Top 5 Basketball Players in the NBA – 2010

I do not mean any disservice to the people that do not make this list, but basketball is a rather simple sport in which to judge the very best players. Unlike, football, a basketball player’s effect on the game is almost 100% noticeable and very independent of what other people on his team are doing. In football, if a quarterback has horrible wide receivers, we can’t really ascertain how good he is. Heck, if a quarterback has really great wide receivers, we may not be able to ascertain how good he is then either.

I do not mean any disservice to the people that do not make this list, but basketball is a rather simple sport in which to judge the very best players. Unlike, football, a basketball player’s effect on the game is almost 100% noticeable and very independent of what other people on his team are doing. In football, if a quarterback has horrible wide receivers, we can’t really ascertain how good he is. Heck, if a quarterback has really great wide receivers, we may not be able to ascertain how good he is then either.

But basketball is so much easier. The guy drawing double teams, scoring 30 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and blocking all the shots is easy to see with your eyes, and that player’s stats usually correspond with what you see on the court.

So naming the top 5 basketball players to this point in the season was not a difficult task at all. Le me remind you that I’m basing this best basketball players list on what has corresponded this season. That means the stuff Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan have done in the past don’t count here, so don’t expect them to come in at spots #1 and #2.

So, without further adieu, I bring you the best basketball players in the NBA this season.

5. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic – 18.8ppg, 13.5rpg, 2.8bpg, 24.02PER
Okay, so I’m copping out by awarding two fifth place spots, but I just couldn’t help myself. Howard, actually, barely made this list because of the fact that his offensive game has taken a backseat this season. After posting a career high in points/40 minute and a career low in turnover ratio, Howard’s scoring has dropped and he is fumbling the ball much worse than last year. Still, he remains an effective scoring force, with a field goal percentage of 60.7%. His rebounding is right where it was at last year, as are his assist numbers. Also, Howard remains one of the premiere defensive players in the league, with an astonishing 2.8 blocks per game to lead the league in that category.

5. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers – 27.5ppg, 4.8apg, 22.84 PER
Before you go all crazy, I’m not saying Kobe Bryant is only the fifth best player in the NBA—not that that’s an insult, but I’m sure many of you will take it that way. Having said that, Kobe’s injuries are clearly affecting the way he plays basketball. His true-shooting percentage is the lowest it has been at least since 2001-2002 NBA season. His rebound percentages are down. His free throw-shooting is the worst it has been since 2004-2005. His assists numbers are the worst they have been since 2005-2006, when had far less talent around him. Most importantly, Kobe hasn’t scored these few points per 40 minutes played since 2004-2005. And yet, with all of that Kobe is still the 5th best player in the NBA. That just goes to show you how great of a player he was and is.

4. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs – 19.1ppg, 11.0rpg, 1.7bpg, 26.42 PER
Believe it or not, the Big Fundamental is having one heck of a season this year. In fact, I might be shortchanging him by ranking him 4th given that he is the third overall player in the NBA in terms of player efficiency rating. His PER of 26.56 is his highest rating since 2004-2005, when he won the NBA championship. The big difference between Duncan this year and the Duncan of last year is his surge in rebounding percentage he’s turning the ball over a lot less. His defense is probably going to earn him yet another spot on the All-defensive team, and his overall play just might land him in the finals if he keeps playing like this.

3. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 29.7ppg, 7.6rpg, 2.9apg, 25.26 PER
Admittedly so, Durant is my runner-up candidate for MVP. Still, I have to put him third place, despite his MVP candidacy, in which I give him some added value because of what he means to the city of Oklahoma City and the wins he is producing. But have no doubt; I have to respect his game a lot to put him at #3, ahead of a guy like Kobe Bryant this season. Clearly, a lot of Kevin’s success has derived from his surge in scoring, a mesmerizing 29.7 points per game. And while he is scoring almost 4 more points per 40 minutes than he did last season, his biggest improvements are in other categories. For example, KD’s rebounding percentage is up more than a full percentage point. Also, KD has managed to take more shots and score more points without turning the ball over all that many more times than he did last season. His most significant improvement has been his ability to get to the free throw line. KD is going to the charity stripe nearly 3 more trips a game than he did last season, now averaging 9.9 free throw attempts a game. That in turn has increased his true-shooting percentage by 2.5 percentage points, which has had a profound effect on his 6th overall ranking in PER.

2. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat – 26.1ppg, 6.4apg, 4.6rpg, 27.46 PER
While it’s hard to give this spot to a guy whose scoring average has dropped by 2 points for every 40 minutes, I still have to give credit to a guy who may be the hardest working man in basketball. Wade is essentially doing his best to keep the Heat in playoff contention. Even though his PER has dropped by 3 points from last year, he still has the second highest PER in the league, and he has the third most Estimated Wins Added. Wade has become a lot less selective about his shots this season, mainly because he has not help whatsoever. Still, at 26, 6 and 4, averaging more blocked shots than LeBron James, while recording nearly 2 steals a game, I have to give Wade his props, even though it goes unnoticed on a very bad team.
Side note: In case anybody thinks Wade is over ranked, I just want people to know that when Kobe was the top of the game two years ago, his numbers weren’t all that different from Wade’s.

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers – 30.0ppg, 8.5apg, 7.1rpg, 31.94 PER
There’s really nothing to discuss here, because LeBron James is just that good. My only question is, “How much better can this guy get?” Most basketball players don’t reach their primes in terms of their effectiveness on the game until they are 28, 29 or older. Even though LeBron may lose some athleticism by the age of 29 or 30, most great players develop so much knowledge of the game that their experience far outweighs any raw athleticism they may have lost. So perhaps LeBron becomes an even greater player over the next few years. That said, he’s already on pace to break Michael Jordan’s record season in player efficiency. The record stands at 31.89, and right now, King James is at 31.94.

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