Entering the fourth week of the 2019-2020 NBA season, we are starting to get a sense of who the best players are. Here are my top eight players through the first 10 games for each team. There are some new faces and some old faces, and it feels weird without Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Klay Thompson; they all are dealing with injuries.
8. Kyrie Irving | Brooklyn Nets
If it weren’t for his mood swings, Kyrie Irving would be greatly appreciated by all Brooklyn Nets fans who have been waiting years for a star player. With Kevin Durant sidelined this season with a ruptured Achilles, Irving has had to carry most of the load. He’s putting up 28.5 points per game, although the Nets are only 4-7. The fact is that when Irving plays good, the Nets have a better chance to win. For example, when Irving scores over 30 points, they are 2-2. Those two losses both came in overtime by one point each. However, in the seven games where he’s scored under 30 points, the Nets are 2-5 and losing by an average of 10 points. The answer is simple: get Kyrie Irving the basketball.
7. Pascal Siakam | Toronto Raptors
After winning the NBA Finals last season and moving on from Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors needed Siakam to step into their scoring role and he hasn’t disappointed. He’s scoring 27.2 points and grabbing 9.2 rebounds a game, along with 30 points in half of his games played this season. The Raptors definitely have a shot to get back to the Finals this year but they will need Siakam to replicate the numbers he has put up so far for the rest of the season. His best moment this season was when he downed the Pelicans with 44 points on 61 percent shooting from the field.
6. Kemba Walker | Boston Celtics
Kemba Walker is a huge reason why the Boston Celtics are currently 9-1 and the best team in the league. He’s averaging 25 points and a career-high 4.4 threes per game. He has just been consistently good, scoring 20 points in all but two games. These two games correspond with the Celtics’ only loss to the 76ers and Walker’s return to Charlotte where he played eight seasons. This proves that he has been a main key to the Celtics’ early success. Walker is a much better fit than Kyrie Irving and will lead Boston to a very high seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
5. Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl-Anthony Towns is quietly putting together an MVP season as he has scored over 20 points in all but one game this year. Despite getting suspended two games after a fight with Joel Embiid, Towns is still eighth in the league in rebounds per game (11.8). He’s also averaging 26.8 points through nine games played. Towns has willed the Timberwolves to a 6-3 record over this span and should continue to give opposing teams problems with his improved three-point shooting, as he is hitting a crazy 42.5 percent from deep. Towns’s best moment this year came in a win against the Hornets where he finished with 37 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists.
4. Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks
Doncic has started the season on fire, putting up a fifth-best points per game tally and nearly averaging a triple-double (28.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists). He has carried the Mavericks to a 6-4 record with these numbers. With five triple-doubles through the first three weeks of the season, Doncic is a strong candidate for MVP just one season after winning Rookie of the Year. He has given the Knicks serious troubles so far this year. In the two games against New York, Doncic got triple-doubles and was able to carve their defense for 38 and 33 points.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis has picked up right where he left off last season when he took home the MVP award. He’s averaging 30.3 points per game and is second among all players with 14.5 rebounds per game. The Bucks do rely heavily on the 24-year-old, so he will have to keep up these numbers if the Bucks want to regain the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Giannis may not be named MVP again, but he will continue to dominate teams night in and night out. Working on his perimeter shooting and free throws could open up a new aspect to his game and make him one of the hardest players to defend in the league.
2. LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers
James has something to prove this season after narrowly missing out on the playoffs last year. He has four triple-doubles through the first 10 games this year and is averaging 23.9 points and 11.1 assists per game. The Lakers are in first place in the Western Conference for the first time since 2010 mostly due to James’s dominant play up until this point. His most memorable game this season was when he had a 39-point triple-double to beat the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks. James is my pick for MVP this season and will show he is still one of the best players in the league, even at age 34.
1. James Harden | Houston Rockets
James Harden is on yet another unbelievable scoring streak. He now has scored the most points in NBA history through the first 10 games of a season, averaging a league-best 39.7 per game. While putting up these point totals along with 7.9 assists per game and having a knack for hitting clutch shots, Harden should carry the Rockets to the playoffs this year. He will once again be a top MVP candidate. Some of his best moments so far this season were when he dropped 59 points on the Wizards and when he downed the Clippers with a dagger three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. I expect big numbers from Harden throughout the remainder of the season.
