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The top 10 NBA players of 2019
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ส.ค. 2024
- Who was the best player in the NBA this year? This video takes a hardcore, 360-degree view to rank the top players in basketball using scouting reports and analytics.
www.dollarshave...
@NBA_math
@CrumpledJumper
Resources
Curry & Durant: • How Curry makes it eas...
Curry's gravity: • The legendary Box and ...
Giannis breakdown: • Giannis Antetokounmpo ...
Raptors D on Giannis: • The Giannis Rules | Ho...
Kawhi breakdown: • Kawhi Leonard analysis...
Kawhi Finals defense: threadreaderap...
Jokic breakdown: • Nikola Jokic analysis ...
Embiid breakdown: • Joel Embiid analysis |...
LeBron's defense: • LeBron James | Examini...
Playoff changes: • Playoff changes | Whic...
Support at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball
Book: www.amazon.com...
Podcast: www.stitcher.c... (available on iTunes, Spotify, etc.)
Website: www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball...
stats.nba.com
IMPACT METRICS
-Backpicks BPM is a proprietary model that focuses on player skill instead of situational value. It is box score only.
-PIPM is a hybrid model (box score and plus-minus) that "luck-adjusts" plus-minus data (regresses FT% and 3pt%) to account for noise and is more sensitive to a player's role/fit on a given team. Created by @JacobEGoldstein
-Luck-Adjusted RAPM is a pure plus-minus model adjusted for shooting luck, reducing some of the noise of single-season APM. It is most sensitive to role/fit of these three. Available at: nbashotcharts.c...
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Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music: Restless Knight (Greg Collins) and The Way Forward
Thanks for all the positive feedback on this -- means a lot. Just to clarify, the links to the Xs and Os breakdowns for most players are in the description box. This is not a "stats" list -- I just can't put 2 hours of film breakdown in a video!
W, love the effort you put into these
I LOVE your videos but apparently only stupid people watch them from the comments section...I guess youll need a separate page where you teach the basics of logic, math, and reason... before people understand how great your videos are
Your patreon, book and below links are broken, just a heads up
How can you put Curry 4 ranks over Kawhi Leonard, who beat him in the finals just yesterday?
@@Fodkfmdjdmdkf wait bro you do realize that basketball isnt a game of one on one and that in fact normally 7-11 guys play a night righ?t...RIGHT?!.... surely u arent that clueless right?
Honestly would listen to your top 50 for like 1.5 hours tbh
basloutely
He has a top 40 all time if you want to read that for several hours.
dddiop where?
@@st3v0s peep reddit
Me too
Just watch how the Raptors defended after Klay got hurt. It was a total blitzkrieg on Steph. You'll never see a guy score 47 while doubled like that in the Finals, this is once in a lifetime stuff
IK and people still disrespect him, Curry is a special player, once in a lifetime. Words can't explain his impact.
Reality Utube Tv -
He’s special but he’s no where near the NBA best player.
Where was he in games 4,5 and 6 with Klay?
@@Van_ax played great in games 5 and 6 with Klay. Game 4 was rough after the huge performance in game 3. They should have rested him more in 3 imo.
LeBron got 51 game 1 last year, I think that was the only thing I can say was b better than that game. Steph is ridiculous.
i feel like i've already watched this but ima watch it again anyways
Yeah I watch it like every two months
His videos are so high quality you can rewatch them for hours
Same
Exactly
@@bradenjerome6459 Totally agreed. I dunno why.
It's crazy how analysts put Steph up there in the top 1 and 2, while all the media rips on him and disrespects his game.
it amazes me how much curry fans will overrate him...you guys just are gay for him aren't you..he had klay and kd
@@razkable it amazes me how much curry haters will still hate on him lol. Stick to anime because you clearly don't watch basketball.
@@j3tthepet120 its not called hating its reality?..you act like its either hes the best or worst and your confusing 2016 curry with 2019 curry.......your looking at it as a legacy conversation i'm talking about individual players..putting him 6th doesn't mean I think he sucks he just doesn't effect the game two ways imo and his effect is less baotu what he does individually and more about how he makes an opponent react just by being out there giving his teammates more space but thats not an individual skill I can measure thats more about legacy how he affects the team....see this is why sensitive sports fans need to stop watching sports..you guys get so offensive and start attacking someone else..why do I need to stick to anime as if I don't watch vidoos online playv ideo games or watch sports t.v. movies in general?....your close minded judging someone based off and clearly are a curry tard its ok hes married you can't have his nuts in your mouth....move on with your life...your just trying to be rude..knock it off fucker...without klay curry is overrated garbage as he proved this season already...i'm not having that debate curry was not the best player this guy is literally using biased reasoning as usual...curry fans will do anything to protect him like hes your god
@@razkable I bet your greatest achievement in life is "Curry Hate"...get a girl bro
@@Ikekujux omg now he is probably crying because of you
You should have a 30minute show on ESPN instead of sensationalist "sports analysts"
The thing about that is that history dictates that sportsfans typically prefer the "charismatic" sports analysts, the analysts that have bigger characters.
@@dantaylor8197 Yeah morons with big mouths that are completely wrong
@David JR ding ding ding ding
I would love this show, but he'd need to dumb it down and explain to layman what each Stat was each episode.
He wouldn't make clickbait so it doesn't work
This channel is going to blow up at some point. This is better analysis than 99% of what they have on ESPN
Try 100% 😂
Definitely better than 100%
Right! 99.999999%
ESPN is an incorporation built on entertainment and the talking TV heads are hired as entertainers, TV personalities masquerading as "sports analysts." The majority don't want to listen to and frankly incapable of comprehending in-depth analysis. The likes of Stephen A Smith understand their job descriptions and are in on the joke. Even ex-players/coaches at ESPN breakdown the most simplistic plays for the majority to understand. It just makes financial sense to understand your target audience. Steve Jobs didn't push for Apple Macbooks towards the 5% computer wiz, he targeted the other 95% of users.
And yes, I loved this list!
That's not saying much, when Snoop went on he was better than all the regulars.
Dare I say it... I find myself listening to your stuff more than BballBreakdown. Not to say that Coach Nicks Channel is bad. But I really prefer your style and presentation. Simple music. Cuts straight to the point. Great audio quality.
I pretty much listen to them both equally because of their different styles of presenting. BBALLBREAKDOWN uses a lot of film and examples while he explains stuff while Thinking Basketball relies heavily on statistics (which isn't a bad thing at all---it's just his way of drawing conclusions).
Can you hear me shaking my head
They're not really the same thing, BballBreakdown takes a coaches' approach and analyzes plays, Thinking Basketball takes a data analyst's approach and focuses on statistics and how to properly read them.
really best to just watch both
better to watch both since they come from different perspectives. Coaching perspective, and data/stat analyst.
Russel Westbrook not mentioned once... and I couldn't agree more!
Russ literally just had the worse year of his career and has had 3 knee surgeries in the last 3 years I wouldnt even put him top 15 tbh no disrespect to him
Ehh he just barely made my top 15.
I think his talent and athletism might be the best in the league but he shot isnt consistent anymore, he 30 so hes athleticism isnt the same anymore and he takes so many dumb shots. I hope now that the world has turned against him, he will try to change
I agree, Russell can’t be the 1st, 2nd, and barely can even be the 3rd option to really have a chance at winning a title, that’s why PG and KD dipped from Westbrook.
@@ricearony9723 well, i think he can be if he redefines his role on a team. if he becomes a slashing 2 with harden and harden plays 1 or more of a combo guard, he could contend for a title. i dont know why im saying this tho, i dont even like the rockets lol
Congratulations on you securing the bag with the sponsor. Been sub since your Lonzo Ball analysis and I have to say that you are simply the best basketball analyst on TH-cam right now.
exaxtly the same here
Chad TV more valuing adding than ESPN.
PREACH. Literally same, been since Lonzo haha
He's good but not the best
1000Kbaby who's the best?
I would love to see another version of this video for the 2019-2020 season! It seems like it will be a while before basketball returns so it would be good to get a statistical evaluation of the league’s top players at this point.
Done
No Scalabrine? Pass.
Seriously, though, kick-ass vid.
Ginger Mamba HOFer TOP 5 players of all-time
@@fakeplayer9088 Nah, concensus #1 player of all time
Jm Ellar white mamba 🐐
My top 10 in no particular order:
Lance Stephenson
Bobby Portis
Aron Baynes
JR Smith
Raymond Felton
Markelle Fultz
Joakim Noah
Mario Hezonja
Dragan Bender
Javale Mcgee
Alex l Javale is no longer part of that group. I’ll give him a pass.
Fuck you for putting fultz on this
Damn, no Gerald Green?
Pablo Bear lol
Lance is a gem
Do a video showing what the all nba 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams would be based on your analysis
I 2nd this!!
All-NBA is kind of arbitrary at this point, considering it forces voters to choose players by position. Personally, I think a top-X is better, although a top-15 or top-20, etc. would be great from Ben.
Please
To me the All-NBA team would be the 5 guys you’d put on the court if you had your pick from the league. It’s pointless to do it by position anymore.
Please do!!!
Finally Curry receiving some deserving respect,,.
bleacher report also struck hard
Kunal Moon when has curry not been respected. Is best shooter alive not good enough for you
Lol curry is ass he’s worse than LBJ, Kawhi, Giannis, KD, Harden
@@young_bee oh yeah because if you're not in the top 5 you're ass lol
Niklas Kunath Curry was never the best player in the league and probably never will be
Love how he saw LeBron coming back for the first spot.
came here literally after watching 2020 rankings. blew my mind how he predicted the bron comeback 🤯
Hi
I just wanted to know if you’re going yo make a video for the draft
You’re the best
I'll have a podcast breaking down the draft next Friday.
Thinking Basketball sweet
@@ThinkingBasketball Where can one hear your podcast?
@@philipp6938 check description of video for link
Finally a video that shows Steph's real impact that doesn't appear in the box score for casuals.
Stephen A, Max kellerman, skip and Shannon are gonna go to therapy after watching this
Exactly casuals would just look at westbrook and his triple doubles and harden and his volume scoring won't understand why steph is just better way beyond box scored
Embiid antetokounmpo jarden curry best players are those who can win championships made the shot like MJ got six rings
Steph is crazy. He pulls the defense towards him wherever he goes which makes his teammates able to score more.
They wont watch this and Nike slides em money to way way WWWWAAYYYY overhype guys like LeBron..it actually makes my stomach turn TBH
@@soccerlegend7774 Most people on talk shows and youtube are casuals pretending to be experts and they all seem to think LeBron is ten times the player of everyone in history including Jordan...and guys like Max Kellerman jump on whoever's team is doing well and acts like they're better than anyone ever
Easy top 2. Patrick McCaw 3 years in the league and 3 championships won, enough said. Then there's Linsanity. Didn't lose a single game in the final series when he was on the court.
Don't forget JaVale MaGee. Won 2 with GS and just won one with Lakers
Straight Facts
My List:
1. Kawhi Leonard
2. LeBron James
3. Kevin Durant
4. James Harden
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo
6. Stephen Curry
7. Anthony Davis
8. Paul George
9. Damian Lillard
10. Joel Embiid
Bruh curry at 6 is so stupid
Thanks for analytically breaking down the greatness i've been seeing and feeling all year from Curry.
That's why scouts go and see the players play and not just analyze per game stats. The eye test doesn't lie if u know basketball and the impact Curry has is incredible. The focus he generates from opponents man... like no one wonder how does Green Iggy and consort have so many free lay-ups during games well it's because of that man. Steph's shooting.
@@anthonywadem not only that they run plays where he'll curl off an off ball screen from say Loony, and Both Steph's man and Loony's man will go with Steph... sometimes even a third guy will run out to him thus allowing Draymond to get easy assists lobbing it to guys like Loony and Klay who'll just dive to the basket they're basically all alone for so many Draymond lobs because of Steph
It’s frustrating to me that Kawhi even won finals MVP, when Steph was having ridiculous impact. He’s probably gonna win season MVP too.
@@its_a_ducky3467 Neh Kawaii isnt even in consideration crazy...its Giannis more than likely with an outside chance of Harden getting it
- IronFire - I mean to be fair I’m pretty sure Stephen curry doesn’t want a finals MVP in which he lost, just saying. The only time a losing player won the award was jerry west and he said he hated it and wanted to burn it so yeah
Almost spit my milkshake when the little Uncle Drew popped up in the screen, totally caught me off guard!
Same
That was a hilarious joke, got to give Ben props for that one.
Honestly since fee agency just started you should make a video on how certain stars blend in with the teams system. Such as kemba walker and Jimmy butler on how they will fit with their new teams and maybe even a video in what team system fits Kawhi. Like So He Can See Maun
People still sleeping on the genius of Kawhi.
Literally nobody is fucking sleeping on kawhi
@@juliopiotti8807 If that were true he would've been number 1.
That Guy Who Loves BBall but he’s not
@@akapaytv527 Please tell me how he's not.
That Guy Who Loves BBall KD?
This is indubitably crucial to any future improvement. Thanks for the hardcore basketball review, Thinking Basketball!
Indubitably
"I use archaic words that no one has ever heard before on TH-cam comments to sound smart! Look at me!"
@@joshyg4260 Indubitably? That's not all that uncommon of a word
Michael Sherman Just let him have his moment trying to get likes and to seem funny even if he just comes off as an idiot.
@@shuujo1467 Wow. Lying to win an argument. I won't engage any further.
Would love to see an all time one of these for the greatest players ever.
Read this, he's already done the top-40 www.backpicks.com/2017/12/11/the-backpicks-goat-the-40-best-careers-in-nba-history/
It exists and it’s way better. Check the Backpicks link someone shared above my comment.
I feel like you severely underrated kawhi’s defense
Elliott Russo Hes not wrong, even as an on ball defender anytime he was switched onto Steph in the finals it was an easy stepback 3 or middy for Steph and his offball awareness isn’t exceptional.
Nah, Kawhi is a hell of a defender, but I think his offense was better than his defense this year. His defense this season wasn't top notch this year, that's why he isn't in the running for dpoy.
Fierce there’s literally a highlight of that too. Back when kawhi played for the spurs. Curry made kawhi slide off the ball and made a three off of it.
His defense isn’t what it used to be
Fierce u Obviously didn’t watch any games😂
Yaaaass Steph at 1st!!! I'm so tired of people underestimating him because they're jealous or because other people basically tell them to.
Also I was suprised that you put AD above LeBron.
curry is top 4 at best
Curry is probably 4 or 5
@@george4281 hhh you don't know shit about bball, you're an idiot compared to the guy making this video...atleast he has arguments.
@ Curry is as efficient if not better in the playoffs, stop lying.
@@young_bee Team player >>> Iso-ball
Damn everyone gonna start hating on your list now that the Raptors won with you putting Steph at 1. But your analysis is fantastic!
Lmao his number 1 best player got outplayed by FVV while Draymond had 19 rebs and 13 assists and Iggy had an unbelievable game imagine those two on Portland when Dame has to deal with traps from halfcourt? Haha that’s a fucking joke
Raptors have a much better team...GSW have paid bundles to all their stars so they cant afford a good team... therefore when KD or Klay get hurt it destroys their odds of winning and in the finals they both did allowing Toronto to basically triple team Steph the whole series...no team in the NBA is so bad that you can play a box and one unless its GSW
@@thepeoplesmix9779 You really are clueless huh? You are as blind as ya are dumb...how well ya think FVF would have played if he was tripled team all series in fact would ya even know he was playing...in fact double FVF for a game and he probably doesn't score period much less get Steph's 25-30 points...Now GTFOH Casual ...and go watch first take with the rest of your moron brethren
Chris Smith 😭 haha FREDDIE you got these niggas butt hurt haha ya Curry last shot was tripled teamed you right 😂 man I’m dead 😵 go back to bed kiddo you are officially on suicide watch #The6ixin6 🇨🇦
@@thepeoplesmix9779 LMAO FVV was shooting 8% from 3pt before the Bucks series and now hes the best player in the NBA??! Ive seen it all hahaha Nobody game plans for VanVleet. Curry is picked up from halfcourt on. I was rooting for Toronto but your post makes no sense
I can tell you're very well educated. Giving a range, rationalising your assumptions is what business valuers do. Keep it up
0401412740 wouldn’t the fact that he is rationalizing these opinions and giving facts make them less assumptions and more either presumptions or even suppositions depending on the rationale and facts given.
Chuuha Couto plus it’s very easy to “rationalize” with a subjective topic such as best and hand selected categories.
So he’s not even rationalizing, he’s kinda just telling you what he thinks.
You know, once you take all the fluffy words away you’re basically just saying that he’s talking out of his ass.
It’s literally just the white guy version of babershop debates.
He said curry was the best player this year... this man is tripping on acid
Izuku Midoriya bUt, GrAvItY!
Yeah, give me the guy who can create his own shot in any situation, steps up in the playoffs and can guard his man as well as someone else’s if they get hot.
I’ll take the guy who doesn’t need a screen to score or someone else to guard his man. It’s really not that complicated once you narrow it down that way.
@@dinheirojovem1152Valid point, you are correct by definition. But I think what he meant was that he gave good & rational REASONS for his selections.
"Defense is so important to the ranking..." ... puts Curry on the top spot lol
I find that funny as well. Curry is actually a good defender, but once compared to Yiannis or AD he doesn't have 1/10th of their impact on D.
He does have the offensive gravity though.
Isn’t that hilarious. Couldn’t stop undrafted Fred VanVleet from styling on him in the finals but he the best player in the nba 🤣
@ATL 1 lol
But who's the best shooter of all time?
Steph Curry best shooter of all time? Leader in steals?
Finally someone recognize Curry's greatness
I just can’t live with AD over Kawhi. Kawhi is a winner, AD isn’t
With kd out next year kawhi is now #1
Better teams
AD never had the chance to play on a very good team. Let's wait and see until he has a good team around him and we'll have a discussion about that
They used to say that about Bosh too. They've had similar success only bosh played in the 2000's east and AD plays in the 2010's west. He's in the east and he makes the ECF a few years
Milto 22 bull! Last year’s pelicans were pretty good and they only got one game out of GS, Davis is a choker
woahhhh. did not expect curry to be 1st. although looking at other vids youve done about the warriors i can understand ur arguments. it just came as a suprise. i like him very much as well as I like ur channel. great analytics.
Same, I'm a Curry fan but was surprised to see him at the top of the list
Burn Er facts lol
I just can't agree with Curry, man can literally guard no one. Van Fleet was cooking him
Not true, Curry was guarding Danny green most possessions. Van Vleet was cooking curry lmao. The raptors offense is was very well organized and in sync, and they had big bodies screenings for the shooters a lot. Van Vleet had a lot of completely open shots because of that. Curry isn't the best defender, but he definitely played good defense on his assignments. The warriors post defenders were to blame on defense, including Draymond green.
Funny how the smartest basketball fans put Steph one... But it's only the Steph haters/casuals that don't truly see his impact on the floor. He is the ultimate weapon for this day and age, he is the most skilled basketball player on earth. Kyrie is up there but he is on and off at times. Top 2 ball-handler, not to mention the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL IN THE GAME he is the best at and there is not a close second. Not only can he score at rates and efficiency we have not seen since Jordan, but he also creates WIDE OPEN shots for others. And the one thing that is never mentioned by most fans is his gravity. He comes off a pindown and 3 defenders go with him and pretty much gives the screener a wide-open dunk, and if it's not a dunk, he makes one more pass for a dunk/three-ball. Not great defensively, but he is good enough now to where he is not a liability anymore. Best scorer in the league, best off the ball player in the league, a top 3 clutch player, an all-time great leader, and unselfish. You could go to me and give James Harden's stats and say he is the best in the game, or AD or KD or LeBron, but nobody has the single most impact on the outcome of any given game like Steph curry does. You can slow down and stop any of these players besides LeBron, but you cant even slow down Steph, only way to slow him down is to take the ball out of his hands,. And one more thing, there is not been one player since Jordan that gives you fear the way players look at Steph. Look into those Green eyes on the court and you know what is about to happen..... He is about to give you work.
ALSO IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ME, ADD MY DISCORD Landon#4440 we can have a friendly debate there. Because I hate typing on YT comments lol.
Kawhi. 5th. Don't get me wrong I'm not his fan, in fact I was with Milwaukee. But he deserves a way better place.
Naw its perfect actually. Kawhis team is insane. No superstar can score 20 in a finals game 7 and win. Shits wild
@@11lilreg11 *game 6
reggie hopkins jr. That’s why GSW didn’t win with Steph’s 21 points.
4th
@@11lilreg11 Kobe bryant 23 points game 7 of nba finals 2010
Michael jordan 22 points on terrible fg%(if i remember correct,go check it out) game 6 of 1996 nba finals....
LOL
160 Westbrook fans also watched this to the end. Lol.
Hahahhahahahh
TY Tom, my only friend
Even if he was overrated in 2017, I think fans and haters alike can agree his play has suffered
@@RonquixoteDIII he's still a top 10 player over the last 5 years. I just don't know about his IQ... :/
@@MegaAntras I think most dislikes are for Kawhi's and Davis' position on the list
Hi, great video. When are we going to see the top 10 NBA players of ALL TIME analysis?
he didn't publish it but he did publish the top 10 career of all time. He even went further than that to publish his top 40 career of all time.
Analysis is spot on and clear even though using his own criteria my list of the top 40 career would be different. Anyway here is the list, enjoy the read:
backpicks.com/2017/12/11/the-backpicks-goat-the-40-best-careers-in-nba-history/
It happened lol
Ad and lebron should play 1 on 1 for who gets to wear # 23
Lebron is a top 5 of all time Mj is the goat so lebron should wear it
AD is better right now but LBJ Is better all time but right now AD Should wear it.
LeBron beating him 3-0
Welp.....
@@daanishgupta lies lol
Meanwhile, Reddit thinks Kawhi is now in the GOAT conversation.
Bwahahahahaha
Imagine watching KD and Kawhi this post season and thinking Curry is the best player in the World. Basketball isn’t played on a spreadsheet. KD was the first player ever to have 50-40-90 postseason.
eBron James he didn’t have 50-40-90. He shot 39 from 3
"Basketball isn’t played on a spreadsheet" says the guy who justifies his support of KD and Kawhi by cherry picking a statistic...
Basketball is a team sport. We may be ranking individuals, but we're ranking them on how good they are at making their team win. It's not just Curry's individual stats but also his ability to make everyone around him so much better that puts him ahead.
Imagine being too thick to realize all the ways Steph makes your offense better just by stepping on the court, literally, and still thinking you can argue with a guy who was a video coordinator in the NBA.
RG -
Gravity isn’t exclusive to Steph.....every superstar has it.
Well maby if you actually watch the game, the reason KD can have a 50-40-90 split is because Curry is standing on the floor with him. This is what this video is trying to make casuals like you understand. A player's impact on a basketball game isn't limited by his points rebounds assists steals blocks and FG%.
Steph can miss 10 straight 3s and the opposing defense would still guard him at the halfcourt line allowing KD to never get double teamed.
So excited for this years breakdown to see where everyone lands
Hey Ben I've been doing a little stats myself and Ive been trying to calculate Stephen Currys TS% relative to the raptors defence and I've tried several different methods, Currys finals ts% Vs Raps regular season opp Ts%(this would normally do but the raptors were like you said an all time level ps defence), method 2 calculate the average ts% of players in the ps Vs the raptors and then take that from Currys, method 3 calculate the average ps ts% Vs the raptors excluding the warriors, and lastly compare the difference in Steph's regular and psts% vs the difference between the other teams rs and ps ts%, are any of these methods correct / similar to how u would do it? Or do u have a different method entirely
People need to realize this is only based off of 2019
if it is based only on 2019 it does not make sense that Kawhi is not at number one 🤷
Gaston Ruiz lol right
@@Ab-he4vf of course.
Gaston Ruiz fax
@@gastonruiz4061
It does make sense, his limited playmaking and overrated defense (because of larger offensive load, his defense isn't what it used to be) doesn't make him the best player in the world.
I have a very small nit-pick. Tiny. You gave both #9 Paul George and #8 Joel Embiid ranges that could have put them in the top seven, but none of your actual top seven had ranges that could have put them eighth or lower. That's a contradiction!
That means that they're probably as good as someone in the top 7 depending on what you look at, but those in the top 7 are definitely not worse than those guys
you're forgetting that players can tie
This channel is solid frikkin gold.
I love the justification and discussion for each players position and their potential, but ultimately each spot makes so much sense when paint the bigger picture like that.
I feel like the regular season really wears down harden, causing him to fall off in the playoffs
Given his performance this year in the regular season, I think that is a fair assessment. I actually had a lot of optimism for his prospects after Westbrook started stepping up during Harden's dry spells, because we were seeing a better Westbrook, who could be the first or second option depending on demand.
Aaron Hunter yea Westbrook has really been able to pick up the pace when Harden starts struggling, and I really was excited to see them in the playoffs, along with their small ball team
Bet that 2005 midrange season was by rip Hamilton
I had the same thought
It was prolly KG
Matt Bonner!
I had assumed Steve Nash.
@@ThinkingBasketball Would never have guessed that! Love your videos btw, keep up the good work!
i like your vids keep up the work
anyway i sometime find myself lost trying to read those graphs i wish you would explain more about it .
You should read his explanation for how he ranked the greatest players of all time, it's a similar evaluation system to the one used in this video www.backpicks.com/2017/12/11/the-backpicks-goat-the-40-best-careers-in-nba-history/
Kawhi should be higher after this championship
the stats don't say that
Jared Ferguson the man literally score 732 in a postseason,3rd all time what do you mean
@@dasaucee9296 I didn't say he was bad, I said that the stats show him at number 5
@@dasaucee9296 this video takes the post season into account
@@jaredferguson2999 Then why is AD ahead, he literally had no success
Dude you're the freaking man, your analysis has changed the way I look at basketball
I am a certified Basketball Nerd, junkie, take your pick. I absolutely LOVE listening and watching your videos. The greatest compliment I can give you is I use your videos to explain the sport to my 6 year old Son. Please give us more. You are my #Sensei
@ Awww... So sweet of you, to come up with that Tough remark. Mommy took away Toys huh? You'll be big and strong One day, and be a grown up. Patience sweety, patience.
I think adding some clips would help to keep a wider audience.
But that would mean that the video would be like 2 hours
Copyright maybe
I normally skip ads but I actually watched this one out of pure respect for the channel. You deserve it man, keep up the outstanding content
Same, put some RESPEK on this ad
I am glad you understand and get the true impact Steph has on the floor because a lot of casuals don't get it. A lot analyst don't get it as well. Channels like this is great for educating about the game. Great stuff am and keep it coming. Subbed since your Luka analysis.
This is some of the best NBA content I've seen created on TH-cam. Your explanation is so charismatic and easy to understand that it's amazing. I can easily see you blowing up in the near future and being the go-to source for all NBA nerds and statisticians. Keep on grinding and I hope to see more content from you in the future.
Starters got cancelled by NBA TV maybe you'll get picked up
Good
Man I liked the Starters they weren't sensationalist just like regular fans
Good video but I don’t understand how 1 of your criteria is based off championship equity but then you have Kawhi a now two time champion below players like AD and Antetekumpo who either only made the second round or was neutralized by Kawhi respectively
Julian Hoxha do some research of your own. Compare the Pelicans last year with AD (sweep this year’s WCF team, lost to the champs) to them even missing AD for 4 months (lottery bound) and you’ll see Anthony Davis is a young LeBron in terms of how he can elevate an utterly atrocious team to near-championship levels. Watch the Lakers this year. Davis will remind you how great he really is.
Ok So Basically I’m Rigby I’m not doubting his greatness I’m just saying Kawhi is better. AD also played with Holliday who is a fantastic defender and Rondo/Mirotic who also helped in that sweep. The reason I believe Kawhi is better is because he brought Toronto a team that struggled to get past the 2nd round for 2 years by getting swept by lebron and the cavs. And helped them win the chip. Now Kawhi did have more help than AD but you can’t present the possibility of AD winning titles with LA as a fact and as of right now Kawhi is better than AD
Julian Hoxha this championship doesn’t mean a whole lot. He beat a very depleted Warriors team with no bench and a shell of Demarcus Cousins. I can’t present LA titles as those are hypothetical, but Rondo and Mirotic being big parts of that sweep can’t be a knock against AD with the way they performed, or rather, didn’t, this year.
Ok So Basically I’m Rigby you can’t put asterisks on someone’s title because of injuries a championship is a championship the warriors beat the cavs without k love and Kyrie... what is Kawhi suppose to do just pack up and let them win no! He still had a historic scoring run only matched with some of the greats clamped up Antetekumpo and won the chip/finals MVP and I believe out of his criteria of Championship equity scoring and Defense Kawhi is elite in all categories and according to this guys criteria In my opinion Kawhi is better than AD. Finally I’m not knocking AD because of other people’s performances because he is still a top 5 talent I just have never seen him go that deep in the playoffs to put him in the same category of the winners like KD Kawhi
@@shaneyy__ your insane lol I feel like you didn't watch the whole thing or you wouldn't say something so atrocious!
I am sorry, but this video literally tells you why stats and analytics are absolute bs. Putting curry on 1 is a disgrace and kawhi so low is just bs 😂
You're my favorite TH-camr, keep up the awesome analysis
Finally somebody giving jokic the respect he deserves
Victor R doesn't deserve over Embiod tho
Really love your grading scale. Very very nice. Takes away bias to players and those who fall in love with stats.
eh??? this ALL about stats and only certain stats - with subjective preference weighting said stats...you can't GET more personally biased than this.
It's just rhetoric disguised as 'analysis' to give some vague appearance of scientific objectivity.
I agree curry runs the team and was slept on for MVP
Tripp’le H Curry wins
@@adrianburgess8927 gotem
@@adrianburgess8927 giannis had the better season team record
The MVP award doesn't go to the best basketball player unfortunately, it goes to the player whose narrative fits the award the most.
Adrian Burgess So would I if I had 4 all stars
I hate all the people who don't analyse basketball for a living argue with me on Instagram because they won't understand any of this
Very humble.
Yeah only stupid people breed
r/iamverysmart
@ Yeah they were both better this year and the right stats tell the whole story without your opinion attached them
@kevin garnett I do
Davis over Leonard? I think you’re massively overthinking this.
This channel should have a million subs by the time the 2019 season starts nobody is breaking basketball down better
This video was amazing. I love the way you analyze and dissect every player as if they’re some sort of human trading card it’s prettt cool. I know our season got cut pretty short but me and the rest of the fans would be super grateful if you made one for the 2019-20 season. If not I understand but thank you for creating AMAZING content 🙏🏿
Do all-time ! That be really cool
Woah!!! chill out Thats like a 3 month preparation video. but id go with Shaq as No.1
His top 10 before this season was:
Kareem
Lebron
Mj
Russell
Shaq
Hakeem
Duncan
Garnett
Wilt
Magic
@@Max-kv8uw In that order? Or you're just listing them?
@@Jay-dn2pg in that order
www.backpicks.com/2017/12/11/the-backpicks-goat-the-40-best-careers-in-nba-history/
DJgodslayer 1 yes and he even did an updated list of that on Twitter where he moved Lebron over MJ
I think it's hard to argue for a single player's CHAMPIONSHIP value in 2019 specifically. It felt like Toronto's defensive schemes were the difference maker.
that and injuries, I´m not taking anything from Toronto since it was a well earned chip but it is not the same to plan against a team with Steph, Klay and KD all healthy
Nice work and analytics are important but results are even more and Kawhi should be one
Triple TTT Retarded logic, otherwise Lowry would better than Curry now and Robert Horry would be better than LeBron James.
Kawhi was soooooo underrated in this video
Youre hands down the best basketball analyst on YT
If “Advanced stats” are telling you LeBron is the 7th best player in the league & Curry is the best player in the league. Then those stats are just dumb
Kawhi has the perfect balance. He's right in between Lebron and Kobe in terms of court shooting, efficiency, skill, and strength.
"THINKING BASKETBALL" should be a Home Work for ALL NBA analysts and reporters. ESPN and all the other channels must put these videos so than people could get more interest in basketball.
CONGRATS ON 100k subs in only 3 months ! Best basketball channel on TH-cam. Keep doing what u do!
Can you make "The Top 10 NBA Teams of 2019" ?
1. Raptors
2.Warriors
3.Bucks
4. Rockets
5. Trailblazers
6. Sixers
7. Thunder
8. Nuggets
9. Nets
10. Pelicans
@Ruth Mitt I changed it
1. WARRIORS 2. Rockets 3.sixers 4. Raptors 5. Bucks
LeBron did, in fact, retrospectively challenge everyone for the top spot
Kawhi should be top 3. His contribution to the team despite being injured and and double, sometimes triple teamed was amazing.
With KD injured i would have him #2 behind Lebron - Overall Player Rankings
Lebron
Kawhi
KD
Steph
-Giannis or AD (No jump shot really hurts the Freak & Waiting on AD to truly prove he is the best Big man this season)
Selfhood Renaissance finally someone that respects LeBron! People act like he's washed up not because he a his first injury it's such BS. One thing I disagree with though is no harden on your list. Harden is better than Steph kawhi and giannis to me. Harden is a better scorer passer and rebounder than everyone on this list except for giannis (rebounding) those are 3 of the 4 or 5 aspects of the game. And don't bring up the BS that he doesn't play well in the playoffs that man has been to like 3 conference finals in the west. Giannis hasn't done that kawhi has but he was with the Spurs that's the greatest system ever. Curry has with multiple all stars in his team and all Curry has to do is score. Draymond is the main playmaker. Harden has to score and make plays and he rebounds and he gets like 10 fouls a game. That puts the other team in foul trouble
Cameron Drain LeBron is washed up.
Nobody thought Michael Jordan was the best player when he was scoring 50 as a Wizard and missing the playoffs.
Back then I think NBA fans had a little bit more sense and people didn’t treat the sport like baseball.
@@PharaohsNews Well see if he is washed up or just doesn't care when he doesn't have a star to play alongside him
@@camerondrain8166 Not sure about Harden (behind AD) maybe just bias lol
My list for this year specifically:
1.KD 2.Kawhi 3.steph 4.harden 5.giannis 6.lebron 7.klay 8.jokic 9.pg13 10.embiid
But if we are talking about actually good, considering history, stats, team achievements, etc.:
1.kd 2.kawhi 3.lebron 4.curry 5.giannis 6.harden 7.AD 8.kyrie 9.embiid 10.klay
I agreed until I saw you put Davis over Kawhi
Did the pelicans even make the playoffs
@@jonathandeas8592 This year no. They made it thrice this decade though, twice with AD.
@@jonathandeas8592 not they were like 13 in the west or something lmfao
Jonathan Deas Doesn't mean a thing when you think he didnt play half of the season. If he played for all of the season Pelicans would be in playoffs.
@@talhakarsloglu4278 missed the point okay
Top 10 (no injuries)
1 Kevin Durant
2 LeBron James
3 Kawhi Leonard
4 Stephen Curry
5 Giannis Antetokounmpo
6 James Harden
7 Anthony Davis
8 Damian Lillard
9 Joel Embiid
10 Kyrie Irving
Maybe you can switch LeBron and Kawhi for the 2nd and 3rd spots...and think about Westbrook, George, Jokic for the 10th spot
Why does everybody put Embiid over Jokic? Jokic is far more unique, far better shooter-the only reason is because Jokic doesn’t have the freak athleticism everybody wants in a player, but he has damn near everything else and is the best passer in the league. Not for a center, just in general. Did y’all even watch the 2019 playoffs? Jokic was way more crucial to the nuggets than Joel to the sizers, and his numbers were far superior. He didn’t really have any awful games, Embiid had more than he did dominant games
@@rileymerino6340 Jokic is a great player....but Embiid is better...Why? SENSATIONS, this is not about the numbers or if Jokic produces 20 assists per game playing as center... Embiid is a dominant player with lot of talent and 1 season can't be the reason for you to put him in the top 10...if that's the reason, then you have to put Paul George in the top 5/3.
@@adriponte Well for one thing, this video is "best players of 2019" so your "1 season" argument, which isn't even valid--He averaged like 20-10-6 on pretty efficient shooting, and recorded the fastest triple double (a minute before halftime) ever last season. This season Jokic was 1st team, Embiid second, and for good reason. and Sensations? What does that even mean? Are you imploring me to watch blindly and just accept that Embiid is better because... you find him more interesting? I don't really understand what you're getting at. All around, I, and I think a lot of other people along with me, would build a team around Jokic before Embiid, I think he has a higher upside, while I believe Embiid is probably not going to improve a lot because of his play style.
@@rileymerino6340 Best players of 2019 isn't the same as best players of 2018-19 season...right? Again...if that's the case, then Paul George is a Top 3-5 player right now...agree or not?
My arguments for Embiid>Jokic are based on sensations like i told you...i don't care about numbers, my eyes will tell me who is the best player, not their averages in 1 season. For me Embiid is a true center, has a lot of talent both offensively and defensively, great moves, nice range and a much more physical player than Jokic (trust me, i like Jokic too...a lot!) but he is not as dominant physically as Joel, i don't like his defense...but not doubt, he has a special ability moving the ball...impressive, no doubt. Good moves too but i don't think he is as good as Embiid in this category.
So ... the difference is not huge, they have a very similar level of play ... I can understand therefore, that you prefer Jokic, but also understands that many others we like more Embiid.
Curry, kawhi and giannis is better than LEBRON
Your channel is the only one on TH-cam that gets the pass to have even WEEKS worth of gap between its videos and still be my favourite. Up next, we'd love to have a draft breakdown, especially with AD to Lakers...
I knew Curry was going to be number 1. Curry will win any metric conversation.
Except the nba finals
@@breese2825 3 rings
Jakeem fake rings look st how he got them
@@breese2825 you can breakdown almost any championship team run and try to diminish it if you want but at the end of the day a ring is a ring bub
@Loc T i was only talking about curry, noticed how i didn't say anything about AD. and he didn't use "bias" metrics. when you talk about the top 6 players in the nba, it's a hair-splitting these guys. people get so emotional when they see a player they love behind someone else not realizing the margins are paper thin.
Why does curry look like a lumberjack😂
Lol
I love Giannis but no way is he better than Kawhi.
Not now but his ceiling is almost limitless. We'll see where he is at Kawhis current age
Exactly, DomJX
Kawhi was simply with a better team with the perfect scheme to counter Giannis.
@@ghedneildagalea6958 until they switched Kawhi on to him, scheme didn't work. It says enough about Greek because he doesn't have more weapons.
@@Kodreanu23 ur giving kawhi too much credit there and discrediting gasol. If you're new to the channel, watch the analysis of kawhi being a giannis stopper which was not the case. Raps literally built a wall on giannis everytime he has the ball.
This is the real top 5
1.LeBron
2.Kawhi
3.KD
4.AD
5.Giannis
1.Lebron
2.KD/Kawhi
3.Giannis/AD
It's really hard to decide which is better among them.
2019, not in general
@@battleform518
Kawhi>KD/ AD>Giannis
1. Kd 2. Curry 3. Giannis
@@donnadunbar5342 your list Sucks
The one thing I cannot agree with is Anthony Davis being so high up on your list. Reason being, despite putting up some of the most impressive numbers the league has ever seen he consistently struggles to put his team in playoff contention year after year. You can say his team isn't good or his team isn't healthy etc. but if he was truly a top 5 player in the league then that excuse just isn't viable to me. All the greats who played on bad teams always single handedly kept their team in playoff contention. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade etc. the list goes on. When someone tells me that "X Player" is a top 5 player in the league then that person is telling me that he is in the ranks of those players that I mentioned and that is the standard that I am going to measure that player by. Anthony Davis has shown that he cannot do what those players did consistently. I believe something has to be said for that and for that reason alone, despite averaging 28/12/3, he shouldn't be a top 5 player. Top 10? Probably. Top 5? No. Otherwise! As always, loved the video and keep up the great work you do!
Agreed and despite putting up those monster numbers. I'm curious to know why AD can't do that.
You mentioned Garnett... he was arguably the best player in 2005 and his team missed the playoffs also.
No Center can single handedly drag a team to serious contention in todays NBA....but what he said was who impacts any team the most, as in who with GOOD players as well as bad players would shine but especially good teams because that wins Championships...Like Harden style isnt as effective on good teams because hes a one man show...while Steph's gravity makes every single offensive ever lethal by him being double teamed off ball Everyone else is essentially ALWAYS open...and why KD looks better on GSW then say OKC
UeProductionz I’m pretty sure the Pelicans outscored opponents by over 3 points per 100 possessions when AD played. The problem is that they were outscored by over 5 points when he didn’t play. These numbers are pretty similar to last season, the main difference was just that AD missed so many games. So yeah, AD led them to being a decent team, it’s just that they were absolutely awful whenever he wasn’t on the court.
Kevin Garnett played 12 years in Minnesota and still got his team to the playoffs his first 8 years. You can exclude his rookie year if you want but that is still 7 straight years out of 12. Anthony Davis is 7 years into his career and he's made the playoffs just twice. If you wanna go by percentages then thats 66% and 28% for Garnett and AD respectively. I simply don't see how a player can be Top 5 in the league when he only makes the playoffs 28% of the time.
This channel is the future
1. Durant
2. Kawhi
3. Giannis
4. LeBron
5. AD
6. Curry
7. Harden
8. Embid
9. George
10. Jokic
Same players but different spots
10. Jokic
9. Embiid
8. George
7. Harden
6. LeBron
5. AD
4. Giannis
3. Steph
2. Kawhi
1. KD
Ishaan Bal embiid over George
Lets just appreciate how deep the PF and SF positions are right now, and also give props to Curry and Harden for managing to distinguish themselves despite being guards in such an amazing era for forwards. I disagree with a couple of the ranking but I tend to value how far a team goes, so I would have Davis drop and Kawhi rise a little, maybe just swap them, I also value PGs defence a little higher, vaulting him over Harden who I see as a more flawed overall player. Just my 2 cents though, great list in all.
I disagree with a lot of this, but I respect the work you put in to come up with this. Very strongly disagree with Kawhi though
Yeah, Kawhi should be higher. Although it is tough to evaluate players these days with them all resting and such.
This is why parts of the basketball community still frowns upon analytics. You come up with some crazy formula to calculate that Curry is the best. Coaches, executives, or most importantly players (retired or playing) would never come to that conclusion and they are the ones that go against each other day after day after day.
Players look for specific skills, they don't know the game as well as some of the top analysts, as basketball as a 5vs5 game is immensely complex. A player, due to 1on1 bias, is more likely to have a stronger preference for an isolation player. Ben Taylor also watches more games than any of us do, he uses both stats and eye test in his assessment. I suggest you read his Backpicks GOATs list, it's the best mix of analytics and eye test in all of basketball when it comes to player evaluation.
I guess the only “factual” way to make a list like this is to use stats but I think we can all agree that after the raptors vs bucks series it’s clear that Giannis is still far behind Kawhi
Maybe in playoffs, but Giannis still better this year in regular season
Jason Jia Yea Kawhi wasn’t going all out in the regular season like Giannis was. We all saw how that turned out
The only thing clear from that series was that the Bucks was "far behind" Raptors
Isaac Giannis also choked. Couldn’t hit free throws, was turning the ball over, forcing up shots in traffic, etc. Meanwhile Kawhi was balling the whole series
Isaac funny how the Bucks were rolling all year and everybody thought they were the best team and now Toronto is a super team or something because they beat them.
No, their best player just a flawed player and their entire offense is centered around covering that up and Toronto has the personnel to counter Dwight Howard with a handle.
If you look at the numbers or the footage, he didn’t make some giant leap from last year. The things that took Milwaukee over the top were the other guys and how well THEY played.
God, I love this channel
Although I don’t completely agree with your top 5 arrangement, I really liked the video content. Subbed!
Why don't you agree when he showed tons of evidence for his choices?
Old, but because statistics just can't be used to gauge a players skill and ranking, because we all know curry is not the best player in the league, but all the statistics points to him, which proves my point of the problems with extended statistics and calculations over an eye tesr
@@rajchow1 why do we ''all know Curry is not the best player in the league''? The video gives perfectly solid evidence for his overall impact on a team winning a championship as being the biggest in the league. When you use advanced analytics, you focus on impact and not the player's particular playing style, which removes biases about stuff like ''the two-way player is always the better player''. And also, this video gives a clear perspective used for assessing the best: Championship equity. Given that perspective, there's reason to see Curry as the best. Maybe you have a different value regarding what being the best player means.
@@rajchow1 wait we do not all know curry isnt the best player in the league. Individually others may be better, but his impact on team performance is rivaled by none. They play 5 on 5 not 1 on 1.
Riqui Yeah but at the same time Curry having the biggest impact doesn’t equate to being the best player, and it goes back to the point of eye test vs analytics. Go back to the 2019 nba finals, for such a big impact curry makes, why couldn’t he win with a perfectly capable team of the championship? Because clearly his stats for at least a little inflated by the fact that the warriors were such a perfect, cohesive unit and then became an unstoppable juggernaut. He was a defensive liability and was literally outplayed by fred vanvleet and failed to perform when it mattered most. For the supposed “best player in the league” how could he not pull through? Because he isn’t a good enough overall basketball player to do it without REALLY good help, that is why he never was and never will be the best player in the league, in my opinion at least.
Waiting for how lebron, ad and kuzma fit together...
The effort that went into the video, damn.