The league is ever-changing, the superstars and the teams that are on top stay fluid. While the true greats, players like Michael Jordan and LeBron James, stay on top during their entire careers and even after, a lot of other superstars enjoy their time in the limelight in a never-ending carousel. And who the best player on the court is in the NBA is a question that can have a new answer each season as the best in the league go through their ups and downs.
Over the last few seasons, Giannis Antetokounmpo has staked his claim to be considered the best in the world, there aren’t many that come close to matching the Greek Freak’s two-way excellence. And he is so feared in the league that an ESPN panel has predicted that Giannis will once again be named MVP in 2023, which would make it the 3rd time in his career he would win the prestigious award.
ESPN often polls panels of experts on what they think is going on in the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers, for example, have been picked as title favorites in 2023. These panels consist of NBA executives, coaches, and eminent media members who have years of experience being in and covering the league.
And another such recent poll has been which player will be the best in the league in 5 years. There are two prime candidates for this, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic, and both received votes in what was quite a close poll. However, the Greek Freak edged it by just a single vote in the end.
“Who will be the best player in the NBA in five years?
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 7 votes, Luka Doncic: 6 votes, Jayson Tatum: 2 votes.”
There were explanations for both players getting votes, with a Western Conference executive explaining the reasoning behind picking Giannis and an Eastern Conference exec talking a bit about Luka’s potential.
“Every time you think he’s (Giannis) reaching a limit, he shatters it,” a West executive said. “Why [wouldn’t you] expect him to keep doing it?”
“It’s hard to bet against him (Luka),” an East scout said. “There’s some worries about whether he’ll keep up with his conditioning, but I’m not betting on anybody over him in five years.”
Ultimately, it is up to both players to see if they can truly cement themselves as one of the greatest to ever do it in NBA history. Both are on a trajectory that would mean there is no ceiling on what they can achieve in the coming seasons and the rest of their careers. The truly exciting part of it is that they will likely have to do it by going up against one another, too, a tantalizing prospect for fans of basketball worldwide.
