I did this list once before to pick what I thought would be the greatest starting 5 of all time in the NBA. Now, Im going to do it to pick what I think would be the greatest starting 5 in todays NBA. Meaning if I could pick out of all the players in the NBA to create a starting 5, these are the people Id pick.
POINT GUARD:
The NBA has evolved over the years to where now, instead of being a big mans game, its dominated by point guards. It seems like almost every team has an all star caliber point guard these days. Theres Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, Goran Dragic, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and so on. Now, though, there is really only one point guard that is head and shoulders above them all. Of course, Im talking about Stephen Curry. Steph Curry has, not only become the premiere PG in the NBA, but hes arguably the best player currently in the NBA. He was the leagues MVP last season and he led his team to an NBA Championship as well. Right now, when he plays, he totally has his way on the court. He cant be stopped and hes hands down the best shooter in the history of basketball. I mean, hes so good that he has to be guarded as soon as he crosses half court. He completely changes that tide of a game. Ive seen the Warriors be down by double digits going into the 4th quarter and Steph completely takes over and single handedly brings his team back. Hes had multiple 40+ point games this season and even a 52 point game. Steph Curry is far and away the best point guard in the league right now.
SHOOTING GUARD:
As I said above, the NBA has become a point guards game. We are actually in a transition phase at the moment when it comes to shooting guards. Kobe Bryant is past his prime and so is Dwayne Wade for that matter. Other than those two there is only one other shooting guard that can be considered the best in the league and that, of course, is James Harden. James Harden is a scoring machine who can seemingly get to the free throw line whenever he wants to. Ill admit that Harden is super star in the NBA, however, the only reason that he is on this list is because of a lack of other note worthy shooting guards. As good as Harden is, he seemingly doesnt put forth his maximum effort every night. Hes capable of being one of the best players in the NBA and on any given night you just dont know which Harden is going to show up. Thats a damn shame. Having said that though, James Harden is currently the best Shooting Guard in the NBA.
SMALL FORWARD:
There are a lot of great small forwards in the league currently. We have Paul George, Kevin Durant, Kwahi Leonard, Rudy Gay, Carmelo Anthony, and etc. Lets not drag this out though; the best Small Forward in the NBA currently is and has been Lebron James. James is the best all around player in the NBA. Hes great on both offense and defense and he has led his respective teams to the last 5 straight NBA Finals. Hes a 4 time league MVP and a 2 time NBA champion. He has widely been considered the best player in the world for last few years, however, with the emergence of Steph Curry, James may longer be the best player in the world. Anyways, Lebron James is currently the best Small Forward in the NBA.
POWER FORWARD:
Like the Small Forward position there are a number of great Power Forwards in the league. We have Zach Randolf, Anthony Davis, Lemarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, and etc. A few years ago, the answer to this position would have been very easy. Tim Duncan wouldve hands down been my pick because, IMO, hes the best PF in the history of the NBA. Now, however, Duncan is past his prime and as good as he still plays, hes a shell of his former self. So whos the best PF in the league currently? IMO it has to be Blake Griffin. Griffin is a great scorer, a very good defender, can handle the ball, is a great passer, and has consistently gotten better each year that hes been in the NBA. When he first came in, all he could really do was dunk. He had no jump shot and his free throw shooting was abysmal. Now, though, his jumper is damn near automatic and hes shooting over 78% from the free throw line. Griffin has a lot of years left to go in the NBA, but if he can continue to get better hes going to be scary. Blake Griffin is currently the best Power Forward in the NBA.
CENTER:
This position doesnt really exist anymore in the NBA. Everybody likes to play small ball. Still, though, there are a few players who are true Centers and are actually pretty damn good. I know a lot of people still believe that Dwight Howard is still the best Center, however, he hasnt been anywhere as near as good as he used to be since leaving the Magic. So, IMO, the best Center in the NBA is DeAndre Jordan. Jordan isnt a great scorer, but hes a beyond great defender. He is always among the leaders in the league in rebonds, blocks, and shooting percentage. If only he could shoot free throws, but that seems to be a common big man problem. DeAndre Jordan is currently the best Center in the NBA.
So this would be my current starting five in the NBA. What do you guys think? Let me know your opinions.
POINT GUARD:
The NBA has evolved over the years to where now, instead of being a big mans game, its dominated by point guards. It seems like almost every team has an all star caliber point guard these days. Theres Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Kyle Lowry, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, Goran Dragic, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and so on. Now, though, there is really only one point guard that is head and shoulders above them all. Of course, Im talking about Stephen Curry. Steph Curry has, not only become the premiere PG in the NBA, but hes arguably the best player currently in the NBA. He was the leagues MVP last season and he led his team to an NBA Championship as well. Right now, when he plays, he totally has his way on the court. He cant be stopped and hes hands down the best shooter in the history of basketball. I mean, hes so good that he has to be guarded as soon as he crosses half court. He completely changes that tide of a game. Ive seen the Warriors be down by double digits going into the 4th quarter and Steph completely takes over and single handedly brings his team back. Hes had multiple 40+ point games this season and even a 52 point game. Steph Curry is far and away the best point guard in the league right now.
SHOOTING GUARD:
As I said above, the NBA has become a point guards game. We are actually in a transition phase at the moment when it comes to shooting guards. Kobe Bryant is past his prime and so is Dwayne Wade for that matter. Other than those two there is only one other shooting guard that can be considered the best in the league and that, of course, is James Harden. James Harden is a scoring machine who can seemingly get to the free throw line whenever he wants to. Ill admit that Harden is super star in the NBA, however, the only reason that he is on this list is because of a lack of other note worthy shooting guards. As good as Harden is, he seemingly doesnt put forth his maximum effort every night. Hes capable of being one of the best players in the NBA and on any given night you just dont know which Harden is going to show up. Thats a damn shame. Having said that though, James Harden is currently the best Shooting Guard in the NBA.
SMALL FORWARD:
There are a lot of great small forwards in the league currently. We have Paul George, Kevin Durant, Kwahi Leonard, Rudy Gay, Carmelo Anthony, and etc. Lets not drag this out though; the best Small Forward in the NBA currently is and has been Lebron James. James is the best all around player in the NBA. Hes great on both offense and defense and he has led his respective teams to the last 5 straight NBA Finals. Hes a 4 time league MVP and a 2 time NBA champion. He has widely been considered the best player in the world for last few years, however, with the emergence of Steph Curry, James may longer be the best player in the world. Anyways, Lebron James is currently the best Small Forward in the NBA.
POWER FORWARD:
Like the Small Forward position there are a number of great Power Forwards in the league. We have Zach Randolf, Anthony Davis, Lemarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, and etc. A few years ago, the answer to this position would have been very easy. Tim Duncan wouldve hands down been my pick because, IMO, hes the best PF in the history of the NBA. Now, however, Duncan is past his prime and as good as he still plays, hes a shell of his former self. So whos the best PF in the league currently? IMO it has to be Blake Griffin. Griffin is a great scorer, a very good defender, can handle the ball, is a great passer, and has consistently gotten better each year that hes been in the NBA. When he first came in, all he could really do was dunk. He had no jump shot and his free throw shooting was abysmal. Now, though, his jumper is damn near automatic and hes shooting over 78% from the free throw line. Griffin has a lot of years left to go in the NBA, but if he can continue to get better hes going to be scary. Blake Griffin is currently the best Power Forward in the NBA.
CENTER:
This position doesnt really exist anymore in the NBA. Everybody likes to play small ball. Still, though, there are a few players who are true Centers and are actually pretty damn good. I know a lot of people still believe that Dwight Howard is still the best Center, however, he hasnt been anywhere as near as good as he used to be since leaving the Magic. So, IMO, the best Center in the NBA is DeAndre Jordan. Jordan isnt a great scorer, but hes a beyond great defender. He is always among the leaders in the league in rebonds, blocks, and shooting percentage. If only he could shoot free throws, but that seems to be a common big man problem. DeAndre Jordan is currently the best Center in the NBA.
So this would be my current starting five in the NBA. What do you guys think? Let me know your opinions.
