NBCSports.com’s 5 best players in 5 years

[Swish1906]

Luka Doncic is horribly inefficient and has nonexistent defensive stats. Even as a fantasy player he's undraftable for those reasons. Top 5 players don't have those problems.

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lol feel free to guess who on the following list is James, Durant, Kawhi, George and Luka

RPG / SPG / BPG
6.4 / 0.7 / 1.1
8.5 / 1.3 / 0.6
7.8 / 1.1 / 0.3
7.3 / 1.8 / 0.4
8.2 / 2.2 / 0.4

are the trying to make a point in favour of Luka? Because he has the worst stocks in that list and rebounding isn’t really a defensive stat.

For me it is because most of them happen on the defensive end.

And its not to defend Luka, its because it was absolute polemik BS. So Durant and Lebron are great fantasy picks but Luka is "undraftable" because his combined steal + blocks per game was 0.50 lower last year. Okay. And even the better rebounding doesnt make it up. Still totally undraftable

[lakerz12]

AD requested to be traded a month after his injury. Most of the games he sat out wasn’t because of the Pelicans.

The 12 missed games from February 23rd and on were certainly related to the trade talks. He would have definitely played as many (64 instead of 56) regular season games as Embiid if not for all of the trade hoopla.

There's no need to drag AD into discussions about Embiid's health.

I’d think the reasons for doing so are fairly obvious. You can dismiss reasons for AD just like I can dismiss the orbital fracture and FO precautions for Embiid. Projecting injuries on a currently healthy player doesn’t make much sense to me.

Embiid has played an average of 52.7 games out of 82 in his first three years.

That is injury prone. Missing 30 games per year. That is his track record.

You should just own that instead of trying to explain how it's okay.

That isn't to say he can't play 70+ games from here on out. But until he does it, his record speaks for itself.

[Tracymcgoaty]

If embiid is still upright and playing 65 plus games in 5 years. He will be number 1 on the list. He’s the big outlier here and probably why they put him at 11. Cause they want to put him at 1.

I think he’s the best player in the league as soon as this year or he maybe out of the league in 3 years. That’s why he’s so perplexing to gauge due to injury history.

But Anthony Davis has been injury prone himself as well. 5 of his 7 seasons. He’s basically played around 65-67 games himself. So last year was not an abnormality. He’s injury prone as well.

Does being the best player in the NBA mean you have to heigthen your game come playoff time? Because if i remember correctly Embiid got killed by Marc Gasol shooting under 36%.

So he would need to be dominant this season in the playoffs for him to jump right? Im pretty sure people on this board dont give a damn about regular season stats if you cant replicate it when it matters.

I honestly think Jokic will be number 1..What i saw from him in the playoffs was absolutely spectacular so much fun to watch and will easily get better with each year.

[GeorgeMarcus]

The 12 missed games from February 23rd and on were certainly related to the trade talks. He would have definitely played as many (64 instead of 56) regular season games as Embiid if not for all of the trade hoopla.

There's no need to drag AD into discussions about Embiid's health.

I’d think the reasons for doing so are fairly obvious. You can dismiss reasons for AD just like I can dismiss the orbital fracture and FO precautions for Embiid. Projecting injuries on a currently healthy player doesn’t make much sense to me.

Embiid has played an average of 52.7 games out of 82 in his first three years.

That is injury prone. Missing 30 games per year. That is his track record.

You should just own that instead of trying to explain how it's okay.

That isn't to say he can't play 70+ games from here on out. But until he does it, his record speaks for itself.

Explain how it's ok? Idk where you saw me doing that. I simply compared his injury history to AD's. We both know that FO precautions have been a major factor for Embiid, particularly when they shut him down his rookie year.

Also, he has played 70+ games in consecutive seasons. Playoff availability matters. Other players have a history of getting injured during the PS (or in AD's case missing the playoffs altogether.)

[freethedevil]

Frankly, in a vacuum, ad and giannis are already arguably the top 2 players, they're a much safer bet here than zion.

[Johnny Firpo]

Luka Doncic is horribly inefficient and has nonexistent defensive stats. Even as a fantasy player he's undraftable for those reasons. Top 5 players don't have those problems.

Are you trolling? Hope you are trolling.

[Crives]

Luka Doncic is horribly inefficient and has nonexistent defensive stats. Even as a fantasy player he's undraftable for those reasons. Top 5 players don't have those problems.

Are you trolling? Hope you are trolling.

He did shoot 26% from 3 post all star break... definitely something to keep an eye on

[Johnny Firpo]

He did shoot 26% from 3 post all star break... definitely something to keep an eye on

What does this have to do with that moronic statement? His efficiency was pretty good for a ball handler rookie with that kind of usage. Also, there is nothing to "keep an eye on" regarding his three point shooting. His three point shooting floor, based on the last couple of years and the combination of his shooting form, free throw (prior to the NBA), is pretty high. At worst he is going to be a 36-37% career three point shooter on tons of attempts, but more than likely he'll have seasons around or slightly above 40% as well. His percentage on assisted catch and shoots is pretty great, and obviously his free throw shooting % was an outlier, he was a near 80% free throw shooter for years, that's his floor there as well, 78-80%. The question is, can he become an elite shooter, or "only" going to be a good one?

[dhsilv2]

Kinda weird they are confident enough in AD’s health to put him #2, but use injuries to drop Embiid out of the rankings. Counting playoff games Embiid played more games than AD the last 2 years, despite the B2B rest days and freak orbital fracture.

AD hasn't had any major injury issues and Embiid has. Not surprising, weird, or anything else.

[Chris76]

Giannis and AD, I agree with.
Joker, okay, I ca give you that.
Luka, not there yet.

Zion? please. Give him at least one season before anointing him a top 5 player.

No one is anointing anyone, this is a guess for 5 years into the future. If Luka or Zion ever become top 5 players, chances are they are going to be there in 5 years. That's pretty much the start of his peak for Luka, and Zion would be one year away.

It's just dumb to blindly put him there before a game, even if it's just a projection. Luka on the other hand has shown every bit of talent to be an MVP caliber player in the future and a realistic top 5 player. He has one of the most complete/mature rookie skillsets we have ever seen and his IQ is off the charts. Nothing about Zion is proven yet. He's an all time ATHLETE who dominates inferior athletes. Let's see how he does in the NBA when he can no longer outrun, out-jump and push people around in the paint. He doesn't have the IQ/handles/playmaking ability that made people so sure about Lebron.

Again it actually isn't even a sure thing that he ends up being better than prime Blake Griffin.

Zion has great potential, but his lack of length could be troublesome. It should be interesting to see what adjustments he makes to be successful.

Similarly, Ben Simmons compares well to Blake. His passing, ballhandling, and defense are already elite.

An efficient mid range game should catapult him to the top of the list. Sixers have added players that should help Simmons excel.

[TheRealKaboom]

Luka Doncic is horribly inefficient and has nonexistent defensive stats. Even as a fantasy player he's undraftable for those reasons. Top 5 players don't have those problems.

Are you trolling? Hope you are trolling.

Over the final two months of the season, he was the #146 player in fbb. If that's a fact, is it trolling?

[Johnny Firpo]

Over the final two months of the season, he was the #146 player in fbb. If that's a fact, is it trolling?

Why would you use a two-month sample size when you are assessing a player?

[theFireBlanket]

We’re gonna look at these lists in 5 years and be like “tf were they thinking”

They got #1 right. 5 years ago he was never projected by the majority but a few bit. Thorpe was on the wagon.

ESPN' foreign specialist said he was 2 years away from 2 years of being a contributor, possibly special.

There may be an American face of the NBA. But the best player will be the Greek Nigerian. He won't stop working & will be in his prime. Maybe it'll be enough to steal the "face" mantle.

[Shaka_Zulu]

i found some similar lists from 2012 andd 2013 respectively, let's see how they hold up

bleacher report's sam cooper in november 2012
20. greg monroe
19. brandon jennings
18. andrew bynum
17. lamarcus aldridge
16. carmelo anthony
15. deron williams
14. james harden
13. anthony davis
12. rajon rondo
11. damian lillard
10. demarcus cousins
9. blake griffin
8. derrick rose
7. russell westbrook
6. kyrie irving
5. chris paul
4. kevin love
3. dwight howard
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

drew corrigan on uproxx's 15 best in 5 years, from 2013:
15. russell westbrook
14. damian lillard
13. marcus smart
12. julius randle
11. andre drummond
10. blake griffin
9. jabari parker
8. james harden
7. kevin love
6. andrew wiggins
5. kyrie irving
4. paul george
3. anthony davis
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

So both in 2012 and 2013, they saw zero hope Curry could be a top 20 or 15 player? What the...

[leolozon]

Luka Doncic is horribly inefficient and has nonexistent defensive stats. Even as a fantasy player he's undraftable for those reasons. Top 5 players don't have those problems.

Are you trolling? Hope you are trolling.

Over the final two months of the season, he was the #146 player in fbb. If that's a fact, is it trolling?

“fbb”? That’s a fantasy ranking?

And what do you mean by two months? March and April, so 15 games?

[Crives]

He did shoot 26% from 3 post all star break... definitely something to keep an eye on

What does this have to do with that moronic statement? His efficiency was pretty good for a ball handler rookie with that kind of usage. Also, there is nothing to "keep an eye on" regarding his three point shooting. His three point shooting floor, based on the last couple of years and the combination of his shooting form, free throw (prior to the NBA), is pretty high. At worst he is going to be a 36-37% career three point shooter on tons of attempts, but more than likely he'll have seasons around or slightly above 40% as well. His percentage on assisted catch and shoots is pretty great, and obviously his free throw shooting % was an outlier, he was a near 80% free throw shooter for years, that's his floor there as well, 78-80%. The question is, can he become an elite shooter, or "only" going to be a good one?

Be careful buddy.
I think Luka will at least be an all star caliber player... even if he doesn’t improve his shooting splits.

But remember... Luka only has one season of NBA experience... and he had a terrible 3p% for the 2nd half of year one. That’s definitely something to keep an eye on. No one knows if this shooting slump was a fluke that will be quickly reversed... or if Luka just had an amazing hot streak to begin the season. We will find out soon.

[Triples333]

i found some similar lists from 2012 andd 2013 respectively, let's see how they hold up

bleacher report's sam cooper in november 2012
20. greg monroe
19. brandon jennings
18. andrew bynum
17. lamarcus aldridge
16. carmelo anthony
15. deron williams
14. james harden
13. anthony davis
12. rajon rondo
11. damian lillard
10. demarcus cousins
9. blake griffin
8. derrick rose
7. russell westbrook
6. kyrie irving
5. chris paul
4. kevin love
3. dwight howard
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

drew corrigan on uproxx's 15 best in 5 years, from 2013:
15. russell westbrook
14. damian lillard
13. marcus smart
12. julius randle
11. andre drummond
10. blake griffin
9. jabari parker
8. james harden
7. kevin love
6. andrew wiggins
5. kyrie irving
4. paul george
3. anthony davis
2. lebron james
1. kevin durant

Curry SLAPPED this whole league and it's analysts across the face. Crazy.

[Triples333]

He did shoot 26% from 3 post all star break... definitely something to keep an eye on

What does this have to do with that moronic statement? His efficiency was pretty good for a ball handler rookie with that kind of usage. Also, there is nothing to "keep an eye on" regarding his three point shooting. His three point shooting floor, based on the last couple of years and the combination of his shooting form, free throw (prior to the NBA), is pretty high. At worst he is going to be a 36-37% career three point shooter on tons of attempts, but more than likely he'll have seasons around or slightly above 40% as well. His percentage on assisted catch and shoots is pretty great, and obviously his free throw shooting % was an outlier, he was a near 80% free throw shooter for years, that's his floor there as well, 78-80%. The question is, can he become an elite shooter, or "only" going to be a good one?

Be careful buddy.
I think Luka will at least be an all star caliber player... even if he doesn’t improve his shooting splits.

But remember... Luka only has one season of NBA experience... and he had a terrible 3p% for the 2nd half of year one. That’s definitely something to keep an eye on. No one knows if this shooting slump was a fluke that will be quickly reversed... or if Luka just had an amazing hot streak to begin the season. We will find out soon.

"Post All Star Break" was 17 games. He definitely struggled with his shot in the 2nd half in the year, but it seemed to be tied to tiring out. It was by far the longest season he had played (also by far the best competition), and that's something he will have to adjust to. But the kid averaged 23/9/7 in the 2nd half of the year with a dynamic playmaking eye. He's an unquestionable superstar in the making. He will be 20 this season...

[Crives]

What does this have to do with that moronic statement? His efficiency was pretty good for a ball handler rookie with that kind of usage. Also, there is nothing to "keep an eye on" regarding his three point shooting. His three point shooting floor, based on the last couple of years and the combination of his shooting form, free throw (prior to the NBA), is pretty high. At worst he is going to be a 36-37% career three point shooter on tons of attempts, but more than likely he'll have seasons around or slightly above 40% as well. His percentage on assisted catch and shoots is pretty great, and obviously his free throw shooting % was an outlier, he was a near 80% free throw shooter for years, that's his floor there as well, 78-80%. The question is, can he become an elite shooter, or "only" going to be a good one?

Be careful buddy.
I think Luka will at least be an all star caliber player... even if he doesn’t improve his shooting splits.

But remember... Luka only has one season of NBA experience... and he had a terrible 3p% for the 2nd half of year one. That’s definitely something to keep an eye on. No one knows if this shooting slump was a fluke that will be quickly reversed... or if Luka just had an amazing hot streak to begin the season. We will find out soon.

"Post All Star Break" was 17 games. He definitely struggled with his shot in the 2nd half in the year, but it seemed to be tied to tiring out. It was by far the longest season he had played (also by far the best competition), and that's something he will have to adjust to. But the kid averaged 23/9/7 in the 2nd half of the year with a dynamic playmaking eye. He's an unquestionable superstar in the making. He will be 20 this season...

Yes... only 17 games... but Jan 3pt% was also terrible at 30%.

Again.. I think he will improve and at least be an all star level player.. even if the shooting doesn’t improve... but calling Luka an unquestionable superstar is a stretch to me. Not everyone can significantly improve their 3pt%... and the FT% is not super promising.

[Triples333]

Be careful buddy.
I think Luka will at least be an all star caliber player... even if he doesn’t improve his shooting splits.

But remember... Luka only has one season of NBA experience... and he had a terrible 3p% for the 2nd half of year one. That’s definitely something to keep an eye on. No one knows if this shooting slump was a fluke that will be quickly reversed... or if Luka just had an amazing hot streak to begin the season. We will find out soon.

"Post All Star Break" was 17 games. He definitely struggled with his shot in the 2nd half in the year, but it seemed to be tied to tiring out. It was by far the longest season he had played (also by far the best competition), and that's something he will have to adjust to. But the kid averaged 23/9/7 in the 2nd half of the year with a dynamic playmaking eye. He's an unquestionable superstar in the making. He will be 20 this season...

Yes... only 17 games... but Jan 3pt% was also terrible at 30%.

Again.. I think he will improve and at least be an all star level player.. even if the shooting doesn’t improve... but calling Luka an unquestionable superstar is a stretch to me. Not everyone can significantly improve their 3pt%... and the FT% is not super promising.

Lol he put up those numbers as teenager dude. I'm not sure how much ball you actually watch/ understand but this kid is VERY clearly a savant. He's a perennial All Star if healthy.