A new NBA season is upon us, so it is normal to start the discussions.
The 2021-22 season is a milestone for the NBA, which celebrates 75 years of existence, a feat that will be marked by a list of the 75 greatest players to have ever played the game. In a similar vein, a few members of the SN’s NBA team have embraced the debate to establish the ranking of the 30 best NBA players entering the coming season.
Importantly, this is entering the season, so players who are not expected to play on opening night (Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and Klay Thompson) have been excluded from the vote.
Rankings were a collaborative effort, with a sliding scale of points received based on your ranking on the lists of our respective staff members. From there, the rankings have been sorted from 1 to 30.
Now that that is settled, it is time to debate. In the ranking!
Davis missed half of 72 possible regular season games before returning ahead of the 2021 NBA playoffs, but in the first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns he suffered a groin injury that significantly limited its impact.
After a full offseason of rehabilitation and recovery, Davis will look to regain the form he showed during the 2020 NBA restart, where he won the first NBA title of his career.
It’s rare to see near consensus reached in basketball debates, but every voter has ranked Lillard at or around 10th place.
Last season, Lillard averaged 28.8 points, 7.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds for Portland, which earned the West’s sixth seed. In the playoffs, Lillard seized the opportunity, increasing his averages to 34.3 points and 10.2 assists per game, including an all-time performance with 55 points and 10 assists in an overtime loss in the fifth. match. Despite the heroism of their superstar, the Blazers were eliminated in six games.
He may not have landed in our top five, but the 2017 league MVP is still one of the most dangerous players in the league.
After an early-season trade that sent him to Brooklyn, Harden quickly found his way, averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 assists and 8.5 rebounds in 36 regular-season games with the Nets. . Sadly, Harden suffered injuries throughout the regular season and playoffs, suffering a hamstring injury just seconds after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, affecting the entire trajectory of the season. .
In 2021-2022, Harden and the Nets have a year to play together and have their sights set on an NBA title.
7. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
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Highest Rank: 4
Lowest rank: 9
Is Embiid the most dominant player in the league? Some of our constituents certainly think so.
Last season, the 27-year-old finished second for the league MVP title after averaging 28.5 points per game, his career-best record for a Sixers team that finished first in the East. . That dominance continued into the playoffs, where, despite tearing his meniscus in the first round, Embiid averaged 30.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the loss in seven. Sixers games against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Now, with the feeling that his All-Star teammate Ben Simmons has finished in Philly, Embiid will have to step up a notch to keep his squad among the Eastern elite.
At 22, he staged a masterclass against one of the league’s best defenses, averaging 35.7 points, 10.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds in a hotly contested seven-game streak with LA. Clippers. Dallas was here at short notice, but Doncic made his presence felt.
He only added to his tradition with an epic performance to lead Slovenia to their very first appearance in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.
With a new head coach in Jason Kidd, the Mavericks will look to make a leap into the fourth year of the Doncic era. From what we have seen in recent years, they are going to be in for a treat.
If there’s anything we should take away from Jokic’s path to stardom, it’s that you can’t put a limit on his greatness.
The MVP won his material with averages of 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists for a Nuggets team that advanced to the Western Conference semifinals despite missing his second best player to Murray. Don’t rule out an MVP callback from the big man, as Denver will be relying heavily on him until Murray returns to the lineup.
Entering the 13th year of his career, Curry is still going strong.
Not only did the greatest shooter of all time win his second scoring title averaging 32.0 points per game, a career-high last season, but he also won third place in the MVP vote by almost loaning. at Golden State the playoffs.
This season Golden State has re-fueled by adding through draft and free agency, but the most anticipated move will be Thompson’s return to the lineup, which should only make Curry’s life easier. . Are things easier for Curry? It sounds like trouble for the league.
Don’t let the #WashedKing talk fool you, LeBron is still one of the top three talents in this league.
Even entering the 19th.
I would say the gap between third and first isn’t that far, as James was an MVP favorite in the 2020-21 season before a sprained ankle derailed his and the Lakers’ season. . Despite always looking shackled during the playoffs, James led LA past Golden State in the Play-In tournament before losing in the first round to the Phoenix Suns, marking the first time he was eliminated in the first round. in his career.
If we’ve learned anything about James, it’s that those memories are still fresh on his mind, and with a new supporting cast in 2021-2022, expect him to aim for the top spot.
Going into his 33-year-old season, Durant is at the top of his game, which he put forward in the 2021 NBA Playoffs when he averaged 34.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4, 4 assists while shooting 51.4 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from 3 and 87.1 percent from the free throw line.
Durant came close to leaving the Nets smashed past eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks, showcasing virtuoso performances like his masterpiece of 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals. Is and his 48-point explosion in Game 7 a few nights later.
His accomplishments are even more impressive considering the fact that he missed the entire 2019-20 season and much of the 2020-21 season. Building on a historic playoff series and dominating performance at the Tokyo Olympics, it’s clear Durant is now focused on winning his third NBA title.
After scoring 50 points in a title win in Game 6 and delivering iconic moment-to-moment finals, were you really expecting someone else?
Giannis edged Durant in a similar fashion to how his Bucks edged out the Nets in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. From there, The Greek Freak delivered a playoff performance that will be referred to for years to be one of the toughest and most dominant performances in gaming history.
