Ranking the NBA’s Best Players Entering the 2024-2025 Season

Anthony Davis enjoyed one of his best seasons with the LA Lakers, as he averaged 24.7 points per game with a 62.1% True Shooting%. He finished in the 93rd Percentile in Offensive EPM, as he’s a threat whenever he gets close to the rim and has been an elite force in the paint for years. That being said, you could reasonably argue that his excellent offensive abilities aren’t even the best aspect of his game. If you rank the best defensive players in the sport, you would be insane to leave him out of the top five.

A prolific shot-blocker who can contest any shot at the rim, opposing defenses avoid attacking the basket when he’s on the court. The Lakers have plenty of issues, but Anthony Davis is far from one of them. He played more than 75 games this past season for the first time in his career as well and made his ninth All-Star team, we’re looking at a player who not only has become one of the best players of his generation but will also waltz into the Hall of Fame.

Victor Wembanyama had a rookie season for the ages despite his minutes restriction early on, as he dominated on both sides of the basketball. He averaged 21.4 points per game at roughly league-average efficiency, and while he had a problem with turnovers and jump shooting, both of those are typical issues for a first-year NBA player. He won’t turn 21 until January 4th, and just as Anthony Davis’ offensive game is overshadowed by his defensive game, the same rings true for Wemby.

As of right now, I believe Wembanyama is the best defensive player in the NBA, as he led the NBA in blocks per game (3.6) despite averaging under 30 minutes a game, and if he’s unleashed from a usage standpoint, he will contend for if not win Defensive Player of the Year. He ranked in the 95th Percentile in Defensive EPM as a rookie and shot 32.1% from downtown on over five attempts a game; there’s a very real chance he becomes a reliable floor spacer while being an elite defender and insane interior scorer. He’s one of a kind.

Last season was a huge one for Jayson Tatum as he won his first ring in the NBA and snapped a title drought for the Boston Celtics that had extended for longer than a decade. His on-court performance was remarkable, do not let people who only look at scoring as the only way to evaluate impact, as Tatum’s defensive abilities and playmaking make him one of the most valuable players in the league. A bonafide two-way star who has one of the best all-around games in the league, Tatum can score the ball and guard a top scorer at the same time.

He averaged 26.9 points per game while having a TS% above 60% while averaging 4.9 assists and 8.1 rebounds a game. At the same time, he was in the 77th Percentile in Defensive EPM and has shown that he’s more than willing to sacrifice box score stats to help his team win games. The talent around him certainly made his path to a title easier, but Jayson Tatum has been one of the best players in the league for a few years now, and he’s the face of the Celtics franchise.

When he first signed a four-year deal with the New York Knicks, nobody imagined that Jalen Brunson would finish in the top five in MVP voting just two years later. The star guard has become a truly dominant offensive player, finishing sixth in the league in EPM (+5.9) as he averaged 28.7 points per game on excellent efficiency as he’s a multi-level scorer who can rip apart defenses with ease. He shot 40.1% from three on 6.8 attempts a game, and his floater has become one of the best shots in the game.

Brunson is not a strong defender but he’s learned how to take charges and play his part on the defensive side of the ball, and the Knicks have now surrounded him with excellent defenders. Furthermore, the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns should open up the paint for Brunson’s floater game and he can attack the basket with more confidence as New York was the worst team in the league last year at drawing rim protectors away from the basket. He’s a superstar, and he could lead the Knicks to a title for the first time in 50 years.

It’s unbelievable that entering his age-40 season, LeBron James is still undeniably a top-10 player in the NBA. It isn’t enough to be a four-time NBA Champion, four-time league MVP, and 20-time All-Star, as he’s hungry to bring Los Angeles another title in 2024. Last year, he averaged 25.7 points while shooting better than ever in his career from downtown with a 41% 3PT% on 5.1 attempts per game. His ability to attack the basket aggressively, create looks for the opponents, and bring down boards remain near or at the top of the league.

He finished seventh in the league in EPM (+5.9) and played over 70 games for the first time since joining the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James is one of the best teams in the NBA without a shadow of a doubt, has remained elite for two decades, and should remain one of the best players in the league if he holds up as a 40-year-old nearing the potential end of his career. In his mind, there’s another championship run left in his system, but it’s a matter of whether the players around him and AD can get the job done.

Last year was a breakout campaign for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who arguably should have won the MVP award and showed off his offensive and defensive abilities. He was in the 99th Percentile in Offensive EPM and in the 97th Percentile in Defensive EPM this season, as he’s arguably the best two-way player in the NBA right now. He was a consistent 30-point per-game scorer with great efficiency posting a 63.6% TS% while averaging a career-high in steals (2.0).

Unlike most guards in the NBA, SGA isn’t a perimeter player who relies on his three-point shot to generate offense, but his three-point ball isn’t anything to scoff at either. He will drive to the basket, score at a high rate, get to the free-throw line, and tear apart any defense you put in front of him. Oklahoma City has the best team in the Western Conference on paper, and we could see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bring the Thunder their first title in franchise history.

After missing the postseason, Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics in five games. The 25-year-old superstar has become one of the best offensive threats we’ve ever seen grace the court, averaging 33.9 points per game while shooting a career-best 38.2% from three on a career-high in attempts (10.6) as well. His scoring efficiency improved as he had a 61.7% TS% (another career-best mark), and I’d argue he’s the best scorer in the league.

Defensively he leaves a lot to be desired, but Dallas has built a roster around him that’s capable of working around the defensive issues. Doncic is truly one of the best players in the league and should contend for an MVP as he looks to defend Dallas’ Western Conference title and win the first ring of his career. He has the potential to become the best player in the league, and for stretches of the 2023-2024 season, it looked like there was no one better on the planet than Luka Doncic.

It’s hard to evaluate Joel Embiid because, on one hand, he hasn’t gotten past the second round, but on the other, he has performed at as high of a level as you can over the past three years. Last season he looked like he would go back-to-back on MVP awards before an injury would knock him out for most of the regular season, and while Philadelphia lost in the first round to the Knicks, it wasn’t because of Embiid. He was in the 99th Percentile in Offensive and Defensive EPM this past season, making him the best two-way guy in the NBA.

The health concerns are not something to completely gloss over; he has entered every postseason somewhat banged up and has been unable to reliably stay on the court. It’s not his fault, he cannot control when his body betrays him, but it inherently makes him less valuable to an NBA team than the two players ahead of him. The margin between him and second place is negligible, and if Embiid has the year he had last season over 75 games, he will win his second MVP in a landslide.

Few players are as physically imposing as Giannis Antetokoumpo, who averaged 30.4 points per game on the best TS% of his career (64.9%). The former two-time NBA MVP enjoyed another ridiculous campaign where he was both an offensive monster and a defensive demon, and he’s going to enter some all-time conversations that no one envisioned for him when he was first drafted by the Bucks. Milwaukee has had some trouble late in seasons though, and while that hasn’t affected his ranking, it does pull him closer to the rest of the list.

Gone are the days when Giannis was the undisputed best player in the league, which I think ended about two or three years ago. Furthermore, he isn’t undoubtedly the second-best player in the NBA either, as I think the third, fourth, and fifth-best players on this list are all arguably better players at this point in time. Personally, I have faith that Giannis will maintain his efficiency and develop better synergy with new star teammate Damian Lillard, which is why he finished ahead of the three players before him.

There is a gap between Nikola Jokic and the rest of the league, and while it’s not one that I think is insurmountable, its one large enough where this isn’t a debate. The star center won his third MVP in four years, and honestly should be a four-time MVP. With a ring in hand, there’s no way you can doubt the offensive behemoth that Jokic has become, and while his defensive abilities still remain mediocre at-best, it doesn’t really matter given his incredible value.

Last season was the first year he didn’t finish first in Efficiency Wins since the COVID year, and his ability to both create offense for himself and others is unmatched. Over the last four years, Nikola Jokic has averaged 26/12/8 on a ridiculous 66.3% Truer Shooting%, posting a league-best in Box Plus-Minus in each of those four seasons. This is one of the greatest primes we’ve ever seen, one of the greatest centers we’ve ever seen, and easily the best player in the NBA right now.