2023-06-19 20:45:00
Bruno Altieri Jun 19, 2023, 4:45 p.m. ETReading: 7 min.
Victor Wembanyama prepares to be the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
The French phenomenon is preparing to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, after losing with his Metropolitans team 3-0 against Monaco, in the final of the French ProA league.
After the NBA season is over, today I am going to tell you what the top 10 players currently are for me. As a parameter, I am not going to use statistics or numbers to justify. I’m going to focus on the impact they have and will have on their teams to win.
They are ready? we started.
10. Devin Booker
The Phoenix Suns will look to build around the offensive talents of the duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
The hottest of the escorts of the new generation. Devin Booker is on his way to being the leader of the Phoenix Suns for his commitment to work and his talent, but above all for his courage at important moments. He closes the top 10 and is justice.
9. LeBron James
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics and LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on during the game on January 28, 2023 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.Jim Poorten/NBAE via Getty Images
The King took a step back for the rest to shine and that was a key success for the Los Angeles Lakers to get where they got. LeBron James is ninth on the list because he is already 38 years old and his career entered the epilogue. He commands the utmost respect: for whom he writes, he is the second best in history behind Michael Jordan.
8. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is only eighth because he is 34 years old and his health always hangs by a thread. Beyond the passage of time, there is no ‘killer’ like KD in the NBA. A player who broke the mold, one of the best offensive talents in history. The problem? Time passes for everyone.
7. Luka Doncic
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks embrace before the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.Juan OCampo/NBAE via Getty Images
Luka Doncic knew how to be higher in the considerations, but last season he played below expectations. The closure of the Dallas Mavericks in the regular season did not help either and had an impact on what we think of him. He is only 24 years old. He’s a basketball genius, but he needs to play more and complain less.
6. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers lifts the MVP trophy for the 2022-23 NBA season, prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference 2nd Round playoffs against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on May 5, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. .ANP Photo
How low is the regular series MVP? I think so. The reason is that the first part of the season is something very different from the playoffs. Cameroonian center Joel Embiid is a great player, but I have serious doubts that he can lead a team to the championship. Wrong or not, only time will bring us that answer.
5. Jayson Tatum
If Marcus Smart is the heart of the Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum is the paintbrush. Art made player, quality as a method of triumph. They overturned a fateful 0-3 loss to the Miami Heat and his ankle injury prevented Boston from having a chance to fight for the seventh and make history. Boston without Tatum is an average team. As simple as that.
4. Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat in action against the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 12, 2023.Getty Images
The heart of the Heat and for much of the postseason that passed, the ultimate draw for everyone. Jimmy Buckets’ spirit is unmatched. The mind of steel that still remains in the NBA. Miami was a great team, but it was Jimmy Butler’s determination that led a play-in team to play in the NBA Finals.
3. Stephen Curry
Inspired Steph Curry: The Warriors star scored 50 points in Game 7 of the Western Conference first-round series against the Kings on April 30, 2023 in Sacramento to propel Golden State into the second round.Getty Images
The greatest shooter in history continues to have, at 35, a crucial impact on the Golden State Warriors. True, they could have done a little more against the Lakers, but Golden State got there because of the level of Steph Curry. Always mobile, accurate like nobody else, he is Top 10 in history. Without a doubt.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, during the first quarter against the Miami Heat of Game 4 of the first round in the Eastern Conference playoffs at the Kaseya Center on April 24, 2023 in Miami, Florida.Getty Images
He may be the best, but the failure against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs (yes, it was a failure beyond his injury) pushes him down to second place. Physically, Giannis Antetokounmpo is superior to anything known. And beyond the scourge of the distance shot, he dominates the game both in attack and defense. He will soon have a new chance.
1. Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets receives the Bill Russell trophy as Finals MVP after winning game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat on June 12, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.Jamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images
After what we saw in the NBA Finals, I don’t think there’s anyone who can compete with basketball’s Big Brother Nikola Jokic. The panopticon that sees everything from the top of the mountain. Maximum person in charge of the first title of the Denver Nuggets in its history. He makes everyone happy.
THE GREAT ABSENT: Ja Morant
I would have liked to give Ja Morant a place on this list, but it is impossible to put someone who has to start respecting himself, his teammates and the League as good. The 25-game ban given to him by the NBA is light. It’s now or never: there will be no fourth chance for him.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Here’s the list of players who could have been in the Top 10, but were inches lower in my opinion:
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