Who is the 5th best player in the NBA next season?

[Anticon]

Seems like there's a consensus top 3 of SGA, Jokic, and Giannis + Luka when he's at his best.

That leaves a few options for the 5th:

Injured young stars -Tatum, Haliburton
Older stars - Lebron, Curry
Injured / Injury prone older stars - Embiid, Kawhi
Younger stars - Edwards, Wemby

The data suggests a few different options from last year. but my vote is for Wemby next year, with the Spurs starting to compete.

[ropjhk]

Didn't we have this exact same thread topic not too long ago?

[Bornstellar]

As long as Victor is healthy it will be him

[Wingy]

I went for Edwards.

Man does Wemby get absolutely crowned for everything so far in his career by fans.

Dude’s a 47% shooter, and 35% from 3. That’s horrendous for a big, and not good for a guard either.

Spurs have a .342 winning percentage with him on the floor.

No one wins alone, and his defensive impact is massive, but to put him at 5th best player in the league already?

Longer term of course, and heck, if we were having this conversation summer of 2026 I could see it. But right now feel like we’re putting the cart before the horse.

[phanman]

As long as Victor is healthy it will be him

Same can be said for Embiid

Jokes aside, I look forward to what Shaolin Vic brings to the court next season and voted him also. Although, I can see Ant having a monster year to help round out of his offensive repertoire after becoming a 3pt marksmen this last season. Especially given how much he struggled against OKC when his shot wasn't falling.

[tsherkin]

Why is Tatum in the poll? Isn't he going to be out for the season?

[Raps in 4]

It was likely going to be Tatum or Hali, but with both of them out for the season, and possibly never returning to 100%, it'll probably be Wemby, assuming he continues to develop.

1. Jokic
2. SGA
3. Giannis
4. Luka
5. Wemby

After that it's a toss-up between Brunson, Ant, and Mitchell.

Then the old/washed guys like Kawhi, Embiid, Curry, AD, etc. (assuming they actually play).

[SA37]

Embiid is the most obv answer if he is healthy. Hard to know if Kawhi can play at his old all-NBA level over a whole season.

Curry won't get any love here because of his age. Prob the same reason why Durant isn't an option here. LeBron's chances will be hurt by playing with Doncic because people will pretend like he wouldn't be so good without Luka.

People are too quick to anoint Wemby to top-10 status, let alone top-5.

[iggymcfrack]

Wemby’s definitely the best of this group, but I’d say he and Luka are competing for 3rd with Giannis as the clear #5.

[iggymcfrack]

Embiid is the most obv answer if he is healthy. Hard to know if Kawhi can play at his old all-NBA level over a whole season.

Curry won't get any love here because of his age. Prob the same reason why Durant isn't an option here. LeBron's chances will be hurt by playing with Doncic because people will pretend like he wouldn't be so good without Luka.

People are too quick to anoint Wemby to top-10 status, let alone top-5.

Wemby was the 3rd best player in the league before he got hurt last year, and he’s getting better at lightning speed. He’s still only 21. You’d have to put up some ludicrous names to question him being top 10.

[SA37]

Embiid is the most obv answer if he is healthy. Hard to know if Kawhi can play at his old all-NBA level over a whole season.

Curry won't get any love here because of his age. Prob the same reason why Durant isn't an option here. LeBron's chances will be hurt by playing with Doncic because people will pretend like he wouldn't be so good without Luka.

People are too quick to anoint Wemby to top-10 status, let alone top-5.

Wemby was the 3rd best player in the league before he got hurt last year, and he’s getting better at lightning speed. He’s still only 21. You’d have to put up some ludicrous names to question him being top 10.

No, he wasn't.

Y'all are falling harder than Jay Bilas for Wemby's length and wingspan.

[Johnny Tomala]

Wemby, don't even joke with LeBron or Curry.

[cupcakesnake]

I went for Edwards.

Man does Wemby get absolutely crowned for everything so far in his career by fans.

Dude’s a 47% shooter, and 35% from 3. That’s horrendous for a big, and not good for a guard either.

Spurs have a .342 winning percentage with him on the floor.

No one wins alone, and his defensive impact is massive, but to put him at 5th best player in the league already?

Longer term of course, and heck, if we were having this conversation summer of 2026 I could see it. But right now feel like we’re putting the cart before the horse.

I had Wemby as a top 5 player this season until he got injured.
He was the runaway favorite to win DPOY (it was likely to be unanimous), while averaging 24 points, 11 boards, and 4 blocks.

Sure there are still holes in his game, but that's true of more established stars too. I think it's crazier to say Ant or Brunson or Tatum or any of the old generations are better than Wemby right now. Spurs were playing .500 basketball before he went down, and that team is made of super young, unproven guys, and a 99-year-old Chris Paul. Not a real team yet, but this might be the year.

You can wait to crown him if you want, but you're going to be very late.

[cupcakesnake]

Wemby, don't even joke with LeBron or Curry.

It astounds me how people continue to ignore their age. Theyr'e still incredible players, but at this point they just need so much luck for a serious playoff run. Every old guy looked completely gassed by the end of the first round this year. As much as medical science has changed, allowing more guys to play at a high-level for longer, the game has also changed and there's so much movement and effort, we can't expect a 37+ guy to lead a finals team.

[iggymcfrack]

Embiid is the most obv answer if he is healthy. Hard to know if Kawhi can play at his old all-NBA level over a whole season.

Curry won't get any love here because of his age. Prob the same reason why Durant isn't an option here. LeBron's chances will be hurt by playing with Doncic because people will pretend like he wouldn't be so good without Luka.

People are too quick to anoint Wemby to top-10 status, let alone top-5.

Wemby was the 3rd best player in the league before he got hurt last year, and he’s getting better at lightning speed. He’s still only 21. You’d have to put up some ludicrous names to question him being top 10.

No, he wasn't.

Y'all are falling harder than Jay Bilas for Wemby's length and wingspan.

It’s not about potential or wingspan or anything like that, it’s about what he did on the floor. Finished 5th in EPM last year after he had a slow start and then improved greatly over the course of the year. Led the Spurs to a point differential 3.2 points better than LeBron could lead the Lakers to even while the Spurs were 13.5 points worse without Wemby than the Lakers without LeBron. You’d have to think he’s getting worse from 20 to 21 to question this position.

[Anticon]

Why is Tatum in the poll? Isn't he going to be out for the season?

To list all the possible candidates and with the outside shot that he may return before seasons end (and same with Hali).

As for Lebron and Curry, the age is the obvious reality but impact wise they still look to be very much in contention for this.

For Wemby, my thinking is that in his first truly non tanking season, he'll look quite different. But it's still early for him.

[makubesu]

When the news came out about Wemby last year, a lot of people were panicking thinking he was done. Now he is being slotted with the healthy guys? I sure hope so, that would be fantastic news.

[SA37]

Wemby was the 3rd best player in the league before he got hurt last year, and he’s getting better at lightning speed. He’s still only 21. You’d have to put up some ludicrous names to question him being top 10.

No, he wasn't.

Y'all are falling harder than Jay Bilas for Wemby's length and wingspan.

It’s not about potential or wingspan or anything like that, it’s about what he did on the floor. Finished 5th in EPM last year after he had a slow start and then improved greatly over the course of the year. Led the Spurs to a point differential 3.2 points better than LeBron could lead the Lakers to even while the Spurs were 13.5 points worse without Wemby than the Lakers without LeBron. You’d have to think he’s getting worse from 20 to 21 to question this position.

Tatum, Curry, Doncic, and Cade Cunningham had better seasons, imo.

[iggymcfrack]

I went for Edwards.

Man does Wemby get absolutely crowned for everything so far in his career by fans.

Dude’s a 47% shooter, and 35% from 3. That’s horrendous for a big, and not good for a guard either.

Spurs have a .342 winning percentage with him on the floor.

No one wins alone, and his defensive impact is massive, but to put him at 5th best player in the league already?

Longer term of course, and heck, if we were having this conversation summer of 2026 I could see it. But right now feel like we’re putting the cart before the horse.

LOL @ using career win percentage mostly from his rookie year after being drafted to the team with the worst SRS in the league to try to bring him down. Last year, the Spurs were 21-25 when Wemby played and a 13-23 record when he didn’t. That seems like pretty legitimate impact to me.

[RHODEY]

I would have picked Brunson, but the OP must not be fan.