The Top 7 NBA Players in 2020
The 2019–2020 NBA season was the longest in NBA history. The season lasted nearly an entire calendar year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In what was a wacky season, the competition level remained consistent in a league dominated by superstars. The top stars of today’s NBA league are constantly breaking records and expanding boundaries set by the NBA greats that came before them. Here are the top seven NBA players in 2020.
7. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets had their best season in over ten years in large part due to Jokic’s contributions. The Nuggets had a historic postseason run, becoming the first team to come back from down 3–1 in a playoff series twice in one playoff run. The second series in which they came back was against the Los Angeles Clippers, who were among the best teams in the league and the team many experts picked to win the title. In this series, he averaged 24.4 points, 13. 4 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game on 51.5 percent shooting. Jokic scored 40 points in the series-clinching game to send his team to the Western Conference Finals.
What makes Jokic unique is his ability to pass the ball at his size. Jokic put up 7.1 assists per game in the 2019–2020 season, which is something only one other big in the history of the NBA has been able to beat (Wilt Chamberlain’s 8.6 assists per game, 1967–1968). Jokic will have a good shot of beating this record as he is only 25 years old and will be dominating the league for years to come.
6. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
After winning the 2018–2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award, Doncic followed up with another great season. In his rookie year, the Mavericks finished 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. With a year of experience, in his sophomore season, Doncic was able to carry the Mavericks to the playoffs, where he would put up historic numbers. In his best game of the 2020 NBA playoffs, Doncic made a walk-off game-winning shot, scored 43 points with a triple-double, and brought his team back from a 21-point deficit while playing on a sprained ankle. His stat line was 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists in this game, and he was only the third player in NBA history to accomplish a stat line like this. Luka Doncic put up these numbers in his first-ever playoff appearance and is only 21 years old.
5. James Harden, Houston Rockets
James Harden has consistently been considered one of the league’s best players for many seasons. Harden won the 2017–2018 Most Valuable Player award scoring 30.4 points per game that season. His average would jump to a historic 36.1 points per game in his next season, which has only been topped by a pair of NBA legends, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. Harden is considered by most to be the best scorer currently in the NBA as he leads the league in scoring nearly every year. He led the league in scoring for the 2019–2020 NBA, which marked three years in a row that Harden has accomplished this. When his career is over, Harden will be one of the best scorers the league has ever seen.
4. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Before Leonard joined the Clippers, he had just led the Toronto Raptors to their first championship in franchise history. He was named the 2019 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, which was his second time winning this award. He then joined the Clippers, a team that has never won a championship, and instantly made them into title contenders. Although the Clippers ultimately fell short, Kawhi still put up some of his career-best numbers. He averaged his career-high in points per game with 27.1 and assists per game with 4.9. While Leonard is extraordinary on offense, he is also one of the league’s best perimeter defenders. Leonard’s ability to control both sides of the ball is what makes him one of the best players in the NBA.
3. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis is another one of those players who dominate on both offense and defense. His unique skill set allows him to be one of the most, if not the most, versatile players in the NBA. For much of his high school career, Davis played the guard position due to his short height. However, by his senior year, Davis was 6’10. Now Davis can shoot and dribble like a guard while being one of the NBA’s taller players. This makes him a matchup nightmare for any center, which showed in the 2020 NBA playoffs. Davis scored 27.7 points per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the field and grabbing 9.7 rebounds per game in the 2020 NBA playoffs. His dominant playoff performance helped lead his team to a championship title in 2020.
While Davis is a matchup problem for teams on offense, he also is one of the league’s best defenders. The combination of his agility with his long frame makes him a defensive monster as he can switch and guard any position. When Davis joined the Lakers, they instantly became one of the league’s best defensive teams. Davis finished as runner up for the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year award and made the NBA All-Defensive 1st Team.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
There is a reasonable argument to crown Antetokounmpo as the best player in the NBA. If he isn’t the best player now, he certainly will be soon. Antetokounmpo won the MVP award the last two NBA seasons and won Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019–2020 season. He joins Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as one of only three players to win these two awards in the same season. Antetokounmpo put up an incredible stat line this season. He averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists while also getting a block and a steal per game. He is the only player in the history of the league to put up these numbers.
While Antetokounmpo had a historic 2019–2020 season, he has come up short two years in a row in the playoffs. For the past two years, the Bucks have had the best record in the Eastern Conference. In both of these years, they fell short of expectations in the playoffs. The playoff failures have been the only blemish on Antetokounmpo’s otherwise extraordinary career. However, he has plenty of time to turn it around as he is only 25 years old and has improved every season up to this point.
- Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers
It is remarkable how long Lebron James has been able to keep his crown as the NBA’s best player. James has made it to 9 of the last 10 NBA Finals. At age 35, in his 17th season, James led his team to victory in the 2020 NBA Championship in what will go down as one of the most challenging championships in NBA history. James won the 2020 Finals Most Valuable Player award making him the first player in NBA history to win this award on three different teams (Heat 2012, 2013; Cavaliers 2016; Lakers 2020).
Even in his 17th season, no one can control a basketball game quite like Lebron James. As James’ athleticism has decreased, he has become a more cerebral player allowing him to reinvent his game. In the 2019–2020 NBA season, James played as a point guard for his team and averaged a league-best 10.2 assists per game. This assist total was also the highest of his long career. James is among the top in nearly every statistical category for both regular season and playoff stats. Lebron James is one of the best players who have ever played the game, and we have yet to see him slow down.
