Daric Clemens is a senior journalism news major and is a columnist for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Daric at diclemens@bsu.edu.
It’s that time of year with the NBA season countdown closing in, predictions in the media begin to spark debates back up about who’s the best of the best between each player and team. The one that has caught the most buzz throughout the basketball world is the ESPN NBA rank top 100 players list.
There are multiple things all through the list that needs to be discussed but the main focus is on their top 5 ranked players in the league.
ESPN’s NBA Rank: 5. Anthony Davis, 4. James Harden, 3. LeBron James, 2. Kawhi Leonard and 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Following the ranking meta of ESPN “voters had to consider both the quality and the quantity of each player's contributions to his team's ability to win games in the regular season and postseason,” here’s how the list of top 5 players for the 2019-20 season should look.
5. James Harden
"The Beard" has been statistically one of the best offensive players in the league over the past few years with his ability to put on consistent high-scoring displays. Last season, James Harden was able to score 30 or more points in 32-straight games.
Harden also is special because he pretty much is the offense in Houston, everything runs through him. He’s able to create his own shots effectively on a nightly basis and fill up the stat sheet consistently.
However, what gives Curry the edge is Harden’s lack of efficiency and the inability to win against the Warriors in the playoffs. But adding Russell Westbrook over the offseason could help them have a successful postseason.
4. Stephen Curry
It’s easy to forget about how good Curry really is because of the “super team” that surrounded him. But in reality, he was the head of the snake through their successful run at the top over the past 5 years and has changed the way the sport is played to this day.
With the departure of Kevin Durant to the Nets and Klay Thompson being out with injury, the new Warriors will bring the spotlight back onto Curry. He’s going to have to take on a heavy work load and his usage ratings will be up because of the lack of star power running next to him.
D’angelo Russell will be able to take some of the weight off of Curry’s shoulders on the offensive end at times, but Curry is still going to be that go-to-scorer that the Warriors are going to need to be successful.
With a lot of the focus being shifted back to him, he’ll be able to get his teammates involved for open shots with his playmaking ability. Curry is bound to have a great year if he can stay healthy.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Might be a surprise to see the reigning MVP at the three spot but it just goes to show how deep this league is.
Antetokounmpo obviously had the best season last season making his presence known as a rim protecting wing and dominating down low on the offensive end with his efficient scoring. However, having the best season doesn’t mean you’re the best at what you do.
There are some flaws in Anteokounmpo’s game that were highlighted in the playoffs last season and that being his lack of ability to shoot. He shot just 25.6 percent from behind the 3-point line last season and teams were able to take advantage of that later in the year.
Anteokounmpo has all the physical characteristics to be one of the most dominate players ever and his work ethic has shown he will continue to improve yearly.
2. LeBron James
For the first time in nine years since ESPN started the rankings, LeBron James is not at the number one spot and rightfully so.
James has still continued to be a force consistently throughout his long tenure in the league and has failed to show any major drop off.
He put up 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists in a year that turnout to be unsuccessful as he battled an injury that derailed the Lakers as they missed the playoffs.
However, his effort on the defensive end wasn’t fully there during last year’s season which caused the Lakers to have one of the worst defenses in the league allowing 108.9 points per game.
Despite that, James proved even with him getting older he still is one of the best in the league if not the best and don’t be surprised if he’s crown the best player again after the 2019-20 season.
1.Kawhi Leonard
The silent assassin, as I like to call him. He is a certified baller and does everything a coach could dream of their star player doing.
The best defender in the league on the perimeter and he showed that when he was matched up with Antetokoumpo in the Eastern Conference Finals when he contained him leading to their victory.
Leonard brought the city of Toronto their first NBA championship and was able to beat a worn down Warriors team that was chasing a three-peat.
His performance in the playoffs was one for the ages as he averaged 30.5 points on 54 percent shooting and grabbed 9.1 rebounds, while being having the greatest impact on defense. The Raptors needed everything that he had for them to get through the playoffs and he gave them that and more and proved his worth as the best player going into the 2019-20 season.
Contact Daric Clemens with any comments a diclemens@bsu.edu or on Twitter @DaricClemens.
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