Current top 5 are (in no particular order): Lebron, KD, Kawhi, Giannis, Embiid
3 Americans, 2 not
Cases could be made for Curry, Butler, Jokic
2 more Americans, 1 not
We judge OP to be . . .
INCORRECT!
Do you watch ad follow basketball?
The top 4 without question are Giannis, Luca, Jokic and Embiid. They are heads and shoulders over the rest. Their stats and their results and their effect on teammates are excellent.
The only argument is who would be in fourth place. The is going to be very subjective. LeBron's team didn't even make the playin tournament (just about every team makes that) Sure LeBron scored a ton but his effect on his teammates and particularly the organization is a huge negative. He is out.
Cases could be made for Booker, Curry, Butler, Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis, Durant, Bogdanovic, Vucevic.
You don't think KD is in the conversation of top 4? We'll see about KL when and if he gets healthy again.
It would be interesting to see a breakdown of number of international players in the top 10 or 20 every 5 years over the last 40 years.
I'm 44 and there's always been a few international players but I feel like in the 80's and 90's it was nearly all black Americans. It was rare to see two white guys on the court at the same time. lol
Current top 5 are (in no particular order): Lebron, KD, Kawhi, Giannis, Embiid
3 Americans, 2 not
Cases could be made for Curry, Butler, Jokic
2 more Americans, 1 not
We judge OP to be . . .
INCORRECT!
Do you watch ad follow basketball?
The top 4 without question are Giannis, Luca, Jokic and Embiid. They are heads and shoulders over the rest. Their stats and their results and their effect on teammates are excellent.
The only argument is who would be in fourth place. The is going to be very subjective. LeBron's team didn't even make the playin tournament (just about every team makes that) Sure LeBron scored a ton but his effect on his teammates and particularly the organization is a huge negative. He is out.
Cases could be made for Booker, Curry, Butler, Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis, Durant, Bogdanovic, Vucevic.
Current top 5 are (in no particular order): Lebron, KD, Kawhi, Giannis, Embiid
3 Americans, 2 not
Cases could be made for Curry, Butler, Jokic
2 more Americans, 1 not
We judge OP to be . . .
INCORRECT!
Do you watch ad follow basketball?
The top 4 without question are Giannis, Luca, Jokic and Embiid. They are heads and shoulders over the rest. Their stats and their results and their effect on teammates are excellent.
The only argument is who would be in fourth place. The is going to be very subjective. LeBron's team didn't even make the playin tournament (just about every team makes that) Sure LeBron scored a ton but his effect on his teammates and particularly the organization is a huge negative. He is out.
Cases could be made for Booker, Curry, Butler, Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis, Durant, Bogdanovic, Vucevic.
^ How to say you have zero understanding of basketball without using those words.
Good job!
Giannis and Embiid deserve to be in the top 5.
Jokic is a regular season hero who doesn't completely fold in the playoffs but does not exactly overwhelm. Sorry, but he doesn't fit in the top 5. And just in case you are not aware, the best players all consider the playoffs to be the real season and treat the regular season as an extended warmup.
And Luka? OK, maybe you just added him for comedy relief because that's just funny. Luka is a very good player who is a ball hog/stat hog. Very much along the lines of Westbrook of five years ago (remember when Westbrook won the MVP award? LOL) or Harden. He puts up some huge numbers and does some spectacular things so people write about him a lot and make a lot of videos about him. And you've bought into the narrative. Luka's career playoff WS/48 is .132. Hilarious that you think he is a top 5 player.
Guess who has the best playoff WS/48 over the last six years? That would be the same player who has the 3rd highest career playoff WS/48 in the modern history of the NBA, right behind Michael Jordan and Lebron James. Might surprise you since you obviously have no understanding of basketball. Here's a hint for you - it's the same player who Giannis talked about with reverence and awe after getting kicked out of the playoffs by him and Luka spoke again in awe and reverence after suffering the same fate the last two years.
I would say you might want to learn something about basketball before posting but I know you never will. You are one of the masses who gets his "understanding" of the game by soaking up whatever narrative the media is serving at the time.
It's an international sport and the best players in the world come to the NBA to play.
Who are the 5 best players anyway?
It's not only the NBA but also hockey and baseball. American football is the only exception. And even then many place kickers are foreign born ex soccer players. But the rest of the teams are home grown talent. And yes sports are now international, and the best athletes from around the world come to the USA for the big payday.
Motor sports use to be guys from the south. Now it doesn't matter where you're from as long as you can turn left all day faster than everyone else in the field.
I don't follow horse racing much. Are their foreign horses racing here? I know some of the jockeys are foreign born, but the horses not so much.
Not only that, but it was invented in Canada by a Canadian school teacher.
It's an international league. The NHL is similar. Hockey invented in Canada, and Canadians dominate, top-three point getters in the regular season were Canadian. But there is an ever-growing number of Americans, Finns, Germans, Swedes, Russian and Kenyans in the league.
Well, no Kenyans.....but they are sprinting and throwing now...so shant be long. Someone put a rink in Eldoret.
"Jokic is a regular season hero who doesn't completely fold in the playoffs but does not exactly overwhelm. "
If by "doesn't completely fold" you mean he ups his game every year during the playoffs, you're right. Just because a guy is helping drag a team to the playoffs every year, but can't advance doesn't mean it's completely his fault.
It's also telling you don't hear about Jokic begging for a trade every off-season looking to join a super-team. Loyalty is a lost trait these days.
"Jokic is a regular season hero who doesn't completely fold in the playoffs but does not exactly overwhelm. "
If by "doesn't completely fold" you mean he ups his game every year during the playoffs, you're right. Just because a guy is helping drag a team to the playoffs every year, but can't advance doesn't mean it's completely his fault.
It's also telling you don't hear about Jokic begging for a trade every off-season looking to join a super-team. Loyalty is a lost trait these days.
Jokic WS/48
2021
Regular Season: .301 Playoffs: .181
2022
Regular Season: .296 Playoffs: .201
Sorry, doesn't exactly look like his is "upping his game every year during the playoffs."
///
Here's how an unbiased and knowledgeable observer would describe this:
Jokic is a regular season hero who doesn't completely fold in the playoffs but does not exactly overwhelm.
I don't get how Doncic gets to wherever he wants going in slow motion.
Doncic is not fast in terms of linear speed but what many don't realize is how quick Doncic is. He can change directions numerous times in a play very quickly.
The top 4 without question are Giannis, Luca, Jokic and Embiid. They are heads and shoulders over the rest. Their stats and their results and their effect on teammates are excellent.
The only argument is who would be in fourth place. The is going to be very subjective. LeBron's team didn't even make the playin tournament (just about every team makes that) Sure LeBron scored a ton but his effect on his teammates and particularly the organization is a huge negative. He is out.
Cases could be made for Booker, Curry, Butler, Rudy Gobert, Domantas Sabonis, Durant, Bogdanovic, Vucevic.
You don't think KD is in the conversation of top 4? We'll see about KL when and if he gets healthy again.
Any other year, Durant might be in the top four, but not this year. One of the criterion I mentioned was team results. The Celtics handled him quite easily. The other four have excelled in the playoffs and in the season. (Jokic didn't win in the playoffs but his performances were great.)
I will stick with my top 4 easily. The 5th spot is debatable.
"Jokic is a regular season hero who doesn't completely fold in the playoffs but does not exactly overwhelm. "
If by "doesn't completely fold" you mean he ups his game every year during the playoffs, you're right. Just because a guy is helping drag a team to the playoffs every year, but can't advance doesn't mean it's completely his fault.
It's also telling you don't hear about Jokic begging for a trade every off-season looking to join a super-team. Loyalty is a lost trait these days.
Jokic WS/48
2021
Regular Season: .301 Playoffs: .181
2022
Regular Season: .296 Playoffs: .201
Sorry, doesn't exactly look like his is "upping his game every year during the playoffs."
///
Here's how an unbiased and knowledgeable observer would describe this:
Jokic is a regular season hero who doesn't completely fold in the playoffs but does not exactly overwhelm.
Look at real stats, not some imaginary concoction. Points, rebounds tell you what Jokic is doing, not win shares.
You don't think KD is in the conversation of top 4? We'll see about KL when and if he gets healthy again.
Any other year, Durant might be in the top four, but not this year. One of the criterion I mentioned was team results. The Celtics handled him quite easily. The other four have excelled in the playoffs and in the season. (Jokic didn't win in the playoffs but his performances were great.)
I will stick with my top 4 easily. The 5th spot is debatable.
I kind of feel bad for both of those guys. The media has relished jumping on those two and faulting them for everything bad. I lost respect for Embiig (not for his play because he is a true warrior) but because he felt he had to publicly throw his teammate under the bus. Harden didn't deserve that.