My Top 25 Current NBA Players

[HurricaneDij39]

Note: My annual top 50 list will likely be out in early September.

And yes, my placing of Russell Westbrook is bound to stir up some controversy on this board, but I'm a Jerry Stackhouse fan, so that should say enough in itself.

1. LeBron James
2. Russell Westbrook
3. Kevin Durant
4. Kawhi Leonard
5. Stephen Curry
6. James Harden
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo
8. John Wall
9. Isaiah Thomas
10. Chris Paul
11. Damian Lillard
12. Klay Thompson
13. Jimmy Butler
14. Paul George
15. Kyrie Irving
16. Anthony Davis
17. Karl-Anthony Towns
18. Draymond Green
19. Rudy Gobert
20. DeMar DeRozan
21. DeMarcus Cousins
22. Gordon Hayward
23. Nikola Jokic
24. Blake Griffin
25. Kemba Walker

 

[Shaqdaddy11]

No way in hell you think PG13 is in the top 15. You're just trying to save face for the crap you've tweeted before.

 

[msgkings322]

IT is much too high, AD too low but otherwise pretty solid

 

[PhoenixEagles1]

Note: My annual top 50 list will likely be out in early September.

And yes, my placing of Russell Westbrook is bound to stir up some controversy on this board, but I'm a Jerry Stackhouse fan, so that should say enough in itself.

1. LeBron James
2. Russell Westbrook
3. Kevin Durant
4. Kawhi Leonard
5. Stephen Curry
6. James Harden
7. Giannis Antetokounmpo
8. John Wall
9. Isaiah Thomas
10. Chris Paul
11. Damian Lillard
12. Klay Thompson
13. Jimmy Butler
14. Paul George
15. Kyrie Irving
16. Anthony Davis
17. Karl-Anthony Towns
18. Draymond Green
19. Rudy Gobert
20. DeMar DeRozan
21. DeMarcus Cousins
22. Gordon Hayward
23. Nikola Jokic
24. Blake Griffin
25. Kemba Walker

don't know basketball that well but is Klay Thompson better than Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving????Amazing that 4 Warriors make most top 20 lists.

 

[tlance]

don't know basketball that well but is Klay Thompson better than Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving????Amazing that 4 Warriors make most top 20 lists.

Irving definitely. Davis no.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Davis should be #9

 

[The Derski]

Fun fact: Devin Booker has scored more in a game than all of them.

 

[wildturkey]

Got to #2 and stopped. There is no fucking way Westbrook is better than Durant.

 

[msgkings322]

Got to #2 and stopped. There is no fucking way Westbrook is better than Durant.

I tend to agree but when you are talking the top 5 guys, it's hard to definitively say what "better" means.

 

[wildturkey]

I tend to agree but when you are talking the top 5 guys, it's hard to definitively say what "better" means.

Not really. I think Lebron, Durant, and Kawhi are clear top 3. They're the best all around players in the game. Westbrook, Harden, and Curry can be argued for those last two top 5 spots but those first three stand out pretty clearly to me

 

[msgkings322]

Not really. I think Lebron, Durant, and Kawhi are clear top 3. They're the best all around players in the game. Westbrook, Harden, and Curry can be argued for those last two top 5 spots but those first three stand out pretty clearly to me

OK so how do you say if Durant is "better" than Kawhi? Point being at that level you can make an argument for a lot of guys. You've made yours and you're in the majority, but it's not wrong to say RW is "better" than KD or Kawhi on some metrics.

 

[tlance]

OK so how do you say if Durant is "better" than Kawhi? Point being at that level you can make an argument for a lot of guys. You've made yours and you're in the majority, but it's not wrong to say RW is "better" than KD or Kawhi on some metrics.

It really is wrong though.

I don't care what order you put them in. But, LeBron, KD and Kawhi are the 3 best players in the league. Personally, I have KD 2 and Kawhi 3, but it is extremely close.

Ranking Westbrook ahead of either is an extreme overreaction to his statistical output last year. Same as ranking IT 9. Same as ranking Curry 2 last season. It isn't reality. No GM in the league is taking Russ over KD or Kawhi, just like nobody is taking Thomas over most of the guys on that list.

I won't go to 25 because once you get past about 18, you are dissecting 1 dimensional players and that is really hard. Here is the top 20 for me:

1: LeBron
2: KD
3: Leonard
4: Curry
5: Westbrook
6: Harden
7: Davis
8: CP3
9: Wall
10: Giannis
11: KAT
12: Butler
13: George
14: Klay
15: Lillard
16: Kyrie
17: Draymond Green
18: DeMarcus Cousins
19: Blake Griffin
20: Gordon Hayward

 

[ericd7633]

1. LeBron
2. Kawhi
3. KD
4. Steph
5. Westbrook
6. Harden
7. Giannis
8. AD
9. CP3
10. KAT
11. Butler
12. Klay
13. Butler
14. PG13
15. Dame
16. DeMarcus Cousins
17. Draymond Green
18. Nikola Jokic
19. Kyrie
20. Blake Griffin
21. Embiid
22. IT
23. Demar DeRozan
24. Gordon Hawyard
25. Rudy Gobert

 

[trojanfan12]

No Swaggy P or Michael Beasley?

Fake list is fake.

amirite @TurnUpTheHeat ?

 

[msgkings322]

It really is wrong though.

I don't care what order you put them in. But, LeBron, KD and Kawhi are the 3 best players in the league. Personally, I have KD 2 and Kawhi 3, but it is extremely close.

Ranking Westbrook ahead of either is an extreme overreaction to his statistical output last year. Same as ranking IT 9. Same as ranking Curry 2 last season. It isn't reality. No GM in the league is taking Russ over KD or Kawhi, just like nobody is taking Thomas over most of the guys on that list.

I won't go to 25 because once you get past about 18, you are dissecting 1 dimensional players and that is really hard. Here is the top 20 for me:

1: LeBron
2: KD
3: Leonard
4: Curry
5: Westbrook
6: Harden
7: Davis
8: CP3
9: Wall
10: Giannis
11: KAT
12: Butler
13: George
14: Klay
15: Lillard
16: Kyrie
17: Draymond Green
18: DeMarcus Cousins
19: Blake Griffin
20: Gordon Hayward

Yours is also a great list. Remember these are "unprovable" opinions, and part of the fun of sports is arguing this stuff. It's exactly the same as the GOAT arguments. There's no way to PROVE that LeBron had a better career than Magic, or Magic than LeBron. You make your case and argue it, and with many comparisons there's no way to be mathematically sure one is right (or wrong).

I agree about the top 3 of LeBron, KD, and Kawhi. But another fan might have a different opinion of what "better" means, maybe they are more inclined to use stats to determine it. That fan might put RW higher. And that's fine, that's sports.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Does anybody care?

 

[DJ Fieri]

AD? WTF are you smoking? The guy is a beast.

 

[msgkings322]

AD? WTF are you smoking? The guy is a beast.

I agree but maybe he's factoring in injury history

 

[DJ Fieri]

I agree but maybe he's factoring in injury history

Even with his injury history he's still top 8-10 imo. 67 games is still good, not like he's averaging 48-55 games a season. Just means you need a competent backup and some depth. The guy is a flat out stud. At both ends of the court.

 

[DJ Fieri]

I agree but maybe he's factoring in injury history

Besides, the person who started this thread isn't that smart.