Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA's Best Players on February 17, 2023
It's time for another look at how the NBA's players stack up according to catch-all metrics from around the internet!
Who has been the best player in the NBA this season?
A number of catch-all metrics from the around the internet endeavor to answer that question every year. And though many of the different adjusted plus-minuses attempt to measure the same thing (an individual player’s impact on the game when he’s on the floor), they have slightly different ways of getting there.
If you want to acknowledge the most accessible ones, you could say something like…
“Luka Dončić is second in Basketball Reference’s box plus/minus, third in Dunks and Threes’ estimated plus-minus, second in FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR, second in Basketball Index’s LEBRON and fourth in Basketball Reference’s game score per 36 minutes…”
…but that’s quite a mouthful.
For the last several seasons, I’ve been sharing something of a shorthand for the above. Instead of rattling off that list for any and all players one might want to discuss, I average every qualified player by the average of their ranks in those five stats (as well as their cumulative variants).
The results give credit to each of the metrics, throw a bone to basic numbers (through the use of game score) and reward players for availability (through the addition of the cumulative marks).
The lists produced by this exercise aren’t perfect, but none are. A strictly subjective ranking wouldn’t cut it either. This is at least a guide, though. And it can give you a pretty good idea of who’s been the best (or worst) in 2022-23.
Before diving in, here’s just a little hint. If you’re looking for a specific player (like, oh say, Ben Simmons), do the handy little “control (or command) plus F” trick on your keyboard and type in that player’s name.
Oh, and one more caveat. If Giannis Antetokounmpo looks lower than you thought he should be (totally warranted reaction to his current spot), bear in mind that cumulative numbers (think points, rather than points per game) are in play, and Giannis has already missed three games. This early in the campaign, that makes a big difference.
So, with all of that behind us, feel free to scroll away.
If you’re looking for last week’s rankings, you can find them here.
Rank. Player (average of ranks in rate and cumulative catch-all metrics)
1. Nikola Jokic (1.1)
2. Luka Doncic (2.3)
3. Joel Embiid (3.9)
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo (6.6)
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (7.3)
6. Damian Lillard (7.6)
7. Jayson Tatum (9.5)
8. LeBron James (9.7)
9. Donovan Mitchell (12.0)
10. Stephen Curry (12.9)
11. Jimmy Butler (13.0)
12. Kevin Durant (13.6)
13. Ja Morant (15.9)
14. James Harden (17.0)
15. Kyrie Irving (18.3)
16. Lauri Markkanen (18.6)
17. Domantas Sabonis (19.6)
18. Tyrese Haliburton (21.4)
19. Anthony Davis (21.7)
20. Darius Garland (23.0)
21. Kristaps Porzingis (23.8)
22. Trae Young (23.9)
23. Julius Randle (25.7)
24. Kawhi Leonard (27.2)
25. Paul George (29.9)
26. Jalen Brunson (30.2)
27. Aaron Gordon (32.4)
28. Jaren Jackson Jr. (33.1)
29. Nic Claxton (33.8)
30. Bam Adebayo (34.8)
31. Jrue Holiday (35.7)
32. Pascal Siakam (36.2)
33. DeMar DeRozan (37.1)
34. Devin Booker (38.5)
35. De'Aaron Fox (41.2)
36. Fred VanVleet (41.8)
37. Jarrett Allen (42.3)
38. Zion Williamson (42.5)
39. Anthony Edwards (43.6)
40. Brook Lopez (50.6)
41. Desmond Bane (51.1)
42. Derrick White (52.1)
43. Alperen Sengun (56.0)
44. Walker Kessler (58.2)
45. Chris Paul (58.6)
46. Bradley Beal (58.9)
47. Clint Capela (59.1)
48. Jaylen Brown (60.6)
49. Myles Turner (61.9)
50. Zach LaVine (62.4)
51. Buddy Hield (63.7)
52. Franz Wagner (63.9)
53. Jamal Murray (64.2)
54. Mikal Bridges (68.4)
55. Dejounte Murray (71.0)
56. Kevon Looney (72.6)
57. Steven Adams (72.7)
58. Mason Plumlee (75.4)
59. CJ McCollum (75.7)
60. Rudy Gobert (77.3)
61. Mitchell Robinson (79.4)
62. Kyle Anderson (79.7)
63. Nikola Vucevic (82.9)
63. Scottie Barnes (82.9)
65. Draymond Green (83.2)
66. Tyler Herro (84.5)
67. D'Angelo Russell (84.8)
68. Immanuel Quickley (85.5)
69. LaMelo Ball (85.8)
70. Daniel Gafford (87.3)
71. Evan Mobley (87.7)
72. Jusuf Nurkic (88.5)
73. Larry Nance Jr. (88.7)
74. Christian Wood (91.4)
75. Spencer Dinwiddie (91.9)
76. Josh Hart (92.6)
77. Jerami Grant (92.9)
78. O.G. Anunoby (93.7)
79. Isaiah Joe (95.6)
80. Alex Caruso (95.7)
81. Kevin Huerter (96.8)
82. Kyle Kuzma (98.0)
83. Tobias Harris (99.4)
84. Malcolm Brogdon (100.2)
85. Harrison Barnes (100.5)
86. Bobby Portis (101.2)
87. Gary Trent Jr. (101.7)
88. Cameron Johnson (102.2)
89. De'Anthony Melton (103.0)
90. Karl-Anthony Towns (103.3)
91. Mike Conley (103.8)
92. Marcus Smart (103.9)
93. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (106.6)
94. Anfernee Simons (107.4)
95. Monte Morris (109.2)
96. Chris Boucher (110.6)
97. Alec Burks (110.9)
97. Andrew Wiggins (110.9)
97. Wendell Carter Jr. (110.9)
100. Jakob Poeltl (111.0)
101. Al Horford (111.2)
102. Robert Williams (111.9)
103. Bojan Bogdanovic (112.5)
104. Terry Rozier (114.7)
105. Brandon Ingram (116.3)
106. Tyus Jones (117.3)
107. Kelly Olynyk (120.3)
108. Kyle Lowry (122.6)
109. Kenrich Williams (122.8)
110. Deandre Ayton (123.9)
111. Klay Thompson (124.5)
112. Josh Okogie (124.6)
113. Moritz Wagner (124.7)
114. Brandon Clarke (125.6)
115. Delon Wright (125.9)
116. Cole Anthony (127.6)
117. Kevin Porter Jr. (129.7)
118. Luguentz Dort (130.3)
119. Michael Porter Jr. (132.3)
120. Jordan Clarkson (132.7)
121. Norman Powell (133.7)
122. Grayson Allen (134.5)
122. Thomas Bryant (134.5)
124. Tre Jones (134.9)
125. Dwight Powell (135.4)
125. Terance Mann (135.4)
127. Cedi Osman (135.5)
128. Jose Alvarado (136.1)
129. Donte DiVincenzo (136.9)
130. Santi Aldama (137.1)
131. Tyrese Maxey (137.2)
132. Jaden McDaniels (137.4)
133. Onyeka Okongwu (137.5)
134. Russell Westbrook (138.6)
135. John Konchar (138.7)
136. Trey Murphy III (139.9)
137. Tari Eason (140.8)
138. T.J. McConnell (141.0)
139. Herbert Jones (145.4)
140. Josh Giddey (147.2)
141. Ben Simmons (147.4)
142. Jordan Goodwin (148.5)
143. Terence Davis (148.6)
144. Devin Vassell (151.2)
145. Jock Landale (152.3)
146. Andre Drummond (153.9)
147. Kevin Love (154.8)
148. Hamidou Diallo (155.0)
149. Tim Hardaway Jr. (156.6)
150. Josh Green (157.0)
151. Bruce Brown (158.0)
152. Drew Eubanks (159.4)
152. Luke Kornet (159.4)
154. Jevon Carter (159.6)
155. Jarred Vanderbilt (160.2)
156. Paolo Banchero (161.0)
157. Isaac Okoro (162.9)
158. Isaiah Hartenstein (163.2)
159. Nicolas Batum (163.5)
160. Mike Muscala (164.4)
161. Quentin Grimes (165.0)
162. Dorian Finney-Smith (166.4)
163. Jalen Suggs (167.3)
164. Malik Monk (168.8)
165. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (169.3)
166. Naz Reid (169.4)
167. Cameron Payne (170.4)
168. Mo Bamba (170.8)
169. Dillon Brooks (170.9)
170. Ivica Zubac (171.5)
171. Jonas Valanciunas (171.7)
172. Naji Marshall (172.0)
173. Robert Covington (173.7)
174. Caris LeVert (173.8)
175. Jalen Johnson (174.8)
176. Kelly Oubre Jr. (175.5)
177. Devonte' Graham (175.9)
178. Jalen Duren (176.3)
179. Markelle Fultz (176.7)
180. Royce O'Neale (177.6)
181. Sam Hauser (177.7)
182. Xavier Tillman (179.0)
183. John Collins (179.3)
184. Austin Reaves (180.9)
184. Marcus Morris (180.9)
186. Collin Sexton (181.5)
187. Pat Connaughton (181.7)
188. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (182.4
)188. Matisse Thybulle (182.4)
190. Georges Niang (182.6)
191. Keldon Johnson (183.5)
192. Saddiq Bey (184.3)
193. Josh Richardson (184.4)
194. Cam Thomas (184.9)
195. Grant Williams (187.5)
195. Keegan Murray (187.5)
197. AJ Griffin (187.8)
198. Caleb Martin (190.1)
199. Anthony Lamb (191.4)
200. Kenyon Martin Jr. (191.8)
201. Dean Wade (192.3)
201. Jalen McDaniels (192.3)
203. Talen Horton-Tucker (192.5)
204. P.J. Washington (192.9)
205. Nick Richards (193.0)
206. Derrick Jones Jr. (193.1)
207. Deni Avdija (193.4)
208. Wenyen Gabriel (193.5)
209. Montrezl Harrell (194.1)
210. Trey Lyles (194.3)
211. Victor Oladipo (194.9)
212. De'Andre Hunter (199.6)
213. Isaiah Jackson (200.5)
214. Jalen Williams (201.1)
215. Landry Shamet (201.2)
216. Coby White (202.0)
217. Jaylen Nowell (202.4)
218. Damion Lee (202.5)
219. Zach Collins (203.1)
220. Bol Bol (203.7)
221. Yuta Watanabe (204.8)
222. Precious Achiuwa (205.4)
223. Bogdan Bogdanovic (207.2)
224. Gary Harris (208.7)
225. Jordan Poole (209.6)
226. Dennis Smith Jr. (211.0)
227. Isaiah Stewart (211.4)
228. Torrey Craig (212.1)
229. Marvin Bagley III (212.3)
230. Max Strus (213.4)
231. Thaddeus Young (213.7)
232. Aleksej Pokusevski (215.0)
233. Edmond Sumner (217.4)
234. Gabe Vincent (217.7)
235. Dyson Daniels (218.9)
236. Usman Garuba (219.8)
237. Ish Wainright (219.9)
238. Obi Toppin (222.2)
239. Bones Hyland (222.3)
240. Darius Bazley (223.4)
241. RJ Barrett (223.6)
242. Dennis Schroder (223.9)
242. Ty Jerome (223.9)
244. Garrison Mathews (228.3)
244. Keita Bates-Diop (228.3)
246. Jalen Green (230.0)
247. Gordon Hayward (230.6)
248. Eric Gordon (230.8)
249. Bennedict Mathurin (232.0)
250. Jalen Smith (232.6)
251. Rui Hachimura (232.7)
252. Malik Beasley (232.9)
253. John Wall (236.3)
254. Aaron Holiday (238.3)
255. Bismack Biyombo (238.9)
256. Christian Koloko (240.2)
257. George Hill (240.3)
258. Aaron Nesmith (240.5)
259. Shake Milton (241.3)
260. Reggie Jackson (243.4)
261. Romeo Langford (244.4)
262. Patrick Williams (245.1)
263. Andrew Nembhard (245.2)
264. Jericho Sims (245.6)
265. Luke Kennard (246.3)
266. Justise Winslow (249.1)
267. Joe Ingles (251.1)
267. Killian Hayes (251.1)
269. Miles McBride (251.8)
270. Taurean Prince (252.1)
271. Vlatko Cancar (253.0)
272. Oshae Brissett (253.4)
273. Joe Harris (253.9)
274. Aaron Wiggins (254.0)
275. Theo Maledon (255.5)
276. Dario Saric (256.2)
277. Patrick Beverley (258.9)
278. Seth Curry (260.5)
279. Troy Brown Jr. (261.3)
280. JaMychal Green (261.4)
281. Corey Kispert (261.5)
282. Lonnie Walker IV (262.2)
283. T.J. Warren (262.3)
284. Cam Reddish (262.5)
285. Maxi Kleber (264.2)
286. Haywood Highsmith (266.3)
287. Jeremy Sochan (266.5)
288. Nassir Little (266.8)
289. Ayo Dosunmu (267.6)
290. Cory Joseph (267.7)
291. Davion Mitchell (268.4)
292. Wesley Matthews (270.4)
293. Trendon Watford (270.6)
294. Rudy Gay (271.9)
295. Jonathan Kuminga (273.5)
296. Zeke Nnaji (278.1)
297. Chris Duarte (278.4)
298. Jabari Smith Jr. (279.2)
299. Jaden Ivey (281.2)
300. Ochai Agbaji (284.7)
301. Tre Mann (286.2)
302. Goran Dragic (286.3)
303. Lamar Stevens (288.1)
304. Isaiah Livers (289.9)
305. Kevin Knox (290.2)
306. Doug McDermott (291.7)
307. Reggie Bullock (291.8)
308. Kendrick Nunn (292.8)
308. Will Barton (292.8)
310. Terrence Ross (294.8)
311. Austin Rivers (296.5)
312. Christian Braun (296.8)
313. Moses Moody (297.5)
314. Duncan Robinson (297.9)
315. Daishen Nix (298.6)
316. Malachi Flynn (298.7)
317. Shaedon Sharpe (299.2)
318. Payton Pritchard (299.5)
319. Caleb Houstan (299.9)
320. Jordan Nwora (300.1)
321. P.J. Tucker (301.6)
322. Juancho Hernangomez (303.5)
323. Malaki Branham (304.9)
324. Jeff Green (305.9)
325. MarJon Beauchamp (310.2)
326. Danuel House Jr. (312.7)
327. David Roddy (313.8)
328. Amir Coffey (318.2)
329. JT Thor (322.5)
Aaand, if you’d like to see the top 30 if you only use the rate numbers (think points per game, rather than points), those are below.
Rank. Player (average of ranks in rate catch-all metrics)
1. Nikola Jokic (1.0)
2. Luka Doncic (2.4)
3. Joel Embiid (3.0)
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo (6.2)
5. Stephen Curry (6.8)
6. Damian Lillard (8.4)
7. Kevin Durant (9.2)
8. Jimmy Butler (9.4)
9. LeBron James (10.0)
10. Anthony Davis (10.2)
11. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (10.6)
12. Kawhi Leonard (12.6)
13. Donovan Mitchell (14.6)
14. James Harden (14.8)
15. Jayson Tatum (15.2)
16. Ja Morant (15.6)
17. Jaren Jackson Jr. (17.2)
18. Kyrie Irving (18.8)
19. Tyrese Haliburton (21.4)
20. Lauri Markkanen (23.2)
21. Zion Williamson (23.8)
22. Kristaps Porzingis (24.4)
23. Devin Booker (24.8)
24. Domantas Sabonis (26.0)
25. Darius Garland (28.2)
25. Paul George (28.2)
27. Trae Young (29.4)
28. Aaron Gordon (29.6)
29. Desmond Bane (35.0)
30. Jrue Holiday (35.6)
Thanks!
Great stuff. Is there any way to expand the second list beyond 30?