Who wouldn't thrive playing next to the NBA's reigning MVP, inside four- and five-out lineups?
You work around the limitations of him being 34 years old. Dončić posted a rookie line (21.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 6.0 APG) matched only by Oscar Robertson. Beyond the career-high 17.6 points he'saveraging, he shot 38.8 percent from three on 7.0 attempts per game.
Where players like Giannis Antetokounmpo rely on the spacing created by others, Harden makes his own with a game-breaking step-back. Tucker understands perfectly how his stance can give him the leverage he needs to withstand a bruising post-up. While not exactly nimble, Lopez is light enough on his feet to protect the rim. If you’re looking for a big who can punish switching defenses, then check out the way Favors turns a short roll into an impromptu post-up. It isn't his fault that Pistons head coach Dwane Casey stuck with Thon Maker for so long, or that he didn't enter the starting lineup until after the Andre Drummond trade. What a luxury.
The Boston Celtics don't yet know if they can win a title with Brown as their third-best player, and he'll always pale in comparison to most of his would-be peers on the offensive end. All of that said, Allen is clinging to top-100 status himself. He only played 38 games in his first season in Denver. He has the mobile handle to attack from face-up sets and is crafty enough in the post but is instead consigned to role-player duty. Smart simplified that analysis by more fully rounding out his game.
He rumbles with power forwards more than Tatum or Gordon Hayward, and only Marcus Smart sees more reps against No. There is something conceptually challenging about a player who can get to his spots without blazing speed, a smooth handle, or some unstoppable move.
Then, when they do, it becomes clear that Green knew where a possession was going all along.
He plays a brand of defense you feel while watching. His 31.8 percent clip from deep comes on absurd volume—Both the volume and difficulty on Doncic's threes act in service of everyone else. The center position is the battleground of the postseason. He's more of an equal opportunity scorer and facilitator than a points-first engine.
It was him spearheading an entire championship push in a one-off situation while playing through a left knee injury that became progressively worse as the postseason soldiered on.Not that he needed it, but Leonard's second title legitimized him in a way 2013-14's banner year never needed to, a measuring stick for just how unfathomably far his offensive game had come.
His focus there seems to come and go far too often. It’s possible that his development could hit an early plateau, though a stint with Gregg Popovich for Team USA this summer—a catalyst for career growth if there ever was one—can’t hurt. It’s for those reasons, among others, that Drummond had his shot blocked It might be helpful to compartmentalize the version of Jayson Tatum we saw last season from the player he could be one day. Whatever the pieces around him, a quality team defense seems to follow. And pretty much everyone else on this list, with the exception of Bagley and Kennard, are 2020-21 preseason top-100 shoo-ins, barring any setbacks.These players were tough to leave off, and we very much hate ourselves:Donte DiVincenzo's basic numbers won't burn up your screen, but his impact on the powerhouse Milwaukee Bucks is clear.The reason for that uptick is DiVincenzo's gap-filling game.
If his team needs him to run an offense, he can do so proficiently. Defenses go under him, and he doesn't have the speed to make them pay off the bounce or the nerve to uncork enough jumpers.
Beforehand, he was the silhouette of an offensive hub, but only for stretches at a time, usually toward the end of the schedule. Sometimes his most notable plays don’t even seem all that spectacular. That the Philadelphia 76ers offense is Philly took an already unevenly built roster last summer and leaned into the awkwardness.
Even while grappling with all of that, it’s hard to refute the idea that LeBron is still the best player alive when the games really matter.