The fit projects to be awesome, with Gobert making up for Towns defensive deficiencies and Towns shooting enabling Gobert to hang out in the paint without mucking up the spacing too much. -- Sam Quinn, If Porzingis weren't on a middling team, his return to form would be a much bigger story. 1 overall pick has been limited to just 29 games, but those performances been special. Those three wins all came after Dallas traded for Kyrie Irving, signaling that perhaps Doncic will get the much needed offensive help the Mavericks have been so desperate to get him. They want to bring an NBA Championship to the other Los Angeles franchise. Without Zion Williamson, the Pelicans and Ingram struggled at the start of the season until the addition of CJ McCollum gave them the boost they needed to make the playoffs. 6:00 am ET, 45-point explosion right before the break, Warriors have climbed standings without Steph Curry, Knicks vs. Nets odds, picks, prediction, bets, Celtics vs. Cavaliers odds, picks, prediction, bets, Bulls vs. Pistons odds, picks, prediction, bets, OKC is better on offense than you think | Best bets, NBA DFS picks, lineups, advice, March 1 strategy, Giannis, Jokic vie for No. -- Sam Quinn, Morant has continued his ascension up the ranks of the league's elite this season. Jimmy Butler continues to be one of the top players in the NBA. Voters for the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (player), Marv Albert (media), Al Attles (team), Red Auerbach (team), Elgin Baylor (team), Dave Bing (player), Larry Bird (team), Marty Blake (team), Fran Blinebury (media), Bill Bradley (player), Hubie Brown (team), Wilt Chamberlain (player), Mitch Chortkoff (media), Bob Cousy (player), Billy Cunningham (team), Chuck Daly (team), David DuPree (media), Wayne Embry (team), Julius Erving (player), Joe Gilmartin (media), Sam Goldaper (media), Alex Hannum (team), Lester Harrison (team), John Havlicek (player), Chick Hearn (media), Red Holzman (team), Phil Jasner (media), Earvin Johnson (player), John Kerr (player), Leonard Koppet (media), Bob Lanier (player), Frank Layden (team), Leonard Lewin (media), Jack McCallum (media), Dick McGuire (team), George Mikan (player), Bob Pettit (player), Harvey Pollack (team), Jack Ramsay (team), Willis Reed (team), Oscar Robertson (player), Bill Russell (player), Bob Ryan (media), Dolph Schayes (player), Bill Sharman (player), Gene Shue (team), Isiah Thomas (team), Wes Unseld (team), Peter Vecsey (media), Jerry West (team). -- Jasmyn Wimbish, If there was a shred of fear about what Donovan Mitchell's presence might have meant for Garland, it is now gone. Before we plunge into the top 50 NBA players entering the 2022-23 NBA season, some honorable mentions left out of the top 50 are R.J. Barrett (Knicks), Jarrett Allen (Cavs), Klay. -- Brad Botkin, McCollum isn't having his most efficient season -- and playing long stretches without Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram might have something to do with that -- but he's still at 21 points a night on 39-percent 3-point shooting. Well, probably not. He'll also likely land on an All-NBA team for the first time at the end of the season. The Eastern Conference is packed, but Murray makes the Hawks serious playoff contenders on paper. For the last six weeks, he's been playing at an All-NBA level. The Cavaliers have had a top defense in the league throughout the season, and Allen is a main part of the reason why. In 2021, he carried the Nets and was a toe on the line from defeating the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks. His ability to shoot over defenders at will makes him impossible to gameplan against. But make no mistake, the Cavaliers are led by a Big 4, not a Big 3. If Booker can become the best player on a championship team, he'll find himself in the top-five conversation. At the start of the 1996-97 season the 50 players had accumulated 107 NBA Championships, 49 Most Valuable Player Awards, 17 Rookie of the Year honors, 447 All-Star Game selections, 36 scoring titles, 923,791 total points and 410,327 total rebounds. Paul George will need to shrug off the Pandemic P nickname once and for all this upcoming season. Ties were broken by guest voter Kas Facts. -- James Herbert, The Bulls may not be experiencing the success they had a season ago, but they've managed to hover around a shot at the play-in round because of DeRozan. And look, we dont blame you if you havent watched many OKC in recent years, but if you can ignore the scoreboard, the Thunder are actually a fun League Pass team, and much of that has to do with Gilgeous-Alexender. We just hope SGA is there by the time OKC builds the next great version of its team. Embiid is an elite defender, impossible to guard with only one player in the post and has shot over 37 percent from 3-point range in each of the past two seasons. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Hes still a star, but you cant throw him out there with any four players and expect them to be legitimate title contenders. His explosiveness and highlight-level plays on the regular make him a game-wrecker on the offensive end, which helped him earn his first All-NBA honor last year. He also makes deep 3s and can break defenses that surrender floaters and midrange jumpers. Here it is Tier 1: Luka Doncic Tier 2A: Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum Tier 2B: Bam Adebayo, Ja Morant, Trae Young Tier 3A: Donovan Mitchell No. He can score at all three levels and whip cross-court passes in the blink of an eye. LaVine's the type of player who can be plugged into any situation, capable of doing damage off the bounce, or cutting to the rim for a tough finish at the rim. -- Otto Strong, Adebayo was Miami's All-Star but ranks below Jimmy Butler on this list. NBA PLAYERS TIER LIST 2022 (RANKING THE TOP 50 PLAYERS IN THE NBA) NBA. Sabonis won't win MVP for his efforts, but he's more than earned his spot on this list. As always, we invite your feedback at @CBSSportsNBA. 4. He's averaging 23.1 points, 5.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per performance while shooting 52 percent from the floor (the highest mark of his career) and 37 percent from long range -- all respectable numbers for the three-time All-Star. Last season was forgettable for the Trail Blazers. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. VanVleet is a good defender despite his small size, averaging 1.7 steals and finishing second in the NBA in total deflections. Green is getting older and the Warriors title window will close in a short amount of time. 9. NBA PLAYERS TIER LIST 2022 No views Oct 8, 2022 9 Dislike Share ImMakevelli 1.65K subscribers #roadto10k Lets get to 10,000 SUBS together!. If Embiid is finally able to claim his elusive MVP award and help lead the 76ers to a deep postseason run, look for him to challenge for the top spot in our Top 50 list next season. After leading the league in scoring last year, Embiid is at an elite level again with 33.1 points per game, trailing only Luka Doncic's 33.3. Good Trae can pull up from the logo and get into the lane at will while unleashing high-arching floaters over much taller defenders. His poor shooting hasn't seemed to affect the Hawks, however, who still put up 115 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, compared to 108 when he's off. Last season, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Even if he and the Celtics haven't kept up the ridiculous pace they set in the first third of the season, he remains a leading MVP candidate for his strong two-way play, and the team maintains the best record in the league. 1. Check out our other NBA tier list templates and the most recent user submitted NBA tier lists. You dont want him looking for his shot over and over in iso situations. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | His minutes per game last season (37.9) ranked second-highest in the NBA, and its fair to wonder how this dose minutes will affect his smaller body in the NBA, especially with a player who plays as physically defensively as VanVleet does. He's seeing career highs across the board, but he's taken major steps on the defensive end. -- Michael Kaskey-Blomain, Butler levels up in the playoffs, but he's been very good, in his typically subtle ways, in the regular season as well. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Watching Steph play basketball will never cease to be amazing. -- James Herbert, For all of the questions about how he'd fit with Trae Young, Murray's averaging almost exactly the same amount of points and shots as he did last season. He already has three 50-point games this season, and the Bucks are 35-12 when he plays, compared to 6-5 when he sits. The towering shadow of the two-time defending MVP is obscuring just how rare and special a player Sabonis has become. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. If hes somehow the third-best player on your team, you are almost certainly an elite team. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If Edwards can match the progression from his first two years, the Timberwolves star will not only reach that goal but could push for an All-NBA spot, as well. Once he has a head of steam in the open court, there is nothing you can do to stop him. Denver's No. Despite playing huge minutes, carrying a heavier defensive load than most stars and all the weirdness surrounding the Raptors, he is making his case for a third All-NBA selection. The Grizzlies picked Bane expecting him to be a sharpshooter. On offense, hes a machine that has improved as a shooter and can get to his spots at will. 50 Greatest Players | Top 10 Teams | Top 10 Coaches. If you play him straight up, hell blow by slower defenders, punish smaller defenders and get his stepback 3 off against anyone. Injuries didnt let Damian Lillard play at his best, and he had to be shut down after 29 games. Add in five boards and it's just him and Nikola Jokic, who is the season's leading MVP candidate. What he's gained is far more valuable: Garland is up to nearly 42 percent from deep this season with defenses focusing on Mitchell. 49 may be slightly low for a player that did as many things at a high level as Barnes. The Bucks' point guard is arguably the best perimeter defender around, capable of single-handedly changing games on that side of the ball. The Pistons have a true franchise player to build around in Cunnigham, and we are excited to see what this season will look like for him and what improvements he has made to his game over the offseason. His offensive feel for the game is extraordinary and he's a good defender. -- Sam Quinn, About the only thing that's gone wrong for Brown this season was when he suffered a facial fracture via an inadvertent elbow from Boston's other All-Star, Jayson Tatum. With an offseason to get healthier and more in rhythm, the old Klay can be back for Golden State. While it has worked fairly well for the Toronto Raptors, there needs to be more evidence. Lopez is not just the anchor of the league's No. The man is shooting 46 percent on non-corner 3s (41 percent overall) and 73 percent at the rim, per CTG. It has remained elite offensively, too. 3.6 turnovers per game is something Garland will need to clean up. However, the Bulls guard still is a scoring machine who can help lead his team to the playoffs. And then he got hurt, missed over a month, and has averaged 22.5 points per game since returning. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. When he appeared for the Nets in the court, he would consistently put up 30 points and rack up assists. In his last 18 games, Bridges has averaged 22.7 points on 60.1 percent true shooting, plus 4.4 assists, including a45-point explosion right before the break. -- Michael Kaskey-Blomain, Lillard is quietly having the best, or at least most efficient, season of his career: 31.4 points per game on a career-high 64.8 true-shooting percentage. Unfortunately, Embiid had a facial fracture and thumb sprain during last Philadelphias playoff run and seems to be hurt during each of Philadelphias postseason appearances. Garland finished with a career-high 21.7 points and 8.6 assists per game en route to his first All-Star selection. One hundred and seven NBA championship rings. In this video, I will be ranking the top 50 NBA players in the NBA on a tier list! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. He played 29 games throughout the season, scored 30-plus points in 11 of those and had a 50- and 60-point game within a week of each other. Booker is probably the best shooting guard in the NBA now after helping the Suns to the Finals in 2021 and earning first-team All-NBA honors in 2022. -- Jack Maloney, The brilliance of Williamson has always been dulled due to his availability, or rather lack of. Don't call him a 3-and-D guy, even though he's making 40.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s and seemingly never misses in the left corner. The definition of top or best is subjective and open-ended; each voter has their own view and opinion on that. 50 Greatest Players in NBA History Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Nate Archibald Paul Arizin Charles Barkley Rick Barry Elgin Baylor Dave Bing Larry Bird Wilt Chamberlain Bob Cousy Dave Cowens Billy. His numbers are eerily identical to what he posted last season without Mitchell. Were Doncic to transform his body and get into elite shape, its scary to think what hed be capable of. He has no spacing around him. The perennial Defensive Player of the Year favorite, we know very well who Rudy Gobert is at this point. Zach LaVine is an interesting player and the best player on the Bulls moving forward, if that was in question. Last season was the first time in VanVleets six-year career that he was selected to an All-Star team. They have done a fairly poor job stacking talent around him, and because of that, he hasnt been able to win much with the franchise. Either way, Bam has been very good and wholly necessary for the Heat, who go from a plus-3.8 point differential per 100 possessions when he plays, per CTG, to a minus-6.7 when he sits. Sam Presti probably wants to try his lottery luck one more time before pivoting toward winning. -- Michael Kaskey-Blomain, Still one of the league's premier perimeter defenders, Bridges is always eager to pester ballhandlers full-court and shut down passing lanes with his 7-foot-1 wingspan. 2 options is capable of making it all the way to the NBA Finals. -- Colin Ward-Henninger, We have published a variety of storiesandcolumns on thecontroversies of Irving's creation, though his stances do not factor into this ranking. He is simultaneously the poster boy for efficiency and one of the most creative players who has ever lived. And with that, let's get to the list. In those games, Beal averaged 23.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. Published February 5, 2023 50 Best NBA players of 2023: New Mavericks star Kyrie Irving lands in the. So it's incredible now, at 34, that he is playing more minutes than he has in seven years and having the best defensive season of his career. While his scoring average has remained steady, he's grabbing more rebounds and dropping more dimes on a nightly basis, and he again has the Grizzlies near the top of the Western Conference standings as a result. Still, Brown had a fine season overall and has established himself as a borderline-All-Star-level player. He's also contributing 17 points a night on 36-percent relatively high-volume 3-point shooting. After a torn ACL at the worst possible time, a whole season on the sideline and a couple of false starts, Leonard finally looks like himself again. Joel Embiid, 76ers. -- Michael Kaskey-Blomain, Curry is having another brilliant season that we mostly take for granted: 29.5 points per game on 49/43/93 shooting splits. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. What's really down is his 36-percent mark from long midrange, where he's almost always north of 45 percent and has been known to crest to 50 percent. In the next series, the Mavs made it a point to punish him on the defensive end, and he showed signs of attrition as the series went on. Averaging 30.6 points per game to lead the league in scoring for the first time in his career, it was the first time a center has led the league in scoring since Shaquille ONeal in 1999-2000. 2 ranked unit. Fresh off of his fourth NBA Championship and his first NBA Finals MVP, Stephen Curry doesnt really have anything to prove to anyone. Morant is consistently putting out highlight-worthy plays that make him alone worth a subscription to NBA League Pass. As a result, his Nets were swept by the Boston Celtics. Jrue Holiday cant be the best player on a title team. Torontos system does not feel all that sustainable. The uncertainty about his playing availability during the past season made Kyrie Irving slide in our rankings, but his talent cannot be questioned. How many NBA Players belonged in the Elite tier?SUBSCRIBE IF YOU ENJOYED! He's averaging only 1.8 fewer points and one fewer assist per game since Jan. 1. Ranking top 50 NBA players from the 2020-21 and to the 2021-22 NBA season Create a Top 50 NBA Players 2021-22 tier list. 2. He will stuff the stat sheet and make an infinite number of highlight plays, but his weaknesses place a glass ceiling on Atlantas title hopes. The new-look Los Angeles Lakers will still run through James, and hopefully, his supporting cast will prove better this season. Darius Garland was able to fully showcase his talents after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost Colin Sexton, and Garland took advantage, having his best season. NBA Top 125 players for 2022-23: Bradley Beal, Anthony Edwards and other Tier 3 stars - The Athletic NBA Top 125 players for 2022-23: Bradley Beal, Anthony Edwards and other. The Thunder are building something special. Until he can round out his game and find ways to impact the game in areas other than scoring, hell continue to leave us wanting more. Aside from that unfortunate moment, the duo have been on the same page all season long for the league-leading Celtics. In his first year with the Jazz, Markkanen is averaging career highs across the board -- 24.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, while shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from long range. Williamson is an athletic freak and a walking highlight, but I had to force myself to rank him this high. Most years you could argue James has an argument for the MVP award. He's averaging 18 points on efficient clips while serving as a legitimate 6-foot-10 point guard. 9. Averaging 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 17 postseason games last year, there are maybe only a handful of players whom you would want to have over Jimmy Buckets when the playoffs start. His 2020-21 3-point-shooting bump (38.6%) appears to have been an outlier rather than the new norm, as Mitchells 2021-22 mark of 35.5% was more in-line with his career average of 36.1%. Deandre Ayton doesnt seem to be overly thrilled about signing a four-year contract worth nearly $133 million to stay with the Suns, but nonetheless, in Phoenix he remains. Among the eight players who are attempting at least five pull-up 3s per game, only Haliburton (39.6 percent), Donovan Mitchell (39.7 percent) and Stephen Curry (47.3 percent) are making more than 37 percent. -- James Herbert, It's all coming together. -- Jack Maloney, Memphis has been a top-shelf defense all season and JJJ is the leading that charge. Randle's much-improved season earned the big man his second All-Star selection, and his numbers this season have mostly been better than the first time he earned that honor. He's playing top-flight defense while averaging an extremely efficient 17 points. Create a ranking for Top 50 NBA Players 2021-2022. This preseason, hes been making some 3s and has displayed an improved shooting form. Last season, McCollum averaged 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. The drives. Middleton was his usual steady, stellar self in 2021-22, averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals en route to his third career All-Star appearance. Mitchell is one of the toughest scorers to stop in the entire NBA and can attack defenses in myriad ways. 4. Prior to the start of the 2022-23 NBA regular season, we published our CBS Sports top 100 players list. LeBron James is set to begin Year 20 this season, and the possible G.O.A.T. It's remarkable how much more dynamic New Orleans' offense is when Williamson is healthy, as the Pelicans were near the top of the West to start the season. After missing a year and a half of basketball, Jamal Murray comes in at 43. He does, and it's been high-octane at that. Other times, it means pulling up for a jumper or using his soft touch outside the restricted area. It does not store any personal data. Edit the label text in each row. An injury sidelined him for all but 40 games last season, and without him, the Wizards arent a very good team. His assist rate has poked above 20 percent, up from 13.5 last season. His recovery mobility, from high to low and laterally, allows him to contest a ton of shots and protect the rim at an elite level without planting himself in the paint. Ball does not lack confidence and makes highlight passes look routine. Press the labels to change the label text. The Bucks are still helping him out by employing multiple elite screen navigators, but they've dialed back their protect-the-rim-at-all-costs philosophy, staying home on shooters and trusting Lopez to keep the paint locked down. His 44.3% field-goal mark was also his lowest since 18-19. Bad Traes shot selection and flat-out indifference on the defensive end can make the Hawks extremely exploitable. His defensive shortcomings also make him difficult to build around. Right now, a play-in game looks like a very real possibility. Ingram has only played 24 games, so we can only rank him so highly. Well need to see it in practice before making any conclusions, but were excited to watch this Wolves team next season. His defense compliments Young perfectly, and the Hawks should be very fun to watch this season. He played just 31 games in the regular season, but he did average 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in those outings. -- Jasmyn Wimbish, Beal is having another solid season in Washington. Also, while Morants shooting numbers have improved, he is not enough of a consistent threat from outside of the paint yet to make the defenses respect him enough to not go under every screen set. Last season, he averaged 18.9 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Still, Jokic is unbelievable, and we cant rule out the possibility. Prior to last season, Karl-Anthony Towns struggled with injuries, and the team wasnt winning. Yet, hes been able to overcome his shortcomings as a shooter and become a truly prolific scorer. James is having a down year from deep. He is tireless on that end, which makes his iron-man streak extra impressive. Garland still has a path to improvement, and with Mitchell on the team, he has a chance to have more opportunities at clean looks. section: | slug: nbas-top-50-players-in-2022-23-season-giannis-jokic-luka-battle-for-no-1-lebron-slips-out-of-top-10 | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | -- Colin Ward-Henninger, Here's a fascinating stat that not only outlines Booker's skill as a scorer, but his consistency -- he's on pace to average 26.6 points per game for the third time in the last five seasons. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Heading into the season there were questions about whether Harden had any gas left in the tank. The Suns ability to keep their title window open depends entirely on how they manage Pauls workload in the regular season. This unfortunate fact could easily keep him out of a packed Eastern Conference playoff race. -- Sam Quinn, It's a testament to Young's offensive ability that he's averaging 27 points and 10 assists per game despite putting up his worst shooting efficiency since his rookie season. In addition to his point production, he's posting 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per outing while putting in work on the defensive end. 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, at NBA PLAYERS TIER LIST (TOP 50 RIGHT NOW)Check out my 2nd channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwW5qE4_XovtIr2jqjYt22gSUBSCRIBE HERE https://www.youtube. James could still arguably be the top player in the NBA. Anthony . Devin Booker is a difficult player to rank. Defensively, Adebayo ranked fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Click 'Save/Download' and add a title and description. More than 400 hundred NBA All-Star Game selections. S-Rank is an extension of A-Rank, but it is reserved for the very few superstars who have proven their impact on winning without a question of a doubt. Murray had two 50-point performances in a series against the Utah Jazz and set a Nuggets franchise record for most 40-point games in a post-season run. Create a ranking for Create 2022-2023 Top 50 NBA Players ranking 1. The master of the midrange comes in at No. When healthy, he is one of the top guards in the league, just behind Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic. All rights reserved. -- Colin Ward-Henninger, They say that change can be a good thing, and that's certainly been the case for Markkanen in Utah this season. Edit the label text in each row. Expect the All-Star Game MVP, fresh off his record-setting 55-point night, to keep his foot on the pedal as he's done all season. View the Community Ranking for this 2022 NBA Top 50 Players Tier List & recent user lists Follow @aycanigetapizza> Create a ranking for 2022 NBA Top 50 Players 1. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The Suns guard is a scoring machine who can truly get a look wherever and whenever he wants, but he has also improved his playmaking skills out of the pick-and-roll. Last season, the Miami Heat were robbed from any representation in the All-Star and All-NBA teams because of injuries to their star players. Each voter created their own list, and we averaged the rankings of each individual list to create the final product below. Still, he has been more than good enough to receive the supermax extension he signed this offseason. But he's spreading his wings on offense, too. Last postseason in particular is the perfect case study for where CP3 is in his career. Lillard's 130.2 points per 100 shot attempts is also a career high by an appreciable margin, trailing only Stephen Curry's 136.6 among all point guards. He's shooting 59.6 percent on 2-pointers, a higher percentage than he did in any of the first seven seasons in Cleveland. The Celtics have dealt with some turbulence before training camp started, but the team still has to be considered one of the top teams in the East, and Smart is the emotional heart that will keep them going. Tatums 3-point shooting took a dive to 35.3%, the lowest mark of his career, but make no mistake, Tatum is still an elite shooter, and hes become one of the leagues toughest covers. The Hawks have not been able to figure out how to thrive in Murray's minuteswithoutYoung, though, which might be more about their depth than it is about Murray himself. 3. While DeRozan's scoring has taken a dip, his efficiency from the field is the second-highest of his career. #nba #courtsideviewpodcast #basketballTwitter: https://twitter.com/thecsvpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecsvpodcast/Like, Subscribe, and hit t. Randle's also been a more aggressive rebounder, averaging a career-high 10.8 a night. -- Sam Quinn, Haliburton is just 22, but he's a master manipulator on the floor. On defense, his wingspan and ability to swat shots out of the air from the weak side make him a force on both ends of the floor. Each voter created their own list, and we averaged the rankings of each individual list to create the final product below. Surely reasonable minds can disagree on that front. He has done an excellent job of blending his scoring and playmaking abilities for Philadelphia, and as a result he's one of just three players to average 20 points and 10 assists per game on the season. This season has been Siakam's best in terms of scoring, passing and getting to the free throw line. Can King James win his fifth ring this season? Excluding a cameo against Cleveland, Davis averaged roughly 35 points and 16 rebounds per game between Nov. 13 and Dec. 13 while making a compelling case for Defensive Player of the Year. And if not for Nikola Jokic, Embiid might very well be the big staring down a third straight MVP Award. So why isn't Curry in the MVP race? He can also credibly guard wings that are taller than him. We have evidence on which we can base an updated list. Home (current) Templates; Tierlists; Categories; Login; Register; CREATE TEMPLATE; Sports / Top 50 NBA Players Top 50 NBA Players. Drag the images into the order you would like. In a league that struggles to contain dribble penetration, Holiday is truly a lockdown defender on the perimeter. While missing that amount of time is a concern and it might take Murray a bit of time to get back into rhythm, Murray looked every bit the part of an All-Star and perfect running mate to Nikola Jokic. 4. In truth, he cant be the second-best, either.