My Top 10 Players Entering The 2022 Season
This should be fun. Every NBA fan has their own opinion about the best players in the league. We obviously have most of the same players but in different orders. We all have our different opinions on different players and no top-10 list is made for the same reasons.
I usually don’t like making posts like these, but since there is literally nothing else to talk about, I have no other choice. Now, this will not be like most other top-10 lists. I hate ranking players in numerical order because some players are just so close in talent level, that it’s really hard for me to pick which one is better. So we’ll be doing this in tiers, which I think is a much better way to do things.
(Note: No Kawhi Leonard on this list. He’s out for most, if not all of 2022).
Tier 4 (Players 10-9)
To call these players “Tier 4” players is really disrespectful. These guys are the best players on their team and they are bonafide superstars (use Stephen A. Smith voice). These guys are all really close in talent and it’s hard to discern them from one another.
#10 – Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid has shown us he can be a Shaq-like force when he’s on his game. He’s added a lethal mid-range game and is very good at drawing fouls. He’s physical, energetic, and provides great defense. Talent has never been Embiid’s problem, but consistency and injuries have been.
Embiid likely would have been MVP in 2021 if not for a knee injury. Embiid has missed a lot of time in his career. He missed all of 2014-15 and all of 2015-16 with a foot injury, not making his debut until 2017, two years after he was drafted. He only played 31 games in 2017 but flashed that potential.
He was incredible in 2019, but his 2020 campaign was awful. The 76ers were dysfunctional and Embiid just looked out of it. When he’s not trying, when he’s not engaged, he’s not the same player. So there was a lot of pressure on Embiid entering 2021 and he responded.
We know what he can do. With Ben Simmons on his way out soon, Embiid will be the de-facto superstar. He’s an incredibly dominant force when he’s healthy. If he can stay healthy, the sky’s the limit for the Cameroon native.
#9 – Damian Lillard
Consistently one of the best scoring threats in the league. Easily the 2nd best range shooter in the NBA behind Steph Curry. Dame’s teams might not find championship-level success, but he’s usually the one who keeps things afloat.
Since the 2015-16 season, he’s averaged 27.2 points and 6.9 assists per game on 60% TS. He’s an incredible offensive weapon, able to score from anywhere, and is lethal in the pick and roll. Portland has made the playoffs in 8 straight years largely due to Dame.
I would put Dame slightly over Embiid because he’s not injury-prone, he’s more consistent and reliable. Both are great players, but I have to give the slight edge to Dame because he’s been elite for nearly a decade now.
(Please go to a contending team Dame).
Tier 3 Players (8-7)
It’s also incredibly disrespectful to call these players “Tier 3” players. These guys are superstars and a little bit better than the players in Tier 4. But only sightly.
#8 – Luka Doncic
This just puts a bad taste in my mouth. Luka Doncic, the face of the NBA, a Tier 3 player? Luka is obviously incredible and when some of the older guys ahead of him start to decline, he’ll just rise. Doncic is only 22 years old and easily the youngest player in my Top 10.
Offensively, he can do everything. He’s an exquisite passer at 6’8″. He can bully you in the post, hit tough shots, and when his 3-PT shot gets going, you just can’t stop him. He improved a lot in 2021 shooting and efficiency-wise. Doncic is an incredibly smart and talented offensive player.
The only reason the Mavs have made the playoffs the past two seasons is because of Doncic. Not to mention that Doncic is going to be one of the best playoff performers of all-time, given how his first 13 postseason games have gone;
Luka Doncic In The Playoffs (22 yo)
13 GP – 33.5 ppg – 8.8 rpg – 9.5 apg – 1.2 spg – 58% TS
Also should be noted that all 13 of his playoff games in the past two seasons have come against the LA Clippers, who have Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, two of the best wing defenders in the NBA. The Clippers have been a juggernaut team in each of the last two postseasons and Doncic really tested them both times.
Luka Doncic is going to be a joy to watch for the next decade, so get used to his greatness.
#7 – James Harden
The difference between James Harden and Luka Doncic is slight. Both are incredibly similar players, maestros on offense who just hit tough shots for a living. But Harden has the more refined game and he’s been doing it for longer, so I’ll give the edge to him.
Harden has been the more efficient player when he was with Houston, so he is a better shot-maker than Luka is right now. Harden is one of the league’s best scorers and playmakers, an elite shot-maker who was an unstoppable scoring machine with Mike D’Antonio.
But people didn’t always love Harden’s playstyle and kind of downplayed how good he was when he was in Houston. Now granted, I doubt they’ll like him anymore when he’s on the Nets, but you have to appreciate greatness. The Nets weren’t the same team when Harden wasn’t on the floor and he’s going to be great again.
While his scoring went down, he still averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists with the Nets. Harden is easily the engine for this superteam that the Nets have built and if he stays healthy, they’re going to win a title, pretty easily.
Tier 2 Players (6-4)
These 3 players are also incredibly close together. This is precisely why I like the tier system better because it doesn’t feel like as much of a slight as to put one player lower than the other. These 3 players are superstars, they’re incredible, etc.
Let’s just get this over with before I make anybody too mad.
#6 – Nikola Jokic
Yes, Nikola Jokic is better than Joel Embiid. Get with the times. Jokic is easily one of the most slept-on superstars in the NBA. The NBA didn’t give Jokic a Christmas game, Nick Wright doesn’t like him, etc. Nobody likes Nikola Jokic because he’s quiet and kind of a dork.
But boy, can he play basketball. The big, lumbering center is easily the best at his position He can shoot well, score in the post with ease, but his playmaking really separates him from everybody else. One of the greatest, if not the greatest passing big guy of all time. Denver uses him perfectly and he just gives his teammates so many opportunities to score.
Great at manipulating the defense, finding guys on back-doors. Such an exquisite offensive player who is just allowed to do whatever he wants with Michael (not Mike) Malone in Denver.
Last year, Jokic averaged 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists on 65% TS. Not to mention that he played in all 72 games and carried Denver in the playoffs without Jamal Murray. Jokic is such an offensive threat and people just don’t take about him enough.
He’s an elite player who might not get the respect he deserves, but he certainly deserves it. Ladies and gentlemen, the Rodney Dangerfield of basketball.
#5 – Anthony Davis
The margins between AD and Jokic are incredibly small. But when healthy, AD is so incredibly dominant on both sides of the ball, that I can’t just use one roller coaster season to discredit him. I will forever remember the Bubble and just have to accept that seasons like 2021 will happen.
Seasons filled with injuries, lack of consistency, and continuity will always haunt AD because, for whatever reason, he just can’t stay healthy. I’m not going to call AD lazy or anything, but if more conditioning prevents his injuries, then he should obviously work harder.
But some guys are just fragile by nature. I’m just hoping that AD can stay healthy in 2022 and return to form. He is one of the most dominant players in the NBA and the Lakers need him to be the best player for them to have a chance to win a title or at least lose to the Nets competitively.
#4 – Lebron James
I don’t think there’s any arguing this and it’s really not a slight. Lebron James is 36 years old and beginning the twilight of his career. Now, Lebron’s twilight is better than 95% of most NBA players, but he’s not the #1 player in the NBA anymore.
And guess that? That’s ok because he doesn’t have to be the best player in the league. He’s probably going to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list in a couple of seasons and continue to add to one of the greatest sports resumes ever.
But we saw that injuries slowed him down a bit and that maybe the days of a 45-15-10 game from Lebron are over. Again, he’s still good for 24-7-8 a night, but dominant Lebron might be gone. It will still be fun to see him flop, whine, and craftily pick apart defenses, but he’s not the best player in the league anymore.
(Nor is he the greatest player of all time. Cry Lebron fans, cry).
Tier 1 Players (3-1)
These are the best that the NBA has to offer. These guys are game-changers and there is nobody like them in the league. Three guaranteed future Hall of Famers and three absolute maestros of the game. I don’t think there’s any debating this.
#3 – Giannis Antetokounmpo
This is why I like tiers better because Giannis is just so good and it’s an obvious slight to put him at #3. Giannis is such a dominant force. While he can’t shoot worth anything, he is such a force-down low. He’s an elite defender and rebounder. Solid playmaker for a 7-footer and can just tear up defenses if used right.
Giannis’s resume at age 25 is even more impressive, as he already has a Hall of Fame career secured and he still has so much to do;
2021 NBA Champion and 2021 NBA Finals MVP
2x MVP (2019-2020)
2020 DPOY
5x All-Star (2017-2021)
2021 NBA All-Star Game MVP
3x All-NBA First Team (2019-2021)
2x All-NBA Second Team (2017-2018)
3x All-Defensive First Team (2019-2021)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2017)
NBA Most Improved Player (2017)
Yeah, Giannis is good at this whole basketball thing and he still has a lot of basketball left to be played to cement himself as one of the all-time greats to play the sport.
#2 – Kevin Durant
Giannis and KD are so close together in terms of talent, but KD is just so polished offensively and it’s hard to ignore that. KD is a 7-footer who can dribble like a guard and just shoot from anywhere. He uses that length so well to just shoot over people.
KD came back from an Achilles tear and didn’t even miss a beat as he averaged 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists on 67% TS. That’s just unheard of to come back from an injury like that and play at that high of a level when KD is in his thirties.
KD is one of the greatest scorers of all time. You may not like his Twitter or who he chooses to play for, but he’s really damn good at putting the ball in the basket. That cannot be argued.
#1 – Stephen Curry
Before the 2021 season, some people, including myself, didn’t know what Steph Curry we would be seeing. He hardly played during 2020 due to a hand injury and now that Curry was getting older, would he still be the same player?
It’s safe to say that Steph answered that question and then some. While the Warriors didn’t make the playoffs, it certainly wasn’t Curry’s fault. The little guard from Davidson turned back the clock to 2016 with his otherworldly shooting and scoring as he was simply unstoppable.
He led the league in scoring at 32 points per game, with 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game on 66% TS. He can shoot from anywhere, puts so much pressure on a defense with his off-ball movement, and creates so many open looks for his other teammates.
He is so good at what he does, he’s still going strong as he enters his mid-thirties. Curry is the greatest shooter to ever walk this earth, do I need to say more? As Curry enters his twilight seasons, I just have to give this PSA. Enjoy him while you still can.
What Does Your Top 10 Look Like? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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