-year-old guard averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 9.6 assists while shooting 50% from the field. Hes also a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner. There isnt a better and more comprehensive shot creator working today. Theres really no stopping Embiid anymore. Hes in the 97th percentile of matchup difficulty taken on this season, while creating 2.8 deflections per game and contesting 6.5 shot attempts, 10th among guards. Giannis Antetokounmpo turned the tables in that matchup by guarding Butler all over the floor and completely stifling him on offense. A half-decade ago, Embiids career and prospects were shrouded in uncertainty; now, hes become one of the most inevitable quantities in the NBA. He missed 26 games to injury, leading to a two-season total of 63 absences. After a historic performance in the 2021 NBA Finals, Giannis entered a new plane where extraordinary is the baseline expectation it's the ultimate compliment yet it sometimes causes accomplishments to go overlooked. He sought an audience with the King. Tatum gets the pub; Time Lord gets the DPOY discussion; Marcus Smart gets the undying love. I recently described Ja as the most aesthetically satisfying and singularly thrilling player to watch in the NBA right now, and afterward I worried I might be underselling himthat maybe I shouldve spiked right now and replaced it with in ages. His is a rare combination of grace and electricity; his game sparkles, shimmers, transfixes the audience in every city the Grizzlies visit. VanVleets value rests more on efficiency than explosion: on his talents for consistently creating good shots, whether for himself or for his teammates, and for helping tilt the possession battle Torontos way, whether by limiting turnovers on offense or generating them on defense. He just litigates you to death in the half-court, and its a reason why no other player gets blitzed in the pick-and-roll as frequently (2.91 blitzes per 100 possessions) as Doncic. A good argument could be made that the two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic has solidified himself as the best big man in the NBA today. When on the court, SGA is an elite player. 2005-2022 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. He couldve set his sights on the older, slower Carmelo Anthony. Team: 76ers (40-24) | Position: Guard | 2021: 822.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, 49.8 eFG%, 2.7 net rating, 49 GP. Its been a completely different story with the center over the past three seasons with Bam averaging 17.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 56% shooting. (Lewisville, TX), Sierra Canyon But you cant let him get to his midrange, and you cant let him get to his 3, either. LeBron still has so many options every time he touches the ballstarting with his all-time vision and an increasingly lethal rock-back jumperthat defenders practically throw themselves off-balance in anticipation of whatever they fear most. Even scarier, he and Joel Embiid have indicated that their offensive roles are more malleable than theyve shown us in recent years. And maybe thats the key to understanding where James finds himself, 19 years in. Dont be fooled by Greens stuggles in the playoffs and early in the NBA Finals. Related: 2022-23 NBA Playoff and championship predictions. And the 3-point stroke is just fine, too: Only Stephen Curry and VanVleet are making more 3s per game than the Jazz star. Team: Grizzlies (45-22) | Position: Guard | 2021: NR27.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 0.4 blocks, 53.4 eFG%, 4.2 net rating, 53 GP. He put together an all-time-great postseason run in the bubble to carry the Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals before falling flat on his face when the Bucks swept them out of the first round in 2021. And, as we also know damned well, hes the two-way Flex Seal thats kept Milwaukee from really falling in the standings. Its an incredible list of players, and Lukas done it in by far the fewest minutes. Playoff results factor into regular-season feelingsyou hate to see it but they just doand I suspect that affected the perception of his dominance. I would argue that hes not, and we might be giving Book the contribution to winning bump here. El Nio Maravilla averaged 31.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists in the playoffs. As the best NBA players took to the court in the playoffs this past season hoping to lead their teams to the pinnacle of success, were reminded that basketball is a fleeting game. With the 2021-22 season drawing to a close, the Ringer staff has reconvened to rank the best players in the NBA. 3 pick has proven former GM Danny Ainge right in refusing to include him in trades for the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the past. Since entering the Association back in 2017, the 25-year-old guard is averaging 23.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 45% shooting. DeMar DeRozan is coming off the best regular season performance in his first year with the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks inconsistency at the 5-spot in the absence of Brook Lopez has pushed Giannis to defend centers more this season than in any other time of his career. Devine: In an age of Flubber-heeled wonders, visionary needle-threading savants, and geometry-warping stars, we risk damning a player like VanVleet with faint praise. But then, there havent been many small guards, or many players period, quite as exceptional as Chris Paul. ESPN wouldnt have done everything short of putting Woj in an Apache helicopter to track his every move at the trade deadline last month if he werent.
En route to leading Memphis to the second-best record in the NBA, the former Rookie of the Year averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists on 49% shooting. Related: 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year rankings. After the Butler debacle tagged him, fairly or unfairly, with a reputation for being soft, could he lead a team that battledthat was willing to do the dirty work and could find ways to win even when the shots werent falling? Thats what we saw from the 25-year-old Devin Booker during Phoenixs shocking run to the NBA Finals in 2021-22. Devine: Nobody ever doubted Townss offensive talents: His ability to go to work in the post, to facilitate from the elbows and block, and, to a greater degree than just about any big man before him, to step back beyond the arc and scorch the nets like a shooting guard. The former No. Weve seen the decline of longtime superstars like James Harden, who we ranked No. Sadly, injuries have impacted the NBA champion big time over the past two seasons with Ant missing 72 games during that span. Its not common to get that kind of consistent, quality point-of-attack defense from a player who also offers a broad, productive offensive skill set. Giannis is that dude. As a scorer, hes running about as lean as eversettling less, attacking more, and trusting his teammates to do some of his work for him. In the 29 full games hes played since New Years Eve, Brown has averaged 24 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and one steal in 34.7 minutes per game, shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point land on more than seven hoists a night. That constant rim pressure, paired with the court vision and playmaking touch to find the teammates that swarming defenses leave open, serves as the engine of Memphiss offense, which ranks fifth in points scored per possessiona stark contrast to the glacially paced and often middling attacks of the Grit and Grind daysand goes from elite to below average when Ja hits the bench. Chalk it up to COVID-era weirdness or a compatibility issue, but through 44 games with Brooklyn, his true shooting percentage of 57.6 was his lowest mark since his rookie season with the Thunder, and his pick-and-roll (0.965 points per possession) and ISO numbers (1.121) were the lowest theyve been in the past five seasons. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2021 and continues to get better at the still-young age of 27. Thats just insanity. Each voter ranked their top 30 players in the league, with a sliding scale of points attached to each ranking. His ability to serve as a catch-and-shoot threat creates space for the likes of Pascal Siakam and rookie phenom Scottie Barnes to stretch as facilitators; his steady hand at the wheel ensures that they dont get overextended, that theres always a safe place to go with the ball. Team: Warriors (44-22) | Position: Big | 2021: NR7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.2 blocks, 56.7 eFG%, 9.8 net rating, 34 GP. MORE:James Harden makes case for 76ers' teammate Joel Embiid for MVP: 'I already see his mindset'. Were talking about the most-dominant big man since Dwight Howard was in his prime. MORE:LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo entrenched in historic scoring title race. (Bristol, CT), Thornton Township The most glaring issue this season is sadly on-brand: He cant stay healthy. This is a list of prolific scorers and unimpeachable stars, and yet there may not be another player in the bunch with Draymonds understanding of how all the pieces on the floor fit together. Related: LaMelo Ball and the top-selling NBA jerseys. (Fort Erie, ON), Compass Prep A player with his defensive limitations can vault only so high on this list, but his offense remains extraordinary. The question will be whether or not hes in the top three on this list come 2023. 2022-23 NBA Playoff and championship predictions, following the blockbuster trade from Utah, arrest on felony domestic violence charges, barely missed out on the playoffs this past season, LaMelo Ball and the top-selling NBA jerseys, signing a super-max extension with Washington, Hes now headed out of Brooklyn via a trade, shaping up to be the next shooter with limitless range, 10 best centers in the NBA See where Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid rank, 5 ideal Kevin Durant trade scenarios from the Brooklyn Nets, All-time NBA top scorers: Scoring champions for every franchise. This will be a concern for Durants yet-to-be named new team after he requested a trade. The Nets have gone 24-14 with Durant and 8-19 without him. These rankings are about the here and now, and I have to admit that in this here and now, I feel a bit deflated by how Daviss interrupted micro sample size represents him in the grand scheme of the league. What drops James even this far in our ranking is the reality that all that talent and all those head games arent always enough anymore. Dude is still only 20 years old. Harden again rounds out the top 10, reaffirming his status as a top-10 talent in the NBA, regardless of location. Estimated plus-minus rates Young as the fourth-most-valuable offensive player this season, behind only the three leading MVP candidates: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gianniss agile assaults on the rim continue to implode defenses, even when we know damned well whats coming. Weve typically waited until the preseason to rank the best players in the association but with the NBA playoffs coming to a close, why not jump into it now? Below are the results, based on average ranking, according to our panel of analystsDan Devine, Zach Kram, Rob Mahoney, J. Kyle Mann, Kevin OConnor, and Jonathan Tjarks. Team: Wolves (37-29) | Position: Big | 2021: 2524.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, 58.8 eFG%, 4.6 net rating, 59 GP. Note: The article was originally written by Jarrod Castillo, since updated by the Sportsnaut team. 
