NBA Player Rankings: The top 25 players for 2014-15

The Best

The top two players on just about everyone’s list are are the same. But at #1 is it last year’s MVP, or the guy who won the previous four and made the NBA Finals every season of the four he spent in Miami? Both players shatter the “usage-efficiency” curve, scoring at unprecedented rates for players carrying that level of burden for creating offense. Still, there can be only one.

2. Kevin Durant – Fully deserved the MVP award for regular season play. Without Russell Westbrook for a large chunk of the season, Durant pillaged the league for months at a time in a way the Vikings (the ones in longships, not purple) would find impressive. Deadly from anywhere on the floor. Almost impossible to guard due to his combination of height and shooting ability. However, as has been the case on more than one occasion in his career, the playoffs can be a bit rougher on him. His slight build combined with the greater physical leeway allowed defenders means his catches become just a little further from the basket and his shots just a little bit tougher. In the calculus of which one player is most helpful in winning a title, those small edges matter, and still consign Durant to the second slot on this list.

1. LeBron James – Durant may well repeat as MVP this coming season. If James and the Cavs (sensibly) decide to pace him during the regular season to maintain his energy levels for the playoffs, LeBron’s numbers over 82 games might not hold at.  Certainly, at 29 (30 on December 30), the freakishness of his athleticism is starting to dim, if only slightly. But James has counteracted this by adding bits and pieces to his arsenal. One year it’s a post-up game. Though it was under-utilized in Miami last year, he’s become one of the most effective catch-and-shoot players in the NBA. This summer, he’s made a well-publicized decision to slim down in order to prolong his career. The added quickness this allows, along with a smaller role on offense and lighter minute load might help him regain his status as one of the top five wing defenders in the game, and area he slipped visibly in 2013-14. Even with that slight dip and Durant’s continued improvement, LeBron still sits atop the list of players you’d take to win you a title tomorrow.