The SizeUP's Top 10 Players

Rankings are overrated but a fun exercise to see what we value most. Throughout the 2024-25 season, this list will be updated based on the criteria below, but most importantly on-court impact on winning. One month into the season, let's see where the NBA's best rank in the SizeUP's Top Ten.

Criteria/Definitions:

Championship Centerpiece: The best playmakers in the league. These individuals elevate their team on offense, defense or both.

MVP: To be an MVP-level player, the individual's stats are not enough. The stats and the player have to impact winning positively.

Playmaker: On offense, this player combines elite-level scoring with passing to level up his team's offensive attack. On defense, this player anchors his team's protection scheme with rebounding and defensive versatility.

Estimated Plus Minus (EPM): an all-in-one player metric that estimates a player's contribution to the team in points per 100 possessions. EPM used to measure past impact based only on data from individual seasons. Now, EPM is a predictive metric using all available data (stat from dunksandthrees).

On/Off Differential: difference between how a player's team performed with him on the court versus off (stat from cleaningtheglass)

1. Nikola Jokić | Denver Nuggets | Championship Centerpiece

Update:

Who knew that a three-time MVP, NBA Champ, Finals MVP and one of the most gifted offensive players ever could get better? Well, Jokić has done just that, averaging a triple-double a month into the season. While his absurd 56.4 three-point percentage is likely to come back down to earth, it's not like it should fall off the face of the planet. Even then, he has always tended to be one of the most efficient scorers, and this year he could be in contention for the NBA's triple crown (leading scorer, rebounder and assist man). Jokić has mastered nearly every aspect of the game and so far, no one comes close to taking his place on this list.

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For all the size Minnesota had in last year's playoffs, Nikola Jokić still put on an offensive clinic, averaging a near 29-point triple-double for the series. The last time we saw "The Joker" in an NBA setting, the man dropped 34 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists, leading his time in totality in those respective categories for the 2024 playoffs. An offensive virtuoso, Jokić has an answer for anything and everything you throw at him.

An impossible one-on-one cover, Jokić asserts himself near the basket as one of the most efficient post-scorers but equally dissects the defense when they try to double with highlight reel passing. His combination of volume, efficient scoring, and all-time dime-dropping make him the ultimate floor-raiser. Last season, Jokić posted the second-highest on/off differential at 23.7, which is equivalent to his team playing like a 67-win team with him on the floor, per cleaning the glass. Some say defense wins championships, but Nikola Jokić's offensive playmaking counters that argument.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | Championship Centerpiece

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the league's fiercest players, a rim-rattling, mean-mugging monster. While injuries have forced Antetokounmpo to miss time over the last two postseasons, he's still the same two-way force that took the Celtics to seven games in 2022 on a shorthanded Buck's squad. And after a drama-ridden 2024 season, "The Greek Freak" will look to stay healthy to make a run against the top-heavy Eastern Conference.

The first year without Mike Budhenholzer and Jrue Holiday saw Milwaukee go from a mediocre offense to the sixth most efficient, in part, due to Antetokounmpo's finishing ability. Giannis topped the league in rim field goal attempts and converted on an absurd 74.7 percent of his attempts. His freakish (pun intended) ability to get to the basket from as soon as he snares a rebound forces defenses to overreact, often leading to open shots for his teammates or free throws for himself. The Bucks boasted a 121.9 offensive rating with Antetokounmpo on the floor last season, but the offensively oriented roster struggled to maintain defensive integrity. Even so, Giannis remained one of the best help-side defenders in all of basketball, turning away shots at an elite level, and improving the Buck's defense every time he was on the floor.

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City Thunder | Championship Centerpiece

Update:

Sure, Gilgeous-Alexander remains one of the best volume scorers in the league, but he's doing so without getting favorable calls. Ever since he burst onto the scene two years ago, his free-throw attempts have dropped from 10.9 to 7.8, and yet he sits at seventh in scoring. An undeniable force, Gilgeous-Alexander's game has continued to evolve to where now he's taking pull-up 3s(?). If he can unlock that part of his game, there won't be many answers for SGA.

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Oklahoma City finished atop the West last season as the second-youngest team behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP play. The 26-year-old Toronto native has become one of the best volume scorers in the league, using his change of pace and midrange craft to generate buckets. If consistency was a person, it would be SGA.

Gilgeous-Alexander proved during the postseason that his scoring production carries over, as he averaged 30 points on nearly 50 percent from the field. Even with a slight dip in scoring and shot efficiency (due to more physicality being allowed), SGA still made 49 percent of all his midrange shots. He also showed that he could impact the game beyond scoring, using lengthy arms to be disruptive on defense and making the right play on offense once he drew two. Gilgeous Alexander is the driver (literally) of this Thunder offense, and his trajectory right now hints at another international superstar hoisting up the MVP Trophy come next May.

4. Luka Dončić | Dallas Mavericks | Championship Centerpiece

It has proven difficult to build around all-world talent Luka Dončić, but a midseason trade last year painted a clearer picture of what a title team could look like centered around him. Dončić is coming off his fifth consecutive All-NBA First Team selection, and he only got better last year.

The vision, the creativity and the clutch gene were all a part of his game entering last season, but his efficiency lagged, especially from three. Then, all of a sudden, Luka became one of the premier midrange (43.8%) and high-volume three-point shooters (38%) in the sport (it was as if Superman somehow had gotten better if that's even possible). With a complete game, Dončić was arguably the best offensive player in the league last year, spearheading one of the most efficient offenses when he was on the floor.

Unfortunately, though, defensive woes in a demoralizing Finals loss to the Celtics have left a bad taste in some people's mouths (safe to say a bad matchup for someone who struggles to guard in space against the most spaced team ever). Luka Dončić may be one of the most talented players with the ball in his hands but did his best chance at a ring pass him?

5. Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors | Championship Centerpiece

Steph Curry might be the only superstar in NBA history to be scarier when he doesn't have the ball. The greatest shooter ever has a gravitational pull rivaled only by the sun as he runs off screens behind the arc. Curry's long-range accuracy continues to be a solid foundation to build your offense on, and as long as he has Draymond Green throwing him passes, he'll continue to torch defenses.

Last season, Curry attempted the most threes a night and netted nearly 41 percent of them. His 357 made threes last season cleared the next closest player and were the third most all-time in a season. Whether he's self-generating offense (37.1 pull-up three-point percentage) or coming off screens (95th percentile in off-ball screen points per possession), Curry's prowess as a shooter and off-ball threat continues to warp defenses to the Warriors' advantage. In fact, last year Golden State had a 119 offensive rating and shot better overall when he was on the floor.

Building around Curry's marksmanship has resulted in four championships, and in the wild wild West, all it takes is one run for the Warriors to potentially own five of the last 11 championships.

6. Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics | Championship Centerpiece

Update:

Tatum heard all of the criticism about his jump shot during the Paris Olympics. So what did he do? He came back and has been one of the best volume three-point shooters in the entire league. Not only that, but his assist numbers have jumped, carrying over from his Finals performance. He is rightfully in the MVP conversation, but if he continues making plays at this level, Boston could be well on its way to a repeat.

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Is it strange reading that Jayson Tatum takes a top-ten spot over his wingman, Jaylen Brown, the Finals MVP? No. Or at least it shouldn't be. Tatum's superpower is his ability to coexist alongside other high-end talent, enabling the Celtics' front office to put the absolute best team around him without really worrying about how the others will affect his play.

Overall, Tatum is quite literally a jack of all trades, master of none. He doesn't have many limitations as an offensive player, and his teammates can supplement any that he may have without interfering with his production. Need him to knock down threes? How's 36 percent on all attempts the last three seasons and 40 percent on catch-and-shoot opportunities? Need an elite driver who forces defensive rotations? Tatum ranked above the 80th percentile in volume, efficiency and assists on drives during the 2024 season. And while he may not be a high-level passer like some of the aforementioned players, he led the Finals with 7.2 assists a game, and captured his first ring while dropping 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in game five.

Defensively, Tatum, in my eyes, secures his spot on this list. At 6'8", the All-NBA wing is one of the most versatile stoppers in the league. Not only can he take on matchups like Kevin Durant or Giannis Antetokounmpo, but in the Finals, he was key to neutralizing Dallas' pick-and-roll heavy offense. With the ability to switch onto Luka Dončić and secure defensive rebounds, the Celtics were giving no advantage to the Mavericks' offense.

It's hard to call Tatum a championship centerpiece, but that's only because he offers so much roster flexibility that you don't have to build around him. You can build with him.

7. Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers | Championship Centerpiece

In this ranking, we're giving players the benefit of good health, and when doing so, there might not be a more dominant player in the league than Joel Embiid. Sixers fans have been blessed by having arguably the best player in the league but cursed when the playoffs roll around and Embiid isn't ready to go. Regardless, Embiid's offensive skills blend Hakeem Olajuwon's post-up poetry and Dirk Nowitzki's midrange shotmaking inside Shaq's body. If that wasn't enough, he also patrols the paint like "The Dream", looking to swat away pedestrian layup attempts.

Here's a fun stat: Joel Embiid is one of 46 players to average 11 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals through at least 39 games. That nugget doesn't sound too glamorous until you factor in his 34.7 points through that span when he becomes the only player to post those per-game numbers. Embiid's two-way dominance cannot be overstated, seeing as he anchored a top-10 offense and defense before his injury. And similar to Jokić, when he left the floor, whether because of injury or rest, the 76ers statistically and schematically looked to be in shambles. In the regular season, Embiid had a +9.6 on/off differential, which ballooned to +46.6 in the Sixers' first-round matchup against New York.

It's safe to say when Embiid is healthy, he positions the Philadelphia 76ers as a championship contender.

8. Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers | MVP

Anthony Davis is like a defensive skeleton key, whatever coverage you want to run, he'll unlock the ability to do so. "The Brow" has become synonymous with missing time, but last season was the first time in six years he played over 75 games. The result was a dominant defensive season that powered the Lakers to the playoffs.

While the numbers weren't gaudy, the Lakers were still better defensively with Davis on the court last year. His 2.3 blocks were the fourth most in the league and his 5.7 block percentage ranked in the 96th percentile, per dunksandthrees. And sure, sending shots into the stands is cool and all, but eliminating attempts at the rim is something reserved only for the best paint defenders and Davis has that impact.

	BLK/G	On/Off Diff in OPP Rim Attempts	On/Off Diff in OPP Rim FG%
Anthony Davis	2.3	-0.03	-0.05
Victor Wembanyama	3.6	0.00	-0.03
Walker Kessler	2.4	-0.01	-0.08
Brook Lopez	2.4	0.01	-0.06
Chet Holmgren	2.3	-0.01	-0.06
Rudy Gobert	2.1	-0.05	-0.06
Daniel Gafford	2.1	-0.04	-0.07
Nic Claxton	2.1	0.02	-0.05
Kristaps Porzingis	1.9	0.01	-0.07
Myles Turner	1.9	-0.01	-0.02

On the other end, Davis is one of the best rim finishers of this generation, diving to the basket with backboard-shattering ferocity. He may be limited in his creation ability, but make no mistake about the interior presence Davis brings as a roller and post-up scorer. Even more devastating is his ability to get on the offensive glass, where he ripped down over three a night and converted on nearly 65 percent of his putback attempts.

A two-way anchor, Anthony Davis brings another level of size and physicality few teams can match.

9. Kevin Durant | Phoenix Suns | MVP

It's almost like no matter what happens to Kevin Durant one thing will always remain true and consistent: he can score the basketball.

A calf strain kept him out of Team USA's exhibition matches before he returned and dropped 23 in 17 minutes against Serbia in group play. A similar injury has forced him to miss seven of 16 games to start the 2024-25 season, but not before he got off to one of the most efficient starts of his career.

One of the best shot-creators in all of basketball, Durant continues to reign supreme from the midrange. Not only does he frequent that area of the floor (48% of his shots per Cleaning the Glass), but he makes over half of his attempts. His size, length and skill make him nearly uncontestable when he rises, leaving defenders with only hope that he misses.

That demoralizing effect translates beyond the arc, as he is not only taking but making more from 3. Durant is posting a career-high three-point attempt rate and converting at a second-best 42.9 percent. Essentially, Mike Budenholzer has empowered one of the best shooters of all time to seek out more long-range bombs (I think that will work out in Phoenix's favor).

A perennial 50/40/90 candidate, Kevin Durant continues to be one of the best scorers in NBA history.

10 Jalen Brunson | New York Knicks | MVP

Last year's postseason run by Jalen Brunson was arguably one of the greatest ever by a small guard. While inefficiency plagued him throughout the 13 games, he still ranked second in points per game and sixth in assists per game.

Entering this season with reinforcements Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, it was clear that Brunson would be the epicenter of this Knicks' offense. And so far, this heliocentric approach has resulted in one of the most efficient offenses in the league, with New York currently sitting at no. 2 in offensive rating. That number only gets better during Brunson's minutes, jumping up nearly a point per Cleaning the Glass.

He has persisted as one of the best drivers in the league, using change of pace and fakes to throw defenders off balance before cooly sinking a free throw line jumper. If you don't send help, it's a forceful shoulder bump and fade for two. If you do, he has done an excellent job of finding his teammates, averaging a career-high in assists.

Brunson's methodical inside-the-arc approach forces defenses to play at his pace. All they can do is follow along hoping he misses a beat.