After watching the world of Twitter explode by a poll of who the best players in the NBA were today, this one-person committee determined the top ten talent in the best league in the world.
Fortunately, there was no extreme debate: all the members of the committee immediately agreed.
But hey, I understand that outside of this room we are going to stir up some controversy. Yes, I know what you think about number one, but that’s the way it is. And if they seem to have arguments to contradict this doctrine, there are social networks to listen to them. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Seconds out. Here goes, then, the ranking of the top ten in the NBA.
Let the game begin.
10. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
Maybe the Portland fans hate me for what I’m going to say, but here we go: the only problem that the owner of time in the current NBA has in his intention to achieve something important is to be the leader of some Blazers that will touch the middle ground again next season. That said, nothing detracts from the fact that seeing Lillard is an experience that awakens all the senses. Adding to his ridiculous shots from the Logo, his devilish dribbling and his supreme leadership, is added a mentality of steel for the closures. His talent is unmatched and I wonder how far he could go with a couple of elite teammates on the roster. I suppose that, for now, I will remain with the doubt.
9. James harden (Brooklyn Nets)
What La Barba would need would be a good defense lawyer on social media. All non-Brooklyn Nets fans dislike him. However, this is not about looking for the best Samaritan but about finding the best players in the League. And in that discussion, Harden is one of the best attackers in the world, owner of extravagant assets built at cruising speed, unbecoming of an NBA player but so effective they overwhelm. That Euro-Step taken from the Manu Ginobili manuals is amazing: how can someone do the same trick every night and not be discovered? I know what they are thinking and I do not intend to object to their very poor defense. However, the sublime attack, well above average, is what you saw him to appear without a doubt in this list of ten.
8. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
In his first playoff experience, he was inches away from reaching an NBA championship. Some call him the next Kobe Bryant and the surreal thing is that that label does not feel bad at all. Booker is the Mamba of Fire, capable of stinging in the hottest moments of a match without suffering a hint of nervousness in his task. His focus is excellent and his scoring ability is top 3 in the NBA world. His temperament sometimes runs out of control and he has to control his emotions. But we are in the presence of a rising star. Without him, the Suns would be an average team. One of the players of the future.
7. Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
It’s funny how the world quickly forgets geniuses. In the Orlando bubble, Davis was considered the best intern in the world by miles. We talked for months about his pitch to finish off the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Conference Finals. However, health played a trick on him in the past season and the Eyebrow went from being a magazine cover to being a small square among Marvel heroes. The reality is that it will return to the close-ups without any doubt. Athletic, of great stature, with the ability to shoot from medium distance and with an enormous talent for the position. Davis is one of the forgotten diamonds on this committee. Isn’t it top ten for you? Seriously? You’ll see.
6. Kawhi leonard (Los Angeles Clippers)
The Terminator reincarnation is also not coming off an elite season with the Clippers. The playoffs passed without pain or glory, but hey, do any of you remember any of the Clippers’ glory in their bulky history? The answers to this question are just a click away. La Garra is perhaps the best perimeter defender in the NBA and has developed a fantastic offensive game. Conservative of the mid-range shooting, an artisan resource in the fast-paced world of postmodern basketball, Leonard is another star who flew under the radar in the unusual 2020-21 season. Kawhi, made in the image and likeness of Tim Duncan, is not a histrionic man or an easy smile. But when it comes to winning games, few, very few, have achieved what he did with different franchises. At just 30 years old, he has the world still ahead of him.
5. Luka doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
“It cannot be slowed down,” said the famous Argentine magician René Lavand. Dress me slowly because I’m in a hurry: slowdown basketball, the advantage at a pace that contradicts the NBA’s gallop, is owned by Luka Doncic, the new genius of world sport. Doncic does everything and he does everything well: he shoots excellent from distance, passes the ball with mastery, dives into the key with precision, extracts fouls, defends. He is a countercyclical player capable of awakening magnetism in the human eye. Everyone wants to see Doncic and of course this committee is no exception: therefore, we already requested by email Mark Cuban a seat in the front row of the American Airlines Center for the season that begins. Surprisingly, we still had no response. Fifth on the list? Yes, it’s true, maybe we fell short. But to be honest, there were no big discussions about it at our talent nomination meeting.
Four. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Basketball’s Jarecki, the man who cracked the game of marksmanship designed by James Naismith, ranks fourth. Curry is the best outside shooter ever, but he still fails to sink into the pedestal of the top three. That’s how competitive the NBA is these days and that’s how demanding this very tough selection committee is. Curry runs, shoots and scores. From anywhere, in any position, in any way. Against whoever stands in front. His shooting ability is unmatched, and while his previous season was excellent, no one can do it alone. Defense isn’t his standout ability, but he’s still slightly above average in that area. The return of Klay thompson it can push it once more into the stratosphere. As we usually say, the best with Steph is always yet to come.
3. Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
Really Durant third? Do you have to prove anything else? The player-impossible, the indecipherable theorem of the defenses that was doing his thing in Tokyo 2020, is the bronze of this select list. No one doubts the talent, quality and leadership of Durántula, perhaps the best perimeter attacker of all time alongside Michael Jordan, but health continues to be a factor for him since the Achilles injury that cost him 18 months of recovery. Yes, he seems healthy, with the murderous mentality that led him to the Olympus of legends, but the years do not pass alone for someone with an injury as hard as the one he suffered in the Warriors uniform: he is 32 and counting, and that is not it ceases to be a danger. Kevin Durant will always be in the starting five of this committee, but the doubts, dear friends, are present.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
The Greek Freak went from beggar of triumphs to millionaire. All in the same playoff series. From crashing into the Miami wall in the Orlando bubble to being a leading figure in the definition against the Phoenix Suns after a school postseason. Yes, he still does not know how to shoot the hoop from a distance, but even so we are in the presence of one of the most privileged physicists who ever practiced this sport. He is very fast for his size, he plays on top of the basket, he has enormous power, he defends masterfully and now he knows what it is to win. This last piece of information should not go unnoticed: he took off a backpack that weighed tons. We do not know for sure if he will be able to repeat the title, but respect has already earned him. Sorry for the haters on duty, but Giannis deserves to be in this place. Make way for the locomotive to advance.
1. Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
The committee burst into laughter when it saw the poll that gave LeBron zero votes as the best in the NBA. On the way to 37 years old, the doubts came because for the first time in his rich history he suffered injuries that sidelined him in the last stretch of the season that passed. But come on, James is all that is good for basketball and his physique is supernatural: he defends, he attacks, he passes the ball, he plays in multiple positions, he has experience. Lead. The committee reminds all its fans that the golden ticket to the NBA Finals – we know, it was lost in 2020-21 – is still on the table to be used. Beyond the fact that there is no doubt about his supremacy in the League, his personal success will depend on his own health and that of his teammates, in a veteran team that must control the weight of the minutes on the court so as not to suffer in the midfield of June. The king is still the king. Everything else is pure speculation.
HONORABLE MENTION FOR NOTABLE OUTSIDE THE TOP TEN
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Joel embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Bring young (Atlanta Hawks)
Paul george (Los Angeles Clippers)
Chris paul (Phoenix Suns)
Jayson tatum (Boston Celtics)
Russell westbrook (Los Angeles Lakers)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Kyle lowry (Miami Heat)
Kyrie irving (Brooklyn Nets)
Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Draymond green (Golden State Warriors)
Jamal murray (Denver Nuggets)
Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
JA Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)
Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)