James competes with Michael Jordan as the best player in NBA history. A young Serbian man went from being chosen in the second round of the draft to becoming the best basketball player in the world. While the Spurs spent their rookie season as one of the worst teams in the NBA, Wemby has exceeded their expectations in the draft to impress everyone from Durant to James. Curry had one of the best offseasons in the NBA (perhaps second only to Nikola Jokic) and enters this season with his sights set on a good run in the playoffs and, possibly, his fifth ring. With Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the NBA Finals, here's TalkSport's inside look at the best NBA players in the world right now.
What is obvious is that at a time when fast guards and consistent triples dominate the NBA, the real dominant force is the modern big guy who stretches the court and dominates the painting. However, Philadelphia (47-3) lost ground after Embiid's injury, and needs another playoff run to remind NBA fans of its greatness. He also improved the men's and women's games when he faced Sabrina Ionescu, of the WNBA, in a three-pointers round over the weekend of the All-Star Game that could become one of his greatest contributions to this sport. He has been even better with the Cavaliers, taking the next step in a career that has already included five All-Star selections and an NBA second-team honor.
Last season was another impressive individual campaign for Tatum, who was part of the All-Star Game for the fourth consecutive time, for the second time in a row on the first team in the NBA and won his first All-Star Most Valuable Player award. In fact, the race for first place was one of the tightest in the history of NBARank, given the difference between the numbers. He surpassed 30 points 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. He led the NBA in three-pointers scored for the third straight season, doing everything he could to help his team stay afloat, but the group's difficulties and chemical problems were too much for Curry to overcome alone.
