Top 10 NBA Players

This is a conversation the other bloggers on Hoopchill and I have been having for some time and I thought I would post my thoughts on the topic. In putting the list together I took the following factors into consideration (not in any particular order):

• Player’s statistical per game average (player must average at least 20 points per game or a double-double). Points (PPG) assists (APG), rebounds (RPG), blocks (BPG), steals (SPG)
• NBA Awards won
• How well player’s team performed during the season (must have gone at least to the NBA Playoffs)
• Quality of the player’s teammates
• Current state of the player’s health (cannot currently be suffering any serious injuries)
• Whether the player is the team’s leader and “go-to” player

Note: the following top players were not considered because they were ineligible for failing to meet 1 or more of the above prerequisite factors:

Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) – currently suffering from a serious injury
Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) – currently suffering from a serious injury
Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets) – did not average at least 20 ppg or a double-double.
Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) – team did not make the playoffs
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) – team did not make the playoffs
Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers) – team did not make the playoffs

Before getting to the list, I want to clarify one aspect of it that may cause confusion. This is a list of players who I think are the best in the NBA RIGHT NOW. The list only takes into consideration the first game of the 2008-09 season to the Present. If I had cast a wider net and looked over the most recent seasons, you probably would have seen Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal on this list and Tim Duncan a lot higher. So without further ado here is my list for top 10 players in the NBA:

1. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) Forward, Age 24
1st Team All-NBA, Regular Season MVP
1st place in the Eastern Conference (Best Record in the NBA)
PPG: 28.4 (2nd)
RPG: 7.6
APG: 7.2

Nobody has been this physically dominant in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal in his prime. Now that he has developed a jumper to go along with his overpowering drives to the basket, nobody has been able to defend him one-on-one. Looking at his stats, LeBron is also, clearly, the most well-rounded player in the NBA today. At the forward position, LeBron averages more assists than elite point guards such as Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, and Devin Harris. Despite all of this, it was a difficult decision to put LeBron James here over Kobe Bryant. LeBron did lead his team to the best record in the NBA during the regular season in addition to winning MVP. On the other hand, Kobe led his team to an NBA Championship. What put LeBron over Kobe was that Kobe has a lot more talent and depth on his team than LeBron does. If LeBron’s team had comparable talent level and depth to what Kobe had this season, LeBron’s team would have been challenging the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ NBA record of 72 wins in a single season to along with an NBA title.

2. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) Guard, Age 30
1st Team All-NBA, Finals MVP
1st place in the Western Conference, NBA Champs
PPG: 26.8 (3rd)
RPG: 5.2
APG: 4.9

With his patented fadeaways, ability to quickly get separation from defenders and finish plays, Kobe is about as unguardable as a player gets. What also makes him a special player is his ability to turn it up in the 4th quarter of games earning him the reputation of “Best Closer in the Game.” More importantly, and something that has been overlooked is that Kobe has also become the best leader in the NBA; which was a stark contrast from how he carried himself in his first few years in the league. Before, during, and after games, Kobe is constantly talking to his teammates, encouraging them, and making sure they are focused at the task at hand. The NBA hasn’t seen a player with this amount of hands-on leadership and desire to win and be great since Michael Jordan.

3. Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) Guard, Age 27
1st Team All-NBA
5th place in the Eastern Conference
PPG: 30.2 (1st)
APG: 7.5
SPG: 2.2 (2nd)

There were major questions about what kind of player Dwayne Wade would be after suffering major knee and shoulder injuries over the past couple of years. Dwayne came back and surprised everyone with his play this season putting up 30.2 ppg good for best in the NBA. His quickness, explosiveness, and overall athleticism is unmatched in the NBA. These attributes have also allowed him to develop into one of the league’s better defenders averaging 2.2 steals despite not guarding teams’ primary ball handlers. To truly measure how valuable a player Wade is all you have to do is take a look at how much he helped the Miami Heat improve from last season. With Wade out most of last season due to injuries, Miami went 15-67 (last place overall). With Wade in the lineup and largely the same players as the previous year, Miami went 43-39 this year; good for 5th place in the East and a spot in the NBA playoffs.

4. Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) Center, Age 23
1st Team All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year
3rd place in the Eastern Conference, Eastern Conference Champs
PPG: 20.6
RPG: 13.8 (1st)
BPG: 2.9 (1st)

Dwight Howard is the best big man in the game today. He makes his presence known primarily on the defensive end of the floor leading the league in rebounds and blocked shots. His offensive game is still a work in progress as he gets his points primarily off of put backs, dunks, and free throws. Howard scores major points here for leading his team past LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to the NBA Finals.

5. Brandon Roy (Portland Trailblazers) Guard, Age 24
2nd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Western Conference
PPG: 22.6
RPG: 4.7
APG: 5.1

In his 3rd year in the league, Brandon Roy led the Trailblazers to a 2nd place tie in the West with the Nuggets and Spurs. Roy also received some pretty heady praise from the NBA’s best perimeter defender, Ron Artest, during the NBA playoffs calling Roy the best player he’s ever guarded. Roy is one of the few players in the league who really doesn’t have a weakness. If anything, he should be more assertive and less unselfish on offense given his all-around, complete game. Many people would put Chris Paul here given his stats but if you look at which player is leading their team to greater heights there’s no question that Roy is a better player than Paul. This is especially the case when you look at each player’s respective rosters. Paul has a multi-time NBA All-Star and 20+ ppg scorer in David West to help him out. Not only does Roy not have any other current or former All-Stars on his team, he has scrubs like Steve Blake, Joel Pryzbilla, and Nicholas Batum in the starting lineup with him. Yet, Roy led his team to 2nd place in the West and Paul only 7th place. Right now nobody in the NBA is doing more with less then Brandon Roy.

6. Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) Guard, Age 24
2nd Team All-NBA
7th place in the Western Conference
PPG: 22.8
APG: 11.0 (1st)
SPG: 2.8 (1st)

Chris Paul is the best point guard in the game today leading the league in both assists and steals. When you watch him play you can tell that he is a very crafty player weaving in, at, and around traffic and dropping dimes to his teammates. His court vision is one of the best in the NBA. One area where Paul could improve on is his leadership skills. He is still young and there’s little doubt that over the next few years he’ll lead his team from a 7th best team in the West to NBA title contenders.

7. Dirk Nowtizki (Dallas Mavericks) Forward, Age 31
1st Team All-NBA
6th place in the Western Conference
PPG: 25.9
RPG: 8.4
APG: 2.4

Dirk Nowitzki is a player most teams wish they had; a 7 foot forward who can hit 3 pointers and take defenders off of the dribble and pull up for mid range jumpers and fadeaways. The 7-footer’s high release is pretty much unblockable. His big time scoring numbers and 1st Team All-NBA recognition from the NBA reflects this. Nowizki’s inability to lead Dallas to more wins (6th place in the West) this season, despite all of the team’s talent, keeps Nowitzki from being higher up on this list.

8. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) Forward/Center, Age 33
2nd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Western Conference
PPG: 19.3
RPG: 10.7
BPG: 1.7

“Mr Fundamental” Tim Duncan is arguably the best power forward in the game today. Standing at a hair under 7 feet, Duncan has a size advantage over just about every player he goes up against. Surprisingly Duncan does much of his work facing the basket, gaining notoriety for his bank shots off of the side of the glass. While not putting up a ridiculous amount of points, Duncan gets placed on this list primarily for his solid rebounding and blocked shot numbers and co-leading the Spurs with Tony Parker to a 2nd place finish in the West despite Manu Ginobili being out for half of the season due to injuries.

9. Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) Guard/Forward, Age 31
2nd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Eastern Conference
PPG: 20.5
RPG: 5.6
APG: 3.6

While not an elite slasher or long range shooter, Pierce can do all of those things on offense do them well; often making difficult shots and plays with ease. Where Pierce really shines though is in his ability to make clutch shots and plays down the stretch of games earning him the nickname of “The Truth” from Shaq after a game. Very few are more clutch than Pierce is right now in the NBA. Pierce also helps his cause here by leading his team to 2nd place in the East despite Kevin Garnett have a season ending injury causing him to miss the last 20 or so games.

10. Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) Guard, Age 27
3rd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Eastern Conference
PPG: 22.0
APG: 7.0
SPG: 1.0

Parker is the leading scorer on the 2nd best team in the West. Parker possess elite speed and athleticism which allows him to blow by defenders with ease. With Duncan at the end of his prime, Parker is or will soon become the Spurs’ undisputed leader after sharing the title with Duncan this year. It was a tough call to put Parker ahead of Deron Williams here given the fact that Williams was second in the NBA in assists at 10.7 per game. However, Parker scored more and won more games that William’s team did so I gave the nod to Parker.

Other players considered and reason why left off of list:

Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) – not the leader or even the best player on his team
Deron William (Utah Jazz) – team did not win enough games (8th place in West) despite having a multi-time All-Star, Carlos Boozer, playing alongside him
Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) – solid but not a standout in any one of areas used to rank the players on this list. Every player on the list was a standout in at least 1 category, from leading the NBA in assists to leading his team to a top 3 finish in his respective conference.