who is more likely to be the player of the decade? jokic, giannis or doncic?

[falcolombardi]

this question is kinda limited to guys who Joined the league late in the 2010's or young enough (giannis) to spend the better part of their career in this decade

going by 2020-2029 and defining "player of the decade" based on whatever criteria you prefer

those 3 amd maybe zion or trae seem right now like the only candidates

[1993Playoffs]

Giannis he’s the only one that’s dominant on both ends.

[Texas Chuck]

Giannis and Jokic are the MVP level players and Giannis has a team with far less question marks around him. Luka isn't the same level of player of the other two and we have no assurances he ever will be.

This feels like Giannis is the safest best really. I mean MPJ starting a max contract and the Nuggets never having any idea when he will be available to play with his injury and other concerns. And Murray who was only really truly great in the bubble is now coming back off injury and their payroll is going to make it very difficult to keep any veteran depth. Jokic is likely to be hamstrung team success wise in a way Giannis simply isn't.

[Dr Positivity]

Giannis has the leg up already winning a title this decade.

[Whopper_Sr]

00s comparisons (not play style):

Giannis - Duncan
Jokic - KG
Luka - Kobe

[rand]

I think Jokic is going to age much better than Giannis simply because the latter's game is much more based on phenomenal athleticism than the former. As a result, Jokic should retain a much higher degree of his current effectiveness into his mid 30s.

What Giannis has going for him is he already has a much better supporting cast in place and is better positioned to experience greater team success, at least over the next couple of seasons. Since team success heavily affects perception of 'who's greater', this is a big advantage (at least in the short-term).

[HeartBreakKid]

Jokic will be the best player

[HeartBreakKid]

00s comparisons (not play style):

Giannis - Duncan
Jokic - KG
Luka - Kobe

Im confused, why is Luka Kobe?

[Whopper_Sr]

00s comparisons (not play style):

Giannis - Duncan
Jokic - KG
Luka - Kobe

Im confused, why is Luka Kobe?

Level of player compared to TD/KG for the 00s decade. Also popularity. That's about it.

[Dutchball97]

Giannis and Jokic have been similar level players this season and the last two but Giannis of course already has a ring and is in a much better position going forward. Luka shouldn't be counted out but he's a distant third as of now.

Since the likes of Dirk and Nash were on their way out in the 10s and Giannis and Jokic were just coming up, there aren't any international players in the convo for best player of the 2010s but it looks like they'll dominate the 2020s. Seeing as how we have Embiid as well, I really wonder who the best American player of the 2020s will be and how high he'll rank within the decade. Will we see someone like Ja or Tatum be like the 5th best player or is there still time for a new MJ/LeBron type of guy to break out and dominate the rest of the decade?

[HeartBreakKid]

Giannis and Jokic have been similar level players this season and the last two but Giannis of course already has a ring and is in a much better position going forward. Luka shouldn't be counted out but he's a distant third as of now.

Since the likes of Dirk and Nash were on their way out in the 10s and Giannis and Jokic were just coming up, there aren't any international players in the convo for best player of the 2010s but it looks like they'll dominate the 2020s. Seeing as how we have Embiid as well, I really wonder who the best American player of the 2020s will be and how high he'll rank within the decade. Will we see someone like Ja or Tatum be like the 5th best player or is there still time for a new MJ/LeBron type of guy to break out and dominate the rest of the decade?

Probably someone will break out.

[WhatTheBuck]

I think Jokic is going to age much better than Giannis simply because the latter's game is much more based on phenomenal athleticism than the former. As a result, Jokic should retain a much higher degree of his current effectiveness into his mid 30s.

What Giannis has going for him is he already has a much better supporting cast in place and is better positioned to experience greater team success, at least over the next couple of seasons. Since team success heavily affects perception of 'who's greater', this is a big advantage (at least in the short-term).

I can see Giannis maintaining his athletic dominance into his mid 30s, which would close out the decade.

There's nothing unusual about maintaining an athletic peak into your mid 30s if you are dedicated to the cause, like Giannis appears to be.

If anything Jokic may lose his hunger for the game and give it away by his mid 30s.

[rand]

I think Jokic is going to age much better than Giannis simply because the latter's game is much more based on phenomenal athleticism than the former. As a result, Jokic should retain a much higher degree of his current effectiveness into his mid 30s.

What Giannis has going for him is he already has a much better supporting cast in place and is better positioned to experience greater team success, at least over the next couple of seasons. Since team success heavily affects perception of 'who's greater', this is a big advantage (at least in the short-term).

I can see Giannis maintaining his athletic dominance into his mid 30s, which would close out the decade.

There's nothing unusual about maintaining an athletic peak into your mid 30s if you are dedicated to the cause, like Giannis appears to be.

If anything Jokic may lose his hunger for the game and give it away by his mid 30s.

How many phenomenal athletes have maintained their athletic peak into their mid 30s? Not MJ, LeBron, Shaq, KG, Dwight, Kobe, Wade, VC, Westbrook, etc. Some were still impressive athletes into their mid 30s, but all lost at least some edge in that department, and some lost a lot more than just an edge. Athleticism tends to go down in the early 30s; if there are exceptions they are extremely rare and there's no reason to believe Giannis will be immune to this. This is not even counting the possibility that Giannis suffers a major injury that triggers an early athletic decline like TMac, Blake, Wall, etc. Jokic of course is also at risk of loss of athleticism but the risk isn't as big simply because he has much less to lose to begin with.

I certainly don't see what cause there is to believe that Jokic is more likely to lose his hunger for the game before his mid-30s than that Giannis will decline athletically before then. Athletic decline in GOATs starting at age 30 is far more common than loss of passion in GOATs by that age. For that matter, I don't see what cause there is to believe Jokic is more likely to lose his hunger for the game than Giannis.

[GSP]

Giannis
Jokic
Tatum
Embiid
Mobley
Luka
Zion
Aj Griffin
Cade
Ja
Banchero
Antman
Jaylen
Ingram
Sga
Trae
Ben
Lavine
Booker
Lamelo
Emoni

[WhatTheBuck]

I think Jokic is going to age much better than Giannis simply because the latter's game is much more based on phenomenal athleticism than the former. As a result, Jokic should retain a much higher degree of his current effectiveness into his mid 30s.

What Giannis has going for him is he already has a much better supporting cast in place and is better positioned to experience greater team success, at least over the next couple of seasons. Since team success heavily affects perception of 'who's greater', this is a big advantage (at least in the short-term).

I can see Giannis maintaining his athletic dominance into his mid 30s, which would close out the decade.

There's nothing unusual about maintaining an athletic peak into your mid 30s if you are dedicated to the cause, like Giannis appears to be.

If anything Jokic may lose his hunger for the game and give it away by his mid 30s.

How many phenomenal athletes have maintained their athletic peak into their mid 30s? Not MJ, LeBron, Shaq, KG, Dwight, Kobe, Wade, VC, Westbrook, etc. Some were still impressive athletes into their mid 30s, but all lost at least some edge in that department, and some lost a lot more than just an edge. Athleticism tends to go down in the early 30s; if there are exceptions they are extremely rare and there's no reason to believe Giannis will be immune to this. This is not even counting the possibility that Giannis suffers a major injury that triggers an early athletic decline like TMac, Blake, Wall, etc. Jokic of course is also at risk of loss of athleticism but the risk isn't as big simply because he has much less to lose to begin with.

I certainly don't see what cause there is to believe that Jokic is more likely to lose his hunger for the game before his mid-30s than that Giannis will decline athletically before then. Athletic decline in GOATs starting at age 30 is far more common than loss of passion in GOATs by that age. For that matter, I don't see what cause there is to believe Jokic is more likely to lose his hunger for the game than Giannis.

Using the word 'peak' might be going too far, but I mean, there are enough examples of guys like Lebron, Jordan, Malone being great athletically into their mid 30s. I think a lot of it has to do with having the drive to stay in shape. Not many players have the hunger to continue to grind at that age, but if their minds are willing, their bodies can be too.

I will also say, athletes are overall keeping in shape better than in decades in the past, so I anticipate that by the time that Giannis is in his mid 30s, it won't be such a big deal for an athlete to still be in his prime at that age. That's just a general observation across all sports. "40 is the new 30" as the saying goes.

Regarding Jokic losing hunger for the game, who knows, but it definitely looks like Giannis is the type to be the hungrier of the two. That may just be a superficial observation due to their body transformations and his playing style, but we'll see in time I suppose.

[Dutchball97]

Giannis and Jokic have been similar level players this season and the last two but Giannis of course already has a ring and is in a much better position going forward. Luka shouldn't be counted out but he's a distant third as of now.

Since the likes of Dirk and Nash were on their way out in the 10s and Giannis and Jokic were just coming up, there aren't any international players in the convo for best player of the 2010s but it looks like they'll dominate the 2020s. Seeing as how we have Embiid as well, I really wonder who the best American player of the 2020s will be and how high he'll rank within the decade. Will we see someone like Ja or Tatum be like the 5th best player or is there still time for a new MJ/LeBron type of guy to break out and dominate the rest of the decade?

Probably someone will break out.

If they want to be the best player of the decade they better hurry up though. Zion seemed able to do this but he's eating his chances away. Mobley, Barnes and Cade look like future stars but I'm not sure I'm buying any of them as best player of the league soon. In the coming drafts you've got the French Wenbanyama and the Italian-American Banchero looking like the top picks and neither Holmgren or Bates really scream next LeBron either.

[kendogg]

Giannis is the favorite, but Luka has a chance to claim the top spot. All 3 are in the running for best offensive player of the last few seasons alongside Durant and Curry. Neither Luka nor Jokic will ever be a major difference major on the defensive end, which is why Giannis is the safer bet. Giannis is such a good finisher that it makes up for his lack of a jump shot. He's also developed into a great playmaker, so he's fully capable of leading a contender offensively, and he's proven he can do that AND contend for DPOY. He's already a potential threat to pass LeBron and MJ on the GOAT ranking. He'd be a bigger threat if he developed a jumper, but given his impact as a paint player on both ends, it's not a requirement. I don't see Giannis making tremendous improvements to his jumper like LeBron, since his shot is more broken and his length also makes it harder for him. But maybe he could eke out some minor improvements.

Right now, Jokic might be better offensively than Luka or Giannis, but that could easily change as I don't see how Jokic could possibly get any better offensively, but Luka could. I think Jokic is more in the mold of Bird who peaked early because their game sense and incredible overall basketball skills, but more that their adjustment to the NBA wasn't as harsh as many other top prospects because most top prospects are still developing physically and figuring out their limits. Bird and Jokic already knew them coming in. I expect Jokic to have a successful decade and career but I don't think he's peaking any higher. So the other 2 would have to not meet expectations for him to claim the top spot. Also holding Jokic back somewhat is that he's not a great rim protector, nor is he good on switches, which will limit his teams defensively as they have no strength to play to. Center is just the most important position defensively, and Jokic can't play any other positions.

If Luka commits to conditioning like LeBron, he could also be a potential threat to pass LeBron and Jordan. Luka is already insanely good offensively in his 2nd year, beyond what LeBron was at the same age. I don't think its a stretch to say that Luka clearly has the highest ceiling of the 3, at least offensively. Conditioning would solve his 2 biggest problems right now, which is defense and stamina. His 3-pt shooting could stand to improve, but part of that is stamina/conditioning, and part of that is the Mavs offense is middling at best, which means the defense can focus more on Luka. I don't think it's Luka's fault that the Mavs haven't had a top offense. They've just failed as a team to build around him thus far. Luka's jump shot mechanically is pretty solid, so there's no reason it shouldn't improve if he's in better shape and has more help offensively. And defensively, well he can at least be a neutral on that end, perhaps even a slight positive if his stamina allows him to be more active in help defense. And due to his position, he can be hidden on defense better than Jokic can. Luka can just take the easiest perimeter assignment, and his length allows him to contest even going under the screen.

[No-more-rings]

I go with Giannis, because I just think his potential is higher being such an athletic freak and being an elite defender. I know Jokic improved on d, but it remains to be seen if he keeps that up and he’ll never be truly elite anyway.

I wouldn’t slee on Jokic though, I don’t think it’s such a given that he ages better than Giannis though. If Giannis can bulk up later on and post up more he should be fine.

[SeniorWalker]

Giannis is the favorite, but Luka has a chance to claim the top spot. All 3 are in the running for best offensive player of the last few seasons alongside Durant and Curry. Neither Luka nor Jokic will ever be a major difference major on the defensive end, which is why Giannis is the safer bet. Giannis is such a good finisher that it makes up for his lack of a jump shot. He's also developed into a great playmaker, so he's fully capable of leading a contender offensively, and he's proven he can do that AND contend for DPOY. He's already a potential threat to pass LeBron and MJ on the GOAT ranking. He'd be a bigger threat if he developed a jumper, but given his impact as a paint player on both ends, it's not a requirement. I don't see Giannis making tremendous improvements to his jumper like LeBron, since his shot is more broken and his length also makes it harder for him. But maybe he could eke out some minor improvements.

Right now, Jokic might be better offensively than Luka or Giannis, but that could easily change as I don't see how Jokic could possibly get any better offensively, but Luka could. I think Jokic is more in the mold of Bird who peaked early because their game sense and incredible overall basketball skills, but more that their adjustment to the NBA wasn't as harsh as many other top prospects because most top prospects are still developing physically and figuring out their limits. Bird and Jokic already knew them coming in. I expect Jokic to have a successful decade and career but I don't think he's peaking any higher. So the other 2 would have to not meet expectations for him to claim the top spot. Also holding Jokic back somewhat is that he's not a great rim protector, nor is he good on switches, which will limit his teams defensively as they have no strength to play to. Center is just the most important position defensively, and Jokic can't play any other positions.

If Luka commits to conditioning like LeBron, he could also be a potential threat to pass LeBron and Jordan. Luka is already insanely good offensively in his 2nd year, beyond what LeBron was at the same age. I don't think its a stretch to say that Luka clearly has the highest ceiling of the 3, at least offensively. Conditioning would solve his 2 biggest problems right now, which is defense and stamina. His 3-pt shooting could stand to improve, but part of that is stamina/conditioning, and part of that is the Mavs offense is middling at best, which means the defense can focus more on Luka. I don't think it's Luka's fault that the Mavs haven't had a top offense. They've just failed as a team to build around him thus far. Luka's jump shot mechanically is pretty solid, so there's no reason it shouldn't improve if he's in better shape and has more help offensively. And defensively, well he can at least be a neutral on that end, perhaps even a slight positive if his stamina allows him to be more active in help defense. And due to his position, he can be hidden on defense better than Jokic can. Luka can just take the easiest perimeter assignment, and his length allows him to contest even going under the screen.

Luka absolutely does not have the highest ceiling of the 3, it's actually the lowest. Because he's the weakest athlete and has low potential to become an impactful defender. Giannis is already DPOY caliber and Jokic is at least larger than Luka. And I'd take either as an offensive anchor in the playoffs, at least right now.

Luka is much closer to a finished product than either guy, even at his early age, because his game is almost entirely skill based. Hes not likely to become more polished offensively outside of decision making and most of the problems with his teams so far are related to his sky high usage.

Its extremely cringey to say he has top 10 ATG potential too. Let's see him get a team out of the first round before we even put him in the current top 5 players discussion.....which he's not in, by the way

[Texas Chuck]

it's even more cringey to suggest a player at 22 is basically finished. It ignores that the vast majority of star players are at their best in their late 20's/early 30's. Even basketball savants like Lebron and Nash continued to get better and better offensively well into their 30s;

Luka is the wrong answer for this but not because his current skill means there is nowhere to go from here. There is a ton of really obvious stuff he can tighten up. Make 80% of his FT's. Make 35% of his 3's. Cut down on some of the ridiculous turnovers. Cut out those possessions where he aimlessly dribbles and then takes a bad stepback. He can do a ton of work on his body.

And that's all tangible stuff. But we know players understanding of the game continues to grow with time. Don't lecture people about being too excited about his potential and then turn around and suggest the guy is a finished product. They are getting ahead of themselves but you are ignoring how basketball development works.