@@BT.jpeg_ the fact Kawhi’s prime year he was in conversations with Bron Steph and KD while also being recognized as a player who can’t stay healthy speaks volumes to just how great Kawhi truly is
@@petersonofleo11 On god. Wade had knee surgery before he joined the NBA. Wade would've sustained his prime for probably the entire Heatles period if he didn't need surgery
Kawhi at 6 feels way too high, he's not that good of a scorer or creator and he's not even the same guy on defense anymore. I would say someone like Tatum is better at almost everything.
saying hes not that good of a scorer is laughable you just having been watching clippers game and hes still a good defender, not dpoy, but still very serviceable
@@brab1242 While he does have good efficiency with 62.6% ts, his volume is lacking compared to the other top scorers (25th in ppg) so no he's not that good of a scorer. In fact I would say everyone 7-11 is a level above Kawhi.
@@a3per818In his top 25 preview he explicitly stated how a team situation can effect a player’s counting stats and how the boxscore shouldn’t be the only thing used to determine a players ability
Your concerns about steph and Lebron not being able to make deep playoff runs because of age when Kawhi can barely get through 3 games in the playoffs.
@@HyperVentilation-d6f "evidence and analysis" oh my god stop glazing another man's opinions. i love kawhi but his knees are swiss cheese & at no point during 23-24 was he better than lebron or KD
At this point my top 6-10 would look more something like: 6. Curry- I believe his "decline" offensively has more to do with the team around him than anything else and teams can focus more on him because who else on that team did they have to worry about on a night-to-night basis? A streaky Klay Thompson? Draymond? Andrew Wiggins post championship? Looney? The fact his three best offensive options from a shot creation and off-ball perspective were a streaky Klay, Kuminga who attempts 2 threes a game, and a rookie BPod. Plus I was never as high on him defensively as you were: I thought he was a serviceable defender then and I think he is one now. 7. Tatum- Great Offensive Player, good defensive prensence makes for a great two way player, very versatile, although can be streaky at time and has questionable shot selection I feel his positives and he what he could bring to any team he plays on outweighs his negatives; plus hes a good rebounder and playmaker for his size/position. Deadass I think he is the type of player all teams are searching for nowadays. 8. Lebron- All-around great offensive player even now. Great Finisher, All-time playmaking, to go alongside an improved jumper makes him an arguable top 5 offensive player even now. Then there's his defensive side, and although on-ball he can look lacking at times I feel when he lock in and genuinely tries he is still a good defender. Not to mention I'd argue he's a great off ball defender. Though his inconsistent motor is what keeps him below Tatum and Curry, I believe what he brings offensively specifically his playmaking is what keeps him above KD and Kawhi. 9. Kawhi- Defensively has regressed defensively, still a good all-around defensive player but not what he used to be, but his great 3-level scoring is still extremely valuable and his improved playmaking although not better than anyone above him does round him out well. 10. KD- To be blunt on why he is number 10: he is easily the worst playmaker in this group and I'd argue the worst defender besides Curry of course. I'd say he Lebron are in the same spot of being a good* defender but where Lebron's comes from his off-ball/team defense KD's mostly comes from his length and not his more consistent inconsistent off-ball defense. Though he still has some value on ball due to his previously mentioned length. But the thing that keeps him in the top 10 is his offense: Elite 3-level scorer, solid playmaker, and good off-ball threat. Though his paint presence has regressed imo he in the context of these 5 players STILL a top 3 offensive force says a lot about his offensive bag.
I never realized how role-agnostic JT is, that’s a really interesting and valid point that I hadn’t really considered. Cool! But dang! I’m surprised Sabonis isn’t in the top 25 nor HM!
@@HoopVenue Don't know if you'll see this reply, but your analysis is great. Also, your videos are just straight up fun to watch, always a bright spot of my day. thanks for uploading :)
I know a lot of people disagree with your placement of Kawhi, but I fully agree with it. He is extremely efficient iso scorer who can also play off ball, he is solid playmaker, and he had his best defensive season in year. If disregard health, I would have him 5th over SGA.
Health is a big factor especially when building a team. Especially when it’s used as a detractor for other players like steph and Lebron like hoop venue used.
@@joshahlstrom2764 the argument is that he just won the championship being the best player on the best team? Don’t come up with nonsense like why didn’t he win FMVP when the voters clearly have an agenda towards Tatum for whatever reason
@@isakibrahim8316 that sounds great and all, but arguments like this lack detail and don’t provide context. There’s stats you could dive into and outside factors you could talk about. Unlike some, I don’t believe all championships are created equal, especially these days when the internet remembers everything. Frankly, I was unimpressed with Tatum. He had high volume so his stats look good, but he was incredibly inefficient and I think the Celtics got lucky as a team. That’s just my opinion.
@@quackmemes5410if factoring the playoff performance, Giannis would be 3rd, Shai at 4th, Embiid is a serial choker, he hasn’t even touched the Conference Finals yet
Definitely. Kd is still great for a team offensively with his scoring and gravity’s but tatums overall game is better. Rebounding, defense, durability.
One issue that I hate about these rankings is that it seems as if players that go far in the the playoffs get dinged a lot because the competition is better and they are not as productive as the regular season. Example, Tatum during the regular season did play like a top 5 players, but now because of his offensive performance in the playoffs, a lot of people are crucifying him, while Kawhi who didn't even play in the playoffs is benefiting from not even playing.
These rankings happen to factor in the play of a player when fully healthy and how much value they bring to the team so idk if he's factoring in recent play so idk if he's factoring in recent play or not. I'd have to look at his preview video again
Steph 10 and Kawhi 6 is the wildest ranking I’ve seen. Both are regressing but Kawhi somehow jumps up in rankings while Steph drops from top 3 to barely 10??? Not a chance
@@christopherhamill525 People forget with a healthy Kawhi, the Clippers were well within the chase for the #1 seed. Injuries derailed the final stretch of Kawhi’s season, but let’s not act like he didn’t play well.
Here's your next video series: creating the perfect NBA player. Start out with PG and combine aspects of the best PGs to ever play to create a single player: currys shooting, magics passing, D-rose's explosiveness etc. This would be similar to Brett Coleman's creating the perfect WR and RB videos on the NFL's official channel. You can do all 5 positions and then a final one making one player with aspects of everybody who has ever played, regardless of position: Wembys frame, Currys 3pt shooting, Jokics touch etc.
Havent watched the video yet, but I always find it funny how people use the line "Kawhi isnt the defender he used to be," as an indictment on his defense Like... yea he's not a dpoy level defender anymore, but he is still an all-nba level point of attack defender
Absolutely love the series. That being said, Kawhi is way too high. It's 2024. His entire Clippers tenure has been borderline disastrous. He's somehow still getting stamped as an elite playoff riser when in reality we haven't seen that from him since his time in Toronto in 2018-2019. That was 5 years ago. There's guys in your 11-15 range that I would put ahead of Kawhi, not to mention all the guys in this tier as well. There's no questions about the talent that is prime Kawhi, but his grace period of holding the same reputation without current evidence is over. If he's still that guy, he needs to show it next season. And at some point we have to take his injuries into account as just a part of his overall player profile.
Best players (not based solely on the past regular season but overall what they can do for a playoff team): 1a. Luka 1b. Jokic 1c. Giannis 4. Ant 5. SGA 6. Curry 7. Jimmy Butler (playoff Jimmy has taken most of the guys below head to head) 8. Tatum 9. Embiid 10. Durant
24 PPG 50/40/90 All NBA defensive 2nd team . Always an elite playoff performer.. Oh but because he's injured often we should say he's worse than players he's better than? Right.. Tatum just averaged 21 on 39% with a stacked team.. Kawhi isnt doing that plain and simple
@@DantrellWalker-oi8vbsteph Lebron and Tatum are just better. Kawhi scoring volume wise has regressed, his rim pressure really isn’t anything insane, his defense is good but not anything special. I just don’t see an argument to have him that high especially when he can’t even carry a heavy load in the playoffs anymore
@@dododump3144 Kawhi had a 32 game mid season stretch last year averaging 25/7/4 on 55/47/92 (No typos btw) .. I myself believe he was the best player in the world during that stretch. Now if we got people saying top 6 is high for him then hes just become underrated.. Also those players are not better than Kawhi
@@dododump3144 Kind of hard to carry a heavy load when you TEAR your acl and meniscus and end up with random inflammation during the most efficient season of your career
Very much appreciated! Unfortunate that many people will resort to saying I don't know what I'm talking about or am a "casual" because my rankings don't line up with their viewpoints, but these comments remind me that while I can't please everyone, I can please some!
@@joshahlstrom2764 im not a tatum fan. Actaully i have and always had a lot of problem with him and his playstyle. But the hate has gone too far. And dont worry im very happy, ill take my championships no matter how. U can keep being salty ;)
embiid aint a proven playoff performer. Luka is. Luka over embiid imo he has already made the finals and made the conference finals 2 TIMES one which he won which was this year ofc. Embiid has never done that and the farthest he has made it is the conference semifinals....He's been in the league for 2 more years then Luka and Luka all NBA first team record is insane and despite the finals he had a historic playoffs.
@@skullxishim I mean Embiid’s teams haven’t gotten very far in the postseason but Embiid has definitely performed in the playoffs. Also we’ve yet to see a healthy postseason run from Embiid which is saddening but I have faith we’ll see it sometime soon. Luka is obviously a better offensive player but if Embiid is like a Top 5-8 (due to the playmaking improvements and historical scoring numbers) or so I think he has to get the nod over Luka due to his massive defensive value.
As a Kings fan, I’ve been waiting for him to pop up since the start of this series, although I doubt he’ll appear. #1 in rebounds per game isn’t flashy enough to get on it, though he definitely should be.
because he’s a defensive liability and hardly self creates, what type of player who isn’t elite defensively or doesn’t create for themselves at a high level isn’t on this list
If you're really going to build your team around one of those 35+ year old superstars, you will most surely end in the first playoff round, just like all these teams that already do so: suns, lakers, Golden state, clippers
If Curry plays for the Lakers in place of Lebron, they will be a lock for the playoffs. But if Lebron plays for GS in place of Curry, they will be a total disaster! So LeBron being better than Curry is complete nonsense. He's not even better than AD!
5 guys left that only makes sense to be put into the top 5: Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Embiid and SGA. But going into your 6th pick I was certain it would be Ja Morant. Seeing Kawhi "Street Clothes" Leonard is a huge surprise!
@@ZachNguyen-vp7nz He actually played 9 games. Within those 9 games averaged 25ppg 5rpg and 8apg while coming back from suspension. He's hurt for the time being but even so he's still a top 10 player
@@Young_Dab OK whatever u get the point…he was disqualified from the list for not playing enough games but if he was I’d have to imagine he would have been vying for spots with Book, Mitchell, Brunson, and Ant
If were just talking about individual winning impact over the course of a season. 1. Jokic 2. Giannis 3. Embiid 4. Luka 5. SGA 6. Curry 7. LeBron 8. KD 9. AD 10. Wemby
he's become an advanced playmaker and I think he'll avg 8 assists easy, hes a 27+ ppg 3-level scorer (though his shot choice when it comes to the 3 ball is iffy), and hes a top 5 wing defender (disagree w hoop venue) he has 1-5 switchability and although he lost some speed and agility w weight gain he makes up for it w his defensive IQ and skill
hot take but i think at this point in his career kawhi would function better as a second option. It’s clear his injury history has affected his ability to get open looks, his defense has regressed and it would probably benefit him health wise because he wouldn’t have to carry such a heavy offensive load.
He still gets open looks at an effective rate. He was one of the most efficient isolation scorers in the league last year and still played defense at an all-defensive level. I think I remember seeing a stat where the Clippers were a top 7 defende w/ Kawhi vs a middle of the pack defense w/o him. I'd have to find the video
i’ve had some issues with this list but i love your analysis and explanation for all players, but im sorry there’s nothing you can say to justify kawhi still being in this tier. took a step back both defensively and offensively and hasn’t had a healthy season + playoffs in years. i still have him fringe top 15 just because of how much better the clippers were when he played, but KD, tatum, bron, steph, ad, ant, and d book are all definitely better than current kawhi
i do however respect you’ve always been strong on it, saw you commented you had him 4th last year which i also would’ve thought was crazy, but you’re consistent
Definitely seems like AD is just better than Bron atp despite the media hate. And I would say Kawhi isn’t better than Bron so I’d go 6. Tatum 7. AD 8. Curry 9. KD 10. Bron 11. Kawhi
Curry realistically could play until 40 like Lebron since he doesn’t rely on athleticism. If he could get a tall PG like Lamelo or Haliburton on the team so he can be a combo guard he would excel.
how can you say that these lists are valued with people at full health but then say curry and bron are lower because they can’t sustain long playoff runs? and then put kawhi at 6?
Lebron is definitely better than Tatum, KD and Kawhi, he’s a better finisher, transition scorer and even 3pts shooter this season, he is a waaay better playmaker, he’s just as good as Kawhi or Tatum on defense when he really want it in the playoffs, he’s a better off ball player than all of them, he’s literally the most versatile player in the league even at his age lol, i just don’t see how KD, Kawhi and especially Tatum could be better than him when he is better than them at almost everythings ! Lebron is a good 6 on my list, im a Lebron fan but im not biased, you can tell me Joker, Giannis, Luka, Embiid are better than him, but even SGA is really close imo, Lebron experience and leadership is also very valuable imo, and seriously, don’t you think if Lebron played with Jrue, White, Brown and Porzingis or Horford he wouldn’t be a champion right now ? He does everything better than Tatum except perimeter defense, but on a stacked Celtics team were he wouldn’t have to average 28ppg and 8apg just to survive im sure he could have done the same job Tatum did, unlocking the defense at the 4 with the ability to guard their 5, Lively or Gafford and then switch on Luka, Lebron might not be as quick and agile as Tatum, but he’s way stronger and smarter, and we all know Doncic is a skilled bully who use his strenght a lot that’s why he struggled the most against Lu Dort … For me there’s no way Tatum is better than Lebron im sorry, he was barely as good as J.Brown in the Playoffs cmon
Surprised PG wasn’t in the first video and I’m more surprised to see you value Kawhi more than LBJ Steph and KD I think they are personally better than him as of right now just cuz they are both available more when needed
Having LeBron as a top 10 player is hilarious. Do you even watch the Lakers games? His defense is disastrous. His plus minus is +220, which is almost half of that of Isaiah Harenstein. I think there are 200 players with a better plus minus. This shows you how little of impact he has. He hasn't been able to get his team to the 6th seed for 4 seasons now despite having a very good squad. His improved 3-point shooting means nothing because he never shoots well when it really matters: in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, he becomes one of the worst 3-point shooters i the playoffs. Players like Brunson, Booker, DM (who you ranked lower) have the ability to win games for their teams, but LeBron can no longer do that. I've seen all of their regular season games since he joined them. Believe me, in the last two seasons he's bordering on being a liability.
Evaluating these players only at full health is like a fairy tale. Zion and kawhi simply aren’t going to be healthy. And being able to stay healthy is a skill.
@@givensthegoat3267 “ the question I’m answering is: if I’m trying to contend for a championship who’s going to offer the most value at that level?” In the playoffs, What is Zion and kawhi going to offer you from the bench?
I can't believe you snuck in Lebron in the top 15 over BAM, over WEMBY, over BRUNSON, over FOX, over BUTLER, over CURRY, over MITCHEL, over EDWARDS, and even over the legendary Carry DAVIS has done for the lakers. leBUM has been a bum for a long time. He is a old man in a young steeds world. Get him off 😢the list, you're making me cry
Such bait. But for fun, Bam has no offensive threat comparable to Bron, Wemby in 2 years sure but he’s too inefficient for now, Brunson I can see, Fox is laughable, Bulter is playing at Jermaine Grant level at the moment, Curry I agree with, Mitchell has performed well but never gotten anywhere in the playoffs and has 0 defence, Ant is overrated as all fuck, Davis is just not capable of carrying a team, Pelicans and Lakers showed that.
All of their skill sets vastly outweigh their down sides except for Mitchell, butler and Brunson but Lebron is going to get exposed in the Olympics where there will be no 3 sec rule
Ant Behind Kawhi, KD, Lebron, Steph, and AD is embarrassing. It's living in the past. Those guys COMBINED for ONE playoff win. I don't care about their #'s, they don't affect winning anymore.
Last portion of the video was hot Scoring Guards in your neighborhood, this one is auper old and broken dudes that i hope are still alright. Cause I like them for a long time so they are obviously better than young player's right? Right? 😅
Okay why is kawhi Leondard at number 6 and Jaylen Brown at number 22, they have almost the same numbers. Yet, Brown had a bigger impact in winning, played better defense, and was on the floor more than Kawhi?
@@DantrellWalker-oi8vb”a project” bro Brown won a championship and has made multiple all stars. How is an all star/finals mvp a “project”? Your comment might be the most delusional comment in here….
@@daddymike57 because obviously he still has more room to improve especially offensively.. yeah he won FMVP but it was amongst the worst all time 21 PPG on 44/24/73 as a second option on a stacked team wont really cut. He is nowhere near Kawhi
So LeBron was a strong positive on offense and defense and only 9? Saying you don’t think he could sustain a run when he did to the WCF last year seems inconsistent to me.
His level of play to reach the WCF wasn’t anywhere near as productive as he was in the 1st round this year. Efficiency and scoring volume were both down, Lakers pretty heavily relied on the #1 defense to get there.
@@HoopVenuestill tho Kawhi hasn't done near enough this season to be put at 6 especially with injuries you cannot say LeBron can't handle playing a full post season at that level but have Kawhi up there who literally is constantly injured and can't play a full post season way worse than LeBron. LeBron also puts up better numbers and advanced statistics with better offensive production. Kawhi might win on defense but even then Kawhi isn't the defender he used to be
@@firstnamelastname-li1cc he still takes into account your injury history and how your body will hold up. Even then Kawhi clearly has been slowing down and can't maintain high play for a full post season this is proven. You can't just ignore that. If you won't bring it up for Kawhi than LeBron would be higher because that was the main argument against him
@@JOHNNYPMUSIC You’re only accounting for one side of the ball. Kawhi’s also a better shooter and shot-creator. I’d maybe give LeBron the slight offensive edge due to his playmaking, but then Kawhi has a pretty healthy edge on defense which would probably be enough to overtake LeBron in value.
What makes kawhi still a top 6 player ? I really don’t get it u say ur using everyone at full health but what does a healthy kawhi even look like?? We haven’t seen it with the clippers why is he the one star who continues to receive the benefit of the doubt? His defense isn’t even what it used to be either
Kawhi at 6 is the only thing I’ve disagreed with so far. I like kawhi and his game. But dude does not belong in the 6-9 range. He should’ve been in the last video
@@xoirvinn I feel like the injury at the end of the year just subconsciously soured everyone about his play. Before the injury the NBA community was talking about him at this range, possibly higher, as the Clippers were contending for the #1 seed.
You keep on talking about sustainability, health, and durability. Yet put Kawhi at 6 when he hasn't even played in the playoffs for a long period of time. Lebron, Curry, and KD are still definitely above him, especially considering they have lesser offensive help than Kawhi. Those guys are the offensive systems of their teams, Kawhi is more of a piece of the cog in LAC.
genuinely don’t see the argument for kd bron and kawhi over steph and AD how are u gonna be so high port be low on those two. steph had declining rim pressure but so has kd bron and kawhi. AD had horrible defensive help and the defense is way more of a 5 man effort and yet the lakers defense was almost just as good in the regular szn and if not better in the playoffs. with steph it’s ridiculous because we can ignore how lebron had to switch to a hybrid short roll man role because his self created drives have decreased but he gets punished for cp3 slowing the pace whereas bron gets rewarded for abusing the pace when AD was hurt? i thought we evaluated based of individual skills and in that case steph is still the best off ball player itl (maybe it’s jokic i’m not sure but it’s still up for debate) and only the second best overall pnr creator behind luka (trae is a better pnr playmaker but not shot creator). how is that combo not at least close to strong mvp, at least better than the rest. i’ve been high on sga too and i think steph is clearly still better but that’s at least a debate but under tatum bron kd AND kawhi is ridiculous
also want to add steph was getting to the rim much more frequently to start the season but his load has been the highest since 2021 and it wasn’t until that leg injury that his burst slowed down and he never fully rested
Kawhi got two Finals MVPs yet still got to be a big ‘what if?’ in NBA history.
he had the potential to be in goat conversation
@@BT.jpeg_ the fact Kawhi’s prime year he was in conversations with Bron Steph and KD while also being recognized as a player who can’t stay healthy speaks volumes to just how great Kawhi truly is
@@pb7evenKawhi is like peak Wade. I remember how Wade was up there with Lebron and Kobe from 2009-2011 but his knees really stopped him.
@@petersonofleo11 On god. Wade had knee surgery before he joined the NBA. Wade would've sustained his prime for probably the entire Heatles period if he didn't need surgery
Kawhi at 6 feels way too high, he's not that good of a scorer or creator and he's not even the same guy on defense anymore. I would say someone like Tatum is better at almost everything.
saying hes not that good of a scorer is laughable you just having been watching clippers game and hes still a good defender, not dpoy, but still very serviceable
@@brab1242 While he does have good efficiency with 62.6% ts, his volume is lacking compared to the other top scorers (25th in ppg) so no he's not that good of a scorer. In fact I would say everyone 7-11 is a level above Kawhi.
“A top 2 three level scorer top 3 isolationist with uber resilient shotmaking is not that good of a scorer anymore”
Do you hear how you sound?
@@frz_- Top 2?!?! Please be real
@@a3per818In his top 25 preview he explicitly stated how a team situation can effect a player’s counting stats and how the boxscore shouldn’t be the only thing used to determine a players ability
Your concerns about steph and Lebron not being able to make deep playoff runs because of age when Kawhi can barely get through 3 games in the playoffs.
While steph cant even make the playoffs lmao
He still has more evidence and analysis to things that you ever will.
@@DantrellWalker-oi8vb While Kawhi needs 2 multiple MVP winners + PG for it to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. ;-)
@@kevindevlieger300 harden and russ are nowhere near that level now lol
@@HyperVentilation-d6f "evidence and analysis" oh my god stop glazing another man's opinions. i love kawhi but his knees are swiss cheese & at no point during 23-24 was he better than lebron or KD
Yep, the list is interchangeable
Can wait to see Derrick White next video
Derrick White no3. Just behind Bronny and thanasis
I love me some Derrick White, but he is not on the list, sadly.
@@quantumfizzics9265 stop sleeping on Ben Simmons bro
@@Dj252king sorry I'm just assuming he's gonna be shipped to China soon for retirement
@@quantumfizzics9265 maybe he will snap out of the Ben Simmons cycle and hit 250 3s this season
At this point my top 6-10 would look more something like:
6. Curry- I believe his "decline" offensively has more to do with the team around him than anything else and teams can focus more on him because who else on that team did they have to worry about on a night-to-night basis? A streaky Klay Thompson? Draymond? Andrew Wiggins post championship? Looney? The fact his three best offensive options from a shot creation and off-ball perspective were a streaky Klay, Kuminga who attempts 2 threes a game, and a rookie BPod. Plus I was never as high on him defensively as you were: I thought he was a serviceable defender then and I think he is one now.
7. Tatum- Great Offensive Player, good defensive prensence makes for a great two way player, very versatile, although can be streaky at time and has questionable shot selection I feel his positives and he what he could bring to any team he plays on outweighs his negatives; plus hes a good rebounder and playmaker for his size/position. Deadass I think he is the type of player all teams are searching for nowadays.
8. Lebron- All-around great offensive player even now. Great Finisher, All-time playmaking, to go alongside an improved jumper makes him an arguable top 5 offensive player even now. Then there's his defensive side, and although on-ball he can look lacking at times I feel when he lock in and genuinely tries he is still a good defender. Not to mention I'd argue he's a great off ball defender. Though his inconsistent motor is what keeps him below Tatum and Curry, I believe what he brings offensively specifically his playmaking is what keeps him above KD and Kawhi.
9. Kawhi- Defensively has regressed defensively, still a good all-around defensive player but not what he used to be, but his great 3-level scoring is still extremely valuable and his improved playmaking although not better than anyone above him does round him out well.
10. KD- To be blunt on why he is number 10: he is easily the worst playmaker in this group and I'd argue the worst defender besides Curry of course. I'd say he Lebron are in the same spot of being a good* defender but where Lebron's comes from his off-ball/team defense KD's mostly comes from his length and not his more consistent inconsistent off-ball defense. Though he still has some value on ball due to his previously mentioned length. But the thing that keeps him in the top 10 is his offense: Elite 3-level scorer, solid playmaker, and good off-ball threat. Though his paint presence has regressed imo he in the context of these 5 players STILL a top 3 offensive force says a lot about his offensive bag.
Tatum averaged 21 on 39% in a ayoff series kawhi isnt doing that
ur overrated Curry so bad
@@DantrellWalker-oi8vb yeah cause he never plays in the fucking playoffs.
@@04rugrat probably
@@sonicfan064 21 on 39%
I never realized how role-agnostic JT is, that’s a really interesting and valid point that I hadn’t really considered. Cool!
But dang! I’m surprised Sabonis isn’t in the top 25 nor HM!
"Here's a 10 minute explanation using stats and film analysis to justify my ranking"
random youtube commenter: "you're just wrong"
The comments are always right!
@@HoopVenue Don't know if you'll see this reply, but your analysis is great. Also, your videos are just straight up fun to watch, always a bright spot of my day. thanks for uploading :)
yeah you can't just say a statement with no backing at all. Its just a baseless opinion/statment. There always has too be reasoning behind it
@@firstnamelastname-li1ccget off your knees lil bro. Any nerd can use stats to justify why Andre Drummond is the best player in the league
@@Abacus_Real calm down lil bro who hurt you.
You should also put a chart or something to see if the player improved in terms of their position in the list compared to last year
I know a lot of people disagree with your placement of Kawhi, but I fully agree with it. He is extremely efficient iso scorer who can also play off ball, he is solid playmaker, and he had his best defensive season in year. If disregard health, I would have him 5th over SGA.
Health is a big factor especially when building a team. Especially when it’s used as a detractor for other players like steph and Lebron like hoop venue used.
Kawhi can't be this high at this stage of his career
10 would be generous.
Tatum definitely deserves to be in that 5/6 range.
Tatum is top 5 after leading his team in PTS, REB & AST and winning a championship
There’s no depth or meaningful analysis behind that argument.
@@joshahlstrom2764 the argument is that he just won the championship being the best player on the best team?
Don’t come up with nonsense like why didn’t he win FMVP when the voters clearly have an agenda towards Tatum for whatever reason
@@isakibrahim8316 that sounds great and all, but arguments like this lack detail and don’t provide context. There’s stats you could dive into and outside factors you could talk about. Unlike some, I don’t believe all championships are created equal, especially these days when the internet remembers everything. Frankly, I was unimpressed with Tatum. He had high volume so his stats look good, but he was incredibly inefficient and I think the Celtics got lucky as a team. That’s just my opinion.
@@joshahlstrom276464-18 team that rolled over the league and coasted the whole year got lucky?
He’s top 3
Before he factors in health i think he’s top 5
1. Jokic
2. Luka
3. embiid
4 gianni’s
5 shai
this is starting to look closer and closer the nba 2k ratings other than kawhai
Yea I think this is gonna be his list as well. Maybe he will have Embiid and Luka switched but idk
@@quackmemes5410if factoring the playoff performance, Giannis would be 3rd, Shai at 4th, Embiid is a serial choker, he hasn’t even touched the Conference Finals yet
@@triggeredtreyhe was playing great in the first round, he literally had a 50 piece while injured
@denzel8827 his efficiency was awful tho
Tatum better than this version of Durant. I’d take him over kawhi just cause injuries.
I’d take LeBron James over KAWHI and KD too.
Loo durant on celtics people would say ring dont count superteam
Definitely. Kd is still great for a team offensively with his scoring and gravity’s but tatums overall game is better. Rebounding, defense, durability.
@@mrtripzz53 not close. Durability thats it. Rebounding al switches on guards helps numbers. Defense kd best his team tatum is like 4th.
If KD ever put up the stats Tatum put up in the playoffs this year people would tell him to retire
One issue that I hate about these rankings is that it seems as if players that go far in the the playoffs get dinged a lot because the competition is better and they are not as productive as the regular season. Example, Tatum during the regular season did play like a top 5 players, but now because of his offensive performance in the playoffs, a lot of people are crucifying him, while Kawhi who didn't even play in the playoffs is benefiting from not even playing.
These rankings happen to factor in the play of a player when fully healthy and how much value they bring to the team so idk if he's factoring in recent play so idk if he's factoring in recent play or not. I'd have to look at his preview video again
Steph 10 and Kawhi 6 is the wildest ranking I’ve seen. Both are regressing but Kawhi somehow jumps up in rankings while Steph drops from top 3 to barely 10??? Not a chance
@@christopherhamill525 People forget with a healthy Kawhi, the Clippers were well within the chase for the #1 seed. Injuries derailed the final stretch of Kawhi’s season, but let’s not act like he didn’t play well.
Kawhi’s year was extremely underrated his only flaw in basketball is basically his body giving out on him.
Yeah gotta be the all star player on a good team vs a mvp caliber player on a bad team bias
Kawhi didn’t jump up for me. I had him 4th last year.
@@HoopVenue not having PG in top 10 is criminal
Here's your next video series:
creating the perfect NBA player. Start out with PG and combine aspects of the best PGs to ever play to create a single player: currys shooting, magics passing, D-rose's explosiveness etc. This would be similar to Brett Coleman's creating the perfect WR and RB videos on the NFL's official channel. You can do all 5 positions and then a final one making one player with aspects of everybody who has ever played, regardless of position: Wembys frame, Currys 3pt shooting, Jokics touch etc.
Havent watched the video yet, but I always find it funny how people use the line "Kawhi isnt the defender he used to be," as an indictment on his defense
Like... yea he's not a dpoy level defender anymore, but he is still an all-nba level point of attack defender
Totally agree!
Absolutely love the series. That being said, Kawhi is way too high. It's 2024. His entire Clippers tenure has been borderline disastrous. He's somehow still getting stamped as an elite playoff riser when in reality we haven't seen that from him since his time in Toronto in 2018-2019. That was 5 years ago. There's guys in your 11-15 range that I would put ahead of Kawhi, not to mention all the guys in this tier as well. There's no questions about the talent that is prime Kawhi, but his grace period of holding the same reputation without current evidence is over. If he's still that guy, he needs to show it next season. And at some point we have to take his injuries into account as just a part of his overall player profile.
Best players (not based solely on the past regular season but overall what they can do for a playoff team):
1a. Luka
1b. Jokic
1c. Giannis
4. Ant
5. SGA
6. Curry
7. Jimmy Butler (playoff Jimmy has taken most of the guys below head to head)
8. Tatum
9. Embiid
10. Durant
Give up the Kawhi top 6 agenda
24 PPG 50/40/90 All NBA defensive 2nd team . Always an elite playoff performer.. Oh but because he's injured often we should say he's worse than players he's better than? Right.. Tatum just averaged 21 on 39% with a stacked team.. Kawhi isnt doing that plain and simple
@@DantrellWalker-oi8vbsteph Lebron and Tatum are just better. Kawhi scoring volume wise has regressed, his rim pressure really isn’t anything insane, his defense is good but not anything special. I just don’t see an argument to have him that high especially when he can’t even carry a heavy load in the playoffs anymore
@@dododump3144 Kawhi had a 32 game mid season stretch last year averaging 25/7/4 on 55/47/92 (No typos btw) .. I myself believe he was the best player in the world during that stretch. Now if we got people saying top 6 is high for him then hes just become underrated.. Also those players are not better than Kawhi
@@dododump3144his scoring hasn’t regressed at all. That’s just what happens when you share the ball with George and Harden
@@dododump3144 Kind of hard to carry a heavy load when you TEAR your acl and meniscus and end up with random inflammation during the most efficient season of your career
You’re incredible analyst no matter what anyone says! Sending you all the positivity in the world! This is awesome!!!
Very much appreciated!
Unfortunate that many people will resort to saying I don't know what I'm talking about or am a "casual" because my rankings don't line up with their viewpoints, but these comments remind me that while I can't please everyone, I can please some!
@@HoopVenuejust ignore it your videos are amazing.
This is my first time watching one of your videos but man LeBron at 9 and Wemby at 20, it’s crazy how good both of them are at their respective ages.
We need stuff like this more often, as someone who can’t watch nba games fully and only the highlights it lets me see the top players downsides
Given that it's a countdown, should it not be #10-6? I try to ignore it but my brain keeps fixing it every time.
I struggled with this too, I really don't know.
One of the best rankings ive seen. Hoop Venue stay being on of the best basketball channels on youtube
Already hating on tatum the video hasnt even started.
Take a chill pill leave the dude alone.
Cmon they were some good comments 😂
Some were good but most were negative 😂😂😂 @Luciandl1
@@Luciandl1 lol
Tatum fans are so sensitive I stg you have a top 25 player in the league, be happy
@@joshahlstrom2764 im not a tatum fan.
Actaully i have and always had a lot of problem with him and his playstyle.
But the hate has gone too far.
And dont worry im very happy, ill take my championships no matter how.
U can keep being salty ;)
Love the way you formulate your ranking videos. Will you do other ranking this off season? Perhaps ranking defenders?
imo
6 tatum
7 Kawhi
8 kd
9 bron
10 curry
11 AD
1. Jokic
2. Embiid
3. Luka
4. Giannis
5. SGA
Luka is 100% better than Embiid
@@nicholasleventis8875How so?
embiid aint a proven playoff performer. Luka is. Luka over embiid imo he has already made the finals and made the conference finals 2 TIMES one which he won which was this year ofc. Embiid has never done that and the farthest he has made it is the conference semifinals....He's been in the league for 2 more years then Luka and Luka all NBA first team record is insane and despite the finals he had a historic playoffs.
@@nicholasleventis8875 How so?
@@skullxishim I mean Embiid’s teams haven’t gotten very far in the postseason but Embiid has definitely performed in the playoffs. Also we’ve yet to see a healthy postseason run from Embiid which is saddening but I have faith we’ll see it sometime soon. Luka is obviously a better offensive player but if Embiid is like a Top 5-8 (due to the playmaking improvements and historical scoring numbers) or so I think he has to get the nod over Luka due to his massive defensive value.
If we are talking about players if they were healthy, ja should be in the top 25, shouldn't he?(Even thought he hasn't played much this season)
I didn’t include him just because he only played 9 games.
He’d likely be around 15 for me.
Top 5 prediction:
1. Jokic
2. Luka (interchangeable w/ Giannis)
3. Giannis
4. Shai
5. Embiid
Man why ain't Sabonis on the list yet
As a Kings fan, I’ve been waiting for him to pop up since the start of this series, although I doubt he’ll appear. #1 in rebounds per game isn’t flashy enough to get on it, though he definitely should be.
because he’s a defensive liability and hardly self creates, what type of player who isn’t elite defensively or doesn’t create for themselves at a high level isn’t on this list
So the top five will be some variation of SGA, Luka, Jokic, Giannis and Embiid presumably
I’m interested in how you will order the top five, we all know who they are. Jokic, Luka, Giannis, Sga, Embiid.
Prediction for top 5: embiid #5, shai #4, Luka #3, giannis #2, jokic #1
If you're really going to build your team around one of those 35+ year old superstars, you will most surely end in the first playoff round, just like all these teams that already do so: suns, lakers, Golden state, clippers
live these vids.
So hard to rank 6-10 honestly. That health/age factor is heavy.
If Curry plays for the Lakers in place of Lebron, they will be a lock for the playoffs. But if Lebron plays for GS in place of Curry, they will be a total disaster!
So LeBron being better than Curry is complete nonsense. He's not even better than AD!
Think I'd have KD lower but other than that I'm mostly in agreement
5 guys left that only makes sense to be put into the top 5: Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Embiid and SGA. But going into your 6th pick I was certain it would be Ja Morant. Seeing Kawhi "Street Clothes" Leonard is a huge surprise!
@@Young_Dab Saying this when Ja Morant literally only played 4 games this year is crazy 💀
@@ZachNguyen-vp7nz He actually played 9 games. Within those 9 games averaged 25ppg 5rpg and 8apg while coming back from suspension. He's hurt for the time being but even so he's still a top 10 player
@@Young_Dab OK whatever u get the point…he was disqualified from the list for not playing enough games but if he was I’d have to imagine he would have been vying for spots with Book, Mitchell, Brunson, and Ant
I wouldn't have included Kawhi because Kawhi at full health is a myth LoL
Dont matter still better player then 99% of players, we not talking about how much some1 plays we talking about what a player can do my god
If were just talking about individual winning impact over the course of a season.
1. Jokic
2. Giannis
3. Embiid
4. Luka
5. SGA
6. Curry
7. LeBron
8. KD
9. AD
10. Wemby
these videos have been really good.
I think Tatum is a 6-8 rank player in the NBA, cant complain with the #8 spot but i would put him at 6-7
he's become an advanced playmaker and I think he'll avg 8 assists easy, hes a 27+ ppg 3-level scorer (though his shot choice when it comes to the 3 ball is iffy), and hes a top 5 wing defender (disagree w hoop venue) he has 1-5 switchability and although he lost some speed and agility w weight gain he makes up for it w his defensive IQ and skill
When you say negative defender ab these guards, do you mean for their position, or overall?
hot take but i think at this point in his career kawhi would function better as a second option. It’s clear his injury history has affected his ability to get open looks, his defense has regressed and it would probably benefit him health wise because he wouldn’t have to carry such a heavy offensive load.
He still gets open looks at an effective rate. He was one of the most efficient isolation scorers in the league last year and still played defense at an all-defensive level. I think I remember seeing a stat where the Clippers were a top 7 defende w/ Kawhi vs a middle of the pack defense w/o him. I'd have to find the video
Thoughts on Banchero? I’m surprised you have guys like Zion and Young on here above him.
SHAI TOP 5 WE MADE IT
Well deserved
Good to see Killian Hayes cracked top 5 NBA players. the goat fr
i’ve had some issues with this list but i love your analysis and explanation for all players, but im sorry there’s nothing you can say to justify kawhi still being in this tier. took a step back both defensively and offensively and hasn’t had a healthy season + playoffs in years. i still have him fringe top 15 just because of how much better the clippers were when he played, but KD, tatum, bron, steph, ad, ant, and d book are all definitely better than current kawhi
i do however respect you’ve always been strong on it, saw you commented you had him 4th last year which i also would’ve thought was crazy, but you’re consistent
Definitely seems like AD is just better than Bron atp despite the media hate. And I would say Kawhi isn’t better than Bron so I’d go
6. Tatum
7. AD
8. Curry
9. KD
10. Bron
11. Kawhi
Sabonis not in top 25 is a scandal
Nah fr
of course a kings fan would say this
😂😂😂 get that playoff dropper off the top 25 plz.
Y’all really thoght sabonis was gonna be too 10 😂
Sabonis doesn't belong anywhere near top 25 till we see him doing well in a playoff setting
Judging from the comments, Kawhi is easily the most underrated player in the league.
Curry realistically could play until 40 like Lebron since he doesn’t rely on athleticism. If he could get a tall PG like Lamelo or Haliburton on the team so he can be a combo guard he would excel.
Nah i disagree with LeBron being lower than Kawhi and Tatum. Tatum is fair up there but Kawhi hell no.
Hey hoop venue great video !
how can you say that these lists are valued with people at full health but then say curry and bron are lower because they can’t sustain long playoff runs? and then put kawhi at 6?
Lebron is definitely better than Tatum, KD and Kawhi, he’s a better finisher, transition scorer and even 3pts shooter this season, he is a waaay better playmaker, he’s just as good as Kawhi or Tatum on defense when he really want it in the playoffs, he’s a better off ball player than all of them, he’s literally the most versatile player in the league even at his age lol, i just don’t see how KD, Kawhi and especially Tatum could be better than him when he is better than them at almost everythings ! Lebron is a good 6 on my list, im a Lebron fan but im not biased, you can tell me Joker, Giannis, Luka, Embiid are better than him, but even SGA is really close imo, Lebron experience and leadership is also very valuable imo, and seriously, don’t you think if Lebron played with Jrue, White, Brown and Porzingis or Horford he wouldn’t be a champion right now ? He does everything better than Tatum except perimeter defense, but on a stacked Celtics team were he wouldn’t have to average 28ppg and 8apg just to survive im sure he could have done the same job Tatum did, unlocking the defense at the 4 with the ability to guard their 5, Lively or Gafford and then switch on Luka, Lebron might not be as quick and agile as Tatum, but he’s way stronger and smarter, and we all know Doncic is a skilled bully who use his strenght a lot that’s why he struggled the most against Lu Dort …
For me there’s no way Tatum is better than Lebron im sorry, he was barely as good as J.Brown in the Playoffs cmon
Stop blowing bubbles on it Bronsexual 😂. KD and Kawhi made 2nd team over LeBum
Definitely not better than tatum
i think butler and bam need to be around 25 and jaylen needs to be around 15 and then it would be all good
hell no
@@bryanf.1074you’re right butler and bam need to be 30-40
@@daddymike57 hell no
My prediction
Top 5:
1. Embiid
2. Jokic
3. Doncic
4. Antetokounmpo
5. Gilgeous-Alexander
Imo:
1. Jokic
2. Luka
3. Giannis
4. Embiid
5. SGA
6. Curry
7. Tatum
8. KD
9. AD
10. Kawhi
11. Lebron
12. Ant
13. Ja morant
14. Donavan Mitchell
15. Brunson
16. Jimmy butler
17. Booker
18. Jaylen Brown
19. Kyrie
20. Sabonis
21. Wemby
22. Zion
23. Bam
24. Dame
25. Hali
Surprised PG wasn’t in the first video and I’m more surprised to see you value Kawhi more than LBJ Steph and KD I think they are personally better than him as of right now just cuz they are both available more when needed
Kawhi at 6 is too crazy especially with him being injured all playoffs
Tatum at 8 I reckon
T8um
Well that was probably the most surprising of the rankings
I’m not going to lie I completely forgot about Kawhi
cant wait to see paul george next video
Jaylen brown at 22 is absolutely insane💀💀💀💀💀
I’m confused since ur saying that u think Steph and lebron will break down by the finals but then have kawhi at 6??
The goat dropped 😝
Having LeBron as a top 10 player is hilarious. Do you even watch the Lakers games? His defense is disastrous. His plus minus is +220, which is almost half of that of Isaiah Harenstein. I think there are 200 players with a better plus minus. This shows you how little of impact he has. He hasn't been able to get his team to the 6th seed for 4 seasons now despite having a very good squad.
His improved 3-point shooting means nothing because he never shoots well when it really matters: in the playoffs. As a matter of fact, he becomes one of the worst 3-point shooters i the playoffs.
Players like Brunson, Booker, DM (who you ranked lower) have the ability to win games for their teams, but LeBron can no longer do that. I've seen all of their regular season games since he joined them. Believe me, in the last two seasons he's bordering on being a liability.
Rent free
Little bit concerned as to where I’ll be seeing Ben Simmons list is at full health and the reports saying he’s 100% next season
Idk I can’t put bron kawhi or embid over Steph if we talking value
Kawhi over KD and JT is kinda criminal
Evaluating these players only at full health is like a fairy tale. Zion and kawhi simply aren’t going to be healthy. And being able to stay healthy is a skill.
They both played 65+ games
@@givensthegoat3267 “ the question I’m answering is: if I’m trying to contend for a championship who’s going to offer the most value at that level?”
In the playoffs, What is Zion and kawhi going to offer you from the bench?
Kawhi over Steph, Lebron and Tatum is crazy
Nga really got two of the oldest players, trump and Biden on his top 10🤦🏾♂️
I can't believe you snuck in Lebron in the top 15 over BAM, over WEMBY, over BRUNSON, over FOX, over BUTLER, over CURRY, over MITCHEL, over EDWARDS, and even over the legendary Carry DAVIS has done for the lakers. leBUM has been a bum for a long time. He is a old man in a young steeds world. Get him off 😢the list, you're making me cry
Such bait. But for fun, Bam has no offensive threat comparable to Bron, Wemby in 2 years sure but he’s too inefficient for now, Brunson I can see, Fox is laughable, Bulter is playing at Jermaine Grant level at the moment, Curry I agree with, Mitchell has performed well but never gotten anywhere in the playoffs and has 0 defence, Ant is overrated as all fuck, Davis is just not capable of carrying a team, Pelicans and Lakers showed that.
All of their skill sets vastly outweigh their down sides except for Mitchell, butler and Brunson but Lebron is going to get exposed in the Olympics where there will be no 3 sec rule
The Maxey disrespect is crazy...
Ant Behind Kawhi, KD, Lebron, Steph, and AD is embarrassing. It's living in the past. Those guys COMBINED for ONE playoff win. I don't care about their #'s, they don't affect winning anymore.
Last portion of the video was hot Scoring Guards in your neighborhood, this one is auper old and broken dudes that i hope are still alright. Cause I like them for a long time so they are obviously better than young player's right? Right? 😅
Okay why is kawhi Leondard at number 6 and Jaylen Brown at number 22, they have almost the same numbers. Yet, Brown had a bigger impact in winning, played better defense, and was on the floor more than Kawhi?
Brown still a project nowhere near as polished as Kawhi.
@@DantrellWalker-oi8vb”a project” bro Brown won a championship and has made multiple all stars. How is an all star/finals mvp a “project”?
Your comment might be the most delusional comment in here….
@@daddymike57 because obviously he still has more room to improve especially offensively.. yeah he won FMVP but it was amongst the worst all time 21 PPG on 44/24/73 as a second option on a stacked team wont really cut. He is nowhere near Kawhi
@@daddymike57dont bother, hes just a massive casual
Kawhi has such low standards it’s nuts. He plays like 20 games a season and is injured every year in the playoffs.
He played 68 games this season.
Tatum is better than Kahwi right now at everything besides mid range shooting
Kawhi is a better 3pt shooter
@@phoenixplayz1581 kawhi attempts way less 3s than tatum but has higher 3%, so it's hard to tell
@@georgewang5419 no it really isnt, kawhi is a better 3 point shooter its not close either
Mid range absolutely wipes tho.. Also Kawhi more efficient, consistent and way more polished as a player. Tatum still a project
The last 5 are going to be Jokic,giannis,embiid,doncic,SGA
So LeBron was a strong positive on offense and defense and only 9? Saying you don’t think he could sustain a run when he did to the WCF last year seems inconsistent to me.
His level of play to reach the WCF wasn’t anywhere near as productive as he was in the 1st round this year.
Efficiency and scoring volume were both down, Lakers pretty heavily relied on the #1 defense to get there.
LeBron 26-7-8 on 54-41-75
Kawhi 24-6-4 on 53-42-89
In what world is Kawhi better?
Well if it were a 3 stat + efficiency ranking, I'd end up with Sabonis ahead of Anthony Edwards...
@@HoopVenuestill tho Kawhi hasn't done near enough this season to be put at 6 especially with injuries you cannot say LeBron can't handle playing a full post season at that level but have Kawhi up there who literally is constantly injured and can't play a full post season way worse than LeBron. LeBron also puts up better numbers and advanced statistics with better offensive production. Kawhi might win on defense but even then Kawhi isn't the defender he used to be
@@TheGamingShogun it's a fully healthy ranking
@@firstnamelastname-li1cc he still takes into account your injury history and how your body will hold up. Even then Kawhi clearly has been slowing down and can't maintain high play for a full post season this is proven. You can't just ignore that. If you won't bring it up for Kawhi than LeBron would be higher because that was the main argument against him
@@JOHNNYPMUSIC You’re only accounting for one side of the ball. Kawhi’s also a better shooter and shot-creator. I’d maybe give LeBron the slight offensive edge due to his playmaking, but then Kawhi has a pretty healthy edge on defense which would probably be enough to overtake LeBron in value.
ok i think im finally over him putting kyrie of jaylen brown
What makes kawhi still a top 6 player ? I really don’t get it u say ur using everyone at full health but what does a healthy kawhi even look like?? We haven’t seen it with the clippers why is he the one star who continues to receive the benefit of the doubt? His defense isn’t even what it used to be either
Kawhi at 6 is the only thing I’ve disagreed with so far. I like kawhi and his game. But dude does not belong in the 6-9 range. He should’ve been in the last video
@@xoirvinn I feel like the injury at the end of the year just subconsciously soured everyone about his play. Before the injury the NBA community was talking about him at this range, possibly higher, as the Clippers were contending for the #1 seed.
Spoiler block ???
You keep on talking about sustainability, health, and durability. Yet put Kawhi at 6 when he hasn't even played in the playoffs for a long period of time. Lebron, Curry, and KD are still definitely above him, especially considering they have lesser offensive help than Kawhi. Those guys are the offensive systems of their teams, Kawhi is more of a piece of the cog in LAC.
Personally I think it should be
Lebron
KD
Kawhi
Steph
Tatum
Kawhi over curry is ridiculous
The Brunson disrespect needs to stop
1. Luka
2. Jokic
3. Giannis
4. Embiid
5. Shai
???
I’m putting Tatum at the top of these 5 then bron, curry, kd, and kawai
I'd say switch brunson and tatum (i hate the celtics) and also kawhi at 6 feels a little bit high but yeah
@@sanjeev5547 Feel like people forgot how good Kawhi was for a majority of this season because injuries prevented him from playing the last stretch.
genuinely don’t see the argument for kd bron and kawhi over steph and AD how are u gonna be so high port be low on those two. steph had declining rim pressure but so has kd bron and kawhi. AD had horrible defensive help and the defense is way more of a 5 man effort and yet the lakers defense was almost just as good in the regular szn and if not better in the playoffs. with steph it’s ridiculous because we can ignore how lebron had to switch to a hybrid short roll man role because his self created drives have decreased but he gets punished for cp3 slowing the pace whereas bron gets rewarded for abusing the pace when AD was hurt? i thought we evaluated based of individual skills and in that case steph is still the best off ball player itl (maybe it’s jokic i’m not sure but it’s still up for debate) and only the second best overall pnr creator behind luka (trae is a better pnr playmaker but not shot creator). how is that combo not at least close to strong mvp, at least better than the rest. i’ve been high on sga too and i think steph is clearly still better but that’s at least a debate but under tatum bron kd AND kawhi is ridiculous
also want to add steph was getting to the rim much more frequently to start the season but his load has been the highest since 2021 and it wasn’t until that leg injury that his burst slowed down and he never fully rested