Minnesota Sports Forum

I was just watching Stephen A Smith refer to LeBron and AD as two of the top 5 players in the NBA. That prompted me to start this thread to solicit the opinion of this Board. Who would you list as the top 5 NBA players going into this next season. I'm not referring to the top 5 from a total career perspective, but rather the 5 best players right now, which can include players who have injuries that are likely to keep them out of action most or all of next season (e.g., Durant and Thompson). I'm looking at individual stats over time, where they are currently age-wise relative to their prime, their impact on winning and their overall durability. I really think durability has to factor into a player's ranking.

Here are my top 5 in order:

1. Kawhi Leonard
2. Giannis
3. Steph Curry
4. James Harden
5. Kevin Durant (assuming he fully recovers from his Achilles surgery)

Here are my next 5 (6-10)

6. Paul George
7. Russell Westbrook
8. LeBron James
9. D. Lillard
10. Anthony Davis

I just don't see Anthony Davis as a top 5 player in the League. He has durability issues as he has always had a hard time staying on the court. Last season, even with Jrue Holiday, he couldn't lead the Pelicans out of the lottery.

I may have underrated LeBron, who could be viewed as a top 5. But he's not close to what he was in his prime when he was the best player in the League. When he was in his prime, he probably would have gotten last season's Lakers into the playoffs. As it was, he couldn't even get them close to the top 8. His offense is still there, but his defense and overall impact aren't nearly what they once were -- which shouldn't be surprising at 34 years old.

1. LeBron
2. Kawhi
3. Giannis
4. Durant
5. Harden
6. Curry
7. Davis
8. Lillard
9. Embiid
10.westbrook

Before Lebron got hurt he did have his team headed for the playoffs.

1. Kawhi
2. Lebron
3. Giannis
4. Curry
5. Harden
6. Davis
7. Lillard
8. Embiid
9. Jokic
10. Durant (I want to see one person come back from Achilles injury before I rank him higher)

Guys I would have just on the outside looking in, in no particular order.
Simmons
Irving
George (Coming off a big shoulder injury)
Westbrook
Kat

I agree with Lip that LeBron has probably slipped to the bottom half of the top 10. He'd still be the best player on our team, but he is no longer among the super-elite handful of guys.

Q12543 wrote:I agree with Lip that LeBron has probably slipped to the bottom half of the top 10. He'd still be the best player on our team, but he is no longer among the super-elite handful of guys.

I still want to see him for another full season before I knock him down. He was an elite guy before he got hurt, after he didn't get davis he pouted knowing his team couldn't compete for a title and his defense slipped but still was amazing on defense. I want to see how LBJ is with an offseason of rest for the 1st time in like 14 years. I mean he averaged 27/8/8 last year, he was still amazing.

Assuming 100% health which player guarantees us a play off spot. It's Lebron. Ask that question to every other team in the league, the answers the same. Put any one of those guys on the Knicks or Charlotte team I'd guess the only player you'd mortgage your house on to get them a playoff spot is James.

Durant is coming back from an Achilles injury being better than LeBron? IMO Nope. Nobody worth a damn on that Lakers team played more than 70 games. Was part of the reason that team was disappointing was Lebron himself? Sure but they had a lot of guys not playing AND it was a flawed team from the beginning which has nothing to do with LeBron...the player. Both LeBron and Durant have some issues playing D in the regular season.

If someone wants to say AD is a top 5 player that's fine with me. That not really something I would get too wound up about especially if is SAS. Lol

Having said lol that I like the 4 guys lip put at the top. I think sometimes Curry gets oddly underrated at times. If you have any of the guys mentioned in this thread on your team you are pretty damn thrilled. I really think Towns is gonna really insert himself into that conversation this year. It's a fun league.

monsterpile wrote:Durant is coming back from an Achilles injury being better than LeBron?

That injury knocks him out of the top 10 for me. It will be interesting how he comes back.

My top 5 for 2020
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. LeBron James
3. Kawhi Leonard
4. James Harden
5. Stephen Curry


I am really excited to see hat Curry does. He can carry or defer on a superstar team, but now he will be carrying the whole team. I think he can do it for spurts, but can he do it for a season?

monsterpile wrote:Durant is coming back from an Achilles injury being better than LeBron? IMO Nope. Nobody worth a damn on that Lakers team played more than 70 games. Was part of the reason that team was disappointing was Lebron himself? Sure but they had a lot of guys not playing AND it was a flawed team from the beginning which has nothing to do with LeBron...the player. Both LeBron and Durant have some issues playing D in the regular season.

If someone wants to say AD is a top 5 player that's fine with me. That not really something I would get too wound up about especially if is SAS. Lol

Having said lol that I like the 4 guys lip put at the top. I think sometimes Curry gets oddly underrated at times. If you have any of the guys mentioned in this thread on your team you are pretty damn thrilled. I really think Towns is gonna really insert himself into that conversation this year. It's a fun league.

Read my post again. My caveat for rating Durant #5 was an assumption that he comes back 100% from his Achilles surgery. I'm not predicting he will. There's no way to predict whether or how much Durant's game will decline as a result of his injury. If not, then he'd drop out of my top 5. I'm basing my rankings entirely on their track records, giving more weight to recent performance.

As I said I may have underrated LeBron a bit. If you drop Durant out of the top 5, I could see putting LeBron at #5 ahead of Westbrook and George, but I wouldn't rank him any higher than that.

Putting AD in the top 5 is ridiculous. He's more over-rated than Curry is under-rated. I'm totally wound up over a top 5 rank for him. ;)

PorkChop wrote:Assuming 100% health which player guarantees us a play off spot. It's Lebron. Ask that question to every other team in the league, the answers the same. Put any one of those guys on the Knicks or Charlotte team I'd guess the only player you'd mortgage your house on to get them a playoff spot is James.

Pork - I've already asked all 30 teams. The not one of them said they'd choose LeBron over my top 7 to get them to the playoffs. Since I asked all 30 teams, you now know that even the Lakers don't rank LeBron higher than any of those in my top 7.