The next two weeks will be an NBA Preview. In this article, I am going to detail the players who I think are the top 10 players in the NBA. You will disagree with me, but that’s okay that what this is for. Now starting at number 10…
10. Draymond Green, PF Golden State Warriors
This is the first of four Golden State Warrior players in the top ten. While Curry and Durant will fight it out for the best player on the team, Green is the most important player on the team. His defense is probably better than anyone other Kawhi Leonard or LeBron, and his offensive skill set allows the Warriors to be nearly unstoppable.
9. James Harden, SG Houston Rockets
To me, he is the most overrated player we have in the league. He doesn’t play defense at all, it is probably the worst I have seen from any player that can consider themselves one of the best in the NBA. Yet his offensive skills are too much to be denied. Last year he averaged 29 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Nothing else needs to be said except for work on defense!
8. Kyrie Irving, PG Cleveland Cavaliers
This man gets buckets! He is the clutchest player in the NBA, and not just because of his play during the Finals. But his shot-making in big moments in the regular season and playoffs makes him a comfortable Robin with the Batman that his LeBron James. That shot he hit in the Finals is one of the greatest of all-time
7. Klay Thompson, SG Golden State Warriors
When I watch this man shoot I believe the ball will go in every single time. He is the second best shooter in the league behind his backcourt mate. If you want to know how good this man is, and if you think I am overrating this man’s abilities by putting him ahead of James Harden, just watch his Game 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He can get hot at any time. I will take his 22 PPG along with better shooting and great defense over Harden’s game any day of the week.
6. Paul George, SF Indiana Pacers
This guy is my favorite player in the league. The only reason why this team was not in the Eastern Conference Finals last year was because his complimentary parts did not perform the way they needed to. Paul George is one of the toughest players in the world, and he plays with an edge on Lillard and Westbrook match.
5. Kawhi Leonard, SF San Antonio Spurs
At 25-years-old, Kawhi Leonard has been an All-Star, All NBA-First Team, Finals MVP, and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Last year he was finally unleashed and this year appears to be even more so with Tim Duncan retired. While I feel like with Paul George, the Spurs would have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder; on a nightly basis, I will take Leonard over George any day of the week. Kawhi the only player I feel like that can consistently defend LeBron well every single time.
4. Russell Westbrook, PG Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook is a destroyer of worlds. While Westbrook definitely has some mistakes, no one plays harder and fiercer than him. He is the greatest athlete in the NBA right now (sorry LeBron has diminished in athleticism). Westbrook is a marvel to watch every single night.
3. Kevin Durant, SF Golden State Warriors
So much talk about he left the Thunder and how weak and wrong it was. We have forgotten about this man’s ability to play basketball. Durant is a better shooter at his position than Larry Bird and Chris Mullin and an underrated defender and rebounder. The Warriors hit the lottery a second time by adding him. He is the most lethal scorer on the planet and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
2. Stephen Curry, PG Golden State Warriors
Much of the past two seasons has been all about Curry. His shooting ability is the best ever; his passing is great though hampered by Draymond Green’s ability. Because of his injury and his lack of killer instinct against the Cavs cost them the series. You could make the argument he is the best player in the league, but the best player in the world doesn’t not show up in the Finals two years in a row. But make no mistake Curry is lethal!
1. LeBron James, SF Cleveland Cavaliers
For so many years, I have hated on LeBron James. I said he doesn’t have a killer instinct and he is too soft. I still believe that. Him complaining to the refs about what Draymond Green called him in the Finals was super weak. LeBron, despite all my qualms, is the best player on the planet. He has pretty much every player under his thumb except for Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook. LeBron sits on top of the proverbial NBA throne. He proved this past summer, he is the best player since Michael Jordan and is now a top-five player of all time. There isn’t player whose impact is greater in today’s game than LeBron James. That’s what makes him the best player in the NBA.
