jmr07019 wrote:The way I see LeBron and Giannis are the only 2 guys in last 10-ish years who are in a class of their own. Elite offensively and defensively. Put them on your team and you are automatically a contender. KD was close but had more help than LeBron (1st Cleveland stint) and Giannis and didn't accomplish enough. Had to jump on a 70 win team who already had an MVP to get his title.
Curry revolutionized the game with his shooting. You could argue he's in the Giannis LeBron level. The best offensive player in the last 10 years but nowhere near as good as Giannis and LeBron defensively.
After that there's a ton of good players but no one else is tier 1. I don't see Tatum getting to that LeBron / Giannis level but tier 2 is in play. Playmaking is overstated when talking about ceilings. I'll take the stud defender who is a mediocre playmaker (Tatum) over the complete offensive player who sucks at defense (Harden). Having your best offensive player be an apathetic defender generally doesn't result in titles. Curry at least was passable on D.
I know Raptors are rolling (in the regular season) even after losing him, but I would easily put Kawhi Leonard in tier 1. Not as durable as Lebron and Giannis and not as great as a playmaker. But he can elevate his game to a whole other level when the stakes are at their highest.