25. Rudy Gobert — Minnesota Timberwolves
Career Highlights: 4x All-NBA, 3x Defensive Player of the Year, 6x All-Defensive, 3x All-Star
The T’Wolves dropped the bag for their new center. In total, four first-round picks plus Minnesota’s first-rounder from April (Walker Kessler) was shipped off to Utah in exchange for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Minnesota’s valuation of their new center is rooted in the belief that Gobert wasn’t at fault for Utah’s constant shortcomings in the postseason. Teaming him up with Karl-Anthony Towns makes for a jumbo front court, though Gobert will be surrounded by more athletically-gifted perimeter plays in Minnesota. He remains offensively-challenged, but Gobert can completely shift a game with his length and defensive instincts.
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24. DeMar DeRozan
Career Highlights: 3x All-NBA, 5x All-Star
Just a year ago, multi-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan was readily available for every team in the league. The Bulls eventually acquired him (after the Lakers passed) in a sign-and-trade for a few filler contracts and heavily-protected draft picks. The veteran enjoyed a major bounce-back year for his new club. It’s not too often a player has the best season of his career 14 years in. DeRozan was the leader and closer for a Bulls team that made its first playoff appearance since ’17. He set a career-high in points (27.9), and even started knocking down threes at a respectable clip (35.2-percent).
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23. Pascal Siakam
Career Highlights: 2x All-NBA, 2019 Most Improved Player, 1x NBA Champion, 1x All-Star
Siakam burst onto the scene in 2019, helping the Raptors secure their first NBA Championship. After Kawhi Leonard’s departure, Siakam stepped into a bigger role and was named a second-team All-NBA forward in ’20. The following season didn’t go quite as well, as he struggled with his jump shot and the Raptors endured a dismal 27-55 season. The ’22 campaign started off rocky, but Siakam flipped a switch in the second-half. Over the last 20 games, Siakam was putting up 28/9/6 on efficient shooting from all over the court. It was enough for him to be named third-team All-NBA over names like Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown.
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22. Jaylen Brown
Career Highlights: 1x All-Star
Speaking of the young Celtics star, Jaylen Brown solidified his place among the game’s best with a promising Finals performance. With Jayson Tatum struggling mightily, Brown was Boston’s lone source of consistent offense versus the Warriors. It should come as no surprise seeing as the 25-year-old has been in big games throughout his entire career. Brown has already played in 85 playoff games in six seasons, and has developed into one of the league’s best two-ways wings.
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21. Trae Young
Career Highlights: 1x All-NBA, 2x All-Star
The Hawks were a severe disappointment in ’22 following an Eastern Conference Finals run the year prior. That being said, what Trae Young did to put the Hawks in a position to contend for an NBA Finals spot in 2021 cannot be overlooked. Young was every bit of the offensive dynamo scouts believed he could become in series victories over the Knicks and 76ers. In Game 1 versus the eventual champion Bucks, Young dropped 48 points and 11 assists in a road victory while being defended primarily by the league’s best in Jrue Holiday. Young is a primetime player, and he’ll likely be more of a threat off-the-ball in the coming season with the addition of Dejounte Murray.
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20. Donovan Mitchell
Career Highlights: 3x All-Star
Donovan Mitchell is an elite offensive talent. He can score at will, and has done so on the biggest stage. How quickly critics can forget his virtuoso performance in the 2020 playoffs, when he averaged 36 PPG (with two fifty-point games) on 52/51/94 shooting splits in a classic seven-game battle versus the Denver Nuggets. However, the lack of Utah’s playoff success ultimately led to the team being blown up. With Gobert gone, Mitchell could be the next to be shipped out. There are major questions about Mitchell defensively, but there’s no doubting his skills as a scorer and premier athlete.
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19. Kyrie Irving
Career Highlights: 3x All-NBA, 1x NBA Champion, 7x All-Star
There aren’t too many players in history possessing a skill-level on par with Kyrie Irving. Perhaps the best ball handler the league has seen, Irving is a magician who controls the basketball as if it were on a string. He’s also a deadeye shooter –making over 40-percent of his threes and 90-percent of his free-throw attempts since 2017. However, as the old adage goes, “the most important ability is availability.” Irving hasn’t been all that available in recent years. He’s played in 30 or fewer games in two of the last three seasons, and missed 26 out of a possible 48 postseason games in the last five years. If he was a bit more reliable, Irving would not doubt be higher on this ranking.
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18. Ja Morant
Career Highlights: 1x All-NBA, 2020 Rookie of the Year, 2022 Most Improved Player, 1x All-Star
Ja Morant took the league by storm as a sophomore, and quickly became one of its most popular players. His high-flying act led the Grizzlies to the second-best record in the West, and the team’s first playoff series win since ’15. Morant is a force in transition, and one of the most aggressive attackers of the basket we’ve seen in quite some time. Once his outside shot develops, Morant is going to be virtually impossible to defend.
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17. Karl-Anthony Towns
Career Highlights: 2x All-NBA, 3x All-Star
Nobody is happier about Rudy Gobert coming to Minnesota than his new teammate Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has begrudgingly operated as Minnesota’s de facto center for much of his career. Gobert’s inclusion will make a huge difference on both ends. It will allow Towns to be more of a rover defensively. Gobert’s screen-and-rolling ability will also draw defenders to the paint (which will allow Towns even more easy looks from the outside). One of the great three-point shooting big men the league has seen, Towns has nailed 40-percent of his threes in four of the last five seasons.
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16. James Harden
Career Highlights: 2018 MVP, 7x All-NBA, 3x Scoring Champion, 2012 Sixth Man of the Year, 10x All-Star
James Harden isn’t the same player we saw in Houston. Though, that’s mostly by design. Harden was asked to take more of a scoring load on a Rockets team that was filled with 3-and-D specialists who were mostly incapable of creating their own shot. Since his Houston days, Harden has joined forces with the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and, now, Joel Embiid — stars who are plenty capable of manufacturing their own offense. As such, Harden has assumed more of a playmaking role as his scoring totals have gone down. He remains an elite passer, though he’ll need to show up for a playoff series or two in order to shake off his lousy playoff reputation.
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15. Damian Lillard
Career Highlights: 6x All-NBA, 6x All-Star
Injuries damaged a 2022 season which wound up being a lost season for the Blazers. It was the first time Portland had missed the postseason since Damian Lillard’s rookie campaign (2013). Things could have gone far differently had Lillard stayed healthy. Though he got off to a rocky start, Lillard’s body of work speaks for itself. He’s one of the game’s premier scorers and leaders. After inking a lucrative two-year extension in the offseason, Lillard is going to be on a mission to prove his doubters wrong entering Year 11.
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14. Devin Booker
Career Highlights: 1x All-NBA, 3x All-Star
The end of Phoenix’s playoff run left a bad taste following a dominant regular season. While it wasn’t entirely his fault, first-team All-NBA selection Devin Booker was nowhere to be found during the Suns’ despicable Game 7 performance. Booker’s off-night should not cloud what has been an incredible run for the league’s top two-guard. A complete offensive player, Booker is an adept scorer, shooter, and playmaker. He’s even been a quality defensive player over the last two seasons, and seems to get better every year. Expect Booker to come back even hungrier next season following an embarrassing defeat.
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13. Paul George
Career Highlights: 6x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, 7x All-Star
Paul George has been one of the league’s top two-way players all the way back to his Indiana days. After building up a strong playoff resume early, George stumbled a bit with a few memorable clunkers in Oklahoma City and his first season with the Clippers. He shook off those disappointments with a memorable run in the ’21 postseason sans Kawhi Leonard. George led an undermanned Clippers team to the franchise’s first Western Conference Finals appearance. With Leonard back this coming season, the duo will look to deliver the team’s first NBA Championship.
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12. Jimmy Butler
Career Highlights: 4x All-NBA, 5x All-Defensive, 6x All-Star
One thing Jimmy Butler is going to do is deliver in the playoffs. He might slog through the regular season from time-to-time. Butler has played in over 67 regular season games just twice in his 11-year career. However, when the game slows down and the lights get bright, Butler is always ready to go. He’s led Miami to two Eastern Conference Finals appearances in three seasons with the team, and was one shot away from taking them to the NBA Finals last year. Butler went toe-to-toe with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the Bubble, and the Heat were the only team to take off more than one game from the Lakers in a series during that playoff run. For his playoff heroics alone, Butler is right on the border of being a top-10 player.
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11. Chris Paul
Career Highlights: 11x All-NBA, 9x All-Defensive, 12x All-Star
The Point God is still bending defenses to his will and hounding opposing ball handlers in Year 17. Paul has been an elite playmaker since first stepping foot on the floor all the way back in 2005. He’s had a few stops since then, and has brought a winning mentality everywhere he’s gone. Unfortunately, his teams have routinely come up short in the postseason — sometimes due to his shaky durability. The Suns finally made it over the hump in ’21, but were unable to capitalize on a 2-0 lead versus the the eventual champion Bucks. Paul will return for the Suns in ’23, and look to wash out a disappointing end to what was once a promising 2022 campaign.
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10. Anthony Davis
Career Highlights: 4x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, 1x NBA Champion, 8x All-Star
When Anthony Davis is on the floor, he’s one of the league’s most impactful players on both ends. We saw that on full display during the Lakers memorable run in the 2020 Bubble. Davis is capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor, and is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate due to his versatility and athleticism. That being said, staying on the floor hasn’t been easy, and his outside jumper has massively declined over the last two years. A motivated Davis will be out to prove himself as an elite talent in 2023.
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9. Jayson Tatum
Career Highlights: 2x All-NBA, 3x All-Star, 2022 Eastern Conference Finals MVP
After years of waiting, Jayson Tatum finally put it all together for the Celtics in 2022. He became the best version of a two-way wing en route to his first NBA Finals appearance. Tatum put a stamp on his ascension in a first-round playoff series versus the Nets where he outplayed all-time great Kevin Durant in the four-game sweep. His playmaking has vastly improved over the last two years, and he was a key component for the top-ranked Celtics defense. His Finals outing left something to be desired, but the 24-year-old Tatum gained vital experience which he will use for the remainder of his career.
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8. Kawhi Leonard
Career Highlights: 5x All-NBA, 7x All-Defensive, 2x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 5x All-Star
We haven’t seen Kawhi Leonard on a basketball court in over a year. His health has been a major issue ever since the end of his Spurs tenure. However, the last time Leonard missed a season (2018), he came back and led a team to a title the very next year. Leonard has been everything the Clippers have hoped for, and was on his way to another dominant postseason run in ’21 before it was cut short with a knee injury. One of the best playoff performers of his generation, Leonard will be looking to add a third Finals MVP (all with different teams) in 2023.
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7. Joel Embiid
Career Highlights: 4x All-NBA, 3x All-Defensive, 5x All-Star, 2022 Scoring Champion
Ranking the top-tier of the NBA is not easy. It’s how you end up with the back-to-back MVP runner-up at No. 7. Joel Embiid is a force of nature, and was at his best last year without Ben Simmons. Embiid put up gaudy numbers (30.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 BPG, 1.1 SPG) while picking up the slack until the 76ers acquired James Harden.
Embiid is a matchup nightmare for every team in the league, and has quelled any concerns about his ability to stay healthy for a full season. That being said, he does have the weakest playoff resume of the league’s top superstars. Both him and Harden have a lot to prove in the postseason this coming year.
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6. Nikola Jokic
Career Highlights: 2x MVP, 4x All-NBA, 4x All-Star
As previously stated — ranking the top-tier of the NBA is not easy. That’s how you end up with the back-to-back league MVP ranked outside of the top-5. Nikola Jokic is unlike any player we’ve ever seen. He’s been recognized as the best big man passer for quite sometime, but his evolution as a scorer has been shocking.
With Denver’s other stars missing massive chunks of the last two seasons, Jokic has stepped up his scoring in a big way (26.7 PPG regular season and 30.2 PPG in the playoffs since ’21). Defensively, he can be a liability — evidenced by the Warriors endlessly attacking him during their playoff series Still, he’s arguably the league’s most potent and efficient offensive fulcrum.
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5. LeBron James
Career Highlights: 4x MVP, 18x All-NBA, 6x All-Defensive, 2008 Scoring Champion, 4x NBA Champion, 4x Finals MVP, 18x All-Star
Among the league’s superstars, LeBron James might be the most difficult to rank. He’s coming off another stellar statistical season in which he averaged over 30 PPG on 52-percent shooting. He looks every bit as athletic as he always has, and remains the brightest mind in basketball. That being said, the Lakers were not a competitive team last year.
Part of that has to do with James’ declining defensive effort. On any given night, James can assume the role of the league’s best player — a role he firmly held for a decade-plus. But with how good the league has gotten, James isn’t quite as valuable over the course of a full season as the names ranked above him.
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4. Luka Doncic
Career Highlights: 3x All-NBA, 3x All-Star, 2019 Rookie of the Year
Luka Doncic has already accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. The 23-year-old has been in the league for just four seasons, and has been named first-team All-NBA three times. That’s already more than all-time greats like Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady and Russell Westbrook. He’s one first-team nod away from tying Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, and Dirk Nowitzki. Doncic has also established himself as one of the league’s best playoff performers.
After going toe-to-toe with the Clippers for two seasons (and giving premier defenders Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all types of fits), Doncic and the Mavericks broke through to the Western Conference Finals in ’22. Doncic completely obliterated the top-seed Suns in a unforgettable Game 7 performance. The wunderkind will be dominating the league for years to come.
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3. Stephen Curry
Career Highlights: 2x MVP, 8x All-NBA, 4x NBA Champion, 2022 Finals MVP, 8x All-Star, 2x Scoring Champion
Silencing the last bit of his doubters, Stephen Curry put together the playoff run we were all hoping for in ’22. With a compromised Klay Thompson, an offensively-inept Draymond Green, and no Kevin Durant in sight, Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a fourth NBA Championship in dramatic fashion. Curry topped off his playoff run by dissecting the league’s best defense (Celtics) led by the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. The greatest shooter the league has ever seen, Curry seems to have somehow gotten even better as he enter his mid-30’s.
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2. Kevin Durant
Career Highlights: 2014 MVP, 10x All-NBA, 2x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 12x All-Star, 4x Scoring Champion
An argument can be made that Kevin Durant is the best player on the planet. Nobody can score the basketball quite like Durant can. And, we aren’t just talking about current players with that statement. Durant is one of the most skilled offensive players the game has ever seen. His mix of length, touch, and skill-set makes him an impossible matchup. However, it must be stated that Durant is coming off one of his lousier playoff outings.
Tasked with shouldering too much responsibility for the undermanned Nets, Durant was not his usual-efficient self in a sweep to the Celtics. With trade rumors flying around, Durant may want to join a team that can help carry him through the regular season so he can unleash his full array of powers during the playoffs.
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1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Career Highlights: 2x MVP, 6x All-NBA, 5x All-Defensive, 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, 1x NBA Champion, 2021 Finals MVP, 6x All-Star
After Giannis got over the Championship hurdle, his game has taken another step forward. You can sense the confidence he plays with whenever he steps foot on the floor. Antetokounmpo plays with immense fire on both ends. He’s looking to punish defenders who dare to stand in his way of the rim. There is no player with his set of physical tools in the league. You can see the game slowing down for the man they call ‘The Greek Freak’. As such, that should be a terrifying proposition for the rest of the league as a whole. Giannis is undoubtedly the best player in the NBA at this current time.
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