We have arrived at the final installment of our Top 100 best NBA players for the 2022-23 season. After carefully considering the ranking of over 100 NBA players, the time has come for us to reveal our Top 10. We have released our entire Top 100 with a few criteria in mind. The rankings before you, and the previous ones, have been based on skill, production, accolades, and overall impact on team success. The Top 100 was carefully considered and analyzed before release. We have now arrived at the final 10 players in our series.
The 10 players below are the elite of the elite in the NBA heading into the 2022-23 season. Almost every player in the Top 10 has an argument to be Top 5, and over half the list has an argument to be No. 1. These players are the best of the best that the NBA has to offer, and the 0 players with the most impact on winning in the NBA. These are your superstars and the ones that will carry the NBA into the new generation of play. Without any more anticipation, let’s dive into the final 10 players of our Top 100.
These are the 10 best players in the NBA heading into the 2022-23 season.
10. Devin Booker
Devin Booker had the finest season of his young career in 2021-22 and only seems to keep getting better. Booker averaged 26.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 4.8 APG in 2021-22 and was selected to his first All-NBA First Team. The Suns, led by Booker and Chris Paul, finished with a franchise-record 64 wins and the No. 1 overall seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. The season ended in disappointment and a second-round exit courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks, leaving us with many questions going into the new year.
Booker will once again be the No. 1 scoring option for the 2022-23 season followed by Paul and Deandre Ayton. Booker has been ankle to produce at a high level from both the mid-range as a shooter and at the rim as a finisher. Booker tied a career-high from the 3-point line in 2021-22, shooting 38.3% on 7.0 attempts per game. You can expect the same amount of volume and efficiency from one of the best shooting guards in basketball and you can expect the Suns to once again be toward the top of the Western Conference.
9. Kawhi Leonard
After a full year off due to injury, Kawhi Leonard is set to return to the Los Angeles Clippers with nothing less than title aspirations. Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season after having knee surgery on a torn meniscus suffered in the 2021 playoffs against the Utah Jazz. The last time we saw Kawhi on the basketball court, he led the Clippers to 47 wins and a 4th place finish in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, Leonard punished opponents by averaging 30.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 2.1 SPG in 11 playoff games before the injury and the Clippers advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Leonard, along with Paul George, will once again be the leader on the floor for the Clippers in 2022-23. The Clippers have high hopes for the 2022-23 season after an offseason that saw them land John Wall and get their 2 best players back fully healthy. Leonard will bring back his All-Defensive play and offensive production to help the Clippers possibly make their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. If we have learned anything about Kawhi Leonard, it is that when he turns it on, a championship is within reach.
8. Jayson Tatum
If looking at just the numbers, you could conclude that Jayson Tatum had a “down year” in 2021-22. If you take into account all that he and the Boston Celtics accomplished, it was one of the best years of his young career so far. Tatum led a young and hungry Celtics team all the way to the NBA Finals and played a larger role on defense with the No. 1 defensive team in basketball. Tatum’s scoring took a slight dip, but he improved in every other area to help the Celtics solidify themselves as a Top 5 team heading into 2022-23.
Jayson Tatum will have his leadership tested early on in 2022-23. A tumultuous offseason in Boston has the Celtics in need of their top players to step up and lead them past all of the distractions that could easily tear a team apart. Tatum’s play will have no issues taking on the challenge as this team checks off all of the boxes needed to compete for an NBA championship once again. If Tatum and teammate Jaylen Brown can get Boston off to a hot start, the distractions will ease up and Boston will be dangerous heading into the playoffs at the end of the year.
7. LeBron James
It almost doesn’t feel right to rank LeBron James outside of the Top 5, but here we are. James is headed into his 20th season of NBA play and in 2021-22, he showed little signs of father time catching up to him. James averaged 30.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 6.2 APG last season but his Lakers fell short of qualifying for a play-in spot and missed the postseason for the 2nd time in his L.A. career. He has his work cut out for him in 2022-23, but if anyone is up to the challenge, it is the man who has been atop the league for nearly 2 decades.
The Lakers battled injuries and chemistry issues all season long in 2021-22, including James, who missed 26 games himself. James will turn 38 years old toward the beginning of the season but hopes to be on the court a lot more this upcoming year. Hopefully, LeBron’s supporting cast does more to support him in 2022-23 as James ended up being their leading scorer, rebounder, and playmaker. If James can get the Lakers to reel in their emotions and tune out the outside noise, there should be no reason we see LeBron playing postseason basketball once again.
6. Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid had a massive season in 2021-22, leading the league in scoring with 30.1 PPG and leading the Sixers to a 51-31 record, good for 4th in the Eastern Conference. Embiid did it all on the floor for Philadelphia in 2021-22, shouldering the offensive load and being an elite defender on the other end at the same time. Embiid finished runner-up for the MVP award for the 2nd year in a row and continues to throw his name in the ring for the best two-way big man in basketball.
The 2022-23 season is a massively important one for Joel Embiid and the 76ers. For 8 years we have heard Embiid and Philadelphia tell us to “Trust The Process” and now it is time to put up or shut up. Embiid will combine with James Harden to form the most dangerous pick-and-roll duo in basketball, which should propel the Sixers to many wins next season. Once again the Sixers will look to Embiid to be their emotional and physical leader on the court, a role he has embraced for a few seasons now. Look for Embiid and Philadelphia to fight once again in the NBA playoffs and maybe, just maybe, finally compete for an NBA championship.
5. Stephen Curry
Just when we began to doubt if he could ever lead the Warriors to another NBA championship, Stephen Curry did just that in 2021-22 and shut all of the doubters up in the process. It was a season that saw Curry struggle early, undoubtedly weighed down by the prospect of breaking the all-time 3-pointers made record. Once that was in the rearview, Curry kicked into high gear and the Warriors rode the momentum all the way to their 4th championship in 8 years. Curry was able to finally claim his first Finals MVP award in the process and solidify his name among the 10 greatest players to ever play the game.
The talk of the town this offseason in Golden State has been the publicized rift between Jordan Poole and Draymond Green. The Warriors will turn to their former MVP and leader Curry to reel them in as they defend their NBA championship. Curry saw a slight dip in production in 2021-22 so expect his numbers to jump right back up in 2022-23 with minimal pressure put on him this season. If last season taught us anything, it is to expect the Warriors to be right back in the thick of things should Curry and the rest of the Warriors’ core remain healthy.
4. Luka Doncic
The debate between Curry and Luka Doncic has reached its peak in terms of the fact that Doncic has begun to slightly pass Curry as an individual player. Doncic is the more versatile scorer, a better defender, and has begun to become the better playmaker. Doncic once again put the Mavericks on his back in the regular season, and postseason to lead them to their first Conference Finals since 2011. Using his slow yet effective style of play, Doncic has solidified himself as a Top 5 player in basketball.
Doncic has yet another tall task ahead of him in 2022-23. Fans and many media outlets have the Mavericks taking a step backward this season which I do not tend to agree with. They added Doncic’s first legitimate big men in JaVale McGee and Christian Wood and return all of their defensive core in 2022-23. Doncic will have plenty of weapons to utilize in the pick-and-roll which we all know is his recipe for picking apart defenses. I expect Doncic to be in the thick of the conversation for the MVP award when 2022-23 is all said and done and for the Mavs to once again be competing in the Conference Finals.
3. Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic had another tremendous season leading the Denver Nuggets and was once again named the MVP at the end of the year. Already missing star point guard Jamal Murray, the Nuggets also lost Michael Porter Jr. early in the season, leaving Jokic with a tall order in front of him. Jokic averaged 27.1 PPG, 13.8 RPG, and 7.9 APG to once again carry the Nuggets to a playoff berth and claim the MVP award. Jokic’s performances over the past 2 seasons have Nuggets fans hopeful for championship contention in 2022-23 and we can see no reason why they shouldn’t.
It certainly will be interesting to see how well Jokic plays now that the pressure comes off of him with the return of both Murray and Porter Jr. Jokic is by far the team’s best playmaker and the offense will run through him for maximum success. He can continue to pick apart defenses from the high post while also being able to master his craft in the low block area. If Jokic is once again playing at an MVP level, look for those Nuggets fans to be correct about their prediction of an NBA championship.
2. Kevin Durant
Remember when at the beginning of last season, we had debated who the best player in the world was between Kevin Durant and the guy who sits at No. 1 on our list? We cannot let one season deter that conversation that much, can we? Especially when Durant played 55 games in 2021-22 and averaged 29.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.4 APG. He is still one of the best offensive players in basketball and a magician at getting the ball in the basket, so to leave him out of the Top 3 would be a huge injustice.
After a summer filled with drama and trade rumors, Durant has the weight of the world on his shoulders, heading into 2022-23. The good news is that things seem to be cooling down between him and the Brooklyn organization and they are ready to get down to business. Durant will also have consistent play from Kyrie Irving who was limited to 29 games last year and Ben Simmons, who didn’t play a single minute. This core can be one of the best in basketball led by Durant. One year doesn’t change much and it will take a lot more to convince me that Kevin Durant is not a Top 2 player in the NBA.
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Was there any doubt as to who was going to grace the top of our Top 100? Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the best player in basketball, going on 5 seasons now and that does not change in 2022-23. He is the main reason the Bucks are considered to be title favorites heading into the season and he is hands down the best two-way player in the game. With his team back to full strength, there is nothing stopping him from earning a 3rd MVP award and leading the Bucks right back to the NBA Finals in 2022-23.
Once again, Giannis will be Milwaukee’s go-to guy. That is the sort of thing that tends to happen when you are the best player in the world. Giannis’ presence alone makes the Bucks a Top 5 team in basketball and the early season odds-on favorite to win the NBA championship. When you have that type of impact on a team, there is no doubt about your standing amongst the league’s top talent. He will be Milwaukee’s defensive anchor along with their top offensive weapon, just as he has been for the past 5 seasons. With a player like Giannis in your lineup and healthy, you have to be considered one of the teams to beat in 2022-23.
