NBA preseason: Ranking the 20 best NBA players ahead of the 2024-25 season, including Jalen Brunson and Ja Morant

Kawhi Leonard is far removed from the player he was with the Spurs and Raptors. That man was among the top 10 in the game. Nevertheless, when he is on the court he is still one of the most versatile players in the game. Unfortunately, his health can’t be trusted, and playing 60 or more games twice in the last five years is why he is near the back of the top 25 best players in the NBA.

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It’s no surprise that Damian Lillard saw his scoring decline in his first season playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. But that did not stop him from being just as impactful and put up All-Star numbers again last season. Most importantly, he played in 70 games, which was his most since the 2018-2019. At 34 Lillard is still a top-shelf talent.

At 35 years old, injuries are having an obvious effect on Jimmy Butler. But that still doesn’t stop him from being an impactful player whenever he is on the court. This could be his final season with the Miami Heat. And he is likely to be very good again as he seeks out one last big payday because Butler is one of the NBA’s most consistent players and winners even in the final years of his career.

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Kyrie Irving quieted his detractors again last season. After a disastrous few months in his debut with the Mavericks two seasons ago, he was a key part of a very good Dallas team all season in 2023-24 and they hit a peak when they surprised by reaching the NBA Finals. The gifted guard is in the final years of his prime and when healthy remains one of the hardest guards in the game.

Devin Booker is a very good player and was the leader of a Phoenix Suns team that did reach the NBA Finals a few years ago. He is an elite scorer and is a good ball-handler as well. But outside of that Finals run it has always seemed like he is missing that final winning element that would make him one of the elites.

That is why teammate Kevin Durant is higher on this list. But under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, maybe Booker will show in 2024-25 why he needs to move up into our top 10.

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Maybe Anthony Davis did not turn into the best player in the game like some foresaw when he was the top overall pick in 2012. But he has always been among the best when he is healthy. He is a talented scorer in the front court, a demon on the boards, but most importantly he is a serious impact player on the defensive side. As we saw in the Lakers West Finals run two seasons ago Davis can be one of the game’s biggest forces when he is on.

There is little doubt that Brown can be a No. 1 option on a contending team. He’s just not that with Jayson Tatum being the current face of the franchise. Nevertheless, during the playoffs, he showed his big-game talents and came up huge in some of their biggest series. The Celtics don’t win a title in 2023-24 and aren’t a favorite to do it again in 2024-25 without Jaylen Brown.

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Sure, Lebron James is not the player he once was. But what he can still do at 39 years old is absolutely mind-blowing. For the amount of games he’s played during an iconic career, he should be a shell of himself. But the Lakers star remains an All-Star level talent and he is still a top-15 player because he knows what it takes to win. The big difference from his prime years is he can’t carry a team to the Finals by himself anymore.

For much of his career, Donovan Mitchell has been one of the better players in the game that not many people don’t talk about. It is the blessing and curse of playing in cities like Utah and Cleveland. But the Jazz wouldn’t have been a perennial playoff team without him, and he is the main reason why the Cavaliers are a top-five team in the East entering the 2024-25 season.

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After missing much of last season due to suspensions and injuries, Ja Morant falls out of the top 10 in 2024-25. However, if he can stay healthy, there is little doubt the Memphis Grizzlies superstar will creep up our rankings and bring the team back to relevance. Morant is a force of nature in a small package and is the modern-day version of 76ers legend Allen Iverson.

The 2024 Summer Olympics showed that Stephen Curry still remains one of the most dangerous players in the sport of basketball. At 36, his best years are behind him but when you are the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA, father-time still has a lot of ground to make him before having enough of an effect to remove the Warriors icon from among the best players in the NBA today.

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As with others on this list, getting a bit longer in the tooth has impacted Durant’s ability to stay healthy. Nonetheless, he showed he is still a top-10 player despite being in the back half of his 30s after having one of the best seasons of his career defensively in 2023-24. Despite suffering a torn Achilles five years ago, Durant continues to age like the finest of wines.

Jalen Brunson’s ascendance to being one of the best NBA players right now is one of the best stories in the league over the last three seasons. He got out of Luka Doncic’s shadow two seasons ago and stepped into the brightest spotlight in sports, New York City. And in that pressure cooker, he has flourished into a superstar and one of Gotham’s most beloved pro athletes today.

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Jayson Tatum solidified his place among the very best players in the NBA right now last season as he led the Boston Celtics to the best record in the league and an NBA title. There is little he can’t do and has handled the Boston pressure with grace. If not for some of the special talents in from of him on this list he would be a top-five player easy.

Anthony Edwards has surprisingly gotten comparisons to Michael Jordan in recent seasons, and may not be that far off. The 23-year-old already took his team to the West Finals last season and outplayed some of the game’s greatest players to do it. The scariest thing is that this is still not the best version of the Timberwolves star. That should absolutely terrify Western rivals for the next decade.

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When talking about legitimate forces in the NBA right now, there are no better examples than 76ers superstar Joel Embiid. The one-time MVP is that perfect mix of new school big man shooting with a heavy dash of classic post-play. The biggest issue is always his health. When healthy, he can be the best player in the game. Unfortunately, his body does not allow that to be a consistent trend. Nevertheless, Philadelphia will again be a title contender because of Embiid.

SGA has morphed into one of the best players in the NBA since coming over from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Paul George trade. He was an MVP candidate for a surprising Thunder team last season by, averaging a resounding 31.1 points. This went along with 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists. Last season the 25-year-old, led the Association in offensive win shares and win shares per 48 minutes. He is why OKC will be a serious title contender in 2024-25.

At this point, it’s safe to assume that Doncic is one of the best NBA players of the modern era. He’s pretty much been dominant since making his debut in the Association back in 2018. Last season saw him take it to a whole new level. The five-time All-Star led the NBA with 34.2 points per game and also chipped in 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists on 49% shooting. Offensively, he is, arguably, the best player in the game. But his defense and fitness keep him out of the top two on our list.

How good has Giannis Antetokounmpo been throughout his stellar career? Since the start of the 2017-18 season, he is averaging 29.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 56% shooting. He put up a 64-point performance in a record-breaking game last season as he continues to evolve an already strong offense game. Yet what makes him truly special is he can affect the game on multiple levels and is the NBA’s version of what a five-tool player is in baseball. He can pretty much do nearly everything.

Nikola Jokic has redefined what it is to be an NBA center and player today. In an era where athletes are as shredded as ever, the “Dad Bod God” has absolutely dominated the highest levels of the game despite looking like a seven-foot accountant. Sure, his defense could be better, but the impact he has on so many facets of the game, and at his size, is awe-inspiring.

And unlike his fellow European superstar Doncic, Jokic excels when it’s winning time. His NBA title from two years ago backs that up, and three NBA MVP awards is why he still remains the best player in the NBA right now.