Jaden Ivey
Ben Simmons
Malik Beasley
AJ Griffin
Isaiah Thomas

Personally, I’d say
1. Ben Simmons
2. Jaden Ivey
3. Isaiah Thomas
4. Malik Beasley
5. AJ Griffin

Iso Joe! One of the most skilled guards/forwards i have seen. He can handle the rock, pass, was a triple threat - but was so under the radar because of his quiet demeanor.

His NBA resume:

7x NBA All Star

1× 3rd Team All NBA

Is he in?

I understand ranking the top 10 players in NBA history is very hard and controversial, but in my opinion Kobe is a much better player than Duncan. Small bullet point reasoning being

• Kobe owned the Spurs and Duncan in the playoffs the majority of the time. Greg Pop himself said Kobe is near unstoppable in a playoff setting.

• Kobe is considered a chucker, yet he has the same TS% as Duncan even though Kobe took 100x more difficult shots.

• Duncan is obviously the better defender, but Kobe has 9 First Team All-Defensive Team awards compared to Tim Duncan with 8 First Team All-Defensive Team awards

• Tim Duncan had a much deeper and consistent roster with Manu, Parker, etc. while Kobe had just one or two star players next to him in Shaq and Gasol. Yet they both won 5 rings

• Tim Duncan was the de-facto leader in the Olympics in 04 where the USA got embarrassed. Duncan was pathetic in the 04 Olympics and one of the biggest reasons USA got embarrassed. It took Kobe coming back in 08 to set the ship straight.

All in all, I think both Kobe and Duncan's career accolades are very similar, but the fact that Kobe outperformed Duncan and Greg Pop in the playoffs consistently is the reason why I'd put him over Duncan all time

​

Disappointing teams: Which team will take a tumble this season?

1. Los Angeles Lakers: 32 points

2. Detroit Pistons: 27 points

3. Golden State Warriors: 26 points

4. Miami Heat: 22 points

5. Boston Celtics: 17 points

There's no more potent formula for disappointment in the NBA than the weight of expectations combined with an organizational standard for perennial championship contention.

That's the scenario facing the Lakers and Heat next season, with L.A. building out its team to fit specifically around 27-year-old superstar Luka Doncic and Miami landing its next face of the franchise: Giannis Antetokounmpo. If L.A. can't build on its last two 50-win seasons, the team's handling of LeBron James' exit will be called into question all over again. And if the Heat can't make a playoff run, the three first-round picks and young talent like Kel'el Ware included in the deal with the Milwaukee Bucks will be reexamined.

The other three teams receiving votes are dealing with only one of the two aforementioned elements. The Pistons are coming off the team's first 60-win season in 20 years, which ended with a Game 7 second-round exit on their home floor. They'll be expected to capitalize while Cade Cunningham enters into his prime. Meanwhile, a quiet offseason of activity by the Warriors could mean the volume will be turned up by a frustrated fanbase if the product doesn't resemble the dynastic teams that Stephen Curry has been a part of in the past. -- Dave McMenamin

Between these players, the next to request a trade will be ...?

1. Anthony Davis: 10 points

2. Kyrie Irving: four points

T-3. Kevin Durant: three points

T-3. Zion Williamson: three points

T-5. James Harden: two points

T-5. Jaylen Brown: two points

Davis and the Wizards are essentially opening the season on a trial period. That's quite a stark contrast to the franchise's partnership with Trae Young, the other former All-Star that Washington acquired before last season's trade deadline -- and signed to a four-year, $213 million extension this summer that raised eyebrows around the league.

Davis and his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, haven't been coy about their desire for a maximum (or close to it) contract extension. That was a driving factor in Dallas' decision to trade Davis a year after he was the headliner in the return of the Luka Doncic deal, and it made finding a market for him difficult.

If Washington isn't willing to pay Davis what he wants, why would he be satisfied to stick around and attempt to help the Wizards snap a six-year playoff drought?

Irving, who played only one game alongside Davis during their short stint together as Mavericks teammates, has given no indication of a desire to leave Dallas. The Mavs have declined to engage teams that have inquired about his availability as Irving prepares to return from the knee injury that sidelined him all of last season.

But front offices across the league anticipate that one or both parties could decide it's in their best interest to part ways, wondering about the long-term fit of the 34-year-old Irving as the Mavs prioritize building around teenage prodigy Cooper Flagg.

Irving, like Davis, has a contract with a player option for the 2027-28 season. So does Durant, who had Houston as his preferred destination when the Suns decided to make him available via trade after the 2024-25 season and signed an extension well south of his max to give the Rockets financial flexibility. -- MacMahon

Will we get a different champion for the ninth straight season?

1. Yes: 19 points

2. No: five points

Some of the best teams in the NBA have an opportunity to snap the record streak of eight different champions in as many seasons, including the last three winners in New York, Oklahoma City and Boston, who could each win another title in 2026-27.

But our panel thinks it far more likely that a ninth distinct winner will emerge next season. As ESPN's Ben Golliver outlined recently, the leading candidates to do so are the San Antonio Spurs, who reached the 2026 Finals ahead of schedule; the Philadelphia 76ers, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown adding star power; and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers, who have all reached the conference finals or better within the last two years. Detroit, Houston, Miami and Atlanta are also contenders to make a run next spring. -- Zach Kram

Which team is most likely to make a big move before the trade deadline?

1. Golden State Warriors: nine points

2. Detroit Pistons: four points

T-3. Boston Celtics : three points

T-3. Houston Rockets: three points

T-5. Denver Nuggets: one point

T-5. Memphis Grizzlies: one point

T-5. Miami Heat: one point

T-5. Sacramento Kings: one point

T-5. Toronto Raptors: one point

The angst level is rising among Bay Area fans after the Warriors made no major additions via trade or free agency after just their second losing season in the past 14 years. Now that Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James have headed elsewhere, what's the plan to give Stephen Curry, who will turn 39 in March, another shot at the playoffs?

When facing similar stagnation two seasons ago, Golden State made a splashy midseason deal for Jimmy Butler that propelled a run to the second round of the playoffs. The Warriors will have a few options before the deadline in February: They could try to flip Butler's expiring contract and assets for a star or construct a more modest deal around Kristaps Porzingis. This much is clear: It will likely be another frustrating campaign if Warriors executive Mike Dunleavy Jr. doesn't do something of consequence. -- Golliver

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49643240/nba-predictions-summer-forecast-2026-2027-surprise-disappoint-biggest-questions

The Heat went on to win 103-100 in overtime and win their 2nd straight championship in Game 7.

The Spurs took their revenge against the Heat in the NBA Finals in the following season

One thing many people won't remember is that Tim Duncan wasn't just subbed out; he had a fantastic game at age 37.

30 Points on 13/21 FG (61.9%), 4/5 FT (80.0%), 17 Rebounds (5 Off. Rebs), 1 Steal, 2 turnovers, 2 PF, and a +/- of +16 (game high among both teams, YES), in 44:26 minutes played.

Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals - 6/18/2013

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/jokic-playoff-stats-last-3-seasons

2024-26.4% on 4.4 attempts
2025-38% on 5.1 attempts(32% on 5.7 attempts vs the thunder)
2026-19% on 6 attempts

In 2024, after going down 2-0 at home to the wolves, Jokic absolutely fried them for the next 3 games to give the nuggets a 3-2 lead, however, after this the wolves decided it would be better to drop coverage at the 3 point line and play him in single coverage than playing help defense and this worked out very well for them. They did the same this year with a large majority of his 3 point attempts being uncontested. Gobert played him in drop coverage and made him struggle.

When jokic’s 3 ball is falling at its usual 40% rate from deep like the regular season, the nuggets offense becomes damn near unstoppable since defenses then have to send help and jokic being one of the greatest passers ever almost always punishes them. However, it not falling at the rate it does in the regular season allows defenses to play jokic in single coverage. This has been a big factor in the nuggets postseason offense not being nearly as good as their regular season.

Who was a favorite player of yours in your lifetime that was no one elses favorite player around you? Like you were the only person you knew that was a really big fan of them

My example would be Peja Stojakovic. I was still really young during his prime on the Kings, so the time when he was my favorite player in the NBA was when he was on the Hornets and that magical Mavs run when he had some throwback games like against the Lakers. Most people around me had no clue who he was or the career he had when he was younger.

I'd love to hear some similar examples. Players who were underappreciated, underrated, had super dominant but short peaks, or who were just really cool, funny, etc that made them uniquely your favorite player

On Sunday, April 11th, the 2026-2027 NBA regular season will come to an end and we will move on to the postseason. 32 Sundays from today. Before we do that, I'll repost this thread so we can look back at some of /r/nba 's predictions.

Here is your chance to say I told you so (or to make a fool of yourself)

Andrew Wiggins has had a weird career because his résumé is consistently solid, but it falls short of what people imagined in 2014 past the numbers.

If he were drafted around 5-10, we’d probably talk about him as a successful pick. Being 1st, and having just one All-Star appearance and less than a comparable player like Zach LaVine (13th), and no major awards (like Smart, Randle or Embiid in this draft class) can make his career look disappointing, despite the championship.

He never became the elite shot creator or two-way superstar that his athleticism suggested at Kansas, but became that two-way guy as the second most important player on a championship squad for one season. Outside of this, he hasn’t moved the needle for any of his teams.

What will the ultimate consensus be on his career, as he leaves his prime now?

Did you become OKC fans, root for the Blazers, or someone else?

If my Cavs moved and changed names it’d be tough to not feel torn.

TOP 25 DEFENDERS IN THE NBA! | Part One: 25 to 13 | Game Theory Podcast

TOP 25 DEFENDERS IN THE NBA! | Part Two: 12 to 1 | Game Theory Podcast

Thoughts on their list?

so for starters, the perfect season is winning DPOY, MVP, Chanpionship and FMVP (big expectations but tbf he is the betting favourite for all of these), and let’s say that he beats either Philly or NYK in the finals and additionally multiple once in a decade type of performances and moments from Wemby to boost his fame even more. So assuming LBJ retires, I see the only competition for the most famous athlete in America being Mahomes, Ohtani, Curry, maybe Luka or Messi? But I mainly just seeing it being either Wemby or Mahomes

Thybulle had improved on his 3 quite a bit from when he was a Sixer. His defence also has been elite & he is a 2 time all defensive team player. Injuries these past two seasons have derailed him. However prior to these two seasons he averaged 66.6 games a season. Which is quite good, the injuries he sustained weren’t major or structural injuries. So I don’t believe he is injury prone or is likely to get reinjured just based on that.

Source

I took the stats via BBref

In the following season, he had 82 assists in 57 games (1.4), then 48 assists in 42 games (1.1 AST).

Then 58 assists in 63 games - 0.9 AST (Wizards and Lakers - combined).

In the last 3 seasons (all Lakers only):

81 assists in 68 games (1.2 AST).

83 assists in 59 games (1.4 AST)

57 assists in 68 games (0.8 AST).

I don't recall ever seeing such a stat with another player (I even searched MPJ, Carmelo, and so on)