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Anyone can list the best players in the NBA, but basketball is as much about chemistry as it is talent. Within each of the league’s 30 teams is a hierarchy, and how well each of the five players on the court understands and performs his role within that hierarchy is every bit as important as his individual skill.
Ideally, a lineup has its superstar, a deferential co-star, a third star who owns his role, a fourth option and a fifth starter to tie it all together — clear Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. In this series, we rank the five best players from each tier for a broader look across the league. How close does your team come to an ideal lineup?
No. 1 options: The Leading Men
What is a No. 1? He is the team’s alpha — often by personality, always by ability. Ideally, everyone recognizes he is the top dog on the squad; teammates fall in line behind him, and opponents make him the primary focus of their game plans. Clutch situations typically run through your No. 1. He settles you down when you are on the wrong end of a run. He bails you out if possessions go haywire. He gets his.
He comes in many forms, but you know him when you see him. King James or The Hick from French Lick. Air Jordan or The Chairman of the Boards. Magic Johnson or The Big Fundamental. Dr. J or The Mailman. In whatever form, he is the one in pursuit of the pantheon, for you cannot be an all-timer as a No. 2.
Without further ado, your five best No. 1s …
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
Do we really have to explain why Jokić is one of the best No. 1 options in basketball? He has won three of the past four regular-season MVP awards and should have won a fourth, instead taking home Finals MVP. If we forgot how frequently in recent years we have agreed that he is the game’s best player, he reminded us at the Paris Olympics, where he and some guys you have likely never heard of nearly upset Team USA.
The Nuggets are +3,464 when Jokić is on the floor and -1,829 when he is on the bench in his nine-year career. You could argue he is the game’s most efficient high-volume scorer, its best passer and one of its greatest…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ranking-the-nbas-no-1-options-nikola-jokic-luka-doncic-and-the-leagues-best-leading-men-173440743.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-23 17:34:40
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