The Best NBA Player Per Position This Season

The 2022-23 NBA season has been underway for just over a month and a half now as teams jock for a position in loaded Conference playoff races. We have seen rookies emerge as potential superstars, and we have seen superstars take a back seat to the up-and-coming generation. One thing for sure is that the widespread talent across the NBA from every team within its ranks has never been more evident. Make way for the new generation of players who will make this league theirs for a long time to come.

We cannot forget about the older superstars who are playing at an elite level still as well. Position by position, we will break down the best player from each one and provide reasoning as to why. Some answers have been clear as day to begin the season, while others are locked in an all-out war for their claim to the position. The decisions made today are sure to stir up their fair share of controversy and conversation. Without any more anticipation, let us get into it.

Here are the best NBA players per position for the 2022-23 season so far.

Point Guard – Luka Doncic

With absolutely no disrespect to Stephen Curry, our selection for the best point guard at the current time is Luka Doncic. Curry definitely deserves recognition for what he has done through 24 games as the Warriors stumbled to a 13-11 start to the season. Curry is currently having a season that rivals his unanimous MVP season in 2016. He is averaging slightly more PPG at 30.8 PPG, more assists at 7.1 APG, and shooting the ball more efficiently with a 67.7% true shooting percentage. Curry has been incredible, but Doncic has been historic.

Luka Doncic’s usage rate to start the season is at an all-time high for a player. His teammates have been little to no help towards his efforts as the Mavericks are off to an 11-11 start to 2022-23. Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring at 33.4 PPG with the elevated workload laid upon his shoulders. He has also added 8.6 RPG, 8.6 APG, and a career-high 1.9 SPG. Doncic continues to single-handedly fight for a playoff berth with the Mavericks, and in order to make 2022-23 worth it, they might need to shake up their entire roster and make a splash at the trade deadline. If history tells us anything, that is most likely a long shot.

Honorable Mention: Stephen Curry

Shooting Guard – Devin Booker

The race for the best player at the shooting guard position is currently occupied solely by 2 players. Donovan Mitchell is having an MVP-caliber season in his first year with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His effort deserves recognition as he has the Cavaliers at 15-9 on the season and 3rd in the Eastern Conference. He is averaging 28.4 PPG and 4.9 APG alongside Darius Garland in the backcourt. Mitchell has been one of the best scoring guards in the NBA in 2022-23, yet he falls just short of our selection as the best shooting guard in 2022-23 so far.

This honor has to go once again to Devin Booker. Many fans probably will not like this one, as Booker has been the subject of excessively unnecessary overrated claims. Analysts and fans alike predicted a fall from grace for Booker and the Suns in 2022-23. All that he has done is respond yet again with his play on the court. The Suns are sitting atop the Western Conference at 16-7 on the season, with Booker leading the way. He is currently averaging 29.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 6.0 APG in 2022-23 and stepping up as the floor general for this team, while Chris Paul has missed a good amount of time.

Honorable Mention: Donovan Mitchell

Small Forward – Jayson Tatum

There shall be zero arguments for our selection at small forward for the 2022-23 season so far. Players like LeBron James and Jimmy Butler have missed extended periods of time with injuries, as have Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and others. DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Ingram have been good for their respective teams as well, and the only other suspect would be Kevin Durant, who has been listed as a power forward for the last few seasons. Even if Durant was listed as a small forward, it wouldn’t be enough to dethrone Jayson Tatum at the moment.

After an offseason filled with shock and disappointment, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics have come out on fire to start 2022-23. Tatum can lay claim as the leader in the MVP race at the moment as he has led the Celtics to a 19-5 record through 24 games. Tatum is playing incredibly on the defensive side of the ball while averaging 30.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. With the way Tatum and the rest of the Celtics are playing right now, a trip back to the NBA Finals seems more than likely for the boys from Beantown.

Honorable Mention: LeBron James

Power Forward – Giannis Antetokounmpo

Let us start off with a conversation about Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers. I owe Davis an apology as one of the ones who said Davis looked finished after struggling with injuries the past 2 years. Over the last 10 games, Davis has taken control of the Lakers team on both sides of the ball and begun a turnaround to their season that is welcomed feverishly by Lakers fans. Davis has returned to form as one of the best interior defenders in basketball and is putting up numbers that a prime Wilt Chamberlain would be proud of. To choose Davis here would be overlooking an entire half of the early going to 2022-23, but nothing is stopping him right now from being here at the season’s end.

Instead, the best power forward and player overall in basketball is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yes, Davis had an incredible night when they went head-to-head a week ago, but Giannis has been consistently great all season long. The Milwaukee Bucks sit 2nd in the East right now at 16-6 on the year behind Giannis and company’s much improved overall defense. Antetokounmpo is currently averaging 31.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 5.5 APG, and 1.0 BPG. Once again, the mere presence of Giannis in the lineup is enough to consider the Bucks NBA championship contenders. With Davis, there are still questions as to whether he can remain healthy and keep this sort of production up. With Giannis, this type of play is a guarantee.

Honorable Mention: Anthony Davis

Center – Nikola Jokic

Some may say that Nikola Jokic is having a lesser season than his previous 2 MVP seasons in 2021 and 2022. I say take a look at how much it means when his team is fully healthy for the first time in 2 seasons. Don’t get me wrong, the race between Embiid and Jokic is still neck and neck in my eyes. Embiid is a considerably better defender than Jokic and makes post-matchups difficult for most big men in basketball. Not to mention the skill he possesses on the offensive side of the ball. Embiid has battled injury recently, and the Sixers have fallen in the standings with him and James Harden sidelined.

Meanwhile, Jokic has remained the best playmaking big, and one of the best in all of basketball, and the Nuggets are thriving because of it. Aside from his scoring, all of Jokic’s numbers have either gone up or remain at an MVP level for Denver this season. The Nuggets are currently 14-9 on the season, which is good for 3rd in the Western Conference. The entire offense still runs through Jokic as Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray returned from injury. He is currently averaging 23.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 8.9 APG, which are incredible playmaking numbers for a player at the center position. As it stands, Nikola Jokic’s claim as the best center in the NBA remains factual.

Honorable Mention: Joel Embiid

The Best Of The Best

Now that we have determined who the best player at every position is, we can have a debate about the best player in the NBA overall. Now, there are some players in the mix who have been named as honorable mentions here today that have a case to be ahead of the best player at a different position. Going off this list, there are really just 4 guys who have a case as the NBA’s best. Devin Booker has been tremendous, and his team is winning games, but he is still a ways away from the top of this list. The same goes for Jayson Tatum. He is impactful and has the numbers to match bit still seems just one step behind our leaders.

This leaves the race down to Giannis, Luka, Jokic, and Curry. Jokic has been the MVP 2 years in a row, and this is the first time we are seeing the true measure of his impact now that he is fully healthy, but it still leaves us wanting on defense. The same can be said for Doncic, who is the NBA’s leading scorer but leaves much to be desired in stopping anyone from scoring. Curry is on another MVP-like trajectory for this season, but his team has failed to match his energy. The consensus No. 1 player in the world should be Giannis Antetokounmpo. No one in basketball affects and impacts a game like he can on both sides of the ball. Entire gameplans have gone out the window from Giannis’s superior play on the court. Providing so much for his team, who are on the heels of the NBA’s best record, Giannis has to be concluded as the No. 1 basketball player in the world at this moment.

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