Ranking The 10 Must-See NBA Players This Season
Every NBA team is chock full of players worth tuning in to watch on a nightly basis. That's the beauty of having a league currently deep with high-end, ultra-entertaining talent.
But who are the most must-see players this season? That's what I'm here to figure out.
Bias will be caked in here. It's unavoidable. The viewer's experience is open to interpretation, and stylistic interests vary. This 10-player ranking is just one person's opinion. No set of specific guidelines can weed out the subjectivity.
Generally speaking, though, I'm prioritizing the "WTF did we just watch?!" factor—the players who are events unto themselves, doing incomprehensible things whenever and wherever and without fail, whose feats and styles elicit memorable responses and induce irreversible F.O.M.O. if you're not leering at their every move, every night, in real-time.
Unintentional comedy will not play a part in this list. In other words, nobody from the Washington Wizards makes the cut. Above all, please remember this is not a ranking of the best and most impactful players, period. It is a pecking order of watchability that will seek to spotlight the most compelling (and absurdist) reasons specific to each name.
10(t). LaMelo Ball, De'Aaron Fox and LeBron James
1 of 10
I'm not choosing. And I'm not sorry.
The Charlotte Hornets aren't always a digestible product, but LaMelo Ball remains infinitely watchable. He makes even the most routine pocket passes, corner flings and lobs look glamorous. And he definitely remains First Team All-Most Likely to Throw an Alley-Oop Dime from 35-Plus Feet.
A relatively new feature to the LaMelo Ball Experience: his drives to the basket. They can be chaotic and inefficient, but they are often mesmerizing regardless of how they end:
De'Aaron Fox's watchability has never been more apparent. The Sacramento Kings offense wasn't nearly as fun or furious while he missed time with a sprained ankle. His dials all go to 11—at both ends this season.
The ball pressure he's providing is almost as entertaining as the drives in which his upper and lower body appear to be going in separate directions at different speeds. Emphasis on almost, because you're simply not beating stuff like this:
There is no doubt an emotional component tied to watching LeBron James. Fans of opposing teams get easily frustrated by the number of highlights starring him that get spit out every game, even in losses. But his ability to hit the "turbo" button on his drives, and on a whim, is both must-watch and essential to the Los Angeles Lakers existence.
And yeah, it's a cliche to bow at the alter of awe when age-39-season LeBron delivers a chase-down block. At the same time, we need to appreciate that age-39-season LeBron is still delivering chase-down blocks:
Before you know it, we won't be able to watch stuff like this from him without venturing down the career-highlight rabbit hole. Cherish the fresh moments while you can.
9. Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets
2 of 10
Alperen Şengün has long been a League Pass darling for his daring passes and inventive, verging on reckless, decision-making. This year, that appeal is coupled with a bigger role. And he has not disappointed.
Variance buoys the Şengün passing experience. This is not someone who needs to screen or work in hand-off situations to get going. He can devastate from standstills, while putting defenders at his hip, leading the break, from down low, from everywhere and anywhere.
He will try things with the ball that don't make sense. And they don't always work. But they often do work. And when they do, we're treated to moments like this:
Şengün has ratcheted up his scoring aggression, which heightens his aesthetics. His buckets don't always look like the behind-the-back fantasy from above, but there is a decidedly Nikola Jokićian way to how he'll throw around players just as big and sometimes stronger with his shoulders and flip up closer-range shots at variable angles.
It is not too late to board the Alperen Şengün bandwagon. The Houston Rockets are off to a rethink-everything-you-think-know start, and he's the driving force behind why.
8. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
3 of 10
The blinding speed at which Tyrese Maxey operates always makes for good TV. But there is more variability to his warp drive this season.
He changes his cadence more often and is more comfortable embracing contact downhill, rendering his drives extra unpredictable and incredibly fun. The footwork on his step-back jumper can be Prime James Harden-esque:
And he's even a walking highlight threat on the defensive end:
Having all this in his portfolio on top of his on-ball acceleration and more creative passing while driving to the basket is dope as hell. It changes and defines and optimizes the way this year's Philadelphia 76ers play for long stretches at time. And it's definitely a top-tier viewing experience.
7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
4 of 10
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't your typical League Pass soulmate. His watchability is not rooted in blow-by speed (though he will bust it out) or above-the-rim flickers.
Methodical destruction is his business. And business is booming.
Keeping defenders off-balance is his natural state. They have no idea how to handle his drives to the basket when they yo-yo in pace, direction, footwork and, by extension, conclusion:
SGA has always packed a wicked step-back in his armory. But this year, it's a counter that borders on an ankle-breaking, ego-shattering default:
If you're into bodies flying everywhere, and perhaps the league's slickest in-and-out dribble, every night is the perfect night to watch SGA.
6. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
5 of 10
Anthony Edwards offers all the conventional League Pass effrontery. His 0-to-100 acceleration should be studied by NASA, he has no shot filter off the dribble, and he reacts to what's happening with a megawatt smile that doubles as a knifing smirk.
Oh, he's also always one possession away from his next best-selling poster (NFT?):
His on-ball defensive stands are more consistent and can't-look-away events:
Improved playmaking juices Edwards' entry into the top-five periphery. Edwards is making smarter decisions after leaving his feet but also probing, expertly and surgically, more often until opportunities oft-unseen open up:
Flash meeting substance is always riveting. Edwards has brought both to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
6 of 10
Giannis Antetokounmpo is still at the height of his powers yet has been around so long that much of what he does can be taken for granted. How do you react and reflect upon the cross section of routine and extraordinary?
It is a testament to Giannis' absurdity that even plays we expect draw us out of our seats. And while some still seem to think his offensive game wants for additional skill or dimensions, his gait in and through traffic alone is a work of art:
His defensive energy satisfies both the basketball geeks who thrive on nuance that doesn't show up in the stat sheet and those who drool over highlights:
And for all the frustration over his perimeter shot selection—which, by the way, has been a valuable counter this season—you have no choice other than to appreciate his unflagging willingness to simply try stuff:
All these years later, Giannis keeps hustling like the living embodiment of "Where there's a will, there's a way." And it's no less watchable now than when he was a relative unknown or League Pass novelty.
4. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
7 of 10
Newness invariably inflates Victor Wembanyama's watchability. The "What will he do next?!" factor exceeds that from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and many others simply because there's such a shallow track record of what he will, in fact, do next.
Still, top-four placement isn't a nod toward his novelty. It's an acknowledgement of the wide-ranging functional feats he's both turned in and yet to plumb.
I mean:
And like:
But also:
As well as:
In addition to:
What's next? Dunking from the three-point line? Notching a quintuple-double? Hitting triples from Stephen Curry range?
Harp on the efficiency and consistency if you must. But Wembanyama is leaving his mark through experimentation (and, quite frankly, substantive defense) alone. The highlights so far are merely the byproduct of a generational prospect attempting to figure it out.
Imagine what we'll see and lose our collective minds over once he does.
3. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
8 of 10
Tyrese Haliburton is as accessible as superstars come. Any fan can glean enjoyment from how he plays on the offensive end.
But he's also not someone who can be fully appreciated by multitaskers. His style demands complete, rapt attention.
Take a second to hit "send" on a tweet about what you saw Haliburton just do, and he's liable to have done something else before you look back up—chuck a perfect hitahead, fling a laser to the corner, down an off-the-dribble three with perhaps the most pronounced wrist flick in league history, toss a perfectly placed lob on the run, thread a live-dribble bounce pass in the pocket, jump-pass the defense into oblivion, the list goes on and on, probably without end.
This says nothing of the new wrinkles he adds monthly:
Eh, strike that, I mean weekly:
That Haliburton does all this and more with near-total balance and control bends the brain. Someone so entertaining and functionally risque should not be a 15-assist, zero-turnover staple. And yet, here is, proving to be just that—and oh-so-much more.
2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
9 of 10
Stephen Curry is potentially the greatest individual show in NBA history. And at age 35, he somehow remains as captivating as ever—a human pinball whose very presence coaxes entire defenses into exhaustion and discombobulation.
The audacity from long range is alive, well and something at which you just have to smile—unless you're an opposing defender, in which case you can only shrug and then, yeah, maybe smile, too:
Tracking him away from the ball is impossible for defenders and leaves your eyeballs on a perpetual swivel:
The handles and live-dribble footwork and finishing is controlled chaos in its most unpredictable and effective form:
A sprained right knee has Curry currently watching from the sideline. Though the injury isn't considered serious, every missed game robs us of the chance to see someone who plays with anarchic joy.
1. Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
10 of 10
The inarguably best player in the NBA also being the most must-watch player in the NBA? Go figure.
With the exception of roving at warp speed around the perimeter like Stephen Curry and exploding to the basket in 1.75 strides from half-court like Giannis Antetokounmpo, there is nothing Nikola Jokić can't do on the offensive end.
More traditional big-man stuff helps define his game. His interior footwork is elite:
He is a slayer of mismatches:
And kitchen-sink coverages:
His passing disproves physics:
Then, of course, there's the ol' reliable Sombor Shuffle:
Jokić destroys defenses in every way imaginable. There is no answer to what he does. Even on his least efficient nights, he is unsolvable from anywhere—in transition, on the block, going downhill, at a standstill, above the break, everywhere. And he still, after all this time, does two to 57 things every single game that boggle the mind and make you wonder why everyone else even bothers to play the games.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass and accurate entering games on Friday, Nov. 17. Salary information via Spotrac.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
