Top 100 NBA players: Updated rankings for 2023

Zion Williamson has been re-instated as the Pelicans’ lead ball-handler and he’s starting to play some defense. The results, thus far, have been quite impressive. He’s playing MVP ball right now and New Orleans looks like a real threat in the West. We’ve never seen an athlete like Zion; it’s hard for my brain to compute his strength, zip, and bounce. He still doesn’t shoot much at all from 3 and defenses still can’t keep him away from the rim.

He’s still LeBron James, ya know. How far can you drop him? His numbers, while not up to his usual standards, far exceed the standards of 99 percent of the league. One of the game’s truly great thinkers and still an explosive downhill scorer, it’s hard to count out the greatest or second-greatest player of all time.

Anthony Davis is back like he never left. After years of injuries and setbacks, it felt like we may be transitioning into the downward spiral of Davis’ career. Not so fast. He’s back to wrecking defenses in the paint and protecting the rim at a DPOY level. He’s one of the few players who is truly top-tier elite on both sides of the ball.

Jayson Tatum, the current frontrunner for MVP, is the best player on the best team. If we were ranking players based on aesthetics, Tatum might rank even higher: the polished footwork, the smooth handles, the high-arcing jumper — his game is beautiful to watch. He also happens to be an elite wing defender. He has arrived in the realm of two-way, MVP-level superstardom.

Kevin Durant, what more can I say? One of the all-time great offensive weapons, Durant still can’t be stopped one-on-one. He’s processing the game and creating for others at the highest level of his career and the scoring numbers are off the charts. His placement at No. 7 is a testament to the wealth of talent in the NBA right now.