Almost quietly, Paul George has been one of the NBA’s most consistent two-way stars since his return from that gruesome knee injury years ago. He just gets the job done: his playmaking has improved sine arriving in LA, he’s lights-out beyond the arc, he can finish with strength or finesse at the rim, and the defense is well-documented. He’s the 3-and-D superstar, in a lot of ways the quintessential modern player.
How about Pascal Siakam. The Raptors haven’t been able to generate enough consistent offense to compete this season, but that’s no fault of Siakam. He has firmly planted his flag on the top shelf of NBA stars. Ever the deadly slasher, Siakam has now balanced out his game with impressive playmaking (top-10 in assists per game), a bankable jump shot, and supreme defensive versatility. There are very few chinks in the armor now.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, maybe the best iso scorer in basketball right now behind Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum. The dude just gets to his spots in every which way, confounding defenders with herky-jerky dribble moves and even deadlier counter-moves. His ability to accelerate and decelerate on a dime, combined with a singular talent for funky shot-making, makes SGA virtually unguardable. He’s also a talented disruptor on defense.
A genuine marvel, perhaps the most entertaining player of his generation, and now a perennial MVP candidate: Ja Morant has arrived. The slender, rocket-propelled point guard from Murray State is impossible to keep out of the paint. He collapses the defense at will and is brilliant at picking them apart from there, be it with acrobatic finishes in the paint or pinpoint passes to open teammates. He might sit near the top of the league in scoring and assists for the next decade.
Devin Booker’s ability to score from all three levels, in a variety of different ways, is now the guiding force behind Phoenix’s offense. For as great as CP3 has been (and still is), the future has arrived. It’s Booker’s team, and his continued improvement as a passer and defender all but insure that will remain the case for another decade if the Suns can keep it together.