The 2018-19 NBA season has come to a close, so HoopsHype decided to look back on the players who shined throughout this campaign. As our staff ranked these star players, we factored in each individual’s regular-season and playoff production. Here are our final player rankings for the 2018-19 season.
10. LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
James only played in 55 games this season – the lowest number of his career – and the Lakers ultimately missed the playoffs with just 37 wins. This was just the third time in James’ NBA career that he didn’t qualify for the postseason (and the other two times were in his rookie and sophomore seasons). Still, James filled the stat sheet when he did take the court, averaging 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists. Given everything that went on in Los Angeles, it’s hard to blame James for the struggles of Team Turmoil.
James will be 35 years old in December and while his game has certainly changed as he’s aged, he’s still one of the most productive players in the league when he’s healthy. It’ll be interesting to see what a reinvigorated, rested James can do next season. Keep in mind that this will be the most rest that James has gotten in a long time since he had made the playoffs every year since he was 21 years old and advanced to eight-straight NBA Finals appearances prior to this season. This is the first time we’ve seen James this well-rested, and reinforcements may be coming as well.
9. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers made a number of splashy moves this season, trading for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris (as well as role players James Ennis and Mike Scott). While there’s no question that these acquisitions gave Philadelphia a more talented roster, there was an adjustment period for everyone – including Embiid. Still, during the regular season, Embiid averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists (all of which were career-highs) as well as 1.9 blocks, and Philadelphia finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
In the playoffs, the 76ers were eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in the second round, but let’s put that into perspective with what we know now: It took the eventual NBA champion seven games and the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history to send Philadelphia home. While Embiid struggled shooting the ball a bit in the postseason, his plus/minus (+143) was one of the highest of any player in this year’s playoffs. There’s no question that the 25-year-old has emerged as one of the best players in the league. It’ll be interesting to see if Philly can re-sign Butler, Harris and JJ Redick and make another run at a title with this squad.
8. Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
Not only did George’s 28.0 points per game rank second-best in the NBA (behind only James Harden’s 36.1 points), he’s also a finalist for this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award – showing just how important he was on both ends of the court for Oklahoma City. George’s best basketball was played prior to the All-Star break and, unfortunately, he couldn’t continue at that pace all season. His shooting percentages dropped off significantly in the second half of the campaign, as his field goal percentage went from 45.3 to 40.0 and his three-point percentage went from 40.6 to 33.6.
In the playoffs, George filled the stat sheet, but OKC managed to win just one game before being eliminated by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. Still, the 29-year-old elevated his game to a level that previously seemed impossible – averaging career-highs in points (28.0), rebounds (8.2), assists (4.1), threes (3.8) and steals (2.2) and further proving that his horrific leg injury in 2014 was simply a speed-bump that only temporarily slowed down his development into one of the league’s best players.
7. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
As head coach Mike Malone has said several times, this season was Jokic’s coming-out party. He led the Nuggets to 54 wins in the Western Conference, which trailed only the Golden State Warriors. During the regular season, Jokic averaged an impressive 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.4 steals (all of which were career-highs).
The 24-year-old big man was incredible during the playoffs and it was impossible to tell that this was his postseason debut. He averaged 25.1 points, 13.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists on extremely efficient 50.6/39.3/84.6 shooting splits. Jokic led all players this postseason in Player Efficiency Rating (29.6) and Box Plus/Minus (+11.8). The Nuggets were eliminated in the second round by a red-hot Portland Trail Blazers team in seven games, but it seems the best is yet to come from Jokic and these Nuggets. After such a well-rounded showing this year, it’s not hard to imagine Jokic averaging a triple-double over the course of a season at some point in the near future. It makes one wonder what he might be able to do if he worked more on his body.
6. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Lillard and the Blazers outperformed expectations once again, advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 19 years in large part because of the All-Star point guard, who delivered the most impressive season of his career.
In the first round of the playoffs, Lillard was outstanding against the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 33.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.2 threes, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals with 45.3/46.9/84.8 shooting splits. He finished off OKC with one of the best playoff performances in recent memory (50 points, 10 threes, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) that included the buzzer-beating, series-winning three. He helped Portland eliminate the Denver Nuggets in seven games, but the Blazers ultimately lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Finals. Lillard came down to Earth a bit after the opening series; regardless, this was an impressive campaign and he continues to impress individually and by lifting the Blazers to unexpected heights.
5. Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
Durant made his much-anticipated return in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but sadly ruptured his Achilles after playing just 12 minutes. The Warriors ultimately lost to the Toronto Raptors and they clearly missed Durant’s ability to score from anywhere on the court, defend multiple positions and demand the defense’s attention (which frees up Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for open looks). Prior to his injury in the second round against the Houston Rockets, Durant was having a terrific postseason, averaging 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.9 threes, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block on excellent 51.3/41.6/90.1 shooting splits.
When healthy, there’s no question that Durant is one of the best players in the NBA and he can dominate on both ends of the floor using his size, length and amazing skill set. It remains to be seen how long he’ll be out as he recovers from his Achilles injury, but there’s a reason that many teams would still love to sign him on July 1: He can quickly change the fortunes of any franchise. If healthy, it’s possible Durant would have won a third-straight championship and sit at the No. 1 ranking on this list – it’s hard to say.
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
This season, Curry was great, but not MVP-Curry-great. He averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.0 threes during the regular season, while shooting an uber-efficient 43.7 percent from three. Curry’s 11-game absence in November showed just how important he is on and off the court to the Warriors, as the team went 5-7 during that stretch and the Draymond Green–Kevin Durant confrontation went down during a road game that Curry missed. Golden State’s players and coaches said that Curry played an important role in mending the Green-Durant relationship after the incident and getting everyone refocused on winning a title.
During the playoffs, the Warriors needed Curry to step up after injuries to Durant, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and others. He was excellent in the sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals, averaging 36.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 6.5 threes while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from deep. During the postseason as a whole, Curry shot the second-lowest three-point percentage of his career, likely because he didn’t get as many open looks. The Toronto Raptors threw multiple defenders at him throughout the NBA Finals and even played a box-and-one defense on multiple occasions to slow him down.
3. James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden finished the season averaging 36.1 points per game, which is the highest scoring average in 32 years (when Michael Jordan put up 37.1 points per game). Only Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have posted a higher scoring average than Harden’s 36.1 points per game, giving you an idea of how impressive the Rockets guard was this season. At one point in December, Houston was the second-worst team in the Western Conference, but then Harden put the squad on his back by scoring at least 30 points in 32-straight games. The fact that Houston finished with 53 wins and the West’s fourth-best record is a testament to Harden’s outstanding campaign.
With that said, Harden’s style of play is very polarizing, as he creates a lot of contact and gets to the free throw line a lot. He attempted 858 free throws this season, which was 172 more than the runner-up (Giannis Antetokounmpo). Houston was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors. Kevin Durant went down in Game 5 and missed Game 6 (and DeMarcus Cousins missed the whole series), but the Rockets weren’t able to take advantage of this opportunity. In the playoffs, Harden averaged 31.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.2 steals, which are very impressive numbers, but his 41.3 percent shooting from the field and 35.0 percent shooting from three left you wanting a bit more.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Antetokounmpo was incredible this season, proving just how scary his prime years will be for the rest of the NBA. After turning 24 years old in December, Giannis led the Bucks to an NBA-high 60 wins during the regular season and he may end up winning this year’s Most Valuable Player award later this month. During the regular season, Antetokounmpo averaged a career-high 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists along with 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals. Antetokounmpo was widely regarded as the most dominant all-around player during the regular season.
Milwaukee advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they ultimately lost in six games to the eventual-champion Toronto Raptors. Giannis made his presence felt during the playoffs, averaging 25.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals (while hitting 1.2 three-pointers per game on 32.7 percent shooting from deep). Antetokounmpo was surely disappointed not to make the NBA Finals, but this was still a remarkable year for the six-year veteran and the shooting progress he showed in the postseason may be a sign of what’s to come in 2019-20. The Bucks will now look to re-sign key contributors Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Malcolm Brogdon and hope that next season is their year.
1. Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors
Toronto was very cautious with Leonard during the regular season, playing him in just 60 games (which is a big reason why he wasn’t viewed as a serious contender in this year’s MVP race). Leonard was excellent when he did suit up, locking down multiple positions on defense and averaging a career-high 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. Kawhi elevated his game in the playoffs, putting together one of the best postseason runs in NBA history. He was outstanding on both ends of the court, averaged 30.5 points and hit the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history against the 76ers. He led the Raptors to the NBA Finals for the first time in team history and then had an incredible series that helped Toronto hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Leonard made Masai Ujiri look very smart for acquiring him last summer when he was coming off a quad injury that limited him to just nine games in the 2017-18 campaign. Next month, Leonard will be an unrestricted free agency; it remains to be seen whether Toronto’s championship will lead to a commitment (long-term or short-term) from Kawhi.
