| 1 | |
| The reigning MVP and one of only three players in league history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season has established himself as one of the league’s top players. Now the next challenge for him is to convert that dominance into post-season success. There is little doubt that he will eventually, but will it be in Milwaukee or anywhere else? |
| 2 | |
| He was already defending like Kevin Garnett. Now he apparently shoots like Kevin Durant too. Davis made nearly 50 percent of his midfield jumpers in the playoffs, and until a break in the Lakers’ Finals clinch Game 6 blowout, he was above 40 percent on his 3-pointers after the season as well. When you toss his legendary praise finishing and guard caliber ball handling into the blender, you get the uniquely gifted great man in NBA history. There’s nothing Anthony Davis can’t do. |
| 3 | |
| Jokic went from an NBA nerd favorite to a real superstar, who presented himself during the course of the nuggets for the final of the Western Conference. He’s probably the best big man passing by ever and one of the few NBA centers that can consistently score in the mail, averaging 1.063 points per mail ownership (86th percentile), according to Synergy. Jokic is a truly unique talent who has proven that he can be the best player in a championship candidate. |
| 4th | |
| Embiid is the best two-way man in the NBA, and although he has been handicapped by injury issues in the past, he’s heading into the 2020-21 season in perfect health, which is obviously good news for Philadelphia. The fact that the Sixers swapped Al Horford and Josh Richardson for a solid off-season shoot in Danny Green and Seth Curry should open up huge opportunities for Embiid. If he’s able to stay healthy, he should be in the middle of the MVP talk by the end of the season. |
| 5 | |
| Karl-Anthony Towns tried 7.9 3-point attempts per game last season, making 41.2 percent of them. No other player of his size in NBA history has ever tried to score five five-point points per game with that percentage. The improved passing game and the even touch near the basket are nice, but ultimately complement each other. Last season made it clear that Towns is on the right track to go down as one of the greatest shooting great men in NBA history, and if his revamped supporting cast can fill the void elsewhere, he’ll only get more records behind the bow stand forward. |
| 6th | |
| Adebayo is the type of player that you ask big questions about. Would you rather have a dominant rim protector or a “center” that can protect all five positions? Would you prefer a Stretch 5 or a Playmaking 5? The Heat is fortunate to have an elite coach who has taken full advantage of the 23-year-old’s unconventional (and ever-growing) skills, but even Erik Spoelstra may not be sure of the relative value of Adebayo’s move over his close basket in support of the defense. Hardly a big man presents this choice to his coaches. |
| 7th | |
| For 19 games he was a revelation. Nobody could keep Williamson off the glass or stop him in the transition. Even as a rookie with a knee injury, he averaged 17.3 points in the color, followed by Giannis. (Per possession, he actually owned Giannis in that category.) His defense wasn’t nearly where it was in college, his shot takes work and he didn’t look right into the bladder, but Williamson has already shown that he can like the game influence a legitimate star. And its advantage is limitless. |
| 8th | |
| Gobert has fallen significantly on that list, but that’s more the perceived value of his skills than the fact that Utah’s defense was a little less dominant on the pitch last season. He still essentially guarantees you will get stops at an elite rate, and he has done nothing but improve his full defense and star in his role on the offensive for the past few years. Full Disclosure: I ranked it 14th. |
| 9 | |
| In his first full season since returning from an ACL rift in 2018, Porzingis was slow to adjust to his new surroundings with the Mavericks. But at the end of the season, KP looked like himself before the injury and proved essentially unguarded against the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Another knee injury will delay his start to the coming season. However, if he gets back in shape, he should improve his efficiency alongside Doncic, who is surrounded by a revamped starting grid in Dallas. |
| 10 | |
| Sabonis used his extra playing time last season and averaged a double double of almost 19 points and 12 rebounds. Perhaps its most valuable attribute, however, is its fit. The tall man averaged five assists per game last season and was in the 77th percentile of offensive efficiency halfway when you include passes at 1.284 points per possession, according to Synergy. As an elite rebounder, if Sabonis can improve his pick-and-pop game and extend his reach to the 3-point line, he could become one of the best big men in the game. |
| 11 | |
| Vucevic may not be particularly flashy, but he has calmly established himself as one of the best and most consistent great men in the league. With a career average of 16.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, Vucevic is a walking double-double and Orlando’s top option on the offensive when he led the Magic in the standings last season. |
| 12 | |
| Nurkic returned in the bubble this summer and looked amazing. So much so that you would never have thought he’d played for the first time since he broke his leg over a year ago. He’s a fascinating mix of size and skill, just as likely to bullish someone in the paint or rock with a hard screen as a backdoor pass. The blazers are going to be a problem in the west this season, and a healthy nurkic is a big reason for that. |
| 13th | |
| Aldridge is only two seasons away from an All-NBA Second Team player, and while he lost a step, he’s still extremely solid – and reliable. Aldridge averaged 18.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for the Spurs last season, and he should be lining up for a similar production this season. Also, he may have a little more motivation for a contract year. |
| 14th | |
| In 32 starts last season, Ayton shot 55.3 percent off the field with 15.3 field attempts per game. Only two other players did this for an entire season before their 23rd birthday, and they are two players Sun’s fans should be very familiar with: Shaquille O’Neal and Amar’e Stoudemire. No, Ayton is not Luka Doncic. He will never be Luka Doncic. But he’s making just as much progress as number 1 in the overall standings should be. If his defense takes one more step and he turns some of those dreaded long 2s into 3-pointers, he’ll be fighting for an All-Star selection this season. |
| 15th | |
| After all the excitement in Atlanta this off-season, Collins has become an afterthought. That should change once the Hawks are on the field this season. The Collins-Trae Young Pick-and-Roll is one of the most fun combinations in basketball and will once again produce a whole highlight role for itself. But Collins isn’t just a high flyer. He showed a significantly improved 3-point strike last season, which is vital for both him and the team’s success. |
