Top 12 players In The NBA Right Now I'd Build A Franchise Around:
Anthony Davis is first on my list, he's well known as a top 5 player by many and he's only 23. There is nothing Davis can't do, he's one of the leagues best defenders, he's also one of the leagues best offensive players. You know, you're a beast when you're getting compared to Tim Duncan!! (Not by style of play but by numbers) Tim Duncan at 21 years old: 21-12-3, 2.5 blocks, 22.6 PER. Anthony Davis at 21 years old: 25-10-2, 2.8 blocks, 31.8 PER. So by the numbers this man was outdoing the greatest power forward ever and even had a case of being the best player of that season in 2015. How many young players can you make a case for like that? He carried his team to the playoffs in 2015, so he's shown the ability to take his team to the playoffs out west, ill surround him with some nice pieces and coaching, im sure to have a franchise player and all time great player out of him of course if he's stays healthy.
Second on my list, is none other than the GOAT GIANNIS! Lol jp but he's a bad bad man. Giannis is really so talented it's not even funny, this man can do it all, and really carrying Milwaukee on his shoulders at the age of 22. I haven't seen this city this happy about a player in forever. He can do it all from dish the ball, rebounding, play the passing lane well, defense, attacking the basket, and he has that hunger you want in your best player. Now what he needs to improve is his shooting that needs help, once he's gets that down it's honestly no stopping him. Dudes a walking mismatch he's practically a 7ft rooter with Wb slashing, Larry Nance dunking, and the passing of any quality pg in the NBA. Him being 22 and showing to be amazing talent with room to grow made him an easy high choice for me, he can finish as an all time great, and will keep my franchise relevant and will most likely be that guy to have players want to come play with him to win.
This may come off as biased, but I feel this pick should be respected. Stephen Curry is 28 and has already accomplished more than in his shorter time in the league than a lot of pgs have dreamed of doing. He's a 2x MVP, winning one of them unanimously (no one has ever done that Before) and he's won a championship. So he's shown he can be valuable to a franchise, on and off the court. He's very unselfish, makes players around him better and has a winning mentality. He's a damn good player, last season he averaged 30.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 6.7 apg, 2.1 spg on 50/40/90. That's damn good, so he's shown he can score with the best of them while being efficient not hurting his team. And back to my point on him being unselfish he's shared his best player role with Kd and still manages to play damn good, any other star who was in the situation Curry was in (being the MVP of the NBA) wouldn't be so Quick to share his role on his team. How can you not take a premier,young,unselfish player like that and say yes I want him to be a cornerstone for my team ?
At 4 I have the 22 year rookie from Kansas who is currently only Philly, ladies and gentleman I'm hear to announce Joel Embiid! Now I can't even begin assume your opinion on this ranking. Because this can be a head scratcher for some and it can be a "well duh" for some people. Embiid did in fact miss 2 seasons, which is a lot. But for me after showing me his ability once he finally got on the court it was an easy choice for me. This kid is bright has skills for days, and he's not scared to speak his mind, which can be a problem at times but for the most part I'd love that. He has a very good ball handling abilities for a 7fter, he has a sold shot and isn't scared to jump up with you at the rim to deny your shot. Joel is on a min watch this season, (because why risk over playing him and getting him hurt ?), so his stats don't fully the tell the story on his play. So his per36 is more fair to judge him by, this season he's averaging 27.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.1 spg, 3.4 bpg, on 46% shooting. Now the 46% shooting can be a no no to someone who loves traditional bigs, but he's shoots a lot of jumpers and is a rookie, id expect his shooting efficiency to improve. You put the right players around him through out his career, he can be a cornerstone to a 50+ win contending seem some day. That man talent is limitless just needs to stay healthy.
At 5, I have Kyrie Irving "Uncle Drew". Kyrie is 24 years old (which hypocritically made it easy for me to put him high.) I'm not the biggest fans of kyrie anymore, but their is no denying his impact. Kyrie is amazing talent with clutch ability not many who's th posses these days. Kyrie is 24 and has shown To be a big time playoff performer and looks to be a good hungry teammate. Let me give you some numbers to back up my statement on him being a big time playoff performer, in his second playoff appearance as the number 2 option he averaged 25.2 ppg, 3 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.6 bpg on 47.5% shooting. I'm sure we all know how huge he was in their win over GS I don't need to get into that. So he's young, already a star, a big time playoff performer and is growing. I'd put the right team around him I feel he can be a top 12 MVP candidate one day.
At 6 I have Kd. The man is a pure beast who is unselfish, and is at the peak of his career. I thought about putting him lower because he's 28, but believe it or not Lebron influenced me to think otherwise. I thought, "I wouldn't choose a young wall over a Lebron in Mia just because he's 4-6 years younger" so I won't do it here. Kd is special talent, one of the best scorers this game has ever seen, but as we are seeing he's showing even more growth and is becoming a complete player, improving his passing/defense/ and rebounding. While Kd maybe be 28 he's still an already established elite player who offers me the chance to win right away for at least the next 4-5 years.
At 7 I have the 27 year old James Harden. He's this guy mainly Because the player I'm seeing out of him this season. He's become such a team player, unselfish distributor, one of the leagues best scorers, one of he best rebounding guards also, he's became more of leader. If you watched him this season you will see's on the sidelines with the tablets helping players out and you know leading them. Thats you want see in your best player. Harden is by no means one of the best defenders but he's shown improvement, I don't want my team not playing defense. So if I'd seen a loose effort from him on that end I'm going to get on him about it, because sometimes stars have to lead by example, so if they see Harden showing effort on defense the role players and etc. better do the same. But with me building around harden and want to be successful I have to surround him with shooters that can space the floor and make it easier for him, like Kd he brings that " give you a shot to win now chance". Btw this season he's averages 28.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 11.9 apg, 1.7 spg, on 44% shooting. Although he turns the ball over a lot honestly which can be slowed down if he wasn't trying to be so flashy on his passes all the time, but it also comes with the fast pace they play in.
At 8, I have the most underrated star in the NBA "John Wall". John Wall is still fairly young at 26. Wall is one of the last true pgs left in the NBA. Wall is constantly overlooked, and he shouldn't be, he does a lot and so less around him. Wall is a great pg who will always look to everyone involved around him which is great, which means he will attract players to my team, make others better and come everyday to play hard for my squad, this season this man is one of the 3 players in the league to average 20ppg and 10apg (Wb and Harden) but unlike those guys he's also playing damn good on defensive end leading the league in steals. So he's showing effort everyone. I'd love for him to be a cornerstone of my team, I got mad respect for John Wall.
At 9, I have the guy all the Knick fans booed on draft night Porzingis. This pick was influenced a lot by his potential, dirks career, and what I have seen from him already. Porzingis, is a freakish athlete for his size, this man can shoot the rock and can play some solid defense. This man is literally the more athletic version of Dirk, Porzingis is a better rebounder though. I'm probably one of the few who feel Porzingis might down the finish a better player than Towns. I forgot to mention up above that he is 22 years old, which is damn young of course. It's his growth will be fun to see, and I'd love for him be on my team throughout that process and also in his Prime. Porzingis is the only rookie in NBA History to score more than 1000 points, grab 500-plus rebounds, make 75-plus three-pointers and block more than a 100 shots. These stats showcase Porzingis' versatility. So that right there shows what Porzingis is bringing already and will grow to be even better.
At 10, I have an iffy choice in the 26 year old Paul George. I put him here because I've seen this man carry a team and I've seen him lead a very good team to the ECF, at a young age. These days a lot agree kawhi>PG but to me Pg in 2014>Kawhi 2016. I used that example because those are those 2 guys at their best so far in their careers. PG in the right situation is fighting for a top a 7 spot, a capable defender and much better scorer than he was when he first came into the NBA. His first year starting in 29 mins of play he averaged 12 ppg the vey next season he went to averaging 17 the next 21, so the growth is there. PG did have a devastating injury while playing for Team USA which slowed down his progression. But the first season he came back from the injury he averaged 23.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 4apg, 1.9 spg, on 41%. Now the only i problem I have with him is his horrible shooting percentages, I will push him to trying his hardest to become More efficient and getting the guys around him more involved.
At 11 i have Towns, I know some are like fuck this list, no WB, Kawhi, Cousins or Lebron and having Towns this low, this list is shit, but oh well we know I don't share popular opinion. But anyways back to the subject, Towns, is a damn good talent who already exceeding my expectations his rookie season. I said he would be a bust, boy did he prove me wrong. Towns went on to have an amazing season which prompted me to thinking very highly of their sophomore season as a team lead behind his play. Well this year timberwolves are playing bad. Towns seems to have a taken a step back honestly from his rookie season, but do I think it will continue on that note for his career? Hell no, I feel he the right cast will be placed around him, and I feel he will come to understand himself more out there as a player. Towns is 21 which is stupid young, he's looking at about 13 great more seasons (random estimation) he'd be a damn good cornerstone, he's dirty in the low post, very good shooter for the big position not at Porzingis level but still better than others, his defense can improve but he's a solid passer and pretty good rebounder, his skill set will get him far in this league specially wit the league going small, he will abuse smaller defenders and be quick enough to be able to contest their shots at Least, on the defensive end.
This definitely another biased I'm willing to admit, Demar Derozan is my last pick at 12. He's 27 and is really just getting at the peak of his career. This man is a premier scorer in our league. And not shabby on defense either. Demar is improving his all around game along with becoming a great scorer, he gets overlooked because of guys like Lebron and Giannis, but he's the third best player out east right now. He's probably not looked at as someone who can lead your team to the finals, but who knows? This man can ball, and was recently apart of the best team in Toronto raptors last season, he has a bromance with his teammate Kyle Lowry which is the type of chemistry you want between your best players on your team, shows a good attitude. A good attitude is key for someone I want start my team around of course plus he's a likable guy and really hungry to get better and studies Kobe game non stop, so I'm expecting an even dangerous Derozan coming, so im not iffy about my last pick, the talent is there and he doesn't have any baggage in the NBA.
Notable Snubs: Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, Kawhi, Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin, Demarcus Cousins
Main reason I some of these guys aren't in here because I honestly don't like them, and I feel they could be a problem for me/my team. Lebron Drummond, kawhi isn't included in that ^, Lebron didn't make the list because he's 31, which honestly still isn't bad but who knows how much longer he plays at this level, or plays in general ? Idk I just feel at this stage of his career it would be an iffy pick. I flat out don't want Wb or cousins on my squad, Andre is another young big, but honestly is overrated, great rebounder but that's the only thing he great at nothing build around there, Blake Griffin is a beast and young guy also but he doesn't look to me as a guy who can carry a team and lead a franchise to any success. Kawhi was just flat out snubbed, I have no beef with him honestly that really isn't just me being picky, he still can finish greater than a lot of guys on my list. Hope you guys enjoyed outside of your favorite player or 2 not being there.. — with Gregory Tyrrell and 7 others.