Top 50 NBA players: Where do Sixers’ stars rank?
player. 34. . PG. Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard. 10
Top NBA player #10 — Damian Lillard
Dame Time. The Blazers point guard established his dominance in the Bubble, helping the Blazers overcome a sizable deficit to appear in the postseason and even steal a game from the eventual champs. Lillard’s deep range, explosive first step, and ability to change speeds makes him impossible to contain. He averaged 30.0 points and 8.0 assists last season. Not shabby.
player. 110. . SF. Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler. 9
Top NBA player #9 — Jimmy Butler
Quietly one of the NBA’s most unselfish stars, Jimmy Butler is truly content to sit back and watch his teammates succeed. When he does decide to flip the switch, however, few players can take over a game like Butler. He has a propensity for clutch buckets unrivaled by any star in basketball. He gets it done when the game is on the line, and he’s one heck of a defender, too.
73. . C. Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic. 8. player
Top NBA player #8 — Nikola Jokic
The Nuggets’ conference finals appearance was more than a Clippers collapse. It was a Nuggets victory, in large part because of Nikola Jokic’s efforts as both a scorer and facilitator. He is one of the league’s top passers as a 7-footer, with 360-degree court vision and a canon for an arm. Jokic is a patient and unsexy scorer, but he does it at a high level. He pokes and plods his way to buckets, with the occasional trick shot only Jokic would even dare attempt. He is the NBA’s best center until someone knocks him off his pedestal.
Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant. 7. player. 147. . SF
Top NBA player #7 — Kevin Durant
Look, Kevin Durant is tough to gauge. If he’s back to 100 percent, as if the Achilles pop never happened, then he belongs in the top five. If he’s irrevocably slowed down, then it’s impossible to pinpoint his exact location on this list. That said, Durant looked spry in Brooklyn’s preseason games. He is also one of the best shooters in basketball which, as a 7-footer, is hard to stop. Even a restricted Durant is probably better than most.
player. 41. . PG. Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry. 6
Top NBA player #6 — Stephen Curry
Like Durant, we haven’t seen a consistently healthy and engaged Curry for some time now. It’s hard to know how Golden State would look, and more specifically, it’s hard to know whether Curry can truly reach the MVP heights of yesteryear. That said, Curry is the best shooter in NBA history, a relentless off-ball mover, and an equally elite creator on the ball. Odds are he will do damage when given the opportunity.