There might be a more polarizing player in the NBA than Green, but I’m blanking on the other candidates right now. That’s because Green’s age (30), skillset (good at a bunch of things, but no longer elite at any), size (6’6”, 230 pounds), and track record (he was great on Golden State’s title-winning teams, but his numbers and value have dipped noticeably the past two seasons) have left his game ripe for legitimate critique. Yes, Green’s game was elevated while playing alongside generational talent during the Warriors run to five-straight NBA Finals. But we’ll argue Green can still be an elite complementary player and for that he’s worthy of being in our Top 50. After injuries and the absence of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson last season seemingly zapped his motivation, expect a bounce back campaign from the three-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive Team selection who was the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year. —Adam Caparell

It’s easy to underestimate what Wall brings to the table since we haven’t seen him in an NBA game, no lie, in two years. But reports (and glimpses during exhibition games) out of Houston tell us the five-time All-Star, acquired by the Rockets via trade for Russell Westbrook in early December, is looking like his old self. If that turns out to be the case, then Wall absolutely deserves to be ranked as one of the 50 best players in the league because his ability to score and distribute at the point guard position has always been next level. Yeah, missing two years in the prime of your career isn’t ideal and we’ll continue to hold our breath watching the 30-year-old in his return from a torn Achilles. He may not be quite as explosive or quick a decade ago. The fit with James Harden in Houston is questionable. But 80-90 percent of what John Wall was just a few seasons ago (career 19.0 PPG, 9.2 APG) is better than a lot of other options running point around the league. —Adam Caparell

When VanVleet’s one of the top players available in an offseason, it’s not exactly a bangin’ free agent class. But we’re not here to throw shade at the gritty, gutty guard who was an unrestricted free agent in November and signed for a robust $85 million over four seasons with the Raptors. That dollar amount probably caught some people by surprise because VanVleet isn’t an All-Star, but he ain’t that far away if he keeps progressing like he has through his first four seasons in the league. It’s been an incredible come-up for VanVleet, who bet on himself after going undrafted out of Wichita State. and just cashed in big time because he’s made himself into one of the better combo guards. He showed us two springs ago his true value two springs ago when he was arguably the Raptors’ best player off the bench during their championship run. He can shoot, he can defend, he’s relatively durable, he’s got just the right amount of chutzpah, and I’d argue he might be the most underrated player in the NBA. —Adam Caparell

Not many people realize that Caris LeVert was headed toward an All-Star year with the Nets during the 2018-19 season before his injury. Ultimately, D’Angelo Russell took that All-Star spot but when healthy, LeVert Caris was arguably the best player on that team and he showed it in the playoffs that year. The biggest thing for LeVertCaris is, can he stay healthy? If he’s healthy, he’s a problem and he’s someone if you do not double, can hurt you repeatedly one-on-one. It’ll be interesting to see him next to KD and Kyrie. —Zion Olojede

We’d put Collins a lot higher on our list if he played more games because when the Wake Forest product is on the floor for the Hawks he can score at an elite level. But the power forward’s missed far too many games over his three seasons due to injury and suspension—including the 25 games he sat last season after he was caught PEDs in his system—for us to warrant a higher ranking. When he’s balling, he’s a beast. His average offensive rating per season of 121 is ultra-impressive and the 40.1 percent he shot from beyond the arc last year was eye-opening. He rebounds, he blocks a few shots, and his effective field goal percentage (.632) was sixth best in the league last season. Stay on the court and Collins will be rapid riser on our yearly rankings. —Adam Caparell

It looks like the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft is going to live up to the hype. Now, we can debate if Ayton is truly a franchise cornerstone kind of player because he’s only played 109 games in the NBA—and we all know who the real superstar is in Phoenix these days. But the early results are promising that Ayton’s going to be one of the better offensive big men in the game—he’s already a respected force close to the basket and the 2020-21 season could be a breakout campaign for the Arizona product if he develops some chemistry with Chris Paul in the pick-and-roll. The Suns only used Ayton as the pick-and-roll man 18.3 percent of the time he touched the ball last season and that should be way higher. Paul, of course, excels at it, and if the Suns’ new point guard and Ayton get on the same page—like Paul has done with just about every big man he’s teamed up with—Ayton will light it up. —Adam Caparell

I’m a Zach LaVine believer. He’s one of the most talented guards in the business and has evolved from only being known for his elite jumping ability to being an elite scorer, especially his last couple of seasons in Chicago. At only 25, LaVine’s ceiling is high, even with his injury history, and he’s improved on the defensive side of the ball as well. While they’re young, this Bulls team is still a few pieces away from really making some noise again, but I think 2021 will be the year Zach really shows out and puts them on his back. He’ll be an All-Star sooner rather than later. —Angel Diaz

The quickest point guard in the league played like an All-Star last season, but when you’re balling in the Western Conference, with its glut of superstars, it’s tough to break through. Fox deserves some shine entering his fourth season in the league out of Kentucky, since he’s become a dynamic scorer (21.1 PPG last season) and a very good distributor (6.8 APG last season) who is an absolute blur in transition. There are still areas for big improvement, most notably his outside shot, but Sacramento has surrounded him with high-level shooters so you can kind of look past that deficiency. In due time, he’ll need to become a better outside shooter, but the Kings really just need Fox to distribute, drive, connect at a high clip 10 feet and in, and push the tempo when the situation calls for it. Few do that better than Fox and the Kings showed it by giving him the most lucrative contract in franchise history ($163 million extension through 2026). —Adam Caparell

D’Angelo Russell quickly went from an All-Star in Brooklyn getting a lot of attention to a guy who’s flown below the radar once again. It feels like D’Lo has to prove himself again for some reason. It’s crazy because he put up really good numbers last year even though it was for two AWFUL teams in Golden State and Minnesota, but I don’t believe he’s lost anything he showed in Brooklyn. I think now in Minnesota he has a fresh start with his buddy Karl-Anthony Towns and they have a chance with the rookie Anthony Edwards to build something. I don’t think the Timberwolves are capable of making a run at the 8-seed in the West but it’s up to D’Lo and KAT to prove me wrong and make some noise. —Zion Olojede

When healthy, Oladipo should perennially be in the mix for an All-Star selection in the East. Twice he’s earned the honor, including his incredible 2017-18 season when he was named All-NBA Third Team, All-Defensive First Team, led the league in steals, and was named Most Improved Player. Then he had to go and suffer that horrible quad injury two seasons ago and we’re still waiting for Oladipo to return to the player we saw blossom into a damn good shooting guard. The 19 games Oladipo played last season didn’t tell us he’s all the way back—just look at his numbers. But we’re willing to bet the 28-year-old Oladipo will soon enough look like a high-level two-way two guard we came to expect with the Pacers and rise up our rankings. —Adam Caparell

We all know Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t play alongside a superstar, but I’ll yet again make the case that Middleton deserves more respect than he generally gets. He’s a two-time All-Star who has been ultra-steady in the regular season the last three seasons. Yeah, we’re still waiting for him to really elevate his game—along with Antetokounmpo—when it matters most in the postseason. But let’s not gloss over what we saw from Middleton down in the bubble. That 36-point performance in Game 4, without the services of Giannis, was eye-opening. Yeah, the Bucks got bounced in five games against the Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but Middleton’s better than you probably realize—he narrowly missed out on authoring an ultra-impressive 40-50-90 campaign this past season, falling short of the prestigious mark by a few ticks on his overall field goal percentage. Plus, he finished the 2019-20 season with a higher PER than a lot of guys ranked higher than him on our list. —Adam Caparell

If you’re surprised we have Sabonis ranked ahead of his teammate Victor Oladipo, wake up. Part of that has to do with Oladipo’s injury history, of course, but the only Pacers player that’s practically untouchable these days is Sabonis, because the 24-year-old with a legendary father (Google him, kids) is one of the most dynamic forwards in the NBA who has blossomed into something special. Owner of a higher PER last season than Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, and Ben Simmons—players ranked ahead of him on our 2020 rankings—Sabonis has made himself into an extremely well-rounded baller who is an elite rebounder and a very good defender. His outside shot needs work, but considering the leaps he’s made since his rookie season four years ago when he only averaged 5.9 PPG to last year’s All-Star campaign, you betting against him? —Adam Caparell

Let’s keep it 100, Nikola Vucevic is one of the most boring All-Star caliber players in the league BUT he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. He also plays for the Orlando Magic, who don’t get much TV time. Vucevic can rebound, pass, and score at a high level. He’s not the flashiest but he gets the job done. We saw him average 28 and 11 against the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. He’s no slouch and probably would get more respect if he wasn’t playing in Orlando, but he’s definitely one of the more talented bigs in the league. —Zion Olojede

Will Holiday be worth three future first-round draft picks and two pick swaps? In an NBA where draft assets are often an organization’s most valuable commodity, the obvious answer is no since Holiday isn’t a superstar. The Bucks surprised us when they sent all those picks to the Pelicans to acquire the services of the veteran guard. If Holiday ends up signing an extension in Milwaukee, continues playing at high level on both sides of the ball, and helps push the Bucks over the hump in the playoffs then Holiday just might be worth the haul New Orleans got for giving him. Regardless of his value, Holiday is widely regarded as an excellent defender—we have plenty of analytics, eye tests, and two All-Defensive Team appearances to back up that boast—and he’s a more consistent shooter than you probably realize. Bottom line: Holiday’s one of the more reliable and versatile two guards in the NBA. —Adam Caparell

We respect you, DeMar. The Spurs guard was rightfully salty over his ranking (82?!?!?) by another outlet that shall remain nameless and considering he just got done averaging 22.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 5.6 APG last season with the Spurs while shooting 53.5 percent from the field (18th best in the league), give DeRozan his due. We all know his mid-range game is archaic in today’s NBA and you’d prefer your two guard to shoot better than his career 28.2 percent clip from beyond the arc. But DeRozan’s just rocking steady, and that’s why we have him ranked appropriately. The past seven seasons he’s averaged at least 20 a night, and let’s not forget he’s a four-time All-Star and twice has earned All-NBA status (second and third team). That 82 really was some clown shit. —Adam Caparell

Forever stigmatized as Patient Zero, it was Gobert’s positive test for the coronavirus last March that shutdown the NBA for months and irrevocably changed the league for seasons to come. Now that doesn’t mean Gobert deserves eternal scorn because we all know a shutdown was inevitable. Nor should it distract you from the fact Gobert’s continues to be as one of the best defensive bigs in the NBA (two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time member of the All-Defensive squad). Plus, he’s been named to two All-NBA teams during his seven seasons in the league and made his first All-Star Game this past season. Yeah, there are limitations in Gobert’s game and if he was anywhere near elite we wouldn’t hear his name in trade rumors. But he blocks shots, he rebounds, he can give you 15 a night, and splits between his offensive and defensive ratings six of the last seven seasons are eye-opening. —Adam Caparell

It’s the injuries that make us bury Griffin this far down on our list, otherwise the Pistons forward has perennial All-NBA talent—don’t forget he’s been on one of the three All-NBA teams five times in 10 seasons. Just look at his 2018-19 season—his first in Detroit—and you see what kind of beast Griffin can still be, especially in the Eastern Conference where he’s easily among the top 5 power forwards when his body isn’t betraying him. Last season was a lost cause when he only played 18 games because of a knee that required surgery. It should be all systems go for Griffin, only 31, this upcoming season. And if all is well in that appendage you know he’s good for an easy 20, 7, and 5 every game. —Adam Caparell

Is this the year McCollum, one the better two guards in the league, finally makes an All-Star team? Who cares because if the Lehigh product hasn’t proven to you that he’s among of the steadiest, most trustworthy superstar sidekicks in the NBA—and you’ll only give him his due when he earns an All-Star nod in the loaded Western Conference—then you’re a lost cause. Five seasons in a row, McCollum has averaged at least 20.8 PPG while shooting well above league average from beyond the arc (39.8 percent to be precise). Never one to wow you with his athleticism or his bravado—leave that Damian Lillard—McCollum thrives in his role as the Blazers second option. His 22.2 PPG last season was the 18th best mark in the league and three times he’s finished seventh in the league in field goals made. —Adam Caparell

He’s often overshadowed by teammates Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, but Brown had himself an ultra-impressive 2019-20 campaign where he averaged 20.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.1 APG with a 53.5 effective field goal percentage—all career highs. While he might not have the ceiling of Tatum or the step-back of Walker, Brown’s made himself into one of the best secondary or tertiary options in the NBA. Every team would love to have Brown, one of the smartest and most interesting players in the league. Boston’s lucky they have the 24-year-old’s services for at least the next four seasons at a little over $26 million per. —Adam Caparell

The 2019 Most Improved Player was making one helluva case for winning the 2020 award last season since the Raptors forward earned his first All-Star nod and put up career highs in PPG, RPG, APG, BPG, and SPG. That award went to Brandon Ingram, but Siakam stepped it up for Toronto like it needed him to after Kawhi Leonard took his talents to Los Angeles and ultimately he earned All-NBA Second Team honors. Does Siakam do anything elite? No. Is he good at a lot of things? Absolutely. Considering how his game has taken massive leaps from year-to-year through his first four seasons, we might be looking at more incremental improvements as the soon-to-be 27-year-old enters his prime. Regardless, he’s going to be a major problem in the Eastern Conference through at least the 2023-24 season. —Adam Caparell

Kyle Lowry is underrated. Say it with me: Kyle. Lowry. Is. Underrated. Yeah, he gets clowned from time to time—like that backboard brick he shot in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals—but Lowry will always get the last laugh because he’s quietly authored a very good career north of the border. We all know he’s a NBA champion, but he’s also made six consecutive All-Star appearances as he enters his 15th season in the league, and that’s why we believe he’s one of the top 10 point guards in the game. A few more highly productive seasons for the 34-year-old Lowry, who is a free agent this summer, and he could easily find his way into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame one day. That might surprise you, but take a look at his Hall of Fame probability on Basketball-Reference. He’s getting close. Lowry’s steadiness should, at the very least, be applauded. In the not too distant future, it might be rewarded with the ultimate honor. —Adam Caparell

Do I personally think there are 28 players better than Zion Williamson in the NBA? No, but I’m a biased Duke fan. The only argument people would give to Williamson not being high on lists is that he played 19 games last season. That’s fair, but realistically, if you look at what he did in those games factoring in the situation he was in, he’s going to be a NBA superstar and very fast. He wasn’t healthy or in shape, he didn’t have a training camp or preseason to get ready for the season mentally and physically, and he was on a minutes-restriction throughout his time on the court. Still, he averaged an efficient 23 points per game in 28 minutes. That’s absurd. People get mad about the Zion Williamson hype but the hype is justified—the kid is ridiculous and he’s going to be a superstar as long as he stays healthy. —Zion Olojede

I bet you in a few years we’re calling the Grizzlies’ point guard one of the best pound-for-pound players in the league, because at 6’3” and roughly 175 pounds, he is tiny by NBA standards. Yet Morant already packs a massive offensive punch after his Rookie of the Year campaign last season that saw him put up 17.8 PPG and 7.3 APG. Skinny guys out of Murray State aren’t supposed to arrive in the league like Morant and immediately posterize defenders. But he’s clearly built differently and it looks like the Grizzlies have someone running the show that’s willing to take on anyone, anytime. Kind of like former pound-for-pound champ Allen Iverson used to. —Adam Caparell

Walker might be one notch below the position’s truly elite, but that’s absolutely not a knock on the Celtics point guard. A career 19.9 PPG scorer and a four-time All-Star, we all know Walker can fill it up and owns one of the most devastating step-back jumpers in the NBA. Now that he should be making deep runs in the postseason with a stacked Boston squad for years to come, the opportunities for him to earn more respect will be plentiful. It’s awfully tough to earn the mythical, and completely subjective, top 5 point guard in the NBA status, and Walker may never crack it for a bunch of reasons. That pesky knee that will keep him out of Boston’s lineup until January is one of them. But Walker’s damn good and he’d be a massive upgrade at point guard for 80 percent of the league. —Adam Caparell

You can’t help but be happy for Brandon Ingram after he signed his max contract. After his health scare and all the pressure of being traded from the Lakers, he had to prove himself and he did just that with an All-Star season in his first year in New Orleans. The scariest part about Ingram is the fact that he just turned 23 in September. He hasn’t even reached his prime yet and he’s already a problem in this league. You may not see a major jump in his numbers this year with Zion Williamson back healthy, but this is a big year for BI in terms of leading this team to a playoff berth. —Zion Olojede

His numbers might not scream top 25 player, but there are maybe five guys in the league who can spontaneously combust (in the good kind of way) like Jamal Murray. And if you had any doubts the 23-year-old Murray could be a Robin to Nikola Jokić’s Batman on the biggest stage, he buried them down in the bubble. Murray smoked the Jazz in their first-round playoff series, lit up the Clippers in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, and averaged 25 against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Yes, Murray will disappear some games and consistency is an issue. But if you honestly believe he’s not one of the best young shooting guards in the game, you’re higher than the Rocky Mountains. —Adam Caparell

This is a big year for Trae Young. Whether you believe it or not, Luka’s breakout playoff performance put a whole lot of pressure on Trae. They will be compared for the rest of their careers as they were traded for each other on draft night. This year Young has a playoff-caliber roster alongside him. With the additions of Gallinari, Bogdanović, Rondo, and a healthy Capela to add to a young core of him, Huerter, Reddish, Hunter, Collins, and rookie Onyeka Okongwu, this team can do some damage in the East. Young’s numbers were ridiculous last year, especially for a guy so young, but the numbers didn’t lead to wins and that’s not really an issue because he didn’t have the roster to compete. This year, he has a roster to compete, so those numbers will be under a magnifying glass every night. —Zion Olojede

Underrated coming out of Kentucky, Miami’s defensive anchor turned himself into an All-Star this past season with his star shining brightest within Orlando’s bubble during the NBA Restart. This season he looks to prove last wasn’t a fluke and I think he’ll do just that. I’m hoping to see him stretch the floor a bit and hit those Charles Oakley/Kurt Thomas 15-18 footers with more consistency. Once he opens his game up offensively, Bam is going to be crazy scary. The defense is already there for the young fella and he’ll surely win a Defensive Player of the Year award before it’s all said and done. —Angel Diaz

The awesome numbers Mitchell has put up over his first three years—22.7 PPG and 4.0 APG during the regular-season—is why Utah invested heavily in the 24-year-old. The Jazz hopes he’ll be the one to lead the organization to its first conference finals since the days of Karl Malone and John Stockton and as good as Mitchell’s been during the regular-season, he’s really elevated his game in the playoffs—27.3 PPG over 23 career games. His scintillating performance against the Nuggets in Utah’s seven-game slugfest of a first-round playoff series— Mitchell averaged 36.3 PPG and had two 50-plus-points outbursts—solidified it for the Jazz. Now’s the time to lock up the dynamic shooting guard with an extension that could be worth $195 million. Most impressively, after he signed the new deal, Mitchell pledged to donate $12 million to the Greenwich Country Day School in Connecticut, the same school he attended from third to ninth grade. —Adam Caparell

Yeah, so we had CP3 44th on last year’s list. Our bad. All he did during the 2019-20 campaign after we disrespected him was make his first All-Star appearance since 2016, earn All-NBA Second Team status, guide the Thunder to an unlikely playoff appearance, and re-establish himself as a top 5 point guard. Guys Paul’s age and with his mileage (he entered the league in 2005) aren’t supposed to turn back the clock and look like he did a decade ago. But check out CP3’s offensive and defensive ratings from his age 24 season compared to last year—they’re basically identical. You want a tough bucket? Paul will get it. You want your offense to hum? Who better than Paul to orchestrate? You want an expert distributor and the most seasoned facilitator who plays like he’s five to seven years younger than his actual age? Call CP3. Whatever diet/workout routine Paul switched to recently is obviously working wonders, because just when you think he should be slowing down, he’s still The Point God. —Adam Caparell

You want buckets? Booker’s your man. He’s one of only six players in NBA history to score 70 points or more in a game and his eight games down in the bubble where he averaged 30.5 PPG were a coming out party. At 24 years old, the Kentucky product is an elite scorer whose effective field goal percentage (.544) was higher than James Harden’s, Anthony Davis’s, and Luka Dončić’s last season. The Suns shooting guard made his first All-Star team last season and it should be the first of many selections because few can light it up like him. Defense may not be a strong suit, but in due time Booker can develop into a competent defender—there’s already evidence he’s improving—and we’re all dying to see how he thrives playing alongside the newly acquired CP3. Your preference among Booker, Mitchell, and Murray, the three talented and young Western Conference shooting guards, might depend on a few things. We gave the nod to Booker this year because he’s been doing it longer than the other two and his regular-season numbers last season (26.6 PPG, 6.5 APG, 20.6 PER) were just a little bit more impressive. —Adam Caparell

Whether or not you believe Bradley Beal deserved All-NBA status last season after a brilliant 2019-20 campaign might depend on your loyalties. But there’s no debating that the 27-year-old sharp shooter, a two-time All-Star, is on the short list of premier shooting guards in today’s NBA. The 30.5 points he poured in per game last season was second in the league behind scoring champ James Harden and he’s clearly the present and future of the Wizards organization. Now with Russell Westbrook coming to town, expect Beal’s numbers to take a bit of a hit, but his status as one of the NBA’S most dangerous twos—every team in the Association would die to land Beal if he ever legitimately became available—isn’t changing anytime soon. —Adam Caparell

Playoff P can be his own worst enemy sometimes—especially when he played the blame game despite his own poor performance that helped doom Clippers in the Western Conference semis. Last season’s calamity aside, and his track record of proclaiming eternal loyalty to whatever franchise he happens to be playing for at the time, the Clippers’ talented forward is objectively one of the best players in the NBA. A six-time All-Star who has made five All-NBA Teams and four All-Defensive squads, Paul’s averaged 20.0 PPG during his 10-year career and owns a defensive pedigree few small forwards in the NBA can match. He’s not quite the defender he was when he was in his mid-20s, but the 30-year-old small forward is still an elite two-way player. And that’s why the Clippers recently gave George a massive extension that will earn him a guaranteed $226 million over the next five seasons. "I owe them a trophy,” Paul said after the signing. Yeah, you kinda do. —Adam Caparell

Ben Simmons continues to be one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. His skillset is so unique and his talent is so high, but a good amount of fans will never let it go that he has no real jump shot. Maybe that stigma someday goes away. Maybe he turns into a serviceable shooter at some point. Regardless of any of that, we shouldn't ignore just how good Simmons is on both sides of the ball. From passing ability to being able to guard multiple positions at a high level, Simmons' value on the court is immense, even without the shooting. And he still put up over 16 PPG last season while not really looking for his own shot. Ben Simmons is a top 20 player in the NBA and he's going to keep getting better. That's scary. —Zach Frydenlund

Easily among the most gifted offensive bigs in the NBA, Towns has the resume to back it up: the 25-year-old Wolves center is a two-time All-Star, was All-NBA Third Team in 2018, and the 2016 Rookie of the Year. While he doesn’t do defense, there are maybe a handful of guys his size (6’11”) around the league that score at an elite level like he does. Towns is almost a 40 percent shooter from three for his career, has never averaged less than 18.3 PPG in a season, has been pretty durable (until last season), and owns a higher career offensive rating (an estimation of the points produced by player per 100 possessions) than his fellow Kentucky alum Anthony Davis. —Adam Caparell

I was really hoping to see Tatum step up and stake his claim as one of the game’s best during the playoffs, but the youngin’ seems timid still. He averaged a career playoff high of 25.7 PPG this past season, yet there were games where he scored 30 points that should’ve been 40-point games. Those are the moments where the stars become superstars, and Tatum needs to take that step. I think he’ll make that leap this season as the dangerous small forward is still only 22 years old. Now, with the enormous extension he recently signed, Tatum has an opportunity to carve his name next to other Celtic greats and hopefully bring a title back to “Titletown.” He’s the most lethal scorer in the L not named Kevin Durant, after all. —Angel Diaz

Russell Westbrook is another player that I believe gets unfairly criticized. Obviously, his time with the Rockets ended on a sour note with a poor playoff performance but folks tend to leave out he was coming off a quad injury and COVID-19. The biggest thing that folks tend to leave out is the fact Westbrook was playing some of the best basketball of his career before the pandemic hit and he was the one carrying the Rockets, not Harden. It’s crazy how much recency bias plays into fans’ aspect of players. We know Westbrook can be erratic at times and his jumper is still not where it should be, but let’s not get carried away in how we assess the man—he’s still one of the best players in the league. —Zion Olojede

When you throw the corny narratives out the window and focus on just the game of basketball, Kyrie Irving is a top 15 player in the NBA without a doubt. He’s arguably the most skilled player in the NBA with not one weakness offensively. That doesn’t mean he’s the best or most valuable but when it comes to pure skill, it’s hard to find someone who has every single box checked on offense. The one who probably has the best argument is his teammate Kevin Durant. He’s 6’2” with elite shooting ability from the midrange and three-point line, he has the best handles in the league and is one of the best finishers at the rim, and to put the cherry on top, he has an elite postgame for a guard. With all that being said, people seem to ignore that prior to Kyrie’s injury last year he was averaging the best numbers of his career: 27.4 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, and 5.2 rebounds per game is absurd. Say what you want about him off the court, but Kyrie is a hooper. —Zion Olojede

All Jimmy Butler does is go to work and he brought that lunch pail mentality to South Beach, resulting in a surprising Finals appearance this past season. Now, he and the Heat need to show people that it wasn’t all the environment the Bubble provided and get to the Conference Finals at the very least (or like, an epic second round series). What we do know, though, is that Butler will come to play each and every night, and he’ll do what needs to be done on both sides of the floor. Need him to score? He can do that. Need him to get a stop? He can do that. Need a rebound, a steal, a block, a triple-double? He’s got you. Butler’s leadership has been an underrated quality of his for quite some time now. Gone are the days of him being called a bad teammate. Last year’s Heat team has proven to his former teams that it wasn’t him, it was them. —Angel Diaz

Someone who looks like he should be slicing your deli meat isn’t supposed to be this good at basketball. But five seasons following the Nuggets making him the 41st (!?!?!) pick in the 2014 draft, the Joker has vaulted himself into the NBA’s stratosphere with two straight All-NBA selections, two All-Star appearances, two top 10 MVP finishes, and the universal acknowledgement that he’s the most gifted passer 7’ or taller in today’s game. Seriously, Jokić might throw a better deep ball than Broncos QB Drew Lock. He’s sneakily athletic despite a body that looks like it belongs in the rec league, regularly gets buckets from crazy angles, drains 3-pointers with the highest arc you’ll ever see, and will be a perennial MVP candidate for years to come as he enters his age 25 season. The joke’s on the other 29 teams around the league that wasted opportunity after opportunity to draft arguably the most gifted European giant since Dirk Nowitzki. —Adam Caparell

He might not be as athletically gifted as the two 7-footers we have ranked ahead of him, but when Embiid is healthy, what is there not to love about his game or his endearing personality? Nothing, as far as we’re concerned, because we will forever stan for Embiid’s press conference bravado and penchant to troll on social media. Plus, he owns a dynamic offensive repertoire that nobody can really stop and he’s a very good defender (two All-Defensive Team selections). It’s just Embiid’s health and conditioning that forever holds him back from tip-toeing into truly elite status, and why he can’t justify putting the Sixers big ahead of AD and the Greek Freak. But he ain’t far behind. —Adam Caparell

The Luka hype is real and he's clearly our highest riser on this list from last year and nobody should be surprised. He's already one of the best players in the NBA and the sky appears to be the limit for his ceiling. Luka is already getting MVP attention going into this season and you can't really blame the hype. In just his second season, Luka put up 28 PPG, while dishing out over eight assists a night. All while leading the Mavericks to the playoffs. And he's still only 21-years-old. Seems pretty safe to say that he's going to keep rising up this list for years to come. The question is, how high can he go? The sky appears to be the limit. —Zach Frydenlund

Dame Time is a legend already, yet he still has so much more to accomplish. Like can he lead the Blazers to the Promised Land? Will he have to demand a trade to get a ring? One thing is for sure, Lillard will fight to the death and shoot your lights out while doing it. The Blazers have consistently overachieved thanks to that backcourt and the coaching of Terry Stotts, but mostly because of Lillard always coming through in the clutch. If he didn’t prove he was the second best point guard behind Steph Curry after sending OKC home the way he did in 2019, then he proved it after absolutely losing his mind in the Bubble (he averaged 37.1 PPG during the Restart!) This year Dame is going to have to suit up and slay some more dragons, so that the Blazers can even have a shot at the crown. —Angel Diaz

Things didn’t go as planned in Year 1 for Kawhi and company in Los Angeles. But just because the Klaw couldn’t carry his (reportedly dysfunctional) team to the Western Conference finals doesn’t diminish the individual brilliance of Leonard. Knock him for leadership shortfalls and other ancillary behaviors that caused a serious rift in the Clippers locker room last season if you’d like, but he remains one of the best two-way wing players in the game, and it’s not debatable. I’ll spare you his accolades because they’re too numerous to list here after nine seasons, but he has two NBA Finals MVPs and he’s not even 30 yet. Despite shooting line drives, he’s made himself into a dynamic and reliable scorer, he’s still an elite defender, and the only things holding him back from sneaking into our top 5 are his balky knee and the fact that he’ll never be as flashy a player as the guys we have ranked ahead of him. —Adam Caparell

One of the best scorers in NBA history perennially puts up ridiculous numbers. While his iso-heavy game may drive basketball purists bonkers, it’s still impressive to watch the Beard launch and connect at a comically high clip that’s earned him the past three scoring titles and 2018 MVP honors. I’d argue if you absolutely needed a bucket by any means necessary, there’s no better option than Harden who can pull up from just about anywhere, drive right past a defender off the dribble and get a tough layup in traffic, or pick-and-roll you to death. The failures in the postseason will continue to haunt Harden until he breaks through, but he’s been a First Team All-NBA selection the past six seasons and I think he deserves more credit for his defense. While it’s easy to clown on him for his effort on the other side of the court since Houston hasn’t exactly featured premier defensive squads during his eight seasons, Harden’s more than serviceable. He’s actually become a pretty good disruptor, but superstars are always judged on championships and right now that’s really the only thing missing on Harden’s resume. —Adam Caparell

Stephen Curry is back. After only playing in five games last season, the greatest shooter of all-time is ready to remind folks just how good he is. Yes, we moved Curry down a spot this year, but it would be foolish to completely bump him out of the top 5 in the rankings. He's still a dominant force on the court and while the Warriors expectations took a hit when Klay Thompson got hurt, nobody should expect Curry to slow down. In fact, would anyone be shocked if he went on a full revenge tour to silence the doubters that have built up over the past year? —Zach Frydenlund

Antetokounmpo continues to make NBA history and he’s only 26 with a game that still needs more refining. That’s what’s so scary about the Greek Freak who became the 11th individual in NBA history to win back-to-back MVP awards this past season, and just the third player in league history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same campaign, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon in that ultra-exclusive club. Look, there’s plenty to knock about Antetokounmpo since his Bucks have suffered some awful exits in the playoffs despite being regular-season juggernauts. We all know his outside shooting remains a mess and he needs to smooth out other aspects of his game, but all the advanced metrics point to Antetokounmpo being an ultra-elite player on both sides of the ball—go look ’em up for yourself if you still somehow need to be convinced he’s a top 5 player. Antetokounmpo’s game has progressed exponentially since his NBA debut in 2013 and based on how maniacal he appears to be about getting better, winning a title before he’s 30 feels like a slam dunk. Remember, Antetokounmpo just finished his age 25 season—the same age Jordan was when he won MVP and DPOY in the same season. MJ was similarly knocked for his lack of playoff success after that 1988 season and didn’t reach the sport’s summit for another three seasons. I wouldn’t bet against Antetokounmpo following a similar timeline. I just have no idea what city he’s going to get it done in. —Adam Caparell

Skill-wise A.D. has been one of the game’s best big men for like what, I don’t know, the last five to seven years? That’s what not being in the playoffs on a consistent basis does to a star’s narrative. Last year was only the third time Davis has made it to the postseason and he reminded us why he’s easily top 5 when healthy. Last season he stretched the floor more than he has in the past and probably should’ve won the Defensive Player of the Year (Giannis did not need both, let’s be real). Davis now joins a long lineage of Laker bigs to win a ring and he’s still only 27 years old with a game that’s still evolving. Once he gets that three-point shot to about 35 percent, it’s going to be curtains for the rest of the L. We all know the Lakers will continue to build around him once LeBron finally retires, so until then, all we can do is watch them dominate and count Larry O’Briens. —Angel Diaz

KD is back and he may not have lost a step. From what we’ve seen so far, Kevin Durant will still be the dominant player we’ve seen in the past. We’ve heard the noise all offseason that he looked like he was back to himself, and if he was even 90% of himself, that earns him the No. 2 spot on this list. We can’t forget that Durant is probably the most unguardable basketball player ever to walk this earth, and arguably the closest a player has been in recent years from knocking LeBron off his throne as the best player in the NBA. To be totally transparent, we ranked prior to the preseason games with the reasoning that Kawhi Leonard didn’t do anything to keep his No. 2 spot from last year and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s playoff struggles didn’t convince us to elevate him to that No. 2 spot. —Zion Olojede

A lot of people looked at us like we were crazy when we had LeBron James at No. 1 on this list last year. The general consensus was that Giannis was the best player on the planet. Everyone assumed that LeBron James had lost a step after the Lakers missed the playoffs in 2019. The rumblings of LeBron James' downfall were greatly exaggerated. In fact, they were downright wrong. Not only did LeBron James go out and win his fourth NBA title, but he played at an MVP level the entire season while essentially playing point guard for the Lakers. He not only averaged over 25 PPG for the 16th straight season, but he posted a career-high 10.2 APG. That's just bananas. LeBron has no signs of slowing down and remains the best player in the world. It's clear someone is going to have to take the crown from him. It's unclear who is going to do that. —Zach Frydenlund