Leonard is much more accomplished and flat-out better than many of the players ranked higher than him on this list. On top of that, he's also knocking down a respectable 33 percent from 3-point range this season, his highest mark since 2015-16. Mitchell comes in at exactly 20th on this list for the third year in a row. He sees plays unfold seconds before they actually happen, he throws bullet passes through the tightest of windows and sets perfect screens to free up his sharpshooter teammates. Both skills will come in handy down the stretch and into the playoffs now that Phoenix has acquired Kevin Durant to aid in the franchise's quest for its first title. The wrist injury he sustained last week, three days before Team Giannis bested Team LeBron over All-Star weekend is a microcosm of what this campaign has been like for Antetokounmpo. An extended absence due to injury is the only reason KD isn't higher on this list. 1. He'll also likely land on an All-NBA team for the first time at the end of the season. -- James Herbert, Pretend for a moment that Nikola Jokic didn't exist. -- Jack Maloney, Some of us thought there would be an adjustment period for Mitchell, given that he was playing on a new team with another star guard and imperfect spacing. Saddiq Bey, Joe Ingles, Klay Thompson, Aleksej Pokusevski, Kyle Kuzma, Royce O'Neale, Joe Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Kawhi Leonard, Dillon Brooks There are some high-upside guys in this tier, but. -- James Herbert, His contributions may not be as obvious as Steph Curry's, but one could argue that Green has been just as vital to the Warriors this season. Xavier S. Copyright 2022 DefPen.com. The Suns ability to keep their title window open depends entirely on how they manage Pauls workload in the regular season. Drag the images into the order you would like. 2. He leads by example and is a terrific locker-room presence. Still, Brown had a fine season overall and has established himself as a borderline-All-Star-level player. Hes a more willing passer, and his shot selection has improved, but he is nowhere near the floor general that Chris Paul is. Every all-in-one advanced stat tells the same story, and Jokic's on/off numbers are insane. 1 player that hes ahead of a player of Jokics stature. In his last 18 games, Bridges has averaged 22.7 points on 60.1 percent true shooting, plus 4.4 assists, including a45-point explosion right before the break. His 30.6 points per game are a career-high and good for sixth in the league, and finishing with that number would also give him the highest single-season scoring average in Celtics franchise history. Even in a more restrictive system last year, Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game. NBA The Athletic's 2022 tier list for players 25 and under The Athletic recently released their mid season players tier list and I decided to filter it to only players 25 and under. Kawhi (who was sixth. Randle's also been a more aggressive rebounder, averaging a career-high 10.8 a night. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The team is also a bit weakened after the McCollum trade, and we still dont know how Jerami Grant will function in the rotation, but Lillards presence is the only way this team can compete. He posted a career-high 14.7 rebounds last season and had his best shooting season of his NBA lifetime, making 71.3% of his shot attempts. Lillard's 130.2 points per 100 shot attempts is also a career high by an appreciable margin, trailing only Stephen Curry's 136.6 among all point guards. -- Jasmyn Wimbish, If there was a shred of fear about what Donovan Mitchell's presence might have meant for Garland, it is now gone. Sometimes, that means attacking the basket with force. At this point, anything he accomplishes is just icing on top of his Hall-of-Fame-career cake. Modify tier labels, colors or position through the action bar on the right. Share your Tier List. For each player, youll see the overall ranking, where we had them ranked on our 2020-21 Top 50 NBA players list, the highest and lowest ranks any of our voters ranked them on their individual lists, and a brief writeup about that player. Still, you can't help but wonder what the next dose of drama will bring. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo had Miami as one of the top teams of the East despite missing 25 games each. I'm guessing you didn't go back far enough, because the answer is Wilt Chamberlain. He's also had to take on an outsized offensive role in the absence of Khris Middleton for much of the season, and is putting up 19.4 points and seven assists per game -- his best marks since arriving in Milwaukee. The main change in his game has been his shooting range, which has been expanding since his rookie season. Rather, these are the 50 players, in order, that we believe are having the best 2022-23 season so far. Now that we're coming out of the All-Star break, we don't have to project anymore. Press the labels to change the label text. He's remained a steady offensive force for Chicago, especially when Zach LaVine is having an off night. Anthony . The new-look Los Angeles Lakers will still run through James, and hopefully, his supporting cast will prove better this season. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. -- James Herbert, For all of the questions about how he'd fit with Trae Young, Murray's averaging almost exactly the same amount of points and shots as he did last season. He led all rookies in points per game and was second to Oklahoma Citys Josh Giddey in assists. If the second-year Raptor can take that next step in his game, Barnes will not only make the Raptors look smart for not trading for Kevin Durant but will end up a lot higher on next seasons list. Ball is still in the bottom tier of point guards when it comes to finishing at the rim, connecting at just a 54% rate. 7 spot may be a little low for Embiid, and the postseason might have something to do with that. NBA PLAYERS TIER LIST (TOP 50 RIGHT NOW) Check out my 2nd channel: . In 2021, he carried the Nets and was a toe on the line from defeating the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks. When healthy, CP3 is still one of the best players in the game. -- Michael Kaskey-Blomain, Fox's improvement has been essential to Sacramento's success this season, as he's increased his scoring average while seeing his efficiency go through the roof. Wiggins enjoyed a revival season with the Warriors, especially during the NBA Finals against the Celtics. Irving leads the league with an average of 9.8 points scored in the fourth quarter, and the early spikes in his shooting splits -- from 49/37/83 with Brooklyn to 53/43/100 with Dallas -- since forcing a trade to the Mavericks are impressive. Midldetons shooting did take a dip last season; he went 37.3% from 3-point range, his first sub-41% season since 2018-19. If you double him, hell pick you apart with his passes. His shot has been a work in progress, as Barnes was never viewed as a threat in that area. He's shooting 59.6 percent on 2-pointers, a higher percentage than he did in any of the first seven seasons in Cleveland. He also wont be the main focus for defenders with Trae Young playing next to him. His assist rate has poked above 20 percent, up from 13.5 last season. His explosiveness and highlight-level plays on the regular make him a game-wrecker on the offensive end, which helped him earn his first All-NBA honor last year. His shooting percentages and efficiency should go up this season, and the Pelicans can be expected to take one of the playoff spots in the West. There is no denying, though, that when he is available he is one of the 10 best players in the NBA, especially when the postseason lights shine. of the sport has hardly slowed down. Brown had a worse individual season last season than the season before but still took a jump in our rankings, probably due to the fact that we now know a team with him as the No. This has worked beautifully, and he has also made a whopping 46.5 percent of his wide-open 3s. He was named to his first All-Star team as a result, and he's a legitimate candidate for the Most Improved Player of the Year Award. Perhaps his greatest offensive asset is his ability to adapt to multiple roles, running pick-and-roll as the point guard on one possession and navigating off-ball screens for jumpers on the next. His veteran leadership is invaluable on a team full of young and talented players. He's the anchor of a defense that, by design, has made his job more difficult this time around. -- Brad Botkin, After getting snubbed last season from the All-Star Game, and again once the initial rosters were announced, Edwards finally earned that honor as an injury replacement. Home (current) Templates; Tierlists; Categories; Login; Register; CREATE TEMPLATE; Sports / Top 50 NBA Players Top 50 NBA Players. The announcement was made at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which occupies the site of the former Commodore Hotel, where the original NBA charter was signed on June 6, 1946. The shorthanded Suns needed him to create offense, and the new-look Nets need more of the same. The No. Yet, hes been able to overcome his shortcomings as a shooter and become a truly prolific scorer. Unfortunately, he wasnt able to maintain his near-40% 3-point shooting from his All-Star season. Top 50 NBA Players tier list generated from the Top 50 NBA Players tier list template . But Spida had other ideas. He's putting up the best numbers of his career, and the only reason that he hasn't received more attention coast to coast is because the Thunder aren't a contending team, so they aren't on national television or discussed in the media as much as some other teams and stars are. Weve seen stretches of dominant play, but he has yet to put together the type of season that would cement him as a true superstar. While his scoring average has remained steady, he's grabbing more rebounds and dropping more dimes on a nightly basis, and he again has the Grizzlies near the top of the Western Conference standings as a result. To cap it all off, hes also one of the more likable players in the history of the league. Share your Tier List. 6:00 am ET, 45-point explosion right before the break, Warriors have climbed standings without Steph Curry, Knicks vs. Nets odds, picks, prediction, bets, Celtics vs. Cavaliers odds, picks, prediction, bets, Bulls vs. Pistons odds, picks, prediction, bets, OKC is better on offense than you think | Best bets, NBA DFS picks, lineups, advice, March 1 strategy, Giannis, Jokic vie for No. The Golden State Warriors contention window is closing and the team will be looking to capitalize on however long they have left. But rumors of LeBron's demise have been greatly exaggerated. As always, we invite your feedback at @CBSSportsNBA. Here it is Tier 1: Luka Doncic Tier 2A: Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum Tier 2B: Bam Adebayo, Ja Morant, Trae Young Tier 3A: Donovan Mitchell While his catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage is improving, he still needs to improve his off-the-dribble 3-point shot, which was 32% last year. Ties were broken by guest voter Kas Facts. He played just 31 games in the regular season, but he did average 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in those outings. Dallass roster construction puts a tremendous burden on Doncics shoulders, and he has shown signs of wearing down late in games. MP. The question is whether he has taken a step back defensively and whether he can carry a less-talented team. LaVine's the type of player who can be plugged into any situation, capable of doing damage off the bounce, or cutting to the rim for a tough finish at the rim. Murray had two 50-point performances in a series against the Utah Jazz and set a Nuggets franchise record for most 40-point games in a post-season run. Also, while Morants shooting numbers have improved, he is not enough of a consistent threat from outside of the paint yet to make the defenses respect him enough to not go under every screen set. It remains a shame that the Blazers just cannot get any winning traction. Last season, the greatest shooter of all time averaged 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. -- Michael Kaskey-Blomain, Butler levels up in the playoffs, but he's been very good, in his typically subtle ways, in the regular season as well. 1 overall pick has been limited to just 29 games, but those performances been special. With the Cavaliers adding Donovan Mitchell to the fold, however, Garland might take a back seat as a playmaker. Aging as gracefully as a 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Durant is averaging close to 30 points per game again this season while shooting a career-high 56 percent from the field. He's now proven, beyond any reasonable doubt, that he's something more: a legitimate secondary shot-creator next to Ja Morant who is also capable of keeping the offense afloat when his more famous teammate sits. Green is still incredibly valuable and is a top-50 player in the NBA. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. We know what Kawhi Leonard is or was, the last time we saw him, anyway. Swing skill: Curry is widely regarded by many peers and former players as the greatest shooter of all time. The deficiencies in his game are well-noted at this point. Brunson isn't better than Doncic, but he's far closer than even the most devoted of Knicks fans could have hoped for. -- Brad Botkin, James Harden may not have been named an All-Star this season, but he certainly had a strong case. -- Jack Maloney, The brilliance of Williamson has always been dulled due to his availability, or rather lack of. Hes an octopus capable of stripping ball handlers at will and making life difficult for your best offensive player. Still, Jokic is unbelievable, and we cant rule out the possibility. He is a force on offense and isnt a massive liability on the defensive end. This is a fair ranking for someone who missed this much time, but Murray can easily make it way too low by the seasons end. 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