The NBArank countdown returns for its 11th season. After unveiling the No. 100-51 and Nos. 50-26, Nos. We've reached the top five after a week of 25-6.
We have already discussed the cases for each star, but which player was chosen as the league's most outstanding?
Will LeBron James keep his throne. Giannis Antetokounmpo will be able to add the No. His list of accomplishments will now include the No. 1 spot. Can Luka Doncic, 22 years old, leapfrog all of them? These are the top players for the 2021-22 season.
We asked our experts to vote on pairs of player for the final NBArank prediction.
We asked: "Which player is better in 2021-22?" Voters were asked to predict what each player would do during the season.
Note: Due to knee injuries that will keep them both sidelined for the majority of the 2021-22 season (and possibly beyond), the LA Clippers' Kawhi Lenard and the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray were not included in this season's rankings.
MORE: LeBron's position and the greatest NBArank surprises
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Golden State Warriors | PG
2020 NBArank: No. 8
Curry's legacy will be secure no matter what, but the Warriors and Curry are confident they can climb back up the Western Conference ladder if Curry has another MVP-like season or Klay Thompson is healthy. Curry's potential is limitless, as usual.
One question remains: Can Curry again play at the MVP level? With 32.0 points per match, Curry was the league's MVP. Curry was the star of a Warriors team without Klay Thompson, who struggled to find consistent offense other than Curry's brilliance. He did everything. Curry believes that he can extend his prime a bit longer but he'll still be 34 in March. He has remained relatively healthy, with the exception of a fluke tailbone injury. Curry needs another big season if the Warriors are to climb back to the top of West. Thompson is expected to make his comeback.
Swing skill: Curry, who is highly regarded by former players and peers as one of the greatest shooters ever, is widely considered to be the best. Curry is a career 43.3% 3-point shooter, and shot 48.2% from behind the arc last season. He puts it up and it is expected that it will go in. His mere presence on court creates the gravity necessary for his teammates to shine.
Watch out for Curry, who enters the season with 141 3-pointers less than Ray Allen to claim the top spot on all-time. Curry shot 337 3s in the last season and will likely surpass Allen before the All Star break.
-- Nick Friedell
David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
Dallas Mavericks | PG
2020 NBArank: No. 4
Doncic is already a star in the NBA's elite at 22 years old. Doncic has been a first-team All NBA selection for the past two seasons, something only Kevin Durant was able to do at such a young age after the ABA/NBA merger. It seems only a matter of time before Doncic is named MVP. In the two previous MVP votes, he was fourth and sixth.
Doncic does not want one distinction: He has 436 career postseason points, which is the most of any player who has never won a series, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
One big question is: Can Doncic lead the Mavs to postseason success. Doncic has been a great player in the Mavs' first round exits. He's averaged 33.5 points, 8.8 rebound and 9.5 assists per match, including two against the Clippers. It's clear that Doncic suffered in the fourth quarters last season's series. He shot only 34.9% from floor and had almost as many turnovers (9) as assists (12) over the seven games. These struggles could be attributed to Doncic's high usage rate of 40.4%, which was the highest in the playoffs. This is why the Mavericks tried to add another player this offseason.
Swing skills: Doncic claimed the title of the NBA's most dominant driver last season. Second Spectrum tracking shows that Doncic ranked third in assists (155) and first in points off drives (804). These situations saw Doncic shoot 59.2% from floor, which was second to Giannis Antetokounmpo of the 48 players who had at least 600 drives. Although Doncic is not an exceptional jumper, he excels at finishing. His rare combination of strength, size and savvy has enabled him to master a pivot and one-legged fadeaway, which is useful for those times when he cannot get to the basket. Doncic should have more driving lanes thanks to the Mavericks' offseason additions to their shooters.
Watch out for one thing: Doncic could rank among the top 10 in triple-doubles all-time by his 23rd birthday, February 28. Through his third season, Doncic has had 36 triple-doubles. He also added three more in playoffs. This puts him seven short of Fat Lever for the number 10 most triple-doubles in NBA history. Doncic is just two shy of Oscar Robertson in terms of triple-doubles. Doncic has scored at most 30 points in 17 triple-doubles. ESPN Stats & Information research shows that only seven players have more than 30 point triple-doubles. They are Robertson, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James. Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson.
-- Tim MacMahon
Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Los Angeles Lakers | SF
2020 NBArank: No. 1
James suffered major injuries in two of his three seasons since arriving to Los Angeles. This has hampered both his and the Lakers’ chances. The other: James placed second in MVP voting, leading the Lakers to their championship. In 2021-22, will it be triumph or trials?
One big question: Will James be able to help a Lakers team of 10 new faces become a champion team? James already has four titles and has established his reputation as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. However, a ring at 37 would be a great addition to his quest for universal recognition in GOAT.
James's swing skill: James shot 36.5% from the deep last season, and averaged 2.3 3-pointers per game. This was his fourth best season from deep in his career. It will be interesting to see how James can use the kind of looks that Russell Westbrook creates for others, with Russell Westbrook as an additional playmaker.
James is just 1,562 points from passing Karl Malone as No. James is currently ranked 2 on the league's all time scoring list. If James averages 25 points per contest like he did last year, and plays in all games, he could pass Malone in L.A.'s 63rd scheduled game (which happens to be a primetime ABC game against Curry and the Warriors).
-- Dave McMenamin
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Milwaukee Bucks | PF
2020 NBArank: No. 3
How can you top last year's incredible performance in the NBA Finals? Repeat. Antetokounmpo should work to improve those areas that he is still able to. This is a scary answer for the rest. Antetokounmpo is only 26 years old. This means that we are still in his prime years. He will enter them with the confidence and experience of a two-time MVP, as well as a NBA champion.
One question: The history will forever remember Antetokounmpo’s 50-point victory in Game 6 of NBA Finals as his first championship. He was also the Finals MVP. The 50-piece Chik Fil A he ordered at Chik Fil A afterward will be forever remembered by social media. It was his 17-for-19 performance in Game 6 at the free throw line that truly stood out. Giannis was unstoppable during the Finals. In fact, fouling him and forcing his to make free throws (he only made 54% in the three Finals road games) seemed to be the best way to stop him. Giannis is a career free throw shooter at 71.7%, but his numbers dropped to 63.3% and 68.5% in 2019-20.
Swing skill: Antetokounmpo is the first player to score 20 points per game and shoot 65% from the basket in one postseason. He shot 75% in the paint during the Finals. He is almost impossible to stop once inside. There is still room for improvement if he works to improve his back-to the-basket post moves, as LeBron James did at similar points in his career.
Watch out for Antetokounmpo, who passed Glenn Robinson last year to be second on the Bucks all time scoring list. Kareem AbdulJabbar (14,521 points as a Buck) could be in your sights this year. Antetokounmpo (12 319 points) will need 1,892 to be Milwaukee's all time leading scorer. He has averaged 1,895 point over the last four seasons (the two previous were cut to 72 games), so he could easily surpass Kareem sometime this April.
-- Ramona Shelburne
Brian Babineau/NBA/Getty Images
Brooklyn Nets | SF
2020 NBArank: No. 6
NBA moments are easy to exaggerate, but there is a solid case for Durant winning the title in 2021. The game-winning turnaround jumper against the Bucks in Game 7 -- the thunderous left foot pivot and lightning-quick release over P.J. Tucker is a legend -- almost on the NBA's greatest shots list. It was instead the longest 2-pointer and the highlight of an amazing playoff series, which confirmed Durant's complete recovery after a torn Achilles. He also dominated the Olympics, carrying the Americans to the gold. Yeah, um, look out, 2021-22.
One big question: Durant's game seems almost untouchable. The real question is, will everyone remain on the floor? Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden all sustained moderate injuries last season. This was combined with Irving's absence, the Spencer Dinwiddie Injury, and the transition following the Harden trade that made last season miserable for Brooklyn. It's easy to see why they are preseason favorites if they can eliminate even half of these events.
Swing skill. It is probably foolish to claim that anyone is the "greatest at anything" in these times. Let's not do that. Let's just say Durant is one the greatest basketball players ever to have taken up the sport. His height, release, and accuracy make him one the most unfeigned players in history. It is remarkable that Durant doesn’t shoot every shot. In fact, it would be almost impossible to argue with the idea of Durant shooting every shot, no matter what the circumstance.
One thing to keep an eye on: Durant was protected as best as the Nets could last season. He averaged just 3.5 minutes per game and skipped some back-tobacks. Durant will be protected more this season, as the team is stronger after signing many veterans. Durant may not be able to play this season because of the inactive list. The year unfolds and we will be discussing how this may impact the MVP race.
-- Brian Windhorst
