Who Is The Best Player In The NBA This Year?
The answer to this question may be hotly contested, but we’re here to give you our opinion on who the best player in the NBA this year is.
LeBron James
LeBron James is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has won four NBA championships, four NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, four NBA Finals MVP awards, and two Olympic gold medals. James played high school basketball at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft. He quickly ascended to stardom, winning Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and becoming one of the league’s top players in his second year. By 2006, he had become a central figure of the Cavaliers team that had reached the Finals for the first time in franchise history and was named MVP for that season after helping to lead Cleveland to its first-ever championship title.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is widely considered to be the best player in the NBA this year. He is averaging 27.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three-point range. He is also an elite defender, and he has led the Clippers to the best record in the Western Conference.
Anthony Davis
Ever since he was drafted first overall in 2012, Anthony Davis has been one of the most dominant players in the NBA. At 6’10”, he has the size and strength to body up bigger players in the post, while also possessing the agility and athleticism to keep up with smaller players on the perimeter. He is an elite shot-blocker and rebounder, and has developed into one of the best scoring big men in the league. This season, Davis is averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 50.8% from the field and 80.8% from the free throw line. He is also shooting a career-high 33.9% from three-point range. Davis is clearly the best player on the New Orleans Pelicans, and is one of the leading candidates for MVP this season.
Russell Westbrook
There is no clear-cut answer for who the best player in the NBA is this year. However, many experts and basketball fans alike would argue that Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder is deserving of the title.
Westbrook is having an exceptional season, averaging a triple-double (24.0 points, 10.1 assists, and 10.6 rebounds per game) through December 2016. He is on pace to become the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-1962 to average a triple-double for an entire season.
In addition to his outstanding statistical performance, Westbrook is also considered to be one of the best defensive players in the league. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016.
While there are other players who are having excellent seasons and could be considered for the title of best player in the NBA (such as James Harden, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard), Westbrook’s historic statistical performance and defensive prowess make him a strong candidate for the title.
James Harden
James Harden is having an incredible season. He is averaging 36.1 points, 7.5 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three-point range. Harden has been extremely efficient, and he has been a big reason why the Houston Rockets have the best record in the NBA.
