NBarank returns for its 13th season with the countdown of the best players in the league. Which stars made the cut or didn't make it? Which rookies are already making noise in the top 100? Where have MVP hopefuls such as Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounempo, Luka Doncic and current winner Joel Embiid registered? Where did LeBron James land entering Season No. Acquired by Indiana from the Toronto Raptors before the NBA trade deadline, this two-time All-Star hasn't missed a beat. The current NBA Defensive Player of the Year has achieved great success from a scoring point of view with Ja Morant injured.
The Miami Heat have been clearly disappointing after losing five games last year in the NBA Finals, which doesn't help Butler during an early period in which he missed four of his team's first 20 games. Last season was another impressive individual campaign for Tatum, who participated in the All-Star Game for the fourth time in a row, was the second first consecutive NBA team and won its first All-Star Most Valuable Player award. In four NBA seasons, Ball has averaged 20.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists with 37% shooting from a distance. Doncic, who has been selected by the first NBA team for the past four seasons, has a remarkable combination of a brilliant mind, strength and skill in basketball.
But if he is able to remain as efficient as he has been, increase his score and maintain his efficiency in three-pointers, but with a larger volume, it's going to be difficult to keep him out of discussions about the first NBA team for years to come. He surpassed the 30-point mark per game for the first time in his career, did a much better job reaching the foul line and is still a good defensive player, making him precisely the type of two-way forward that every NBA team would love to have. Right now, the NBA landscape doesn't have a single consistent opposition to Jokić's game, especially now that he's more comfortable moving into takeover mode and, less frequently, committing careless turnovers. The current NBA MVP, currently sidelined by a torn meniscus, was in the middle of another exceptional season before falling.
In fact, the race for first place was one of the tightest in the history of NBARank, as the difference between the numbers was 1.The overproduction between Haliburton-Sabonis is one of the few modern NBA changes that has worked for both teams. He will have to increase his score from 22.0 points per game if the Celtics are to achieve their goal of winning the NBA title. Rudy Gobert may be less involved in the offense than he has been since his first three seasons in the NBA, but he doesn't need to accumulate large scoring numbers to be effective alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and the rest of a powerful offense from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since Sacramento broke Tyrese Haliburton-Fox's backcourt, this guy has become one of the best players in the NBA.
