NBArank 2018-19 – 1-10 Top Players This Season

Lillard led the Trail Blazers to third place in the West last season and his fast-attack attack and big-game attitude give his team a chance to beat any team in a night out. – André Snellings

The probability that a 7-footer is once again considered the best player in the world has been questioned by the NBA's move to the perimeter in recent years. Embiid seems determined to challenge this notion as he establishes himself as the most productive player on one of the league's interesting young teams.

If he manages to improve his skills beyond the bow, to engage in a more selective diet and maintain his health, probably the most important of all, Embiid will be the great man revolutionary of his generation. – Kevin Arnovitz

Leonard became a monster during the 2016-17 season, but high aspirations aside, we have not seen this version of Kawhi since. So it's fair to wonder if Leonard is back to form after playing nine games last season in San Antonio.

Leonard will begin his tenure in Toronto with an open mind to the idea of ​​re-signing in 2019 the free agency. But how will constant surveillance affect her play, as well as the imminent shelling of questions about what went wrong in San Antonio? If Leonard is healthy and mentally committed, the Raptors are serious contenders in the East. – Michael C. Wright

Always polarize, perpetually misunderstood, constantly criticized. Westbrook is very worried, his mistakes being stronger than any other player in the league. But at best, there are few who can dominate a game as he can. Efficiency has always been his enemy, his competitive spirit being sometimes hindered by better judgment.

He has achieved a triple double in two consecutive seasons, while putting his stamp as an absolute record and one of the most unique stars to have ever played. But for him, it is the next evolution – can he be himself without fear and win at the highest level? Or does he have to compose and change for the greater good? Or really, can he? – Royce Young

After calmly finishing third in the MVP poll last spring, Davis ransacked Portland with a first round sweep and held up well against a five-game loss to Golden State.

Davis' prolific spring was a reminder of what many were planning after his 2014-15 season – that Davis was about to become the best basketball player on the planet once LeBron James gave up the title. This distinction will only be made with a little more success in the playoffs, but Davis' production and relative health signal that at least statistically, it will remain a staple of the horse race. – Arnovitz

With LeBron James at LA, it is finally the crowning of the Greek Freak as King of the East. Antetokounmpo has become an unstoppable offensive force, improving his percentage of goals on the field and his points average each year since his rookie season. His sweater is still non-existent, but the 23-year-old does not need it; he dominates the paint at Shaquille O'Neal levels, averaging nearly 27 points per game last year (fourth in the NBA).

The only blow is knowing he can "wear" a team, as evidenced by the fact that the Bucks have not come out of the first round of the playoffs since 2001. – Martenzie Johnson

After winning two consecutive titles with MVPs in consecutive finals, Durant does not have much more to prove. He is the best scorer in the world – perhaps all the time – and has completed his game to look like an almost complete package. He is a defensive scorer, rim protector, savvy smuggler, direct elimination shooter, smooth ball manager and solid rebounder.

In the years to come, there is not much more room for Durant, but he has had a personal goal for years of passing LeBron as the best consensus player in the world. An MVP in 2014 did not do it and the return did not do it either. Durant has an insatiable urge to improve, and it will be even better this season, but what will it take to officially take the torch? – Young

There is no comparison with Harden working one-on-one. According to NBA.com statistics, Harden averaged 1.22 points per possession of isolation during his MVP campaign last season – better than the average for all teams in transition.

This kind of crazy efficiency comes when a guy who comes to the line more than anyone (leading the league to free throws four seasons in a row) develops a deadly 3 in counterattack (330 attempts in 2017-18 with a percentage of 55.5, per second spectrum). And he is an elite ferryman. Oscar Robertson is the only other player to have averaged at least 29 points and 8 assists over several seasons, as Harden has done in the last two years. – Tim MacMahon

When the Warriors hosted Durant in the summer of 2016, questions were raised about the impact of the arrival of such a supernova on Curry, the two reigning MVPs. Over the past two years, Curry has recorded measurable declines in some of the rawest stats (for example, points per game). But he simultaneously consolidated his reputation as the best shooter in NBA history (his .675 live shot percentage in 2017-18 was by far the best season of a high volume player).

The numbers of skill to maintain, provided that Curry, who will be 31 years old just before the playoffs, can avoid a serious injury. – Arnovitz